Featured Articles - The Best of How-To Geek

2019 Is the Year of Linux on the Desktop

The year of Linux on the desktop is finally here! Windows 10 is getting a Linux kernel, and all new Chromebooks will run Linux applications. Most desktops purchased in the future will include a Linux kernel and run Linux soft...

Is it Safe To Preview Your Email?

In the early 2000s, many security professionals advised disabling your email client’s preview function. Simply previewing an email could be dangerous! This is no longer good advice. With a modern email client, you can p...

Rob Woodgate May 10th

How Much RAM Does a Chromebook Really Need?

Chrome is known for being a RAM hog, but most Chromebooks come with only 4 GB of RAM. Chrome OS manages RAM differently than Windows or Mac computers, so it can do more with less.

What the End of “Works With Nest” Means For You

Google announced the end of “Works With Nest” at Google I/O 2019. Many companies, from IFTTT to Philips Hue, use Works With Nest to automate your smarthome. Those automations will break soon....

Josh Hendrickson May 9th

Remember Microsoft PowerToys? Windows 10 Is Getting Them

Microsoft is resurrecting the PowerToys project. Designed for power users, these utilities may include a keyboard shortcut manager, a batch file renamer, and a window manager that can change window layouts when you dock or un...

Chris Hoffman May 8th

How to Kill Processes From the Linux Terminal

Killing a process is sometimes the only way to get rid of it. Despite the harsh name, “killing” a process just means “forcing it to quit.” Here’s how to do it from the Linux or macOS command line...

Dave McKay May 8th

What Is Android’s Project Mainline, and When Will My Phone Get It?

Google’s Project Mainline, announced at I/O 2019, will deliver security updates to Android devices through the Play Store. Google is bypassing the traditional, slower update channels dependent on device manufacturers an...

We Tried Microsoft’s New Edge for Mac Browser, You Can Too

During the Microsoft Build keynote yesterday, the company briefly teased Microsoft Edge for Mac. We managed to install the dev and canary builds on a Mac, and you almost can’t tell it isn’t a Windows build. That&#...

Josh Hendrickson May 7th

Free Download: Use Alexa Hands-Free on Any PC

Alexa just got more powerful on Windows 10. Amazon previously brought Alexa to Windows, but wake words only worked on some PCs. Now, Alexa can run in the background and listen for “Alexa” commands on any PC....

Chris Hoffman May 6th

Windows 10 Is Getting a Built-in Linux Kernel

Microsoft today announced Windows Subsystem for Linux version 2—that’s WSL 2. It will feature “dramatic file system performance increases” and support for Docker. To make all this possible, Windows 10 ...

Microsoft’s Edge Browser Keeps Getting More Interesting

Microsoft’s Edge browser is getting better privacy controls, an Internet Explorer Mode, collections for organizing web research, and even a Mac version. Microsoft announced these features at Build 2019, where it also an...

Josh Hendrickson May 6th

Windows 10 Is Finally Getting a Real Command Line

Forget the Command Prompt. Microsoft is launching a new command line application named “Windows Terminal.” It features tabs and themes, with centralized access to PowerShell, the classic Cmd environment, and Bash ...

Chris Hoffman May 6th

How to Schedule Sending an Email in Gmail

Gmail now lets you write an email and schedule a sending time. Schedule an email for later, and it will go out at the specific date and time you choose. It’s particularly convenient for replying to emails outside busine...

Chris Hoffman May 6th

What Is Windows 10 IoT, and When Would You Want to Use It?

Microsoft offers Windows 10 in nine separate editions, ranging from Home to Enterprise to Server. Windows 10 IoT (Internet of Things) is the edition you’re least likely to own but also one you’ve probably used mo...

Is It Bad to Have Your Desktop PC on the Floor?

Despite the name, a desktop PC doesn’t have to be on a desk. That huge tower PC would fit nicely on the floor, sure. But you should think about ventilation and dust so that your gaming PC doesn’t overheat....

How to Watch Videos at Faster Speeds

Who said you had to watch videos at their normal speed? Speed up playback to get through slow lectures or binge-watch a slow TV series. These tips work with YouTube, Netflix, local videos, and anything you can stream in Chrom...

How to Hide or Remove a Game From Your Steam Library

Steam shows every game you’ve ever purchased or received as a gift in its library. It remembers some free games you’ve installed, too. But you can hide a game from your library—or even permanently delete it ...

Chris Hoffman May 3rd

37 Important Linux Commands You Should Know

Are you new to Linux or just a little rusty? Here are all the commands you’ll need to know. Think of this as an essential reference for the Linux terminal. This applies to the macOS command line, too....

Windows 10’s “Check for Updates” Button Just Got Safer

Microsoft promised to stop installing unstable updates when you click “Check for Updates” and now it’s delivering. Rather than automatically installing such updates, Windows gives you a “Download and i...

Chris Hoffman May 2nd

How to Move Game Files to Another Xbox One

Xbox One games are enormous. Red Dead Redemption 2 alone is 107 GB. If you have a data cap, downloading the same game multiple times is wasteful. Instead, transfer your games between consoles using external drives to save dat...

Josh Hendrickson May 2nd

Amazon’s Choice: Who Chooses It, and How Does It Work?

Amazon’s Choice is a fantastic little program, and it’s probably informed a handful of your purchases. But have you ever stopped to ask who chooses Amazon’s Choice, or how the program works behind the scenes...