How-To Geek

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We explain technology. Learn more with our articles, reviews, tips, and the best answers to your most pressing tech questions.
Updated: 3 hours 16 min ago

I almost returned this $250 headset, but now it's my favorite of 2025

8 hours 34 min ago

I'm not a fan of gaming headsets, so for the Razer BlackShark V3 Pro to impress me enough for me to recommend it to you is no small feat.

Categories: IT General, Technology

This self-hosted Linux app cut my subscription costs by $300

Sun, 12/07/2025 - 23:30

Subscriptions are the new cable, and if you're not careful, you might find that your subscription costs wind up creeping higher than any cable subscription ever did.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Stop using Ubuntu—here's why you need to switch to an immutable distro instead

Sun, 12/07/2025 - 23:30

Linux is generally less prone to malware than Windows, and so long as you're careful about the commands you enter, Linux systems tend to age much more gracefully than Windows systems. However, no system is truly immune to malware, and blindly following instructions online can easily break something on your system if you're not cautious. That is where immutable distros can save the day.

Categories: IT General, Technology

These amazing Windows apps actually started on Linux, and they’re all free

Sun, 12/07/2025 - 22:00

Windows has a vast ecosystem of its own apps, but many of my current favorite apps for Windows actually started their digital lives on Linux. If you're looking for a few free or open-source alternatives to your conventional Windows apps, some of these options are a great place to start.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Stop buying 1TB SSDs: You are wasting your money

Sun, 12/07/2025 - 21:01

Hot take: 1TB SSDs are fine for some people, but not for most people. Not anymore.

Categories: IT General, Technology

10 mind-bending Netflix shows to watch while you wait for more Stranger Things

Sun, 12/07/2025 - 20:00

One of the most anticipated television events of the year has arrived—well, at least part one of it has—and with it comes the return of our favorite monster-fighting 80s teens. It’s been a long three-year wait, but Stranger Things season five has begun. The only bummer is that it’s dropping in three volumes. While we'd all love for the final season to drop at once, we must be patient.

Categories: IT General, Technology

8 Chromebook keyboard shortcuts you should be using every day

Sun, 12/07/2025 - 19:00

We all know and rely on the glorious copy-paste shortcut. Seriously, imagine having to right-click to copy and then right-click to paste every single time you need to move a snippet of text. Frustrating, right? It completely breaks your rhythm!

Categories: IT General, Technology

Why Samsung needs to copy Apple’s most gimmicky feature

Sun, 12/07/2025 - 18:15

There are some features that are easy to immediately dismiss as gimmicks. Then, over time, they start to make sense. Apple’s "Personas" are one such feature, one Samsung and Google seriously need to imitate.

Categories: IT General, Technology

6 retro Unix platforms that shaped the Linux we know today

Sun, 12/07/2025 - 18:00

Today, downloading a free Unix-like system for a PC or a single-board computer like a Raspberry Pi is routine. In the late '80s and early '90s, as computer hardware improved, these systems brought Unix power down from minicomputers and workstations to the personal level before the arrival of Linux.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Why your tech-savvy friends secretly hate these 5 Christmas gifts

Sun, 12/07/2025 - 17:31

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat. Most of my friends and relatives know that I'm a self-confessed geek and will often buy me tech gifts that they're sure I'll love. Sometimes, however, they would have been better off saving their money. If you're looking to buy something for a tech lover, please don't get them these gifts.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Stop reinstalling Mac apps one by one—this Homebrew trick does it for you

Sun, 12/07/2025 - 17:15

If you’ve ever had to reinstall everything on your Mac, or even on a second machine, you’ll know what a struggle it is. Even keeping track of what’s installed can be a pain if, like me, you’re constantly trying out new software.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Music Assistant is the Home Assistant add-on your speakers need

Sun, 12/07/2025 - 17:00

Streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music give you access to hundreds of millions of songs, but they're quite restrictive in how you can use them. They may not include some of the music you want to listen to, and you may not be able to play those streaming services through some of your speakers. Music Assistant allows you to play music from a wide range of sources on almost any speaker in your home.

Categories: IT General, Technology

7 essential Waze voice commands for safer, smoother drives

Sun, 12/07/2025 - 16:30

Driving today is all about balancing focusing on the road while trying to handle all the other things that happen when you are navigating busy streets. Waze understands that the best way to make roads safer and get the most efficiency is by letting drivers chat with the app.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Here's why these $9 flashlights are my favorite purchase of 2025

Sun, 12/07/2025 - 16:01

2025 is the year I bought both a Nintendo Switch 2 and a Samsung Galaxy XR headset, but my favorite tech purchase isn’t either of those things. That would, surprisingly, be a night light. But this isn’t just any night light.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Unlock Powerful Free PDF Editing with BentoPDF: Say Goodbye to Adobe Acrobat!

Sun, 12/07/2025 - 15:30

If you work with PDFs a lot, you often have to choose between expensive proprietary software or free alternatives that have lackluster features or questionable privacy and security. But what if I told you that you can have the best of both worlds? It's called BentoPDF.

Categories: IT General, Technology

How to Check What Graphics Card (GPU) Is in Your PC

Sun, 12/07/2025 - 15:15

Whether you're looking to download a GPU-specific driver, trying to determine whether you'll be able to play a new game at a reasonable frame rate, or checking the specs on an unfamiliar PC, knowing exactly what GPU you're dealing with is an important piece of information. Here are a few ways you can do it.

Categories: IT General, Technology

How I built the perfect Pomodoro timer with Home Assistant

Sun, 12/07/2025 - 15:00

I've always struggled to concentrate on work. When I should be working, my mind starts to wander, or I end up falling down a tech rabbit hole trying to fix something that takes far longer than I expect. I've tried Pomodoro timer apps, but they never worked for me, so I decided to build my own using Home Assistant.

Categories: IT General, Technology

How to use the Google Pixel as a project management system

Sun, 12/07/2025 - 14:30

I recently realized that my phone's chaos didn't come from the apps—it came from a lack of direction. It was powerful enough to do anything, so it ended up distracting me with everything. To fix this, I decided to give it a dedicated purpose—turning it into my personal project management system!

Categories: IT General, Technology

5 things you didn't know were invented by Microsoft

Sun, 12/07/2025 - 14:16

During its half-century of existence, Microsoft has brought forth a plethora of products, but the company also has a number of inventions under its belt. While some are quite popular, you probably wouldn't guess they were invented by the Redmond Giant.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Stop throwing away your PC boxes—you are literally losing money

Sun, 12/07/2025 - 14:00

If you’re the type that throws away the packaging your PC parts come in, thinking it’s just fancy cardboard, you’ve come to the right place. I diligently collect the boxes my PC parts come in—and here’s why you should consider doing the same.

Categories: IT General, Technology

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