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How to make your PC quieter
Your gaming PC can generate a lot of noise, and we're here to help you silence it!
Let’s say you’ve built your enthusiast-grade battlestation of a PC with the most premium components. All’s well with the new system, except it sounds like a jet engine every time you run an application that’s even remotely taxing on your hardware.
Stage Manager is a handy tool that is available on new Macs running macOS Sonoma or Ventura. This multitasking feature enables you to group apps of your choice together and quickly switch among these different groups through a dedicated interface. So those who rely on multiple apps when studying or working will appreciate how they can turn a number of windows into a single entity. To enable and use the Stage Manager feature on a compatible Mac, follow the detailed steps we've listed below.
How to download and install Windows 11
Curious to check out Microsoft's new operating system? Here's how you can download Windows 11 right now to try it for yourself.
Windows 11 has been out for nearly two years, and for many of us, it's already old news, but it's still a great operating system. The initial release of Windows 11 brought a brand-new design language, a new Start menu, and other changes, and newer updates have come out to add even more. With releases like version 22H2 and the upcoming version 23H2, Windows 11 keeps getting better. But even though it's getting more popular, many of us are still installing Windows 11 for the first time.
Apple's latest Mac computers are excellent devices for students. That's because they support an extensive library of productivity apps, in addition to a wide variety of games. As such, users get to rely on these machines for studies, work, and play. If you happen to be interested in running Steam games on macOS Sonoma or an earlier version, then you can download and install any compatible title by following the steps below.
How to install Pip on Windows
Pip and Python go hand-in-hand to help you execute both simple and complex programs.
Pip is one of the most important tools to have at your disposal when you're getting started with a Python project. It allows you to install and manage millions of Python packages and libraries to help you set up the right software environment for a project, be it a simple automation task or a complex artificial intelligence or machine learning project. But how do you install Pip on Windows to ensure you have no issues working on Python projects? Thankfully, installing Pip on Windows is a fairly simple task, and you can do it following a few simple steps. There's also a chance that you may already have Pip installed on your system, so read on to learn more about it.
How to optimize Windows 11 for gaming
If you're a PC gamer, casual, or serious, there are a few settings you can change in Windows 11 to ensure your PC is optimized for gaming.
Windows 11 is a great operating system for productivity, thanks to features like Snap Layouts, Android apps, and WSL. The best laptops and desktop computers out there let you do all kinds of work with Windows 11. But if it's gaming that you're planning on doing, then we have some suggestions for how you can make your PC even better. You can turn on Windows 11's dedicated Game Mode to optimize performance for digital gaming, tweak Windows 11's security measures to free up your CPU and RAM for gaming, and so much more.
How to hide the taskbar in Windows 11
The taskbar can be a useful tool in Windows 11, but at times, it just gets in the way. Here's how to hide it.
Microsoft gave its famous operating system a facelift when it redesigned Windows 11, so you might find the feel to be both familiar and different. One area where Microsoft made a few changes was the taskbar, where the design and positioning of items are slightly different from what you'd find on Windows 10.
How to use Threads on desktop in Windows, Mac, Linux, and ChromeOS
No need to wait for the official Threads desktop client!
Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably heard of Threads by now. Meta’s latest social media app is unapologetically a Twitter (or X) competitor, and it's deeply interconnected with Instagram to create an amalgamation of the two. However, access to Threads was only possible through its official iOS and Android apps when it launched. There was no proper web interface at the beginning, although you could directly go to a user's profile.
How to sync non-Steam save files with your Steam Deck
Steam Cloud saves don't work for non-Steam games, but there's a way to make your own cloud saves. Here's how.
Steam Cloud is one of the greatest things about PC gaming with Steam; you hardly even need to think about transferring files from your PC to your Steam Deck, for instance. The thing is, there are lots of popular PC games that aren't on Steam and don't get to enjoy Steam Cloud file syncing, like emulators for old console games, and that's a shame since emulation is great on the Deck. However, you can make your own sort of cloud saving system for your PC and Deck, and here's how.
Our Windows computers are great at locating files and folders in an instant, but that’s not always to our benefit. Sometimes, there’s content on our PC that we want to keep tucked away from prying eyes. Search tools like File Explorer can make any file visible with just a few typed characters, but thankfully, there are a few system customizations you can make to hide certain files and folders. Here are a few of our go-to methods for hiding those treasured bytes in Windows 11.
How to edit photos on a Chromebook
You don't need a Mac or a PC to edit your favorite photos. Chromebooks are also capable photo editing machines.
Photo editing is something that people often associate with the best laptops, but if you own a great Chromebook, you can still edit photos. Thanks to support for Linux and Android apps, you can download and install popular photo editors like GIMP or even use the native Gallery app and the Google Photos app to tweak a particular photo. You can even use the web and an online photo editing experience. Here are five methods we recommend.
Windows 11 features in preview: Everything you can try right now
Windows 11 is on the way, but you can try some of its features right now. These are all the Windows 11 features currently in preview.
Windows 11 first showed its face on June 24, 2021, and became officially available on Oct. 5 of that same year. Today, most laptops sold come with Windows 11 installed out of the box, but the Windows development cycle never stops, and there's always something to look forward to. That's where the Windows Insider Program comes into play, as it lets fans try out new Windows 11 features in preview before anybody else.
How to update your Mac to the latest macOS Sonoma
Software updates tend to pack plenty of exciting changes!
The latest Macs are undoubtedly some of the best laptops around, offering unmatched power in sleek builds. However, if you want to make the most out of your Apple computer, you must keep it up to date. This ensures that you get both the latest features and critical security patches that keep your data safe. To update your compatible Mac to macOS Sonoma, follow the steps below.
Windows 11 update tracker: Download and install the latest update
Now that Microsoft has released Windows 11 via stable channel, we're tracking all the updates
Keeping Windows up to date will ensure that you’ve got the least buggy version of the OS. When it comes to Windows 11, Microsoft has opted for the one update per year strategy, although it continues to make available regular patches and fixes throughout the year to address known issues. New feature sets, such as the Moment 3 release, are also being seeded through the Windows Update framework. This article will serve as the central repository of knowledge base (KB) articles and download links for all updates related to Windows 11.
How to install Jupyter Notebook on Windows
Are you using Jupyter Notebook for part of your coding? You can install it on Windows, and access it via the web in a few steps.
If you're a programmer, data scientist, or anyone who codes you're probably familiar with Jupyter Notebook. This is a web-based interactive development environment. It's pretty flexible, so you might want to know how you can use it on the latest version of Windows 11. Even though it is a web-based interface, Jupyter Notebook works best when paired with Anaconda, which will assist in downloading Jupyter Notebook and getting you right into the right dependencies.
How to use Quick Note on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS
Quick Note is a handy, built-in feature available across Apple's operating systems.
If you recently joined the Apple ecosystem, then Quick Note is one of the essential features you should learn about. This handy offering is available on all products running macOS Sonoma, iPadOS 17, or iOS 17, in addition to other recent OS versions. Expectedly, it also syncs across all of your compatible iCloud devices, allowing you to view and edit notes from your new Mac, iPad, or iPhone.
How to use Dynamic Lighting on Windows 11
Windows 11 has a new feature called Dynamic Lighting to change RGB effects on compatible devices. Here's how to use it.
For the longest time, the only way to change the RGB lighting effects for the peripherals on your Windows 11 PC has been to use the dedicated software from the brand that makes those peripherals. Each of the companies making some of the best gaming keyboards — whether that's Razer, SteelSeries, Corsair, and so on — has its own app, and if you end up buying equipment from different companies, it means you'll also need multiple pieces of software bloating up your device. Thankfully, Windows 11 is finally introducing Dynamic Lighting, a feature that brings together RGB lighting controls to a native Windows 11 interface, so you no longer need all of these apps.
How to find the specs on your Windows 11 PC
Knowing the specs of your Windows 11 PC can help with troubleshooting, or let you know if you can run certain apps — here's how to find them.
At one point or another, you might need to find the specifications — or specs — of your Windows 11 PC. It can be useful for troubleshooting if you're having issues, or maybe you just want to know if your laptop is compatible with a certain app or able to run a specific game. If you're more tech-savvy, of course, you probably already purchased your PC based on the specs, but that's not the case for everyone.
How to use SharePlay on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS
You can easily enjoy content together while being apart.
If you've bought a new Mac, iPad, or iPhone, then you can take advantage of Apple ecosystem features with your friends. One of these offerings is SharePlay, which works on macOS Sonoma, iPadOS 17, iOS 17, and older OS versions. Through SharePlay you get to enjoy digital content with other Apple users, even if you're physically apart. Below you will find everything you need to know about SharePlay.
How to backup a NAS
Backing up a NAS is a bit of a complicated endeavor, and it's not really as simple as just plugging in an external drive and saving your data.
If you have a NAS, then chances are you've been using it to store all kinds of important data. Maybe you have a large collection of movies and TV shows, or something like NextCloud set up as a Google Photos alternative. No matter what, though, you'll want to make sure that data is kept safe, which is why you should protect your data by backing up your NAS.