Explainers Articles - How-To Geek

How Windows 10’s “Reset This PC” Has Gotten More Powerful

The “Reset This PC” feature has been around since Windows 8, but it’s changed a lot since then. Microsoft keeps making it better and better, and it’s easy to miss all the improvements. Cloud Download i...

What Is the Gig Economy, and Why Is It So Controversial?

The “gig economy” is a buzzword on the news and in everyday conversation. It refers to the rise in contracted work—or “gigs”—that aren’t traditional jobs. Ridesharing, food delivery, ...

Andrew Heinzman 5d ago

The Best Ways to Secure Your SSH Server

Secure your Linux system’s SSH connection to protect your system and data. System administrators and home users alike need to harden and secure internet-facing computers, but SSH can be complicated. Here are ten easy qu...

What Is Leetspeak, and How do You Use It?

The internet’s full of weird words like “1337” and “hax0r.” These are forms of leetspeak, a stylistic way of typing that’s been around since the 80s. But why was leetspeak invented, and how...

Did Linux Kill Commercial Unix?

Sales of commercial Unix have fallen off a cliff. There has to be something behind this dramatic decline. Has Linux killed its ancestor by becoming a perfectly viable replacement, like an operating system version of Invasion ...

What Is a “Hot Take,” and Where Did the Phrase Come From?

Hot takes are everywhere online. You’ve probably seen the phrase “hot take” thrown around, but what exactly does it mean? Where did it come from, and how do you use it?

Andrew Heinzman Oct 9th

What Is Patch Tuesday for Windows, and When Is It?

Microsoft’s “Patch Tuesday” occurs on the second Tuesday of each month. This is the day when, like clockwork, Microsoft releases large update packages for Windows 10, Windows 7, Microsoft Office, and its oth...

Chris Hoffman Oct 8th

What Does “FWIW” Mean, and How Do You Use It?

While FWIW isn’t the most popular piece of slang on the internet, it routinely finds its way into Twitter posts, message boards, and chat rooms. But what does FWIW mean, where’d it come from, and how do you use it...

A New Wireless Standard: What Is Amazon Sidewalk?

At Amazon’s annual hardware event, the company revealed a new wireless standard for the Internet of Things and smarthome devices called Sidewalk. Sidewalk promises longer range than Wi-Fi and Bluetooth with lower power ...

How HTTP/3 and QUIC Will Speed Up Your Web Browsing

HTTP/3 is becoming more widespread. Cloudflare is now supporting HTTP/3, which is already part of Chrome Canary and will be added to Firefox Nightly soon. This new standard will make your web browsing faster and more secure....

Chris Hoffman Sep 27th

Motherboards Explained: What Are ATX, MicroATX, and Mini-ITX?

Hardware standardization is one of the greatest strengths of desktop PCs. You can mix and match parts to your heart’s content. But not all motherboards are the same physical size. There are different form factors for di...

What Is a GIF, and How Do You Use Them?

Even if you can’t define the word “GIF,” you’ve definitely seen one before. They helped define the early internet, and they’re more popular now than ever before. But what exactly is a GIF, and ho...

Andrew Heinzman Sep 25th

Why iPhone and iPad Apps Are Asking to Use Bluetooth

If you’ve installed iOS 13 on your iPhone, you’ve probably noticed that many apps are suddenly asking for permission to use your Bluetooth hardware. The same change will arrive on iPads with the iPadOS update. Her...

What Is Apple Arcade? Here’s Everything You Need to Know

Apple Arcade is a new gaming subscription service that will eventually provide access to over 100 games for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple TV devices. It costs $4.99 per month for an entire family, and your first month is fr...

Tim Brookes Sep 20th

What Is Ultra Wideband, and Why Is It In the iPhone 11?

Apple’s new iPhone 11 devices include a “U1” chip with ultra-wideband (UWB) technology. This isn’t new technology, but it’s the first time it’s been in a modern smartphone. It’s not j...

What Is Google Jamboard (and Do I Need the Hardware to Use It)?

Jamboard by Google is a cloud-based kiosk meant for businesses to use in conference rooms to facilitate collaboration in meetings. Despite a hardware aspect of the product, you don’t necessarily need the smart display t...

Brady Gavin Sep 18th

Can You Get Multiple User Accounts on an iPad?

Apple’s iPads only support multiple user accounts in a special education mode intended for schools. iPads are a single-user device—more like an iPhone than a Mac. However, you can share an iPad more easily with th...

Chris Hoffman Sep 11th

What Does “TFW” Mean, and How Do You Use It?

TFW is an internet acronym that you’ll usually find on social networking sites and in memes all over the web. But what does TFW mean, where did the acronym come from, and how do you use it?

Andrew Heinzman Sep 10th

What Does “NSFW” Mean, and How Do You Use It?

NSFW is an odd, versatile internet acronym that’s found its way into internet articles and social media posts. But what does NSFW mean, where’d it come from, and how do you use it? Don’t worry—this art...

Andrew Heinzman Sep 9th

Why Does USB Have to Be So Complicated?

The new USB specification has been finalized. Soon you can upgrade from USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 to USB4 Gen 3×2. Just don’t use USB4 Gen 2×2—that’s not any faster than the previous generation. Confuse...

What Does “FOMO” Mean, and How Do You Use It?

FOMO is one of the few internet acronyms that has wiggled its way into psychology papers, the evening news, and every college counseling office in America. But what does FOMO mean, where’d it come from, and how do you u...

Command Lines: Why Do People Still Bother With Them?

The command line is almost 50 years old, but it’s not outdated. Text-based terminals are still the best way to accomplish many tasks, even in the age of graphical desktops and touch-screen gadgets....

What Is VBScript, and Why Did Microsoft Just Kill It?

VBScript is gone. Once a scripting language to compete with JavaScript in web browsers, VBScript is now disabled by default in Internet Explorer on all supported versions of Windows after a recent Windows update. But VBScript...

How iOS 13’s Dark Mode Works on Your iPhone and iPad

With iOS 13 and iPadOS 13, Apple is finally bringing a system-wide dark mode to the iPhone and iPad. This feature will work automatically with websites and supported apps as well. Here’s everything you need to know....

Khamosh Pathak Aug 16th

What Is microSD Express, and Why Does It Matter?

SD cards—everybody’s got a few, but nobody thinks much about them. That’s a testament to how well they work. But performance always matters, and microSD Express promises to make microSD cards much faster....