About How-To Geek
How-To Geek is an online technology publication with tens of millions of readers each month. Since it was created more than 15 years ago, in 2007, the site’s 20,000+ in-depth articles have been read billions of times.
Our readers love How-To Geek because of its unique voice. We’re not a website for geeks—we are the geeks. We’re the people you turn to when your computer isn’t working right, you need to do something technical, or you want to understand the latest gadgets—and which are the best ones to buy. We explain it all in simple, approachable terms. How-To Geek is for everyone.
How-To Geek has been recommended as an expert resource by industry groups like the Wi-Fi Alliance and newspapers like The New York Times. Organizations like the BBC and Wirecutter have directed their readers to us for our helpful tutorials. Technology news outlets like Techmeme, The Verge, Slate, Digital Trends, TechCrunch, and John Gruber’s Daring Fireball have linked to stories we’ve broken. We’ve been cited as a source in books like Team Human by Douglas Rushkoff, a media theory professor at the City University of New York’s Queens College and CNN contributor. How-To Geek has been used as a resource for everything from university textbooks to late-night TV.
Based in Virginia, How-To Geek is an independent company that remains wholly owned by its founders, Lowell Heddings and Erik Wang. Unlike many other websites, How-To Geek was built without any outside investment or corporate ownership. It remains an independent organization today.
How We Review Products
We go hands-on with all the products we review at How-To Geek’s testing lab and office in Virginia. Our team benchmarks everything from the CPU in the latest Windows laptop to the battery life in the newest wireless earbuds. We also use the opportunity to capture pictures in our photo studio, allowing readers to see the device from every angle.
Products only stay in our office for a short time, as our reviewers take them out into the real world and use them just like you would. Writers evaluate everything after extensive testing in the reviewer’s homes and their day-to-day lives.
Our product reviews and recommendations come from the same team of experts that have helped hundreds of millions of people fix their gadgets for the last 15 years. Each has spent years assessing the latest technology trends and can fairly evaluate a product against the competition.
How-To Geek’s staff are on the ground at tech events, from CES in Las Vegas to press events in New York City to company headquarters in Silicon Valley. We’re always looking to go hands-on with the latest products, talking to executives about upcoming announcements, and getting our readers the details they can’t find anywhere else.
We are never paid to endorse a particular product. Our editorial team uses our hands-on experiences with the products we recommend and comprehensive research of the technology landscape to share advice we truly believe in.
Like most websites, we often use affiliate links. If you click an affiliate link and purchase a product, we may earn a commission. All our product recommendations are chosen independently by our editorial team without any consideration of affiliate relationships.
Our Editorial Team
Chris Hoffman, Editor-in-Chief
Chris Hoffman is Editor-in-Chief of How-To Geek. Since 2011, he’s written over 2,000 articles that have been read more than one billion times—and that’s just here at How-To Geek.
With over a decade of writing experience in the field of technology, Chris’s writing has appeared in a variety of publications, including print copies of The New York Times and Reader’s Digest. Chris was also a columnist at PCWorld for several years, and his writing was on the cover of PCWorld’s print magazine. His work has been mentioned on the BBC, Slate, The Verge, Ars Technica, Lifehacker, and even the front page of Reddit. He also wrote the USA’s most-saved article of 2021, according to Pocket.
Chris has been interviewed as a technology expert on TV programs like WGN-TV’s Midday News in Chicago and radio shows like WJR-AM’s Guy Gordon Show in Detroit. He brings a lifetime of experience with technology to the role of Editor-in-Chief, overseeing all How-To Geek’s content to ensure it’s as accurate and in-depth as possible. Read Full Bio »
Justin Duino, Reviews Director
Justin Duino is the Reviews Director at How-To Geek (and LifeSavvy Media as a whole). He is responsible for communicating with public relations agencies, coordinating reviews, assigning tasks to writers, and making sure all reviews and articles are accurate and as informative as possible.
His career started almost a decade ago when he purchased his first Android smartphone (Motorola Droid 2). After learning how to hack and install ROMs on the handset, Duino began writing tutorials on his publication called AndroidMeter. This website eventually became a traditional Android blog where Duino and several others wrote technology news and reviews.
After several years, Duino began to work as a freelance writer for other publications. Over the years, he wrote thousands of articles and tutorials on sites such as 9to5Google, 9to5Mac, 9to5Toys, Electrek, Phandroid, and Android Central. Lastly, before coming to How-To Geek, Duino spent the year as a Staff Editor for Android Authority. Read Full Bio »
Elizabeth Henges, Commerce Editor
Elizabeth Henges is the Commerce Editor for How-To Geek. She has close to a decade’s experience reporting on tech, gaming, and commerce. Elizabeth has had her commerce work published on XDA Developers, The Inventory, and more.
Elizabeth got her start writing professionally at a small gaming site before becoming a freelance staff writer at RPG Site. Shortly after, Elizabeth got her start in commerce work by writing subscription box reviews for The Checkout.
After freelancing part-time for several years, Elizabeth became a full-time gaming, tech, and commerce writer in 2019, leaving her accounting career behind. Her work was published by The Verge, Washington Post, The Inventory, XDA Developers, and plenty more before she finally landed at How-To Geek. Read Full Bio »
Jordan Gloor, Technical Editor
Jordan Gloor is Technical Editor for How-To Geek. He started writing technology guides in 2020, but his technology and writing experience extends far and wide. As a kid, he learned object scripting through the MS-DOS game engine ZZT, and he later taught himself the basics of Python programming. He’s used all PC platforms, but he prefers Linux because of its ability to revive and restore older hardware.
Beyond technology, he’s also professionally written on agriculture business for Ozarks Farm & Neighbor, edited proposals for non-profits, and presented at a writer’s conference on superheroes and culture.
Jordan earned a bachelor of arts in English in 2016, and he’s coached college students on writing effectively and utilizing education technology. In his free time, Jordan enjoys fiddling with a Raspberry Pi and trying sundry Linux distributions. Read Full Bio »
Corbin Davenport, News Editor
Corbin Davenport is the News Editor at How-To Geek, an independent software developer, and a podcaster.
He started writing online when he was in middle school, creating a blog about Minecraft called Powered by Redstone. He began working at Android Police in 2016, primarily covering Android phones and the Google ecosystem. Over the next few years, Corbin covered PC hardware news and deals for PC Gamer, and general technology news and product reviews for XDA Developers.
Corbin has been an independent software developer for over a decade, with a focus on open-source software. He maintains several web applications and browser extensions, including the PhotoStack batch photo editor, Wikipedia Search extension for Chrome and Firefox, Nexus Tools installer for ADB and Fastboot, and Link Cleaner web app. He currently hosts the Tech Tales podcast, which explores the technology world’s epic failures, forgotten successes, and everything in between. Read Full Bio »
Jason Fitzpatrick, Senior Smart Home Editor
Jason Fitzpatrick is the Senior Smart Home Editor for How-To Geek, a member of the LifeSavvy Media editorial board, and has been with the company since 2010. He’s written thousands of articles on everything from the pressing—like how to stop Windows Explorer from crashing when you open your Downloads folder—to the less-pressing but radically more fun—like how to set up a Minecraft server to build with your friends.
Before joining the How-To Geek family, Jason was the Weekend Editor at Lifehacker—where he started as their very first intern and worked his way up. After joining the How-To Geek family, Jason served as the Founding Editor of How-To Geek sister site Review Geek and Editor-in-Chief of LifeSavvy. In addition to writing and editing, Jason has previously worked as a professional photographer, graphic designer, and spent over a decade as a college instructor.
Jason holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s in English from Western Michigan University. Read Full Bio »
Hannah Stryker, Reviews Coordinator
Hannah Stryker is the Product Tester and Reviews Coordinator for LifeSavvy Media. With a background in product design and development, she analyzes products with an eye for detail and ergonomics. She has always been drawn to the testing and iteration stages of the design process. With an avid belief that the best way to improve design is to consider user critiques, she aims to provide reviews that will help make the next version of a product even better for users.
Within the LifeSavvy Media brand of sites, Hannah is working to standardize product testing procedures and streamline review processes. With a love for photography, she will also be leading the effort towards elevating product photography for future reviews. Read Full Bio »
Editorial Guidelines and Ethics
We strive to write the most accurate, useful articles we can. Our team of experts brings in-depth research, hands-on experience, and decades of knowledge to everything we write. We test every piece of software we recommend and fact-check everything before it’s published. If an article has become outdated or has another issue, please contact us at contact@howtogeek.com, and we will fix it.
At How-To Geek, we adhere to strict standards of journalistic ethics. We never accept money as an incentive to write an article, never recommend products because we have an affiliate deal, and never accept guest posts from people trying to get links on our site. We sometimes receive review units from companies, but we never accept anything as a form of payment for a review. Any advertisements on our website are clearly marked with the word “Advertisement,” and any sponsored articles are clearly marked with the word “Sponsored.” Sponsored articles are not written by the editorial staff. Our editorial team is separate from the business arm of the company and maintains editorial independence.
Our Expert Writers
We’ve got a great team of writers with an immense amount of experience in the technology industry. Here are just a few of them:
Joe Fedewa has been covering consumer technology for nearly a decade. A Staff Writer at How-To Geek, Joe previously worked as the News Editor at XDA Developers. Joe has been covering Android and the rest of the Google ecosystem for years, reviewing devices, hosting podcasts, filming videos, and writing tutorials. Before that, he got his start in the industry covering Windows Phone. He’s an avid DIYer, and you’ll find him working on projects in his garage. Read Full Bio »
Dave McKay first used computers in the industry when punched paper tape was in vogue, and he has been programming ever since. His use of computers pre-dates the birth of the PC and the public release of Unix. He has programmed in everything from 6502 assembly to Lisp, and from Forth to C#. He is currently a Data Protection Officer and has worked as a freelance programmer, the manager of an international software development team, and an IT services project manager. Read Full Bio »
Ian Paul is a freelance writer with over a decade of experience writing about tech. In addition to writing for How-To Geek, he regularly contributes to PCWorld as a critic, feature writer, reporter, deal hunter, and columnist. His work has also appeared online at The Washington Post, ABC News, MSNBC, Reuters, Macworld, Yahoo Tech, Tech.co, TechHive, The Huffington Post, and Lifewire. His articles are regularly syndicated across numerous IDG sites. Read Full Bio »
Kris Wouk is a musician, DJ, and tech writer. He has over a decade of writing experience across a variety of publications, including Digital Trends, Android Authority, and Sound Guys. When he’s not making music, he reviews audio technology here at How-To Geek and writes buying guides for everything from the best stereo receivers to the best turntables. Read Full Bio »
Dave Johnson has worked as a tech journalist since the days of the Palm Pilot and Windows 95. He’s the author of almost three dozen books about tech, digital photography, small business, and robots, and he authored a children’s book that was later adapted into an interactive storybook. These days, in addition to How-To Geek, you can find him around the web on sites like Business Insider and IGN. Read Full Bio »
Nick Lewis is a Staff Writer at How-To Geek. His professional background in programming, where he programmed in Python and C++ professionally and made extensive use of Fortran while pursuing a physics degree. Nick has been using computers for more than 20 years and loves tech DIY projects, as well as repairing and replacing old computers. Read Full Bio »
Harry Guinness is a photography expert, traveler, and writer who’s been published in The New York Times and other newspapers. He’s been writing for a decade, sharing advice in publications from WIRED to Popular Science. Read Full Bio »
Alan Murray has worked as an Excel trainer and consultant for over twenty years. On most days, he can be found teaching about Excel in a classroom or seminar. He wrote detailed Microsoft Excel tutorials here at How-To Geek. Read Full Bio »
How-To Geek alumni have gone on to write for publications like The New York Times, Popular Science, WIRED, The Daily Beast, iFixit, and Ars Technica.
Fan Mail From Our Readers
Here’s some of the feedback we’ve received from our readers:
“Love your work. I read tech documents a lot, and it’s your style that sets you apart. It can be read by anyone. Thanks again.”
-Andrew, July 2016
“What an excellent and well-thought-out article. The type of misinformation this addresses is an enormous pet peeve of mine.”
-John, February 2019
“I just discovered How-To-Geek while I was troubleshooting some issues. I read one article and instantly understood the issue. Thank you for providing this service! Your articles are clear, concise, and easy to read as they don’t bombard you with unnecessary technobabble but still give you the information you need. You are now my go-to source for tech info. Thanks for simplifying my life.”
-Paul, December 2020
“I just read your posting “Fix: My Microphone Doesn’t Work on Windows 10.” Your post was the only mention I found referencing the global privacy setting for the Windows 10 microphone. It solved my problem where the microphone was auto-muting in Google Hangout meetings. I searched for more than an hour, checked all configuration, and updated drivers. Then I found your post.”
-Jason, February 2019
“I got a new computer running Windows 10 last week after using Windows 7 since 2011. Of all the pages I’ve found and articles I’ve read, yours is the most helpful. It has saved me hours of exploring and experimenting with the programs list and start menu. Thank you.”
-Jon, April 2019
“You must get a bunch of these… and you deserve every one of them. There’s just something about the way you write/explain that really connects with me. Not to mention that it’s always been correct in my experience.”
-Mark, May 2022
“How-to-Geek remains my #1 go-to for all things digital.”
-Jack, May 2022
LifeSavvy Media Management Team
How-To Geek is still wholly owned and run by its founders, Lowell Heddings and Erik Wang.
Lowell Heddings, Founder and CEO
Lowell Heddings is the founder and CEO of How-To Geek. He’s been running the show since creating the site back in 2006. Over the last decade, Lowell has personally written more than 1000 articles, which have been viewed by over 250 million people.
These days, he is focused on his role running the business side of the house and building the Moka publishing platform that powers the HTG family of sites, including Review Geek.
Before starting How-To Geek, Lowell spent 15 years working in the IT field doing consulting, cybersecurity, database management, and programming. The last decade of his previous career, however, was spent mainly doing business automation for large corporations. The e-commerce integrations he created are still being used to automate billions of dollars worth of transactions today. Read Full Bio »
Erik Wang, Managing Partner and CFO
Erik Wang is a veteran in the online publishing space. He has over 15 years of experience with a strong focus in the areas of advertising, affiliate marketing, and SEO. He is instrumental in the monetization of the How-To Geek and establishing strategic partnerships to further the company’s growth.
In a previous life, Erik came from the enterprise application software field, where he spent over a decade in consulting and implementation of electronic procurement and asset management solutions for ePlus Technology. Some of the company’s notable clients include Georgia Pacific, Aaron’s, and Kaplan University.
Erik holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Management from Virginia Tech and is also fluent in Mandarin Chinese.
Catherine Chang, Director of Contracts
Catherine Chang is a licensed attorney in the state of Maryland. She’s responsible for all things contract-related at How-To Geek and serves an integral role in developing and finalizing the company’s business deals.
Her wealth in knowledge in contract law and experience in supply chain management was developed through her work in a variety of industries. She’s worked for a boutique law firm in Washington, D.C., multiple companies in the telecom industry, and several defense contractors in the Northern Virginia area.
Catherine has a J.D. from American University, Washington College of Law and a B.A. from the University of Maryland, College Park.
Contact Us
Want to get in touch? We look forward to hearing from you. When you contact us, we collect personal information you provide to us in accordance with our Privacy Policy and Terms and Use.
Computer Help
For computer help, we recommend posting in our Facebook Group. You’ll get a much quicker response from our wider community, and some of them have likely experienced the same problem in the past.
Feedback
We always enjoy reading feedback about our website, whether you have an idea for an article or a suggestion for something we should do differently. Please direct any feedback to contact@howtogeek.com.
Review Requests
Have a cool product you’d like us to take a look at? We’re in the business of looking at cool products and would love to hear about yours. Drop us a line at reviews@howtogeek.com or justin@howtogeek.com.
Press Inquiries
For press inquiries, contact press@howtogeek.com. Our team of technology experts would be happy to provide a quote for an article you’re working on.
Join Our Team
We’re always looking for experienced freelance writers who are passionate and knowledgeable about technology. Here’s how to apply.
Advertising
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We strive to use only the highest-quality ads. If a poor-quality advertisement has slipped through the cracks, please let us know at contact@howtogeek.com.
Mailing Address
We recommend contacting us via email. However, you can mail a letter to us at the following address:
LifeSavvy Media
21515 Ridgetop Cir. STE 350
Sterling, VA 20166
