Mount a Windows Share in macOS and Have it Reconnect at Login
You’re not a loyalist: your network has both Windows and macOS machines. The good news is you can access your Windows shares from macOS pretty easily, if you know how.
How to Enable the Root User in macOS
Want to enable the root account on your Mac? You can, but the functionality is a little buried in System Preferences. Here’s how to find it.
How to Seamlessly Run Windows Programs on Your Mac with Parallels
Sometimes, Mac users need to run Windows software. Maybe there’s a program you need for work that doesn’t offer a Mac version, or maybe you occasionally need to test websites in Internet Explorer. Whatever you need Windows fo…
How to Maximize Battery Life on Your iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch
Whatever you do, don’t leave your iPhone or iPod sitting in a hot car—heat kills batteries faster than any other factor, and your device that used to keep a charge for hours will eventually barely hold a charge, and you’ll …
How to Add IFTTT Shortcuts to Your Phone’s Home Screen
IFTTT lets you automate a ton of your favorite web services, but you can also create convenient home screen shortcuts for a whole host of different tasks. Here’s how to set them up.
How to Edit Your Hosts File on Windows, Mac, or Linux
On occasion you will need to edit the hosts file on your machine. Sometimes because of an attack or prank, and others so that you can simply and freely control access to websites and network traffic.
How to Make the macOS Finder Suck Less
Oh, the Finder. It’s been Apple’s default file browser on the Mac since it was called Macintosh, and users have been complaining about it ever since. We can’t fix the Finder for you: no one can but Apple. We’re betting that …
How to Optimize Safari for Maximum Privacy
Like other modern web browsers, Apple’s Safari has a few features that send your data over the Internet. For example, Safari sends all your searches to Apple with the default settings. We don’t recommend you disable all these…
How to Use and Tweak Reader Mode in Safari
The web can be an ugly place. Sites with useful information can also be cluttered with sidebars, advertisements, and popups asking you to subscribe to a newsletter.
How to Lock Your Mac When You’re Away
Tired of your kids or roommate posting dumb things to your Facebook account every time you leave the room? All you have to do lock your Mac to keep them out.
How to Use OpenDNS or Google DNS on Your Mac
Are you still using your internet provider’s DNS servers? You probably shouldn’t be. In most cases, ISP-provided DNS is slow, and occasionally goes down completely. Some even redirect unresolved URLs to a branded search p…
How to Disable Caps Lock in macOS
Unless you’re working in the accounting department, you really don’t need the Caps Lock key—and let’s face it: you’re probably not going to be using a Mac if you work in accounting, so all the Caps Lock key ever doe…
How to Add a Drop-Down Calendar to the macOS Menu Bar Clock
Windows users can click the clock on the taskbar to see a calendar, which is perfect if you need to know what day of the week June 17th is. Macs don’t offer this feature, at least not out-of-the-box. But there are programs th…
How to Block Someone from Calling, Messaging, and FaceTiming You on an iPhone or Mac
There are few things more annoying than unwanted calls and texts. Even seemingly decent companies sometimes turn to scammy tactics; or perhaps you have a former friend who keeps trying to contact you against your wishes….
How to Rename Group Chats in iMessage
If you use iMessage, you’ve probably been roped into a group chat or two. It can often become confusing, so what can you do if you have a number of them going at once and can’t tell them apart?
How to Change the Login Screen Background In macOS Sierra, Yosemite, and El Capitan
When you turn your Mac on, do you notice the blurred image behind the login screen? By default it’s a blurred version of Sierra’s iconic wallpaper, or a blurred version of your current wallpaper.
How to Do Everything Faster in macOS with Quicksilver
Your mouse is slowing you down. The less you use it, the faster you’ll be able to do just about everything.
How to Sort Your Mac’s Folders on Top of Files (Windows-Style)
Switch to a new operating system and there are all sorts of little difference to get used to. The way macOS sorts folders and files is one of those things for migrating Windows users.
Stupid Geek Tricks: How to Make Mac OS X Get Weird
Here’s a really stupid geek trick for you Mac users out there: You can make OS X lose its mind when minimizing a window with some quick timing and a terminal command.
What to Do When You Lose Your Smartphone
Phones get stolen or lost everyday. With a plethora of data ripe for identity-theft on it, a lost phone can easily make your blood run cold. Take a deep breath, How-To Geek will talk you through this.
Does Plain Black Wallpaper Really Save Battery on Phones and Tablets?
In a world where you can have 3D scenes rendered in real time as your smartphone’s background, plain black wallpapers aren’t the most eye-catching option. However, they can offer battery life improvements over colored wal…
How to Connect to Windows Remote Desktop from Your iPhone or iPad
You can’t run Windows apps on your iPad or iPhone, but if you have a Pro or Enterpise edition of Windows, you can remotely access your PC using Windows Remote Desktop. Here’s how to get it set up.
How Private Browsing Works, and Why It Doesn’t Offer Complete Privacy
Private Browsing, InPrivate Browsing, Incognito Mode – it has a lot of names, but it’s the same basic feature in every browser. Private browsing offers some improved privacy, but it’s not a silver bullet that makes you …
How to Delete Cookies in the Most Popular Web Browsers on Windows
Cookies are small files that websites put on your computer to store small bits of information. A cookie can keep you logged into a website by writing ID information to a cookie file. Cookies can also be used to store the item…
How to Change the Default Application for a File Type in Mac OS X
If you’re a recent Mac OS X convert, you might be wondering how to force a particular file type to open in a different application than the default. No? Well, we’re going to explain it anyway.
