How-To Geek

Microsoft has spent what feels like years pushing Copilot updates into Excel, but for me, it's the little usability improvements that make the biggest difference when you use the app every day. A small change to a dialog box can save you a few clicks, remove an annoying extra step, or make a good habit easier to stick to. One recent change to the way Excel creates tables is a good example, and it's something I've wanted for years.

I regularly need to move files between my Linux PC and my Android phone, but there are surprisingly few good options. You can manually attach your phone to the PC, email the files to yourself, or use a cloud storage service, but those options are either clunky or involve more steps than I'd like. KDE Connect is great for transferring a few files now and then, but it isn't designed as a sync program.

Want to 3D print items that live outside? One option is to throw caution to the wind, print with whatever material you like, and seal everything up with an aftercoat. Unfortunately, this requires time and money, and things can still wear with time.

When people think of homelabbing, they often picture endless racks of servers and tangled cables. In reality, a $50 refurbished office PC can be all you really need to start self-hosting apps on a home server. But before spending your money on one, run through this checklist to make sure you're actually getting a good deal rather than buying e-waste.

Spooky season has officially kicked off, and this month, there are a lot of scares in store for Netflix viewers. From classic horror hits to new-age thrillers, the platform's horror collection is extensive enough to keep your watch list loaded until Halloween.

I don't know about you, but I have more bills, invoices, bank statements, and healthcare documents than I know what to do with. Finding a specific detail, understanding a complicated term, or comparing this month's charges with last month's can take up more time than I'd like, not to mention the frustration involved. Tools like ChatGPT and Claude can make this much easier, but I'm not particularly comfortable with the idea of handing my financial, medical, or other sensitive information over to big tech companies just to get a few questions answered. I have enough concerns about how much data these companies collect without voluntarily giving them more.

When it comes to wireless technologies, most people are aware of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and the various cellular standards. However, when you want to send messages or information, there are actually tons of alternative radio-based digital technologies that can get the job done.

Some of the best software in the world is produced entirely by volunteers and released for free. Over the years, I’ve come to rely on many of these tools to stay productive and in control of my Mac.

As a long-term Android user, MagSafe was the biggest source of envy for me when looking at iPhones. Built-in magnets inside smartphones open the door to a million creative accessories, eliminating the need for 3M adhesive or annoying clamps. It is a beautiful solution to a hundred different accessory-related problems.

Did you know that 3D printing and woodworking are very similar? They're actually way more similar than you might think. I've woodworked for longer than I've 3D printed, and these are the tricks that I think you should steal to take your 3D printing to the next level.

File systems are something we rarely think about anymore, but in the early days of Windows, they could make a surprisingly big difference in how much of your pricey hard drive you actually got to use. FAT16 had one incredibly frustrating quirk with how it handled cluster sizes. Its inefficiency effectively punished you for buying a bigger hard drive, as it could leave you wasting much of the storage you paid for.

I wasn't particularly satisfied with the Googlebook launch. As a tech writer and product reviewer, I was basically obligated to spend two weeks with a product that felt grossly unfinished and super confused about its identity. But one feature, the Glowbar, just can't escape my mind.

Finding a good alternative app is the easy part. The hard part is deciding what to do with everything you're leaving behind. Years of OneNote notebooks can hold everything from recipes and saved links to work notes you still need. The good news is that moving them into Joplin is easier than you might expect.

Do our phone cameras really record what they see, or do they embellish? We're living in the age of computational photography, after all, and with modern AI technology, it's possible to take a raw photo and turn it into anything. It's like applying an Instagram AI filter to your memories.

A custom-built home is all about designing elements that feel perfectly adapted to your space and routine. With a 3D printer, you can retroactively apply this concept to the objects inside your home, to great effect.

Most of us have outdated electronics and gadgets sitting around—an old TV, some nice old speakers, or a slightly bulky monitor. They often work just fine, but they just haven't aged well because either connectivity or software left them outdated long before they break.

Every Android phone can play the role of a mobile hotspot, with most people using it to provide internet to their laptop or another phone, or to a computer that doesn’t have Wi-Fi via USB or Ethernet tethering.

A high-quality, durable toolbox for any professional in the shop will be expensive, but that doesn't mean you need to spend $8,000 or more on one, either. Most mechanics and professionals know that Snap-on is one of the best, but you can get a toolbox with similar quality for a lot less.

HDMI, DisplayPort, and USB-C are the most popular ports today, but they're not the only ports in use. In fact, if you take a look at the most popular ports today across all electronics, you'll find that a surprising number of them have been around for a very long time.

I remember a time when you'd have to be mad to use a wireless mouse, even if you were only working with spreadsheets or playing Solitaire. Weak signals, low-res optical sensors, and a Wild West of driver and software support made my first wireless mouse experience very frustrating indeed.