How-To Geek - We Explain Technology

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.

What You Should Know Before Buying a Wired Security Camera System

Wired security camera systems are nice and far more reliable than Wi-Fi cameras, but there are a handful of things you should be aware of before you go out and buy a wired camera system.

The Best Apps and Services to Help You Save Money When Shopping

No one likes spending more money than they have to. With the right apps on your smartphone, you could put quite a few dollars back in your pocket at the end of a shopping trip.

How to Open (or Convert) a Photoshop File If You Don’t Have Photoshop

Photoshop is a popular and powerful graphics editing tool, but what do you do if you need to open a PSD file and don’t have Photoshop? We have several solutions for you that don’t involve buying (or renting) an expensive copy of Photoshop.

The Best Tool Kits for College Students

If you’re a high school graduate making your way to college this year, you might be shocked to find how much stuff needs assembling and repairing. Here are the best compact tool kits to get the job done.

How to Set Up Parental Controls for Amazon Prime Video

Amazon Prime Video offers parental controls, letting you set age restrictions on videos. You can bypass these age restrictions with a PIN. You can even apply the age restrictions only to specific devices, like the ones your kids use.

Six iPhone Features You Won’t Find on Android

Android and iOS are in constant competition for unique features, but more often than not they just end up taking features from the other platform. That said, iOS still has a few tricks up its sleeve.

The Best Ways to Give Your House Guests a Phone Charger

In the 21st century, offering a phone charger to your guests is almost as essential as offering a drink. We have some suggestions on how to integrate communal chargers into your living space.

How to Easily Remove People from Your Photos With Photoshop

There are few things more annoying than tourists ruining an otherwise great photo. You can painstakingly edit them out by hand but, with a bit of forethought, you can get Photoshop to do it automatically.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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Watch This Maniac Connect a Floppy Drive to His Android Phone

There’s no good reason to plug a floppy drive into your phone…but you can. Read More »

Instagram Accounts Are Being Hacked, Lock Yours Down Now

Attackers are compromising Instagram accounts and locking out users, so take a moment to lock down your account. Read More »

These Android Phones Support Fortnite Right Now (Not Just Samsung!)

Fornite for Android is here, but for now it only works on certain devices. Here’s the list—is your phone on it? Read More »

Spotify Might Get a “Skip Ad” Button

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

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »