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Cool tricks are loved by all. There is nearly always some shortcut we haven’t discovered, regardless of how well we know an app or program. In the same way, we could use hardware every day without being aware of its useful features.
Zoom is a good example, which many Americans have just lately learned about.
You may spend a lot of time with the equipment you already own, especially if you work from home. You could be doing things “the hard way” when you might be cutting corners for nothing.
Here are some of the most popular tech hacks, shortcuts, and tips for a number of widely used programs and tools:
1. Always insert your USB drive correctly.
It seems obvious how to properly connect a USB cord. So why do we constantly make mistakes on our first attempt?
Here’s the deal: Take any available USB cord in your home. On one side, can you make out that symbol? It is beyond just branding or decor. If you plug in horizontally, that symbol will face up; if you plug in vertically, the USB symbol will face you.
2. Reopen a closed tab in a browser
It regularly happens. In your browser, you have a dozen tabs open, and you unintentionally close the wrong one. You may either do that with a few keystrokes or by opening the history of your browser and opening the tab from there.
On a computer, press Ctrl+Shift+T, or Command+Shift+T on a Mac, to immediately reopen the last tab you closed.
3. At a specific point, share a YouTube video.
If you see anything in a YouTube video that you want to share at a specific point, you can obtain a link that brings people directly to that spot. Click the Share icon to the right of the video. Look for a checkbox to the right of the link. It will automatically indicate the time at which the video is currently paused.
You can keep it this time or change it. Copy the link and share it on your chosen social media platform or email it to a friend. When someone clicks on the link, the YouTube video will automatically jump to the moment you chose.
4. Use “Site:” to find content super quick.
Google searches can yield millions of results. Reduce it greatly by using Google’s Site: option to search only one site. Open Google in your browser and enter “site:” followed by the website you want to search for. “site:website.com,” but without quotation marks.
Tip: Instead of going to Google, insert the “site:website.com search word” in your browser’s address bar. Again, no quotation marks are required.
5. Report spam texts and scammers
Junk texts are annoying. You can ignore them, but it also feels smart to take action.
Texts can be reported to the GSMA’s Reporting Service with just a few clicks. Send the message to 7726 (guess what that spells?) or simply select “Report spam” on your chat app.
6. In Google Docs, use your voice.
I’m sure you’ve used your phone’s speech-to-text feature to dictate text messages or emails, but did you know you can do the same in Google Docs? It’s free and surprisingly effective.
Open a new Google Docs document, then select Voice Typing from the Tools menu. Then begin dictating. Voice Typing also detects commands such as “comma,” “period,” and “new paragraph.”
7. Disney Plus movie downloads
Each streaming provider has a distinct policy for downloading and watching video content offline. Until 2016, Netflix was a huge holdout. However, Disney Plus immediately enabled this option. The download icon can be found near the bottom of the menu. You can also download as many titles as your hard disk can store with the Disney Plus app.
8. Cropping a screenshot
Screenshots are common, but you frequently capture more than you need. Too much of your screen in a single image can potentially compromise your security. Instead, you can capture a screenshot and crop it precisely to contain only what you want.
On a Mac, hit Command + Shift + 5, and a rectangle will appear, which you can alter as much as you want.
On Windows 10, go to Start, open the Search Bar, and type Snipping Tool. This will give you a comparable box that you may drag to any form on your screen.
9. Look through WhatsApp chats
No matter what platform you use, messages build up over time. It’s lost in a disorganized sea when we’re trying to find that one humorous phrase or an important street address. Despite being the most downloaded app of the past ten years, many users do not realize you are able to search your messages in the same way that you can on Google.
There is a search bar for iOS versions and a search icon for Android versions. In any case, choose phrases that are particular to a given conversation to focus on the precise message you want to convey.
10. Cancel an email
Did you just send an email to everyone that was intended for only one person? Gmail, on the other hand, allows you to unsend an email by changing one option before you write it. For further instructions, tap or click here.
This mail recall also allows you to change spelling mistakes, incorrect recipients, the subject line, and even append missed attachments.
Make sure to change the value from the default of five seconds to anything longer. Let’s be honest: five seconds isn’t even enough time to realize you’ve made a mistake, let alone hit the unsend button. Fortunately, Gmail settings allow you to pause email delivery for up to 30 seconds.
