Featured Articles - The Best of How-To Geek

How To Make Your Computer’s Microphone Sound Better

Ever wonder how radio and podcast hosts get their signature sound? While some of it comes from their better hardware, a lot of it comes down to post-processing, which is editing the audio after it’s recorded (or sometim...

Best Free Music Apps for Android and iPhone

Yuvraj Wadhwani Oct 18th, 2018

Windows 10’s Next Release Will Let You Uninstall More Built-in Apps

Windows 10’s next update, codenamed 19H1 and due for release sometime around April 2019, will let you uninstall more of Windows 10’s built-in apps with a few clicks. Don’t want 3D Viewer, Groove Music, or Pa...

Why Do Websites Make You Log In So Much?

You’ve probably noticed that websites make you log in over and over, especially on your smartphone. This problem is particularly noticeable when viewing newspaper websites where you need an account to view the articles....

Microsoft Is Killing Skype Classic on November 1, and Here’s Why People Are Upset

After some delays, Microsoft is finally going to kill Skype Classic on November 1. If you’re a Skype user, you’ll have to upgrade from Skype 7 to Skype 8 or stop using Skype. Here’s what’s different, a...

FYI

Winamp 6 Might Maybe Possibly Not Be Vaporware and Could Arrive in 2019 (Potentially)

Lowell Heddings Oct 16th, 2018

The Most Common Online Errors (and How to Fix Them)

If you’ve been on the Internet for a while, chances are good you’ve encountered a variety of errors. While avoiding errors altogether is not possible, it does help to understand what those errors mean and some basic steps...

HTG Explains: What is Port Scanning?

A port scan is a bit like jiggling a bunch of doorknobs to see which doors are locked. The scanner learns which ports on a router or firewall are open, and can use this information to find a computer system’s potential ...

Don’t Click “Check for Updates” Unless You Want Unstable Windows 10 Updates

As Microsoft revealed, only people who clicked “Check for Updates” got bitten by Windows 10’s file deletion bug. When you click the “Check for Updates” button, Microsoft gives you updates early, ...

Never Forget to Turn off the Curling Iron Again by Using a Smart Plug

Craig Lloyd Oct 12th, 2018

HTG Explains: How Does a CPU Actually Work?

Most things in a computer are relatively simple to understand: the RAM, the storage, the peripherals, and the software all work together to make a computer function. But the heart of your system, the CPU, seems like magic eve...

What Happened to Winamp, and Can You Use It Now?

Justin Pot Oct 11th, 2018

Don’t Upgrade to the Latest Operating Systems on Day One

Gone are the days of using the same unchanging operating system for years. Windows 10 is getting a significant upgrade every six months, and those updates break things. Even Apple keeps messing up with iPhone updates....

Bing Is Suggesting the Worst Things You Can Imagine

If you use Bing’s image search, you’re going to see the worst filth you can imagine. Bing suggests racist terms and shows horrifying images. Bing will even suggest you search for exploited children if you have S...

How Google is Turning Chrome OS into a Powerful Tablet OS

Chrome OS, while once thought of as a nigh-useless operating system, is shaping up to be a bold and different OS—one that can handle almost anything you throw at it, especially for tablets. It’s quite possibly the...

What Is Noise Reduction in Digital Images?

Harry Guinness Oct 9th, 2018

How to Autofill Your Credit Card Number (Securely)

Online shopping is great, but typing in your credit card number on every new website can get annoying fast. Here’s how to skip the typing and check out sooner, whether you’re on your iPhone, Android phone, PC, Ma...

Facebook Announces a Camera for Your House. Didn’t They Just Get Hacked?

Today Facebook announced their new Portal smart video calling device, complete with Alexa built-in, to help reinvent video chatting… but with their privacy track record, is this something you want?

Microsoft Pulls the Windows 10 October 2018 Update for Deleting Files

We previously warned you that the October 2018 update for Windows 10 was deleting people’s files, and now Microsoft has basically confirmed the issue by pulling the update for now.

The C64 Mini Has Arrived, Can You Relive Commodore’s Glory Days?

October 9 marks the US release of the c64 Mini. It features high-definition video output and sound via HDMI, a collection of games built in (plus the ability to load your own), a joystick, USB ports for keyboards, and even C6...

How People Can See When You Open Emails (and How to Stop Them)

Practically every email message you receive from a company has a tracker in it. The sender gets a ping when you open the message. You can block this trick—or use it yourself to track your messages....

How I Got Alexa to Make Me Coffee, and Why That’s Not As Cool As It Seems

Craig Lloyd Oct 4th, 2018

Wi-Fi 6: What’s Different, and Why it Matters

Wi-Fi 6 is the next-generation wireless standard that’s faster than 802.11ac. More than speed, it will provide better performance in congested areas, from stadiums to your own device-packed home. It’s coming in 20...

Use a Smart Plug to Power-Cycle Your Router Without Getting Off the Couch

Craig Lloyd Oct 3rd, 2018

How to See Power Usage in Windows 10’s Task Manager

Chris Hoffman Oct 3rd, 2018