How Does File Compression Work?

Software engineers have always developed new ways of fitting a lot of data into a small space. It was true when our hard drives were tiny, and the advent of the internet has just made it more critical. File compression plays a big part in connecting us, letting us send less data down the line so we can have faster downloads and fit more connections onto busy networks.
by Anthony Heddings

The Differences Between the 1st-Gen and 2nd-Gen Nest Protect

The Nest Protect smart smoke alarm is on its second generation, and if you’re not sure which model you have, there are a few things you can do to find out, as well as some significant features that separate the two different versions.
by Craig Lloyd

The Best Free TV and Movie Streaming Services

Cutting the cord still leaves you with a ton of entertainment options, but they don’t all have to cost money. In fact, there are a number of free ways to watch TV and movies online.
by Cameron Summerson

All the Best Microsoft PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcuts

Even if you’re familiar with Microsoft PowerPoint, you might be surprised by the number and variety of keyboard shortcuts you can use to speed up your work and generally make things more convenient.
by Amelia Griggs

How to Use and Configure Screen Time on Your iPhone or iPad

Screen Time tracks how much you’ve used your iPhone or iPad. It also lets you schedule times when you shouldn’t be using apps or set maximum amounts of time you’d want to use specific types of apps, like games.
by Chris Hoffman

The Best Credit Card Multitools

We love multitools of all shapes and sizes here at Review Geek. We’ve recommended around everything from a full size Leatherman down to a jumped up bottle opener. Now, let’s take a look at credit card multitools.
by Harry Guinness

What is a DMG File (And How Do I Use One)?

DMG files are containers for apps in macOS. You open them, drag the app to your Applications folder, and then eject them, saving you the hassle of the dreaded “Install Wizard” of most Windows apps. So if all they are is a folder for an app, why do we use them instead of just downloading the app itself?
by Anthony Heddings

The Best Free BitTorrent Clients

When you think of BitTorrent, you probably think about piracy. And yeah, it’s used that way a lot—but that’s not all it’s good for. BitTorrent is just a decentralized peer-to-peer transfer protocol, and how you use it is up to you. Here are our favorite free BitTorrent clients.
by Yuvraj Wadhwani

The Best PC Speaker Systems

Desktop PCs don’t come with speakers, and the ones included in laptops leave a lot to be desired. If you want some decent sound, you’ll need to add your own. Here are your best options.
by Michael Crider

What SD Card Do I Need for My Camera?

Modern digital cameras all write the photos and videos you take to removable storage cards, but which ones do you need? Let’s look at which SD cards—and CompactFlash, CFast, or XQD cards—are right for you.
by Harry Guinness

How to Keep Your Windows PC and Apps Up to Date

We know, updating your PC is a hassle–but it’s essential. New security flaws are discovered on a regular basis, and most companies are pretty good about issuing fixes for those flaws as they crop up. Plugging those holes, however, depends primarily upon you making sure things are appropriately updated.
by Walter Glenn

The Best Mini Photo Printers For Printing Photos On The Go

In the smartphone age, it’s nice sometimes to be able to print out your favorite photos. These are the best mini photo printers we’ve found.
by Jennifer Allen

How to Align a Table Horizontally in Microsoft Word

If you have a table that doesn’t take up the full width of your Word document, you can change its horizontal alignment on the page and even fine-tune how far it’s indented if you’ve got it aligned to the left of the page. Here’s how that works.
by Hayley Milliman

7 Windows Features That Apple Should Ruthlessly Steal

Mac users think Microsoft doesn’t have any good ideas. They’re wrong. Here are some Windows features Apple should steal for macOS.
by Justin Pot

The Best Tripods

A good tripod is an essential bit of kit if you’re serious about photography. Don’t worry, we’ll do the legwork for you. These are the best tripods for pretty much everyone.
by Harry Guinness

How to Make Outlook 2016 Close a Message After Replying or Forwarding

By default, Outlook keeps a message window open after you reply to or forward that message, meaning you have to manually it when you’re done. You can change that so that Outlook automatically closes the original message window as soon as you hit the “Send” button. Here’s how.
by Hayley Milliman

What Happens to My Wi-Fi Cam If the Internet Goes Out?

Wi-Fi cameras are great for keeping yourself safe or just checking in on pets, but what happens if the Wi-Fi goes out? Does a Wi-Fi cam turn into just a…cam?
by Craig Lloyd

How to Make Your Own Philips Hue LightStrips for Cheap

Smart light options from Philips Hue are pretty expensive, but perhaps nothing is as pricey as the Hue LightStrips. The good news is that you can save quite a bit of cash by putting together some DIY Hue-compatible light strips.
by Craig Lloyd

All the Best Microsoft Excel Keyboard Shortcuts

Even if you’re familiar with Microsoft Excel, you might be surprised by the number and variety of keyboard shortcuts you can use to speed up your work and generally make things more convenient.
by Amelia Griggs

The Best Apps For Studying And Learning Something New

The new school year is right around the corner, and we’ve got some great studying apps for making learning a little easier this time round.
by Jennifer Allen

How to Find and Delete Large Files on Your Mac

Freeing up disk space on a full hard drive can be difficult, especially when it’s full of small files. However, there are some excellent tools for macOS that let you find the files taking up the most space and delete the ones you don’t need. Ready to get your disk cleaned up?
by Anthony Heddings

The Best Samsung Galaxy Features You’re Probably Not Using

Samsung packs its flagship phones with a slew of features—some are even better than stock Android. Either way, there are a lot of things on these phones that you may not be using. Here are some of the best.
by Cameron Summerson

The Best Bone Conduction Headphones

If you often find yourself in a situation where you need to be aware of your surroundings but would also like to be able to listen to music, then a good set of bone conduction headphones may be right for you.
by Cameron Summerson
More Articles ›

GEEK TRIVIA

Skywalker Ranch, George Lucas’ Massive Movie Ranch, Has Its Own?

FYI GEEK

Spotify Might Get a “Skip Ad” Button

Spotify’s free version might let you skip ads, the way YouTube sometimes lets you.  Read More »
by Justin Pot

Disabling Location History Doesn’t Stop Google From Tracking Your Location

Disabling Google’s Location History doesn’t stop Google from tracking your location on Android and iOS devices.  Read More »
by Justin Pot

Google Warns Play Users About Potential Fortnite Scams

Search “Google Play” for Fornite and you’ll be told it’s not available, as shown above. This is going to head off so many scammers.  Read More »
by Justin Pot

Facebook Kills Friend List Feeds, The Best Feature Ever Stolen From Google+

Facebook is killing Friend List Feeds, which let you browse custom news feeds from curated lists of friends.  Read More »
by Justin Pot

File Explorer’s Supposedly Complete Dark Skin Doesn’t Really Look Done

Microsoft seems to be struggling with Windows 10’s dark mode, as a supposedly “complete” dark version of File Explorer makes clear.  Read More »
by Justin Pot

People Think Their Passwords Are Too Awesome For Two Factor Authentication. They’re Wrong.

Two factor authentication vastly improves your security, but hardly anyone uses it: only 10 percent of Google users enable the feature, for example. Why is that?  Read More »
by Justin Pot

Watch Free TV and Movies in Your Browser With The Roku Channel Online (No Roku Required)

The Roku Channel, a collection of free TV shows and movies, is now available online— meaning you don’t need a Roku device in order watch.  Read More »
by Justin Pot

How-To Geek Has Switched to Disqus for Comments (If You Didn’t Already Notice)

After many years of people complaining that we don’t use Disqus, we’ve finally decided to make the switch. So now you can give us your opinions directly on the article page using a much simpler system.  Read More »
by Lowell Heddings

Temporarily Disable Your Laptop Keyboard So You Can Clean All That Gunk Off

Laptop keyboards are filthy, but cleaning them means pressing keys. KeyboardCleanTool for macOS and ToddlerTrap for Windows are two simple apps that temperarily disable your keyboard, giving you a chance to clean.  Read More »
by Justin Pot

Can Facebook Keep Growing If Everyone’s Already On It?

There are only so many people on earth, and so many hours in the day. Is that starting to limit the growth of social media?  Read More »
by Justin Pot

Free Download: HabitLab Subtly Helps You Change Bad Online Habits

Wish you wasted less time online, but don’t want to simply block distractions? HabitLab, an open source project, might be able to help.  Read More »
by Justin Pot

Generate Random Dungeons For Your D&D Campaign with This Free Tool

Not a big fan of designing dungeons for Dungeons and Dragons and other roleplaying games? Random Dungeon Generator can do it for you, so you can focus on story.  Read More »
by Justin Pot

Instapaper Works in the EU Again

Instapaper, which was blocked in the European Union, is now working again.  Read More »
by Justin Pot

Google Maps is Renaming Entire Neighborhoods

Google is a powerful company, but did you know it can rename entire areas of a city, seemingly accidentally?  Read More »
by Justin Pot

CCleaner Rolls Back Sketchy Update, Promises Not to Undo User Preferences in Future Version

Piriform, reacting to widespread backlash, rolled back recent changes to CCleaner that made it functionally impossible to prevent data collection.  Read More »
by Justin Pot