How-To Geek

AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini allow you to upload files and photos or paste large chunks of text. You can then do things such as summarizing documents or turning your selfies into Studio Ghibli-style images. The danger is that you can end up uploading personal information that you really shouldn't be sharing.

Plex Media Server, the software known for turning any PC or NAS into a personal streaming service, is officially ending support and updates for 32-bit versions of Windows. Plex's decision comes in response to Microsoft's decision to end support for Windows 10 back in October 2025.

Typically, when you're uploading a file to the cloud, you need to open your browser, log into your account, navigate to the right folder, click the upload button, locate your files or folders in the file picker window, and then hit upload. What if you could just type one line into a terminal, hit enter, and be done? The open-source tool rclone lets you do just that.

If you're a Ryobi fan, you probably have a wide collection of its bright-colored tools you've slowly collected from Home Depot. Over the years, the company has released hundreds of tools and accessories, mainly under the 18V ONE+ tool line, and some of them are better than others. While there's a good reason many of its products end up discontinued, here are a few I wish could come back.

Admittedly, SATA SSDs don't have too many uses anymore; they're nearly obsolete for many people. When faced with a choice, pretty much anyone will pick an NVMe, which offer significantly faster speeds and have done so for many years.

When it comes to the best streaming services out there, one that I’ve always loved to talk about is Apple TV. There’s a lot you can do with an Apple TV subscription, but for me, I’m always checking out the television shows on it. Whether it’s Severance or For All Mankind, there are so many different series to check out.

Vinyl sales are near all-time highs, and their popularity has revived a conversation that has raged for decades: why does vinyl sound better than digital? Where is the magic in vinyl that digital lacks? But there is no magic—vinyl isn’t better.

I've tested and reviewed dozens of smartphones over the years, but my daily driver has remained a Samsung since the Galaxy S4 launched in 2013. Sure, I've run with a Pixel or OnePlus for months at a time, but I always end up returning to Samsung.

Smart cameras are only as good as how reliably you can access them, and they have remained as one of Matter's trickiest challenges. The Connectivity Standards Alliance is addressing this with Matter 1.5.1, an incremental but meaningful update focusing on refining device performance and improving flexibility across ecosystems. The latest version is aimed at cameras and video doorbells that joined the Matter ecosystem last November.

A gigabit internet plan is more than enough for just about every household. But what do you do if, despite paying a lot of money for an expensive plan, your connection is still disappointing? Investigate, of course.

So you've bought a multicolor 3D printer, or you've added an upgrade kit to your existing model to give it the ability to make lovely 3D prints with multiple filaments. It's one of the biggest leaps you can take with 3D printing, and these machines are finally affordable for everyone.

VPN marketing has really pushed the dangerous idea that the second you hit connect, you're totally invisible and untraceable. It makes VPNs seem like a bulletproof shield or some kind of way to hide from those who want your data. It promises you total anonymity just by hiding your IP address, but that is not true. For real defense against tracking, you need more than just a VPN. You actually need to understand how the browser you use every day can work against you, because it's giving up your information, whether you use a VPN or not.

A Plex media server doesn't have to be the most complicated thing ever. But it often does get complicated when you take into account the fact that you need to choose storage, and not just any storage. While you're at it, here's all the storage formats that you should not use on your server.

Are you tired of looking at expensive smart home projects and just want to build some yourself, but don’t know where to start? The ESP32 is the ultimate option for both beginners and enthusiasts for DIY smart home gear, and the best module costs just $5.

Back in the day, when it was still called Windows Explorer, File Explorer was one of the best apps Microsoft included with Windows. It was fast, intuitive, and as stable as a rock.

Not only are the fumes potentially harmful, but certain parts of your 3D printer get hot enough to melt hard plastic. In a worst-case scenario, these parts could malfunction and cause damage to your printer or even start a fire.

Spring is on the horizon, and with it comes a fresh slate of Netflix titles. This April, you can expect to stream a long list of movies, including Netflix's collection of older releases that are made available on the first day of the month.

Whether you're new to Linux or you've been using it for years, you may have some bad command-line habits. If you can break these habits, you'll stop using the Linux terminal like a beginner and start using it much more efficiently.

Anker believes it has a simple way to avoid a rat’s nest of cables and hubs on your desk: put it all into one box that clamps on to the side. The accessory maker has released a $70 Nano Power Strip that it claims will minimize clutter while keeping multiple devices fully charged.

Immich is a self-hosted, open-source photo and video backup solution, intended as an alternative to Google Photos and iCloud Photo Library. I've used Immich for some time to back up photos and videos, but I'd never thought of connecting it to Home Assistant. Now I wish I'd tried it sooner.