Featured Articles - The Best of How-To Geek

How To Backup Your Kindle Highlights and Notes

If you’re in the Kindle ecosystem, your book highlights and notes will sync between all your devices. But what about DRM free books? What if you want to export all highlights and notes from a book to a notetaking app?...

Khamosh Pathak Dec 13th, 2019

12 Family Tech Support Tips for the Holidays

The only certainties in life are death, taxes, and having to provide tech support for your relatives over the holidays because you “know computers.” Save yourself some time, and follow our 12-step plan to clean an...

Rob Woodgate Dec 13th, 2019

Thunderbolt 3 vs. USB-C: What’s the Difference?

Newer laptops often come loaded with a port that accepts a reversible plug and supports very fast transfer speeds. Do you know what it is? If you guessed the Thunderbolt 3 or USB 3.1 port, you’re right, and therein lies...

Which iPhones Have Portrait Mode?

Smartphones may never replace a good DSLR or analog camera, but they’re still a handy, portable substitute. They’re even decent solutions for taking up-close shots and portraits. This guide explains which iPhones ...

Kevin Parrish Dec 12th, 2019

What Is Swappiness on Linux? (and How to Change It)

The Linux swappiness value has nothing to do with how much RAM is used before swapping starts. That’s a widely reported and widely believed mistake. We explain what it really is.

Dave McKay Dec 12th, 2019

Will Windows 10 Work on My Computer?

If your computer runs Windows 7, there’s a good chance it will also run Windows 10. Both operating systems have similar hardware requirements. Any new PC you buy or build will almost certainly run Windows 10, too....

Where You Can Stream Your Favorite Christmas Specials

If you’re looking to get into the holiday spirit by sitting down with a good ol’ Christmas special, then you are in luck. There are quite a few streaming services to choose from with old and new movies to watch....

Kennedy Maring Dec 11th, 2019

How to Print Photos in Windows 10

We store most pictures digitally on mobile devices, SD cards, and PCs and are easily accessible online. But what if you want an old-school physical copy to frame? This guide shows you how to print photos in Windows 10....

Kevin Parrish Dec 11th, 2019

How to Track Stocks with Google Sheets

One of the lesser-known functions in Google Sheets is GOOGLEFINANCE, which allows you to track current or historical financial securities data on the stock market. Here’s how to use it.

Vann Vicente Dec 10th, 2019

What’s New in Chrome 79, Available Now

Google is set to release Chrome 79 today on December 10, 2019. Expect lower CPU usage and improved security. The latest version of Chrome can share a clipboard with Android phones, too.

What Are Microtransactions, and Why Do People Hate Them?

The topic of “microtransactions” is a contentious one among gamers. They’re anything that you have to pay money for inside a video game. Here’s why players have a problem with them....

Vann Vicente Dec 9th, 2019

How to Use Your Calendar From Windows 10’s Taskbar

Windows 10 has a built-in Calendar app, but you don’t have to use it. You can view and create calendar events right from the Windows taskbar. You can even link accounts like Google Calendar or iCloud Calendar and see yo...

What Does IIRC Mean, and How Do You Use It?

If you keep seeing “IIRC” online, and you’re curious what it means, you’ve come to the right place! We’ll break down what it stands for, where it came from, and how you can use it....

What Is Markdown and How Do You Use It?

Markdown is a simple syntax that formats text as headers, lists, boldface, and so on. This markup language is popular, and you definitely have apps that support it. Here’s a quick primer on what Markdown is, and how and...

Rob Woodgate Dec 6th, 2019

How to Use the dmesg Command on Linux

The dmesg command lets you peer into the hidden world of the Linux startup processes. Review and monitor hardware device and driver messages from the kernel’s own ring buffer with “the fault finder’s friend...

Dave McKay Dec 6th, 2019

Can My iPhone or iPad Get a Virus?

Your iPhone isn’t as susceptible to viruses as a PC or Mac, but iOS malware does exist. Here’s what protects your iPhone from viruses, and how you can avoid other types of malware and threats on your iPhone or iPa...

How to Use Your iPad as a Secondary Mac Display Without Sidecar

With Apple’s Sidecar feature, you can use your iPad as a secondary Mac display. Unfortunately, it’s only available on newer (post-2016) MacBooks and iPads. But don’t worry—you can get the same function...

Khamosh Pathak Dec 5th, 2019

What Is a Wangiri or “One Ring” Phone Scam?

All day, strange foreign numbers have called your phone. They’re from a country you’ve never visited. Each time the digits change slightly, making it impossible to block them. They ring for just a few seconds before hangi...

How to Find Your Spotify Wrapped 2019

Whether you’re an avid music buff or not, you probably spend countless hours listening to your favorite artists and songs. To help illustrate this point, Spotify Wrapped 2019 shows you precisely what you listened to mos...

Justin Duino Dec 4th, 2019

Notepad Isn’t Moving to Windows 10’s Store After All

Back in August, Microsoft announced it would update Notepad through Windows 10’s Store, delivering updates more frequently than once every six months. Now, Microsoft is changing its mind. Notepad won’t move to the...

Chris Hoffman Dec 4th, 2019

How to Get Alerts When a Nintendo Switch Game Goes on Sale

It can be frustrating to miss a sale for a Nintendo Switch game you’ve had your eye on for a while. We recommend setting up alerts so that you never miss a Switch game sale again. Here’s how....

Vann Vicente Dec 4th, 2019

Apple Is Making the MacBook Pros You’ve Been Waiting For

Apple just refreshed its laptop lineup with a new 16-inch MacBook Pro, and it’s kind of a big deal. The company has made changes to the design in response to criticism from both critics and users, including a new keyboa...

How to Enable Classic Markdown Text Formatting in Slack

Slack recently updated its message box with a WYSIWYG interface. To bold text, select it and click the “Bold” button like you’re using Microsoft Word. Now, in response to criticism from some long-time users,...

Chris Hoffman Dec 3rd, 2019

How to Use the ls Command to List Files and Directories on Linux

We use the Linux ls command every day without thinking about it. That’s a pity. Pay it some attention, and you’ll find many useful options—including some you should add to your command-line arsenal....

Dave McKay Dec 3rd, 2019

Windows 10’s November 2019 Update Is the Best Yet

Windows 10’s November 2019 Update, also known as version 1909, is the best update to Windows 10 yet. It’s a small update that’s quick to install, doesn’t add any crazy new features, and isn’t bre...