Windows 10 is designed to be an always-connected, always-up-to-date operating system. It’s the most data-hungry version of Windows yet, but you can restrain it from going all-out on your home network with a few tricks. Check Per-Application Data Usage RELATED: How to Monitor Your Network Usage in Windows 10 Despite all Windows 10’s automatic updates, the majority of data usage on your PC probably comes from the applications you use....

They say the best camera is the one you have with you, and most smartphone cameras can now easily replace a point-and-shoot. For users who have experience taking pictures, the move from a “real” camera to a smartphone can be an easy one, but for users with no photography experience, it can be a real challenge to get a decent looking shot from your phone. Fortunately, smartphone cameras are often more intuitive than more traditional cameras, and landing the best possible shot just take a few considerations....

Using Your Camera as a Webcam The ability to use your camera as a webcam is largely dependent on which camera you own. Some compact point-and-shoot cameras are bundled with first-party software and drivers that allow you to use them as webcams. Unfortunately, this seems to be a less common feature nowadays. However, third-party software has sprung up that allows you to use many Nikon and Canon cameras for this purpose....

Windows 8 had trackpad edge swipes that opened the charms bar and did other things desktop users didn’t care about. Microsoft overhauled these gestures in Windows 10, and they’re now useful even for desktop users. These gestures have been dubbed “Mac-like.” They are similar to trackpad gestures on a Mac because they’re so useful you’ll actually want to use them for navigating the desktop. Does Your PC Support These Gestures?...

Microsoft’s Windows File Recovery is an official tool for recovering deleted files from hard disks, SD cards, USB drives, and other storage media. Here’s an in-depth, step-by-step guide on using this command-line utility. What You Need to Know Microsoft’s Windows File Recovery tool doesn’t have a graphical interface—it’s only a command-line utility. We’ll show you how to use it, but it’s a more hands-on process than you might expect from an official Microsoft utility available in the Microsoft Store....

OS X has a bunch of very useful utilities packed away within it. The Utilities folder has a more versatile screenshot tool called Grab, which outdoes the default OS X screenshot functions that you might already use daily. It’s easy to execute screenshots in OS X, simply use “Cmd + Shift + 3” for full-screen shots, and “Cmd + Shift + 4” for selections shots. The resulting snaps are then saved automatically to the desktop so you don’t even need to open another folder....

Windows 10 has a built-in Calendar app, but you don’t have to use it. You can view and create calendar events right from the Windows taskbar. You can even link accounts like Google Calendar or iCloud Calendar and see your online calendars with a single click on your taskbar. The Calendar App and the Taskbar Are Linked Windows 10 has a built-in Calendar app you can use, but you can use your calendar without the app....

The Performance Monitor is one of many useful tools buried deep in Windows. It can generate a System Diagnostics Report with information about problems and suggestions of how to fix them. If your computer isn’t performing well or is experiencing another problem, this quick report might be able to help. Other useful diagnostics tools include the Reliability Monitor, which provides more detailed information about crashes and other issues, and Windows Memory Diagnostics, which will check your computer’s RAM for problems....

The previous wired Nest Doorbell was slightly cheaper than the battery model ($149 vs $180), and as the name might imply, it could use a wired power connection from your home instead of battery power. It had the benefit of optionally recording 24/7 with Nest Aware Plus, but it fell behind the battery-powered model in most other areas, with fewer alert types and recording options. Google has now released an updated wired Nest Doorbell with a few helpful changes....

The Samsung Monitor M8 is a 32-inch 4K computer monitor, with HDR10+ support, a refresh rate of 60 Hz, and a slim design. The main selling point is that it has the same software experience as Samsung’s smart TVs, meaning you can watch content from streaming services without a connected PC, or stream content from a phone or tablet over. You can still plug in a PC, game console, or other device using HDMI or USB Type-C....

New 4K monitors are dropping in price, and they are available almost everywhere. They can be found now for a few hundred bucks, and we’ve seen some great sale prices. But are they worth the money, and should you upgrade? As with TVs, 4K computer monitors have a display resolution of 3840×2160. This is about four times as many pixels as a typical 1920×1080, or 1080p, display. Why 4K Monitors Make More Sense Than 4K TVs (Right Now) TVs need content....

Google Assistant is a powerful tool that can make your life easier in many ways. However, it’s not just about productivity and practicality. Below are some fun things you can ask Google Assistant to hear jokes, play games, and find Easter eggs. How to Launch Google Assistant These commands will work on a variety of Google Assistant-enabled devices, including iPhone, iPad, Android devices, smart speakers, and smart displays. You don’t need a Nest Home or Google Home device—you can just use your phone or tablet....

There’s a really simple little utility called DriverView that you can use without even installing (just unzip it and run) that will quickly give you a list of which drivers are installed, the version numbers and other useful information. Once you launch the utility, it’s fairly self explanatory… If you double-click on the driver you can see all the details: You can also choose to save the list of drivers in a number of different formats....

Today’s Question & Answer session comes to us courtesy of SuperUser—a subdivision of Stack Exchange, a community-drive grouping of Q&A web sites. The Question SuperUser reader TK Kocheran is curious about power supplies: What is the difference? And what, for that matter, do the 80 Plus designations mean on modern PSUs? The Answer Contributors Mixxiphoid and Hennes share some insight into the PSU labeling methods. Mixxiphoid writes: Hennes explains the value of a system-appropriate PSU:...

When it comes to removing emails, there are two options that nearly every service has—“Archive” and “Delete.” It’s a little confusing why there are two choices that sound very similar. What’s the difference and which should you use? Both archiving and deleting emails will remove them from your inbox, but that’s where the similarities end. Knowing the difference between the two can potentially save you from some trouble. Let’s take a look....

Keyboard and mouse failures aren’t uncommon, especially with regular usage. If your keyboard or mouse has stopped working on your Windows 10 PC, here are a few steps you can follow to resolve the issue. Check Your Hardware It goes without saying that you should check your hardware thoroughly before doing anything else. Start by carefully checking all of your device connections. If your keyboard or mouse is plugged in correctly, try switching them to another USB port....

Sometimes it can be a bit confusing or frustrating when you see something referred to by multiple names, like exFAT and FAT64, for example. Which name is correct, or are both of them correct? Today’s SuperUser Q&A post has the answer to a curious reader’s question. Today’s Question & Answer session comes to us courtesy of SuperUser—a subdivision of Stack Exchange, a community-driven grouping of Q&A web sites. Photo courtesy of Andrew Smith (Flickr)....

Have you ever looked closely at the length of the plugin contacts on a SATA connector and wondered why they were different lengths instead of identical? Why is that? Today’s SuperUser Q&A post has the answer to a curious reader’s question. Today’s Question & Answer session comes to us courtesy of SuperUser—a subdivision of Stack Exchange, a community-driven grouping of Q&A web sites. Photo courtesy of Steve Paine (Flickr)....

Why Should Digital Games Be Cheaper Than Physical? In the early days of digital gaming, when many of us looked at our paltry dial-up modems and believed it was impossible, one of the benefits of digital games touted was a reduction in cost. After all, putting a boxed game on store shelves is expensive. The final price you paid at the cash register combines manufacturing, transport, and the retailer’s profit margin....

When you uninstall a program, it is a “reasonable” expectation that all traces of it will be removed from your system, but that is often not the case. Why is that? Today’s SuperUser Q&A post has the answers to a curious reader’s question. Today’s Question & Answer session comes to us courtesy of SuperUser—a subdivision of Stack Exchange, a community-driven grouping of Q&A web sites. Screenshot courtesy of wandersick (Flickr)....