Everyone appreciates a good trick. There is virtually always a shortcut we haven’t discovered, regardless of how well we understand a software or tool. The same is true with hardware: We may use devices on a daily basis without being aware of their useful features.
Zoom, which millions of Americans have just learned about for the first time, is an excellent example. For 11 of the greatest Zoom tips you’ll wish you had known sooner, tap or click this link.
You could use your existing technology a lot while in quarantine, particularly if you work from home. Unbeknownst to you, you can be taking shortcuts for free instead of completing things “the hard way.”
Speaking of free, you can obtain 15 tech upgrades for free by tapping or clicking here. These upgrades include free products like Microsoft Office and Adobe Photoshop.
Here are a few of my favorite well-known tech shortcuts, tips, and techniques for a variety of well-known applications and tools:
1. Make sure your USB drive is positioned correctly the first time.
It seems obvious to plug in a USB cord correctly. So why do we so often make a mistake on the first try?
The secret is as follows: Pick up any USB cord that is lying around the home. Look at the one-side symbol? It goes beyond just décor or branding. If you connect a cable in horizontally, that symbol will point up; if you insert a cable in vertically, the USB symbol will face you. You know now.
2. Open a tab in your browser again.
It occurs often. You unintentionally shut one of the dozen tabs that are open on your browser. Reopening the tab may be accomplished with a few keystrokes or by accessing your browser’s history.
You may instantly reopen the tab you just closed by pressing Ctrl+Shift+T on your PC or Command+Shift+T on your Mac.
3. At a certain moment, share a YouTube video.
If there is anything in a YouTube video that you would want to share at a certain time, you may get a link that will lead viewers straight to that spot. Below the video, click the “Share” button. Below the URL, look for a checkbox. The time that you now have the video paused will be shown automatically.
You may pick a new time or continue at this one. Either email a friend the link or copy it and post it on your favorite social media platform. The YouTube video will automatically go straight to the moment you selected when someone clicks on the link.
4. Use “Site:” to do a ninja-like search for material.
Millions of results may be found with a Google search. Reduce it considerably by using Google’s Site: function to search only one website. In your browser, launch Google and enter “site:” followed by the URL of the website you want to search. For example, “site:komando.com,” but without the quote marks.
There’s no need to visit Google if you type “site:komando.com search term” into the address bar of your browser. Once again, no quotation marks are required.
5. Report unsolicited messages and expose the con artists.
Junk text messages are really aggravating. Blocking them is an option, but it also feels wonderful to act.
It just takes a few clicks to report SMS to the GSMA’s Reporting Service. (Can you guess what it spells?) Forward the message to 7726. Alternatively, just choose “Report junk” on your messaging app.
6. Speak up in Google Docs
You probably already dictate emails or texts using your phone’s speech-to-text feature, but did you know that Google Docs allows you to do the same? It works remarkably well and is free.
Go to the Tools menu in Google Docs, open a new document, and choose Voice Typing. Next, begin dictating. Commands like “comma,” “period,” and “new paragraph” are also recognized by voice typing.
7. Use Disney Plus to download movies
Every streaming provider has a distinct policy regarding offline viewing and video content downloads. Up until 2016, Netflix was a significant holdout. However, Disney Plus immediately permitted this choice. At the bottom of the menu is the download icon. As many titles as your hard drive can store may also be downloaded via the Disney Plus app.
8. Resize a screen grab
Although taking screenshots is normal, you often take more than you need. Your security may really be at risk if too much of your screen is shown in a single picture. Alternatively, you may snap a screenshot and crop it precisely so that you only include the information you desire.
On a Mac, you may alter the rectangle that appears when you press Command + Shift + 5.
In Windows 10, choose Start, type Snipping Tool into the Search Bar. You can use this to create a box that looks like this and drag it to any object on your screen.
9. Look up WhatsApp conversations
Regardless of the platform you choose, messages build up over time. It’s buried in a jumbled sea, yet we’re looking for that one funny quotation or an important street address. Although WhatsApp may be the most downloaded software of the decade, many users are not aware that it has the same search function as Google for messages.
There is a search bar for iOS versions and a search icon for Android versions. In any case, to pinpoint the precise message you’re seeking, search for terms that are distinctive to a certain discussion.
10. Removing an email
Was the email intended for just one person, and you sent it to everyone? Gmail allows you to undend emails by changing a single setting before you write them. For further instructions, tap or click this link.
You may also edit misspellings, wrong recipients, the subject line, and even forgotten attachments using this message recall feature.
Make careful to change the setting from the five seconds that is the default. Five seconds isn’t even long enough to realize you made a mistake, much alone press the “unsend” button, let’s face it. Fortunately, Gmail settings allow you to pause the transmission of emails for up to 30 seconds.