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Modern office software suites can be unnervingly complicated. Like most of its alternatives, the free and open-source LibreOffice sticks its often-used controls above the content area in various menus. But most of the available tools are actually hidden by default—you’ll have to manually add the ones that aren’t visible out of the box. Here’s how. In LibreOffice Writer, Calc, Impress, and Math, you can click the “View” menu item, then hover your mouse over “Toolbars....

Everyone who uses Google services knows that Google has copies of your data—your search history, Gmail, YouTube history, and so much more. But did you know you can also download a copy of this data for yourself? Yep, and it’s stupid easy. RELATED: How to Opt Out of Personalized Ads from Google The product, called Google Takeout, has actually been around for a few years now, but it’s surprising how many people still don’t know about it....

Every time you use Google Assistant, a recording of the command is uploaded to Google—that’s how it does what it does. A copy of this recording is also stored on your Google account, unless you manually go in and remove it. RELATED: The Best Things Google Assistant Can Do on Your Android Phone So, why is this data stored? Well, it can be useful to have. For example, if your Google Home stops responding to commands, you can actually hunt these recordings down and listen to them, which can help you pinpoint mic/listening issues....

After buying a brand-new Windows laptop a few days ago, I was just about ready to return it and buy a new Linux laptop instead. Infuriatingly, the Microsoft Store kept giving me an error while upgrading to Windows 10 or 11 Pro—but I finally found an obscure fix that actually works. Sadly, if you search for the error message, you’ll be presented with a ton of articles from other sites that give generic advice that makes no sense....

Windows 10 includes a new way to install and manage fonts right from the Settings app. You can even download fonts from the Store. The old Fonts tool in Control Panel is still available, but it isn’t your only option anymore. To find these options, head to Settings > Personalization > Fonts. You’ll see a list of all the fonts installed on your PC, complete with a search box....

The dream of running Android apps on your PC finally came true with Windows 11. There’s a lot of potential for this exciting feature. We’ll show you how to set it up and install your first Android app or game. What You’ll Need As of February 2022, Android apps are available in the stable channel of Windows 11—but only in the US. If you meet the requirements for Windows 11, you meet the requirements for Android apps as well....

Google has done a lot to better manage Android’s background resource usage over the last few updates, and Oreo brings another enhancement to the table with Background Execution Limits. Simply, this limits what an app can do when running in the background—both in resources used and broadcasts requested. RELATED: The Complete Guide to Improving Android Battery Life Background Execution Limits are designed to be automatic in Android Oreo—you don’t have to do anything to take advantage of them…as long as your apps were developed with Android 8....

Getting Ready To set up on your Sonos speaker you need: A Sonos speaker up and running, and connected to your wifi network. An Audible account. If you don’t already have one, you can get a free book just by signing up for a trial here. The Sonos Controller app (available for iOS and Android). I’m demonstrating everything this with an iPhone and a Sonos One, but the process is pretty much the same on Android and with other Sonos speakers....

If you want to log in to Discord on the web or on your desktop, a quick way to do this is to scan the QR code on your screen using your phone’s Discord app. This lets you into your account in no time, and we’ll show you how. To use this method, you must be logged in to your account in the Discord app on your phone. Also, the QR code displayed on your computer only works for two minutes....

Graphs and charts give you visual ways to represent data. So, if you want to show parts of a whole, a pie chart is the way to go. You can create and customize a pie chart in Google Sheets easily. Create a Pie Chart in Google Sheets Making a chart in Google Sheets is much simpler than you might think. Select the data you want to use for the chart....

Much of Chrome’s power and flexibility comes from its huge ecosystem of extensions. The problem is that these extensions can also steal data, watch your every move, or worse. Here’s how to make sure an extension is safe before installing it. Why Chrome Extensions Can be Dangerous When you install a Chrome extension, you’re essentially entering into a trust-based relationship with the creator of that extension. You’re allowing the extension to live in your browser, potentially watching everything you do....

Some people seem unable to go ten minutes without losing something, whether it’s their phone, their keys, their wallet, or just their self-respect. While we can’t help you with the self-respect, we can give you some tips on how to stop losing your stuff. Develop (And Stick to) a Routine The simplest way to stop losing your stuff is to always know where it is. This sounds a bit like a truism, but what I mean is that your phone, keys, and wallet should always have a place....

If you’ve ever scrolled through your Facebook feed and noticed that someone posted a 360-degree photo, they probably didn’t use a special 360 camera, but rather just their phone. Here’s how you can take your own 360 photos with your smartphone and post them to Facebook for all to enjoy. RELATED: How To Make an Incredibly Easy Panoramic Photograph With Any Camera There are several different ways you can take 360-degree photos....

The biggest problem with photography gear is that it’s both fragile and expensive. This means that it’s easy to break and potentially painful—to your bank balance, heart, and soul—when you do. Let’s look at some of the ways you can protect your camera and lenses from bumps, bangs, and everyday life. In this article, I’m going to be looking at this from the perspective of someone who probably does things with their gear that they shouldn’t....

Thankfully, it’s really easy to change the name of your individual Echo devices—like the original Echo, the Echo Dot, and the Echo Show—from something not-so-memorable like “John’s Second Echo” to something more useful and memorable like “Mary’s Room” or “Den”. Note that changing the name of the device changes how Alexa identifies the device, but doesn’t change how Alexa responds to you—if you found this article while searching for a way to change your Echo’s “wake word”, then allow us to redirect you to our tutorial on the subject....

Microsoft PowerPoint gives you the ability to rotate text to better fit your presentation’s slide. You can rotate text by inputting an exact degree or you can go off-script and rotate text by hand. Here’s how. Rotating text by hand is as simple as clicking and dragging your mouse. First, open PowerPoint and insert a text box by clicking the “Text Box” option in the “Text” group of the “Insert” tab....

Smarthome products aren’t cheap, and completely outfitting your house with these devices can be an expensive endeavor. However, here are some things you can keep in mind if you’re looking to save some cash when you go to upgrade to a smart thermostat, smart lights, and more. Check for Utility Company Rebates on Smart Thermostats As a way to get households to cut down on energy usage, many utility companies offer rebates that allow you to purchase various products at a nice discount, including smart thermostats....

Browser tabs can be a blessing and a curse. It’s handy to have multiple pages open at once, but if you use a lot of tabs, it can quickly become hard to manage. That’s where Google’s Chrome Tab Search comes in. Introduced for the first time in Google Chrome 87, Tab Search is exactly what it sounds like. You can click a button to see a list of all your open tabs, across all Chrome windows, and easily search through them....

For whatever reason, Windows did not include alarms, timers, and stopwatches until Windows 8 rolled around. Windows 10 improves on those features, and this basic function now works much like it does on every other operating system out there. Set an Alarm Alarms work exactly like you expect. You set a time (and days) for the alarm to go off, pick an alarm sound, give the alarm a label, and you’re off to the races....

If you share your Mac with someone else, it’s a good idea to create a different user account for each of you. That way, you don’t see your husband’s email notifications, or have to sift through his bookmarks.. Here’s how to add a new account to your Mac. This is also useful if you have kids and want to use macOS’ parental controls, so you can block particular apps and set a time limit for use....