Plex has been around for almost 20 years at this point, and has added plenty of features and functions in that time. We've previously covered some of the ways it can be useful for creating your own personal streaming service.

Even if you're a seasoned Plex user, you should find something of use here, as there's everything from tweaking the metadata that the apps use to create your library, to improving the quality of your video streams—with a particular focus on films and TV shows (though Plex is capable of handling music and photos, too).

Edit your show and movie metadata if Plex gets it wrong

Your filenames and folder structure should give Plex enough information to correctly label TV shows and movies, but it doesn't always get it right every time. If you spot a mistake then there are a few ways to change it.

From the main page for a show or film, click the three dots and choose Refresh Metadata. This gets Plex to check again with its online sources, so if the data was missing or incorrect the first time around, this may fix it.

Your second option is to head to the listing for a specific movie or show, click the three dots, and then pick Fix Match. This lets you pick from a selection of online search results, and is useful for titles that are very similar to each other or very common.

The final way of fixing metadata is to go to an individual movie or episode, and click the Edit button (the icon that looks like a pencil). This lets you enter manual metadata edits that won't be overwritten by any online databases that Plex references.

Clean out the clutter from your library

Delete leftover bundles from your library. Credit: Lifehacker

As your media library grows and evolves, clutter can start to build up—particularly when it comes to items you've removed, that tend to leave metadata, preview thumbnails, and other bits of digital detritus behind. These leftovers are known as bundles.

You can clear out bundles and keep your library trim in a couple of ways: In the web app, click the three dots next to your media server on the left-hand navigation pane, then choose Manage Server > Clean Bundles.

The same option is in the troubleshooting part of settings on the web. Click the wrench icon (top right) to open Settings, then choose Troubleshooting > Clean Bundles. You can also follow the Scheduled Tasks link on the same page to have Plex do this chore automatically every week for you.

Set up multiple editions of the same movie

There may be times when you have multiple editions of the same movie in your library—director's cuts, perhaps, or extended editions—and if you have the Plex Pass plan then you can label these as separate entities inside your library

You can either change the filename on disk to have the edition in curly brackets after the title—so "Blade Runner (1982) {edition-Final Cut}.mp4" for example—or click the Edit button (the pencil icon) on a movie listing page and enter the details in the Edition field.

Add subtitles to your media with FileBot

FileBot can find subtitles for you. Credit: Lifehacker

Your Plex content isn't automatically going to come with subtitles attached, and that's where the FileBot tool can help. Get the program installed on your system, sign up for a free account at OpenSubtitles, and you're ready to start looking for your subtitle titles. This is done via the Subtitles panel inside FileBot.

Use the green user icon to log into OpenSubtitles through Filebot, then search for your films and shows via the drop-down at the top and the Find button. When you find the files you need, double-click them to move them down to the lower window—in there, you can right-click, choose Export, and save them in the relevant Plex library folder.

There are other options, like a basic built-in subtitle search that's available if you have the Plex Pass, and the standalone Bazarr app, which gives you more options than either the integrated tool or FileBot, but takes longer to set up.

Share your Plex library with friends and family

You don't have to keep your Plex library to yourself, but there are some tricks to sharing it with friends and family. From the web app, click the wrench icon (top right) to open the Settings pane, then choose Manage Library Access on the left.

Click Grant Library Access to let someone else into your media library: You'll need to supply a Plex username or an email address (which will be used to prompt them to sign up for a Plex account). You're then able to select the servers and libraries they can access. If you have a Plex Pass, you can set more limits in terms of age ratings and whether or not your friends and family can download content.

The wrinkles come with remote access. If you as the media server owner have a Plex Pass, then your friends and family can stream content remotely, as well as on the local network; if not, they each need a Remote Watch Pass ($2 a month or $20 a year) if they're not watching on the same local network as you and the server.

See who watched what and when with Tautulli

Tautulli is one of the best Plex add-ons around, giving you a host of useful stats about your media server—including records of who watched what. Once you've downloaded the installer for Windows or macOS, you'll be taken step-by-step through the process of connecting it to your Plex server.

If you've shared your Plex library with the family, then you can, for example, see what the kids are watching and when, and even the devices they've used and how much bandwidth they've used up along the way.

The plug-in is interesting enough even if you haven't shared your library: It's possible to break down viewing to day-by-day or hour-by-hour graphs, see the movies and shows you're watching most often, check out detailed information on your media files, and keep track of when new films and shows are added.

Create collections for easier library management

Use Collections to organize your Library. Credit: Lifehacker

Collections are a useful way of applying some order to the chaos of your Plex media library, and the feature is perhaps not as well known as it should be. You can collect whatever you like, whether it's feel-good TV episodes or spy films.

To get started with collections, click the Edit button on a listing page (the pencil), then choose Tags, and enter something into the Collections box. If the collection already exists, it'll show up as you start typing.

You can also set up smart collections, where media files are added automatically. Set a search filter via the Library tab on your Films or Shows screen, and if you click the Add to button (the plus and horizontal lines icon on the right), you get a Create Smart Collection option. Any files that are added in the future that match your search filter get automatically added to the collection too.

Make videos look as good as possible

Most of the time Plex will handle video quality automatically, and do a good job of it, but there might be occasions when you're not getting the best quality possible (particularly if you're watching on less powerful devices).

To make sure Plex is always serving up video as best it can, in the web app click the Settings icon (the wrench, top right), then Transcoder. If you know you've got the computer to handle it, you can set the top Transcoder quality drop-down to Make my CPU hurt, and enable the Use hardware acceleration when available.

In the apps for individual devices, you'll also find video quality options in the settings. Put video quality up to Maximum for best results—you may need to experiment to find the limits of what each device can handle.

Customize the Continue Watching pane 

You can decide what's in Continue Watching (up to a point). Credit: Lifehacker

You might not have given much thought to the Continue Watching pane that shows up on your Films and Shows pages, but you can customize this on the web to suit your own preferences—and maybe remove some content you don't want to keep around.

Click the wrench icon (top right) to open Settings, then select Library on the left. You're able to set a threshold (a number of weeks) beyond which titles disappear from Continue Watching, as well as limiting the number of titles included in title. Turn off the Include season premieres in Continue Watching checkbox to hide premieres for new seasons when you've finished old ones—otherwise they'll show up indefinitely.

The settings you configure here should propagate to the Continue Watching rows in your other apps; try closing and restarting them if not.

Get the channel surfing experience back with QuasiTV

If you miss the traditional channel surfing experience when using Plex, there's a solution in the form of QuasiTV: This app works on Android TV, Google TV, and Fire TV devices, and wraps your Plex library and streaming services in a more conventional interface.

Sign into Plex, point it towards your libraries, and it'll create a custom channel guide filled with your shows and movies. These might get assigned to genres, or to the TV stations they originally aired on, and you can browse around until you find something you like—just like the old days.

It's not the most efficient way of searching through your Plex media library, but it's fun to use, and when I tested it out I rediscovered a few movies and TV episodes that I hadn't watched in a while.

The Opera you're using today is obviously a very different browser from the one it was decades ago. Perhaps the most significant change is that it's now a Chromium-based browser, which means you can install Chrome extensions to fill any features you may be missing. That said, the browser still retains its core philosophy of shipping useful integrated features—even if those options aren't always obvious. From bypassing unskippable YouTube ads to using a built-in volume booster for every tab, here are the best Opera hacks you should know about:

Use "Early Bird" to try experimental features before release

If you live on the bleeding edge of tech, you can use Opera's "Early Bird" to try all kinds of experimental features. To do so, click the three-line menu in Opera's toolbar, scroll to the bottom, then select Go to full browser settings. Now, enable Early Bird, go through the list of features on the page, and enable the ones you wish to try. At the time of writing, these features include Browser Connector, which connects the browser to ChatGPT or Claude, and Sharing Point, which adds a button to share an Opera download link with your contacts. Note that these features can change or be removed at any time.

Use the sidebar to replace social media and chat apps on your computer

Opera has a sidebar that lets you install "apps" within your browser. It supports ChatGPT, Gemini, Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Translate, WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram, Bluesky, music streaming services, and a few more apps. These services are pinned to the left pane, and function as their corresponding apps do. You can think of these as pinned tabs in your browser, which are all neatly stacked in the left pane. I've used the sidebar to run Apple Music, a few messenger apps, and Gmail, which is easier to track than the same services in different apps.

Of course, the sidebar versions of these services may not always have all the features that proper desktop apps do (e.g., music downloads on Spotify), but the overall implementation is quite good. Sidebar apps appear in a floating window in Opera, and you can pin that window to the screen if you wish to. You can configure the Opera sidebar by clicking the three-dots button in the bottom-left corner of the screen.

Use Split Screen mode for multitasking between tabs

You can open two tabs side by side in Opera for improved multitasking. To start, right-click an inactive tab in the tab bar and select Create split screen. This will place that tab, as well as the active tab, in a split-screen view. I find this helpful for research: For example, you can open a lecture in the main tab, and a search engine, AI service, or a notes app in the second tab. In split-screen view, you can continue reading or watching content on the main tab, while using the secondary tab to quickly look up information or to take notes.

Use "Video Skip" to zip past unskippable ads

Credit: Pranay Parab

Opera supports bypassing unskippable video ads on various sites, including YouTube. When you watch a video in Opera, and an ad starts playing, you'll see a tiny forward button at the top of the video. When you click it, the browser will instantly take you to the end of the ad, though you may still have to press YouTube's "Skip" button. If you're on the ad-free tier of your streaming services, you can stop the Video Skip button from appearing on videos by going to Opera settings > Video. From here, disable Show Video Skip button on all supported videos.

Make PiP windows translucent to multitask while watching videos

I often watch videos in picture-in-picture (PiP) mode when I'm browsing the web or working, but I get annoyed when I have to keep moving the window around to avoid obscuring text on my screen. Opera has a useful feature to sidestep this issue: It lets you adjust the opacity of PiP windows, and you can make them translucent enough to avoid disturbing your workflow. To enable this for all PiP videos, go to Opera settings > Video, and enable Make pop out transparent. If you'd rather do this manually for each video, start playing the video, then click the pop-out button at the top of the video to send it to PiP mode. Finally, click the Transparency button in the top-left corner of the PiP mode video.

Disable unwanted AI features to streamline your browser

Like most tech companies these days, Opera has a bunch of AI features in its browser. Luckily, you can easily disable most of them. Go to Opera settings > Opera AI, then disable Opera AI and ChatGPT in the sidebar. This also removes the AI button from the browser's toolbar. Finally, you can click the three dots in the bottom-left corner of Opera's window and uncheck ChatGPT and Gemini.

Use Volume Booster for granular volume controls

Opera ships with a way to control the volume levels on each tab, a feature that requires an extension on most other browsers. When you're playing media in any tab in Opera, hover your mouse over the corresponding tab, and you'll see a floating menu with a volume slider. This lets you set the volume from 0 all the way to 500%, which can be great for audio sources with low volume levels. You can also use this feature to play music at a lower volume while listening to a lecture or a podcast.

Enable a hidden enhanced privacy mode

Credit: Pranay Parab

Opera has a hidden enhanced privacy mode, which blocks trackers while you're browsing the web. You can enable this via Chrome Flags: Type opera://flags in the address bar and open the page. Then, use the search bar to look for Enhanced privacy settings section. Use the drop-down menu next to the feature, and select Enabled. Restart Opera, then go to Opera settings > Privacy & security. Scroll to the bottom and enable Enhanced privacy protection. Note that this may break the functionality of some websites, but I've been using it for a few days without any noticeable negative effects.

Set up advanced keyboard shortcuts

Opera has a few hidden keyboard shortcuts that tie actions to a single button, instead of the usual two or three key combinations. You can go to Opera settings > Features > Shortcuts, and turn on Enable advanced keyboard shortcuts to use the following keyboard shortcuts:

• Press 1 to cycle left through the list of tabs.

• Press 2 to cycle right through the list of tabs.

• Press / to use the "find on page" feature.

• Press Z to go back.

• Press X to go forward.

• Press 0 (zero) on Windows/Linux or + on Mac to zoom in.

• Press 8 to zoom in more (in increments of 100%).

• Press 9 on Windows/Linux or - on Mac to zoom out.

• Press 7 to zoom out more (in increments of 100%).

• Press 6 to return to 100% zoom.

• Press Ctrl-` (the tilde button) to go to the previous tab you'd clicked.

Use Opera's screenshot tool to save and share webpages

Opera has a powerful Snapshot tool you can use to take a screenshot of the visible page, the entire webpage, or save the page as a PDF. I typically ignore all browser screenshot tools in favor of OS options or third-party apps, but Opera's screenshot tool is solid. After capturing a screenshot, the app opens a preview window where you can make basic edits and annotations. To use this tool, click the camera button in the toolbar, then select one of the available options. You can choose Capture visible page to take a snap of the webpage visible on the screen, Capture full page to take a screenshot of the full site without scrolling, or Save page as PDF to save the screenshot as a PDF. You can also take a cropped screenshot as well, if you only want to capture a specific section of the page.

Use "rocker gestures" to go back or forward quickly

Keyboard shortcuts and mouse gestures are useful, but Opera goes one step further with its "rocker gestures." Rocker gestures let you press the mouse buttons in a particular sequence to go back or forward on any webpage. You can try this by holding the left mouse button, clicking the right mouse button, releasing the left button, then releasing the right button. You can rock from the right button to the left to go back, and from left to right to go forward. To enable rocker gestures, go to Opera settings > Features, and scroll down to the "Shortcuts" section. Here, click the switch next to Enable rocker gestures.

Use "eSIM with Opera" for 3GB of free data the next time you travel abroad

Opera for Android now has an eSIM feature that lets you hop on a cheaper international roaming plan at certain times. If you're unhappy with your provider's roaming plans, you can check out Opera's offering. At the time of writing, Opera offers 3GB of free data for three days. The free data offer is available for people in the U.S., the U.K., Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, and the UAE. The roaming plan is currently supported in 47 destinations.

To use this feature, download Opera for Android on a phone running Android 10 or newer. Tap the profile icon in the bottom-right of the browser's home screen, scroll down, and select "eSIM." Hit the "Claim now" button, pick the destination you're visiting, review the plan summary, and tap "Confirm." This will activate the free trial. Opera says you can buy more data once the free plan expires, and that the data plan won't activate until you reach the destination you've selected.

Automatically enable Opera VPN on public wifi networks to protect your browsing

Credit: Opera

Opera has had a built-in VPN for a few years, but there's now a way to automatically activate the feature when you connect to public wifi networks. That way, you can protect your browsing even if someone takes a peek at the public wifi connections. To use it, go to Opera settings > VPN, and enable "Always use VPN on public Wi-Fi." This feature is currently available in France and the U.S., but Opera says it'll add more regions in the future.

Change the default converted currency to one you prefer

When you select a currency on any webpage in Opera that doesn't match your local medium of exchange, the browser will display the converted currency in a pop-up. However, you don't have to stick with Opera's default currency. If you're traveling abroad, for example, you can change the setting to match the local currency, so you can quickly covert to the currency you'll be paying in. To set this up, go to Opera settings > Search engine, and go to the "Search Pop-up" section. Select the drop-down menu next to "Currencies to", and choose your preferred currency.

Automatically skip translations for languages you speak

Opera also has a built-in webpage translator. The moment you open a webpage in a foreign language, it'll offer to translate the webpage to English. If you speak multiple languages, this can be quite annoying, but it doesn't have to be. You can ask Opera to skip translations for websites in languages you also understand. Go to Opera settings > Languages, and in the "Opera Translate" section, click the Add languages button. You can add multiple languages to this list, and it'll skip translations for all.

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Samsung is rolling out a major One UI 9 update, based on Android 17. If you've got one of the Galaxy S26 handsets launched at the start of the year, you should see it pop up on your device soon (it came pre-installed on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Flip 8 devices unveiled in July).

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After the Galaxy S26, next in line for the update are the Galaxy S25, Galaxy Z Fold 7, and Galaxy Z Flip 7 phones—though Samsung hasn't said exactly when the software will arrive for those devices. After that, phones from as far back as 2023 should eventually get One UI 9, including the Galaxy S23, Galaxy Z Fold 5, and Galaxy Z Flip 5 handsets.

If you do have an eligible phone, you'll want to dive in and start making the most of the update as quickly as possible. These 10 hacks should get you up and running. From making your device more secure to creating your own custom widgets, these are my favorite tricks and tips for the updated OS.

Cut down your doomscrolling with "AI Network Guard"

AI Network Guard is a new feature in One UI 9 that cuts off the internet when you open an app you've put on a specific restricted list. It's actually designed to stop kids from stumbling across unsuitable content, but it works great for limiting doomscrolling for grown-ups as well.

The feature isn't easy to find, though—it's on the same hidden menu that features Samsung's wifi signal scanner (why Samsung is keeping it hidden is anyone's guess). From Settings, tap Connections and Wi-Fi, then tap the three dots in the top right corner and select Intelligent Wi-Fi. On the next screen, tap the Intelligent Wi-Fi button seven times to reveal a new Connectivity Labs option.

Go into Connectivity Labs, and you will at last discover AI Network Guard. Follow the instructions to set up a PIN, and you can then pick the apps you want to block internet access for. Use the Downtime feature (via the three dots, top right) to set certain periods in the day when those apps can be used as normal.

Tailor your phone's menus by adjusting "Quick Panel" shortcuts

More customization options are available for the Quick Panel. Credit: Lifehacker

One UI has always impressed in terms of the number of customization options it gives users, and there's a new tweak available in the latest update. If you swipe down from the top right corner of the screen to get to the Quick Panel, then tap the pencil edit button, you've got more freedom to adjust its layout. You've always been able to swap widgets in and out, but now you can position them in any way you like (just tap and drag), and change their sizes (via the handles around the edges). The sound button is also now decoupled from the volume slider, so you can manage them separately. Tap Add a control to introduce new elements, and tap Done when you're finished.

Use "My FanCam" to spotlight one person in your videos

If you want one person in particular to be the star of a video, My FanCam is here for you in One UI 9. It lets you load up a video you've already recorded and create a new clip with a specific individual front and center. The obvious use case for this is your kid in the school play or at sports day, but you can use it for whatever you want. You do need to give My FanCam plenty of material to work with in terms of footage and framing—it can't magically produce new angles or new clips out of nothing.

To get started, open up a video from the Gallery app, then tap the Galaxy AI button (the stars) and My FanCam to get started. After a few moments, you'll be able to choose the person you want to follow and select crop and aspect ratio settings.

Build your own "Now Brief" cards to receive more relevant alerts

You can have up to three custom Now Brief cards. Credit: Lifehacker

Samsung Now Brief is aiming to give you timely alerts throughout the day about information that's relevant to you—such as weather updates or appointment reminders—and in One UI 9 you can make it more useful with the option to create your own cards. From Settings, tap Galaxy AI > Now Brief, then choose Custom cards. You can have three active at any one time, centered around weather details, health statistics, or particular categories of video pulled from the web.

Cut down on car sickness with "Motion Assist"

Google has finally gotten around to building something to match the anti-car sickness Vehicle Motion Cues feature that Apple put into iOS last year, and it's called Motion Assist. It was rolled out as part of the Android 17 update, and Samsung has carried it over to its own One UI 9 upgrade.

To find it, open up Settings, then choose Google services > All services > Motion assist. Beyond enabling and disabling the feature, you can customize the color, shape, and opacity of the dots that flow across the screen while you're moving, and which will (hopefully) keep any nausea at bay.

Liven up the interface with a "Motion Photo" wallpaper

Give your wallpaper game a bit of a lift by setting a Motion Photo as your phone's backdrop, rather than a static image. These images are accompanied by short videos when they're captured, giving you a second or so on either side of the still frame—tap the little icon that's an 'A' inside a series of rectangles to turn it on in the Camera app.

One UI 9 lets you set these Motion Photos as wallpaper to add a bit more movement and interest. You still set the wallpaper in the same way: Wallpaper and style, then Change wallpapers > Gallery from Settings. You should see a Motion photo option appear on compatible images.

Search your phone more quickly by adding "Finder" to the home screen

There's now the option to add Finder to the home screen. Credit: Lifehacker

The Finder is the search tool built into One UI, and it's traditionally been available at the top or bottom of the app drawer that appears when you swipe up on a home screen: You just type in the app or file you want to find on your phone. One of the nice tweaks introduced with One UI 9 is the option to have the Finder on the home screen for more convenient access. Open Settings, then choose Home screen > Show search on Home screen to enable it.

Keep an eye on what your AI assistants are up to

AI continues to become more integrated into our phones, and Galaxy handsets are no exception: You may well have several third-party AI apps on board your device, as well as the built-in Galaxy AI features. One UI 9 ushers in a new "AI Assistant Activity" dashboard that lets you keep tabs on what AI apps and their agents are doing on your phone, from booking concert tickets to analyzing photos. You can see everything that's been happening in one place. You can find the dashboard from Settings by tapping Security and privacy > AI assistant activity. Any actions AIs have taken on your behalf can be viewed app by app, with filters for activity over the last seven days or the last 24 hours.

Learn faster by taping over your Samsung Notes

The new Tape tool in Samsung Notes. Credit: Lifehacker

Perhaps not a One UI 9 upgrade that's going to grab many headlines, but a useful one nevertheless: Samsung Notes now has a Tape tool that works exactly like the name suggests: It lets you put a bit of digital "tape" over part of your note. You can use this as a revision aid, as a decoration for scrapbooking or journaling, or to protect sensitive information when you're sharing screenshots of your notes. You'll find it along the bottom toolbar when a note is open (the icon looks like a piece of tape). You can choose different colors and patterns for your tape, change the size, and have the app automatically straighten your taping too. Use the tape icon on the tool pop-up to show or hide all your tape.

Run diagnostics to spot potential problems in the new "Warranty and Care" menu

This is a tip that you'll hopefully not have to call on too often, but there's a new Warranty and Care section in Settings that brings together a few older features and adds some new ones on top. From here, you can sign up for Samsung Care+, check if your phone is still under warranty, book repairs for your device, or run a diagnostics check on your phone. You can even ask Bixby for some troubleshooting tips and advice.

The work you actually sat down to do rarely gets interrupted by something dramatic. It gets interrupted by housekeeping—a quick fix here, a quick lookup there, each one small enough to feel harmless and just long enough to break your focus.

This is true for freelancers, founders, designers, and developers. But it’s also true for work-from-home employees and busy people in general. And it’s not that any of these tasks are difficult (which almost makes them more annoying); it’s that each one takes just enough time and attention to pull you away from whatever you actually sat down to do. Little interruptions may not seem like much, but they add up to a surprising amount of time spent taking care of your Mac instead of letting your Mac take care of you.

MacPaw has spent 18 years building tools that take everyday work off Mac users' hands by noticing the small stuff you've stopped noticing, and quietly handling it for you. For anyone whose Mac doubles as an office, the files, apps, and projects add up—but the upkeep shouldn't have to.

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The cleanup you keep putting off

When storage starts disappearing, you can open folders one by one, sort through old downloads, track down duplicate files, and try to uncover large files that are eating up space and collecting dust. Or, you can make that maintenance somebody else's problem.

CleanMyMac keeps everyday care in one place, so maintenance takes less of your attention. If you work with video or like to keep many applications open at once, freeing up space can help your Mac work as intended. You’ll spend less time staring at the dreaded spinning color wheel and more time getting things done.

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The small, niche task that might already have a plug-and-play solution

Sometimes you just need an app for one specific task. Maybe you need to compress a video before sending it to a client. The job itself takes two minutes, but first you have to find an app, compare your options, figure out whether you trust it, download it, and possibly even pay for yet another subscription.

Setapp cuts out much of the scavenger hunt by giving you one trusted place to look for the right app, so a two-minute task doesn't start with 15 minutes of searching, comparing, and managing software. It also makes it easy to discover time-savers and cool tricks you didn't even realize were possible on a Mac.

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The thing you did once before, but can't remember how

Splitting a PDF or trimming the first few seconds from a video isn't complicated, but if you only do it occasionally, you might still end up digging through menus or Googling it all over again. Eney is MacPaw's on-device helper for handling straightforward tasks like these. Instead of relearning the process every time, ask Eney to take care of it on your Mac.

Go on, then—forget the steps. For straightforward tasks like these, Eney can handle them on your Mac.

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Your Mac should ask less of you

There's no shortage of software promising to make you more productive, but finding, installing, learning, and managing all those tools can become another job of its own. The next time a small Mac task pulls you away from what you meant to do, see how MacPaw can help.

And there's more on the way. MacPaw is currently developing its own on-device AI stack for the Mac — an AI runtime called Elix and a memory layer called Mnemos — designed to make its products smarter, keep more of the work and your data on your Mac, and understand what you need before you have to spell it out.

Your Mac should do more for you without giving you more to manage. Explore MacPaw to see how Setapp, CleanMyMac, Eney, and other tools take everyday work off your hands.

Canva is one of the most popular design tools for creating everything from flyers and business cards to interactive presentations. It's pretty user-friendly even for those who don't have any design experience, but if you want to level up your Canva experience, consider these tips and tricks.

Use "Tidy Up" to create perfect spacing

If you've ever tried to manually align multiple images, text boxes, or other design elements so they're evenly spaced, only to have them off by a tiny margin with each adjustment, the "Tidy up" tool is the solution to your problem. With this feature, you can group elements, and Canva will automatically snap them into place so you don't have to shift them pixel by pixel. Select three or more elements in your design, click Position in the toolbar, and choose Tidy Up. You'll also find a bunch of other alignment and spacing options on this menu.

Upload a CSV with "Bulk Create" to generate templated content

For designs that need to be replicated with unique information—such as matching business cards for different employees or localized marketing flyers with a consistent design—use the Bulk Create tool to generate and fill in a template instead of manually editing each individual file. Bulk Create pulls data from an Excel or CSV file (or a compatible data app, like Google Analytics) and matches it to form fields on your design. You can use Canva's AI match or drag and drop data fields manually, then preview and generate the design.

Search graphics by artist or collection to create a cohesive visual effect

If you find an image or graphic that you like, you can filter your search to see more assets from that same artist, so all of the illustrations in your design look cohesive. This is especially useful if you are creating a manual, guide, or series of social media posts that you want to keep visually consistent. Hover over the visual element and tap the three dots, then select View more by or See more like this. You can also star the artist to easily find them again.

Generate a color palette from an image to keep design consistent

If you're basing your design around a photo or image, you don't have to trial-and-error your way to finding the right colors for other elements. Canva has a free custom color palette generator that analyzes uploaded images and creates four-color combinations, complete with names and hex codes. You can apply the palette to a Canva design or save it for future use. If you already have a photo in your design, select the photo, click the color swatch, and look for Photo colors on the toolbar to see the palette.

Use "Copy Style" to quickly apply changes across elements and pages

Once you settle on the style and format of text and elements in your design, use "Copy Style" to apply them across the board without needing to manually select each individual setting, such as background colors, font styles and sizes, text colors, and alignment. Select the element or text you want to copy, then click the paint roller icon in the floating toolbar and choose the element or text you want to copy the formatting into. Canva also has a "Style Match" tool that uses AI to match the visual style of existing elements.

Use “Lock Position Only” locking to freeze layouts for collaboration

If you have multiple team members working on the same Canva file but don't want anyone to accidentally move or resize elements while editing text, you can lock only certain elements in place while still allowing the content itself to be changed. Select the element you want to lock—such as a text box, image, or graphic—and select Lock position only. Collaborators can edit text or unlocked elements without affecting those parts that are locked.

Turn on "Grids" to automatically create margins and spacing

Canva's Grids feature divides your design into compartments, such as rows or columns, which you can use to place and align images, videos, color fills, or other elements with consistent, even spacing. Grids can also be used to easily crop images or retain custom filters and effects even if images are swapped out. You can also change the spacing between grid cells to create consistent margins. Grid layouts can be found under Elements > Browse. This is especially useful for collages, vision boards, and visual storytelling.

Download your design as a PDF to keep links clickable

If a URL is written out on your Canva design, viewers can copy and paste it to visit the website. If you want to add a hyperlink and ensure it remains clickable, you'll need to download your file as a PDF and share it in that format. No other file types support clickable hyperlinks (and social media platforms strip links out of PDFs as well). Go to Share > Download > PDF to save your design with clickable links.

Link a Hovercode account to get free custom dynamic QR codes

Canva has a built-in QR code generator that allows you to drop custom codes into your design using your existing color palette. By default, these QR codes are static, meaning the link is permanently fixed, and you'd have to swap out the QR code and distribute the new design if you wanted to make changes. Dynamic codes use a redirect link that can be updated and also track scan data, such as click counts and location. If you add the Hovercode app to Canva (search "Dynamic QR Codes" under the Apps tab) and link a Hovercode account, you can have up to 10 dynamic QR codes available at once for free. After that, you can upgrade to a paid Hovercode tier.

Start a "Canva Live" session to get audience feedback during your presentation

When using Canva to present to a group, you can start a Live session to have audience members ask questions and leave comments as well as upvote feedback from other participants. Simply select Present > Present full screen or Presenter view > Present and click Canva Live > Start new session. This will generate an 8-digit code, which audience members can enter at canva.live to join the session. Audience chat messages and questions will show in the Presenter window.

uBlock Origin is lightweight, effective, and free from shady business practices. Unfortunately, Google's move to Manifest V3 for browser extensions has hobbled ad blockers somewhat. In response, uBlock has split into two products—uBlock Origin and uBlock Origin Lite. The "Lite" version works with most Chromium-based browsers and Safari for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. The full version of uBlock Origin primarily works in Firefox for desktops, laptops, and Android. With those differences highlighted, here are the 10 uBlock Origin (and uBlock Origin Lite) hacks you should know about.

Use uBlock Origin Lite's basic filters to block ads without giving it tab access

Credit: Pranay Parab

When you use uBlock Origin Lite in Chrome or Safari, it allows you to choose one of three filtering levels: Basic, Optimal, and Complete. The "Basic" filters won't block as many ads as the others, but it also doesn't require access to your tabs and data. These days, most extensions require access to every one of your tabs, which makes uBlock Origin Lite's "Basic" filters an exception that accesses as little of your data as possible.

Enable these filters to get rid of cookie banners

uBlock Origin and its Lite version both have built-in filters that let you block annoying cookie notices on most websites. To access this in uBlock Origin on any browser, click the extension's icon in the browser's toolbar, and select the gear icon. This will open uBlock Origin's settings page. Under "Filter lists," enable EasyList/uBO - Cookie Notices. This should automatically hide most cookie banners on the internet.

Use the element zapper to remove distracting elements

If you see a distracting element on a webpage, you can use uBlock Origin's element zapper to quickly hide it. To use it, click the extension's icon in any browser, and select the lightning icon. You can now click the distracting element, and the extension will immediately hide it from the webpage. In the Firefox version of uBlock Origin, you can also use the picker tool to select an element, and choose from a list of elements to block. For instance, if you want to block a sponsored results widget, the picker tool lets you click the element and choose from different tags associated with the widget. This allows for more precise blocking without having to click the exact spot on the page where the full widget is highlighted.

To use it in Firefox, click the uBlock Origin icon in the toolbar, and select the eyedropper tool. You can select an element, and use the drop-down menu in the blocker pop-up to choose from a list of classes to hide on the page.

Use this button to disable JavaScript and enhance privacy on Firefox

In uBlock Origin for Firefox, you have a one-click method to disable JavaScript on any webpage. You can use this to block trackers, annoying features that hijack scrolling, and in general, enhance your privacy. The risk is that blocking JavaScript can also break webpages, which is why you want to try it on individual webpages as opposed to disabling it at the browser level. To try this in uBlock Origin for Firefox, open a webpage and click the extension's toolbar icon. You can then click the > icon to disable JavaScript on the webpage. Reload the page, and Firefox will load it without JavaScript.

Try these shortcuts to disable uBlock Origin on a single page in Firefox

In Firefox, you can disable uBlock Origin for a single webpage. This is useful when the ad blocker breaks a webpage or doesn't load some elements correctly. To do this, click the extension's icon in the toolbar, and hold the Ctrl key on the keyboard while clicking the power button icon. Reload the page, and uBlock Origin will be disabled on that specific webpage.

Block large media elements to reduce data usage in Firefox

uBlock Origin for Firefox lets you block large media elements on all sites (or single pages). This allows you to reduce data usage on a metered connection. You can use it to block media elements above a custom size threshold like 10KB, 20KB, etc. To try this on a single webpage, click uBlock Origin's toolbar icon, and then click the film reel icon. Reload the page, and you'll notice that certain elements won't load. To set a custom size threshold for these elements, go to uBlock Origin settings in Firefox. Visit the Settings tab, and scroll down to "Default behavior." Enable Block media elements larger than, and use the text box next to it to set the size threshold (in kilobytes).

Try this blocklist to hide Google's AI-generated search summaries

Credit: Pranay Parab

uBlock Origin and its Lite version have a built-in AI blocker, which includes Google's AI-generated search summaries. To enable this feature, click the uBlock Origin toolbar icon, select the gear icon, and go to Filter lists. You can enable EasyList — AI Widgets. Now, search for anything in Google, and you'll notice that the AI-generated slop no longer appears up top.

Use the back up feature to sync uBlock Origin settings across browsers and devices

uBlock Origin for Firefox has a built-in sync feature that uses your Firefox account to sync settings across devices, but it's not available in uBlock Origin Lite. In Firefox, you can go to uBlock Origin settings, and turn on Enable cloud storage support. Your uBlock Origin settings will then sync to every device where you're logged in with the same Firefox account.

There's also a manual sync feature that works in both versions of uBlock Origin. Head to the extension's settings, navigate to the Settings tab, and select the Back up button. This will back up your uBlock Origin settings to a file and save it to your device. You can use the Restore button on the same settings page to load saved settings to any browser running uBlock Origin. The only restriction is that you can sync uBlock Origin Lite settings with other browsers running the Lite version, while the Firefox version of uBlock Origin can only sync with other instances of Firefox.

Use uBlock Origin's tracking link blocker to stop sites from tracking your clicks

Many websites add trackers to links you copy. Sites like Instagram, Facebook, and Threads use sharing links to trace which profile shared the links with you. Luckily, uBlock Origin can block most of these types of trackers. In uBlock Origin settings, go to Filter lists, and enable AdGuard/uBO — URL Tracking Protection. That said, I recommend that you check the URLs before sharing them with others. Sometimes, you may have to manually strip tracking data because no anti-tracking feature is completely foolproof.

Reduce tracking on international websites with region-specific blocklists

uBlock Origin also ships with region-specific blocklists that target trackers from different locations across the world. If you find yourself accessing many websites from foreign countries, you should enable these blockers from uBlock Origin's settings. In the Filter lists tab, click the Regions, languages button to expand the list. This will reveal all country or region-specific blocklists. Enable the ones you need, and you're all set.

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You’re cruising through a work meeting when your boss asks you to share your screen. Your stomach drops. You have something like 15 tabs open, PDFs scattered from bezel to bezel, and four identically titled Excel spreadsheets to toggle between. Basically, your Mac’s desktop looks like your bedroom did in the eighth grade.

While a messy desktop and digital clutter can be a source of anxiety for many people, it’s actually evidence of your deep work. Between an analyst keeping 15 tabs open so a model doesn't break and a strategist searching through 12 near-identical files right before a Zoom call, the clutter comes with the work.

Running a standard cleanup app to achieve “desktop zero,” or digital minimalism, isn’t always the right solution. It assumes the mess is the problem, and it asks you to interrupt your workflow to fix something that isn’t broken. The fear of accidentally purging a vital draft or dataset is a pain point for anyone with years of research and work stored on their hardware.

An app like CleanMyMac by MacPaw that respects your working files and clears the system junk works the other way around: it's built to go after what's safe to remove, not the files you're actively using. MacPaw, known for user-friendly Mac software like ClearVPN and Eney, built its flagship CleanMyMac app to be a safe, quick way to tidy up your machine.

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Where the slowdown actually comes from

Your open tabs aren’t the only thing slowing down your Mac; often, it’s the invisible stuff under the hood. Preview a dataset and a cache file writes itself somewhere you’ll never look. Open the same Slack PDF twice and you own two copies of it. Trial an app in March, abandon it in April, and its support files stay behind. None of it shows up on your desktop, but it’s all sitting on your drive.

CleanMyMac tackles hidden hardware weight, OS health, and security threats while keeping you in control of your user assets. The app identifies potential clutter, such as old versions and duplicate downloads, without forcing you into tedious manual folder searches. It then shows you the results so you can review what it found and choose what to remove. The four spreadsheets stay put, because you’re the only one who knows which version is current.

One scan, five kinds of dead weight

Credit: MacPaw

When you open CleanMyMac, the main tool you’ll see is called Smart Care. Click on it, and the software will automatically scan your Mac and purge invisible OS debris.

Here’s a rundown of what the app  does:

• Deep cleans: Utilizing Smart Selection technology, it intelligently targets and removes hidden background junk (outdated caches, temporary system files, and broken downloads) while respecting your personal work files.

• Scans for threats: Automatically scans for background malware and security threats to keep your online life safe.

• Boosts performance: Clears system memory (RAM) and tracks CPU loads to keep your Mac peppy during intense workloads.

• Runs updates: Flags outdated apps so you can update them, and when you want to delete them, it clears out hidden leftover files apps leave behind.

• Declutters storage: Deletes duplicate files (like those identical PDFs you’ve downloaded multiple times from Slack), similar photos, and forgotten large installer downloads taking up storage space.

Plus, CleanMyMac’s Cloud Cleanup tool will reveal large files hogging up your cloud storage. And the app’s real-time monitors help ensure you always have space available for new files, PDFs, and research materials.

Your working mess isn't the problem

Credit: MacPaw

A cluttered desktop, outdated files, and endless email chains aren’t the sign of a scattered brain. They’re evidence of deep, analytical work. What you don't know, and shouldn't have to, is how many gigabytes of cache files and abandoned app leftovers are sitting on your drive.

CleanMyMac by MacPaw clears the background weight, so the only thing competing for your attention is the problem you're actually working on. If you're curious, there's a seven-day free trial to test it out on your own Mac.

Snipping Tool is the default app for screenshots in Windows 11. There's a lot more to the app than that, however: With it, you can take screen recordings, extract text from images or websites that disable copying, and use a reverse image search tool. While ShareX is still my favorite app for taking screenshots in Windows, I think Snipping Tool has reached a point where it's great for both beginners and power users. Here are 10 essential Snipping Tool hacks that every Windows 11 user should know.

Use 'Scan Text' to copy text from images

Copying text from images is one of the most common uses of screenshot tools, and Snipping Tool does it quite well. You can right-click any image in Windows 11, and go to Open with > Snipping Tool. Once the photo opens, you can click the Scan Text button to select all the text in the image. Windows will take a few moments to identify all the text in the photo, and, when it's ready, you can click Copy all text from the popover menu. You're also free to select a single sentence or block of text by clicking and dragging the cursor over it, and you can right-click this selection to reveal the Copy text button.

Use Text Extractor to copy text without taking screenshots

If all you want to do is copy text from sites that disable copying, interface elements in an app, or PDFs of scanned pages where you can't select the text easily, then you should use Snipping Tool to select and copy text without even taking a screenshot. This allows you to reduce unwanted image clutter by skipping the "taking a screenshot" step, and jumping straight to extracting text. To try this, open the Snipping Tool app in your Windows PC, and click the Text extractor button in the toolbar. You can click and drag over an area of the screen that contains text, and the app will automatically select it in a moment or two. Click Copy all text in the popover menu, and you're done.

Use this setting to automatically redact sensitive information from screenshots

Credit: Pranay Parab

Snipping Tool allows you to do some basic image editing, which you can use to automatically redact sensitive information from screenshots. Open any screenshot in Snipping Tool, and click Scan text. Once the tool scans for text, a popover menu will appear. You can select Quick redact here to automatically hide all phone numbers and email addresses in the screenshot. It's pretty accurate and puts a black bar over sensitive information, which is much safer than blurring phone numbers and email addresses.

Use the timer to set up your screen before taking screenshots

Setting up an elaborate screenshot on your PC can be frustrating since Snipping Tool takes the screenshot instantly by default. In these instances, you can set a delay of three to 10 seconds before you capture the screen. If you have the Snipping Tool open, right-click its icon in the taskbar to quickly take a timed screenshot. Three buttons let you take a screenshot in three, five, or 10 seconds. You can also set up the Snipping Tool to always add a delay before capturing a screenshot. Open the app, and click the camera icon in the toolbar. Then, click the timer icon in the toolbar, and select the delay you wish to add.

Use Snipping Tool for screencasts to help others solve tech issues

When my friends or family members call for help with tech issues, I often send them a screencast with commentary to show how to fix the issue. In Snipping Tool, you can toggle a setting to include microphone audio by default when you record the screen. This lets me record my voice while I'm demonstrating how to solve the problem, and I use the mouse pointer to highlight what to click. Once you set up Snipping Tool to record your audio by default for screen recordings, this process hardly takes any time. Open Snipping Tool in your PC, and click the three-dots icon in the top-right corner. Select Settings, and enable Include microphone input by default when a screen recording starts.

Use this feature to produce social media-ready screenshots

Credit: Pranay Parab

When you capture screenshots, you can make Snipping Tool automatically add a solid color border to each image. This is great for posting to social media, as it makes screenshots look uniform and fit your aesthetic. Go to Snipping Tool settings and enable Add border to each screenshot. Select the Color block to pick the color you want for the border, and use the Thickness slider to adjust the width of the border.

Use the Freeform tool to capture screenshots in irregular shapes

The Freeform tool lets you draw an area on the screen, and captures a screenshot of everything inside that area. You can draw any shape you like, and the tool automatically closes small gaps in the shape to complete the screenshot. I like the fact that the Freeform tool is forgiving enough to smooth out poorly drawn shapes, which means you don't necessarily need to have steady hands to capture useful screenshots. To use this tool, open Snipping Tool, and click the camera icon in the toolbar. Next, select the rectangle icon, and choose Freeform. When you take the next screenshot, Snipping Tool will let you draw an irregular shape on the screen.

Disable automatic saving to stop screenshots from piling up on your PC

If you disable auto-save for screenshots, it directly copies screenshots to the clipboard. You can then make edits and send them to the app you need, or hit the save button to store the edited screenshots. This stops screenshots from piling up and adding to the clutter on your hard drive. I only need to save around one in 10 screenshots I capture, which makes this particularly useful for me. To try it out, go to Snipping Tool settings and disable Automatically save original screenshots.

Use this tool to hide people's faces from photos or screenshots

Snipping Tool has a "Shapes" option, which is meant to hide people's faces from images or screenshots. Here's how it works: Once you open an image in Snipping Tool, you'll see a bunch of editing tools in the toolbar. Select the Shapes tool, which is next to the Eraser tool, and you'll see a series of options. Select the Emoji tool to add an emoticon over faces. Alternatively, you can select the Square or Oval tools, but be sure to use the color fill option to hide private information thoroughly. Select Fill, and choose a color. You can also disable the Outline if you wish to, as it adds a border to the shape you draw on the screenshot. Then, you can draw a rectangle, square, circle, or an oval on the screenshot, and you'll find a solid color block that can hide sensitive information.

Use the built-in reverse image search to identify objects in the screenshots

Snipping Tool has a reverse image search feature that uses Bing to locate objects, places, or elements from your screenshots or images. You can use this to identify subjects in an image, or to check if a scammer has copied a profile picture from a different person's profile. To use this feature, open an image in Snipping Tool, and click the three dots in the top-right corner of the app. Select Visual Search with Bing, and it will open Bing's reverse image search results in your default browser.

Microsoft's Windows apology tour continues. After introducing sweeping changes to the Start menu and the taskbar, Microsoft's sights now turn to the infamous Windows Search box. It's no secret Windows Search is bloated with ads and web pages, among other results you likely don't want. Personally, I switched to using the PowerToys Command Palette for all my search needs. But now, Microsoft is slowly testing an updated Search Box that prioritizes local files and apps and doesn't take a century to load. If you're in the Windows Insider program, you can get in line to try the following new changes.

Windows Search has a redesigned UI focused on local search

Credit: Microsoft

Windows Search no longer shows a "Recommended" feed of web content and suggestions. Bring up Search, and what you'll see is a clean list of your recent searches. When you start typing, Microsoft will now prioritize local searches first. That means local apps, files, and folders will show up first and faster. Microsoft is also updating Search with broader parameters, so even if you misspell an app name, it should still show up in the list.

The results page also features an updated design. The results on the left have more breathing room now and show additional context, such as file type, when it was modified, and so on. You'll also see a preview of the file and metadata once you select a result, with better buttons for main actions like "Open." Microsoft is also focusing on reliability, promising a drop in crashes and random glitches. We'll only know how well that really works after testing this out for some time.

The broader search integration isn't completely gone here, however. You'll see a web results section below the local results, though this section also gets a redesign. Before, web search showed a promoted post at the top, hiding the actual result or answer until you scrolled down. Microsoft now shows the direct result at the top, and pushes the promos down below.

You can disable web and Microsoft Store suggestions in search

Credit: Microsoft

Finally, there are distinct toggles in Windows Settings to disable the entire web search and Microsoft Store suggestions section, so Windows Search can focus purely on surfacing local files and quickly launching apps. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Show Suggested Search Results and disable the toggles for Web Searches and Microsoft Store.