How-To Geek

Some people assume that Linux is totally cold and utilitarian. But as a long-time user, I know that Linux can be a real looker. If you'd like to spice up your Linux machine or find a gorgeous replacement for Windows, here are the best-looking distros you can install today.

These days I have a couple Roku Sticks and a pair of Roku TVs, and they handle almost all of my daily streaming. But even after dialing in my setup, including tweaking Roku’s privacy settings to cut down on tracking, one thing still drives me up the wall: buffering. Nothing is more frustrating than sitting down to watch something and seeing that little circle spin again and again.

You've probably seen developers and power users running secondary displays vertically. To me, it always looked weird and unnecessary—we’re used to seeing monitors in landscape orientation. However, once I actually gave portrait mode a real try on my secondary monitor, it was surprisingly hard to look back.

Smartphones are an essential aspect of our lives, and that includes a slew of important apps we all use daily. But there's one app in particular we all probably use the most, and Google's slowly but surely ruining it. Of course, I'm talking about Google Messages, which I have a love-hate relationship with, and here's why.

In a world dominated by wireless accessories, it’s easy to get swept up in the trend—especially when listening to music.

Are you tired of monthly software subscriptions eating into your budget? Wondering whether free alternatives can actually match paid tools? Here are three underrated open-source apps that helped me cancel my subscriptions to TickTick, Trello, Google Drive, and Mailchimp.

If you don't have a lot of experience working with the terminal, it might seem like an obtuse or intimidating black box. What you might not know is that the terminal can be fun to use. So much so, that you're inclined to use the command-line over a GUI whenever possible. There is definitely a learning curve and the more you work with the terminal, the more fluent you become. However, there are some commands that everyone should know.

Many people write Excel formulas for the computer, but experts write them for people. If your logic looks like a wall of text, it's a liability. These five simple habit shifts will help you tidy your syntax, simplify your logic, and make your spreadsheets easier to audit.

You don't need to reinstall your whole operating system just because you forgot your Linux login. It's actually pretty easy to reset your Linux password. All you need to know is the username (which is usually visible on the login screen). I'll show you two ways you can reset the password.

Microsoft dropping support for Windows 10 has left a lot of perfectly good hardware in limbo just because it doesn't meet the requirements for Windows 11. Naturally, people are reluctant to let Microsoft turn their functional computers into e-waste, so they're switching over to Linux. One Linux distribution in particular has seen a surprising uptick in users, ZorinOS. Just a month after its latest version released, it was downloaded over a million times. According to ZorinOS developers, almost 800,000 of those downloads came from Windows users. Windows 10 users are clearly flocking to this distro, so I installed it to see what the appeal is. Turns out, it's the perfect replacement.

Recently my PC just didn’t feel as quick as it used to. Apps seemed slower to launch and file operations felt laggy. I started digging with the usual tools I trust, like Task Manager, Resource Monitor, and CrystalDiskInfo, and everything kept pointing back to storage. At first, my assumption was the obvious one. I figured the SSD might be wearing out or starting to fail, which is where most people’s minds go when a system suddenly feels sluggish.

In case you haven't heard, we are smack in the middle of a massive RAM crisis. DDR5 prices have gone through the roof, and kept going until it reached orbit. Since DDR5 is in so many devices, this affects everything, including the Raspberry Pi 5.

I never used to give much thought to the peripherals I spent my money on. That led to some impulse buys, which, unsurprisingly, ended in disaster.

There are tons of browsers out there. A lot. And really, I could go for any. I've thought about my options in the past and gauged whether any other browser is a better fit for me.

Our lives revolve around the internet, but online security is often not up to the job of protecting our sensitive files and data from prying eyes or malicious actors. This is how I ensure my data is safe on the internet.

So you bought your first mechanical keyboard, started modding it, and realized that you'd like to take the next step of your mechanical keyboard journey: building your own custom keyboard.

In a market increasingly dominated by crossovers and electrified powertrains, affordable all-wheel-drive sports sedans are becoming rare, but one Japanese model still delivers serious performance without a supercar price tag. Its blend of spirited acceleration, sharp handling, and everyday usability makes it easy to overlook, especially alongside flashier rivals, but that would be a mistake for drivers who value grip and engagement in all weather.

Installing Windows used to be a simple process back in the days of Windows 7 and 8, but Microsoft has made it a terrible experience in Windows 11. Linux, which had a reputation for being hard to install, takes 5 minutes to set up and install. Windows 11 takes ten times as long and forces you to jump through countless hoops just to collect more data.

Many PC builders have one or two components they don’t like buying or recommending. I’ve got quite a few of them, and there’s a good chance you’ll agree with me once you hear why.

Tired of using many different commands, each with dozens of flags, to transform text? Meet sttr, a command-line tool that can replace your whole text processing toolbox. Let’s look at why this tool is making the "old way" of text processing look like hard labor.