Guides & comparisons

Practical technology guides and comparisons for everyday decisions.

A laptop running a local game beside three preparation checks: save sign-in, finish updates and launch each game once

Steam · Nov 1

Steam Offline Mode: prepare your PC before you disconnect

Set up Steam Offline Mode, test your games and understand why a downloaded title can still need a connection.

Two browser windows, Site A and Site B, each holding its own cookie jar, separated by a dashed line marked no share

Firefox · Nov 1

Firefox Total Cookie Protection: settings and site fixes

Keep cookie isolation enabled and diagnose broken sign-ins with a narrow, reversible site test.

Illustration of an Android phone with a locked Private Space and its key limits: apps stop and send no alerts when locked, are hidden from search and recent apps, and their data is not in device backup

Android · Oct 31

Android Private Space: hide apps and understand the limits

Set up Android Private Space, understand locked-app notifications and check backup and privacy limits.

Illustration of a Mac with FileVault turned on and two recovery routes: an Apple Account through iCloud, or a separate recovery key written down and stored away from the Mac

Mac · Oct 31

Mac FileVault recovery key: turn it on safely

Turn on FileVault, choose an iCloud or recovery-key route, and store the recovery details away from the Mac.

Illustration of Windows Nearby sharing: a file selected in File Explorer is sent over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to a receiving PC that offers Save & open or Save, with visibility set to My devices only

Windows · Oct 31

Windows Nearby sharing: send files between PCs

Turn on Windows Nearby sharing, send files over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, and fix a PC that does not appear.

A landscape photo with a dashed selection inside a larger dashed expanded canvas, a prompt bar with a Generate button, and a panel of three variations.

Photoshop · Oct 31

How to use Photoshop Generative Fill and Generative Expand

Select, prompt and pick a variation: how Photoshop Generative Fill and Expand work, what they cost and common fixes.

Six household member circles above a family library of three games, with a note that one copy allows one player at a time and two players need two copies.

Steam · Oct 30

Steam Families sharing: how many people can play?

Share eligible games with your household and understand simultaneous play limits.

Android's Private DNS settings with Off, Automatic and Provider hostname options, Automatic selected; DNS lookups are protected while other traffic is not covered.

Android · Oct 30

Android Private DNS: what it does and how to change it

Find Android Private DNS, choose a setting and understand what it protects.

Three DNS record cards for SPF, DKIM and DMARC connect to an envelope with a tick, showing email authenticated for your domain.

Domains · Oct 30

SPF, DKIM and DMARC explained: protect your domain's email

What SPF, DKIM and DMARC records do, and a safe order to add them to your domain.

A BitLocker recovery screen asks for the key, beside four places to look for it: Microsoft account, work or school account, printout and USB flash drive.

Windows · Oct 30

Find BitLocker recovery key: where it's stored and how to back it up

Where to find your BitLocker recovery key, and how to back it up before Windows asks.

An old /services-old address passes through a 301 redirect to the new /services page, with Wix, Squarespace and Framer listed beside it.

website builder · Oct 29

Website builder 301 redirects: keep old URLs working

Set up 301 redirects in Wix, Squarespace and Framer, then test every old URL before launch.

An options dialog with an unticked Enable Copilot checkbox, beside notes that Word, Excel and PowerPoint switch per app while Outlook follows your account.

Microsoft Copilot · Oct 29

How to turn off Copilot in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook

Word, Excel and PowerPoint each have their own Copilot checkbox, and Outlook has a different switch. Here is where.

Three phones show voice waveforms labelled ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini Live, with where each voice mode runs.

ChatGPT · Oct 29

ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini voice mode: what each one can do

Where each voice mode runs, what it can see, how much your plan allows and what happens to the audio.

A trusted contact's request passes a wait-time clock before a password vault opens, with a note that you can approve or reject first.

Password managers · Oct 29

Password manager emergency access: let someone in when you can't

Bitwarden, 1Password and Apple handle emergency access very differently. Here is how to set up each one.

Illustration of a Nintendo Switch save moving to and from a cloud on the same account, with three steps: check game support, check backup status, restore carefully.

Nintendo Switch · Oct 27

Nintendo Switch cloud saves: back up and restore safely

Check game support, protect the right user’s progress and avoid overwriting a newer save.

Illustration of a phone with a shield, next to three steps: back up first, keep your PIN private, use a separate repair session. Repair mode does not guarantee a reset can be avoided.

Pixel · Oct 27

Pixel repair mode: protect privacy before a repair

How to enable Pixel repair mode, keep your PIN private and prepare for a repair that may still need a reset.

Parent and teen account icons joined by a link marked "Chats stay private", above switches for quiet hours, Voice Mode, image generation and saved memories.

ChatGPT · Oct 27

ChatGPT parental controls: how to link and set up a teen account

Link a teen ChatGPT account, set quiet hours and limits, and learn what parents can and cannot see.

An Android phone with a Play Protect shield, linked to notes on daily scans, apps from Google Play, protection on by default and updates from the phone maker.

Antivirus · Oct 27

Do Android phones need antivirus? What Play Protect does

Most Android phones already scan apps with Google Play Protect. Here is what it covers, what it misses and when to pay.

A four-bay NAS with stacked file versions, arrows leading to an external USB drive and then to a cloud, each holding its own set of file copies.

NAS · Oct 26

How to back up a NAS: local, offsite and restore checks

Build a 3-2-1 NAS backup with versioned local and offsite copies, then prove it works with restore tests.

A browser window compares your IP with the VPN off and the server IP with it on, beside a checklist of IP address, DNS, WebRTC and IPv6 tests.

VPN · Oct 26

How to check if your VPN is working: IP, DNS and WebRTC tests

Compare your IP address, then test for DNS, WebRTC and IPv6 leaks. What each test shows and what to do if one fails.

A monthly credit meter feeds two cards: standard image and vector tools at about one credit, premium video, audio and partner models at many credits.

Adobe Firefly · Oct 26

Adobe Firefly generative credits: how they work and what uses them

How many Firefly generative credits each Adobe plan includes, what uses them, when they reset and how to check.

A .au domain moves from one registrar to another using a secure authorisation code, with the registrant email kept current

Domains · Oct 25

How to transfer a .au domain to another registrar

Move a .au domain between registrars without confusing the auth code, hosting or a change of registrant.

A measurement ID field starting with G- feeds four website builder settings panels, which connect to a Realtime bar chart.

Website builders · Oct 25

How to add Google Analytics to Wix, Squarespace and Framer

Find your GA4 measurement ID, paste it into Wix, Squarespace, Framer or Hostinger, and check the data is arriving.

A table compares online-only, locally available and always-kept OneDrive files using cloud and tick icons.

OneDrive · Oct 24

OneDrive Files On-Demand: keep the right files offline

Choose which Windows files stay offline and understand why Free up space is different from Delete.