Technology comes with a lot of bells and whistles. Cell phones, PCs, MacBooks, cameras, tablets and so many more that we rely on daily come with dozens of features. We learn the basic ones that help us in our every day lives, but what about the tech tricks that we may not know?
In this article, you will find 6 tech tricks to make your life easier (plus 5 additional tips at the very end).
(Mac users - you will LOVE these tricks and will want to share this article with your friends!)
1.) Built-in Dictation
Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant and other digital assistants of the like all have something in common - built-in dictation. Not only can you use dictation on your cell phones, but on your computers as well.
You can enable it by following these steps:
Windows PC
Press the Windows Key + H to open the dictation toolbar and enable the link that pops up.
Mac
Click the Apple logo in the top lefthand corner
Go to System Preferences
Choose Keyboard > Dictation
Set to ON
OR
Press the Control Key Twice
Press OK and then Enable Dictation
Once it’s enabled, open a document, tap the cursor and then the shortcut
You can also select Edit > Start Dictation
A microphone will appear and you can begin using dictation.
Press Done once you’re finished
2.) Store a Digital Signature on Your Mac
Did you know that on your Mac, you can store a digital signature? Meaning you don’t have to have Adobe Acrobat to sign a digital doc. By using the Preview App, you can store a digital signature and use it whenever you need to.
In Preview, Choose Tools > Annotate
Then select Signature
Choose Manage Signatures
Once you choose Manage Signatures, you will have two options:
One: Sign using your trackpad
Two: Sign your name on a white piece of paper and then scan it using your webcam
(It really works - try it for yourself, right now!)
3.) Manage Your Trips Better (Set departure & arrival times on Google Maps)
Google Maps lets you plan your trips efficiently. In case you didn’t know, you can set a departure time or an arrival time. By setting a departure time, you will get an estimate of when you are likely to arrive for an appointment. By setting an arrival time, you will receive an estimate of when you should leave your location to arrive at your destination on time.
4.) Reopen a Closed Tab
Sometimes things happen. You’re working, you have well over six tabs open, and all of a sudden you accidentally close the wrong one. Well, we’re here to tell you all hope is not lost. There is a trick to reopen the tab you just closed.
For PC, all you have to do is press CTRL+Shift+T.
For Macs, press Command+Shift+T. And now your tab is reopened!
In order to reopen the tab you closed, you must immediately use the keyboard combinations above or else the tab is lost once you close your next tab.
5.) Share a YouTube Video at a Direct Moment
What do you do when you want to share a YouTube Video at a direct point? Do you just send the link and tell your friends, “Okay, fast forward to a minute and 30 seconds.” Well, now you don’t have to do that.
To share the video at a precise point, all you have to do is press the Share button below the video. Then press the checkbox below the link that says Start at [the specific time you want]. When your friend receives that link, the YouTube video will automatically begin at the time you chose.
6.) Search Highlighted Text
Do you ever come across a word that you don’t know or you want more information about a particular subject? If so, then this tip is for you.
Rather than having to retype the word or phrase you want to research, you just have to take your cursor and highlight it. Once you highlight the word/phrase, right click on your mouse/trackpad and select Search Google for [word/phrase]… It’s that simple!
BONUS
7.) Mac Keyboard Shortcuts You May Not Know
The last tricks we are going to go over are for Mac users - Keyboard shortcuts on Apple computers…
Shift-Command-5: Take a screenshot or make a screen recording or use Shift-Command-3 to take an immediate screenshot
Command-Comma (,): Open preferences for the front app
Control-Command-Space Bar: Show the character viewer, allowing you to choose emojis and other symbols
Option-Command-D: Show or hide the dock
Shift-Command-O: Open the documents folder
There you have it! Six tech tricks that will make your life more convenient. If you liked this article, share it with your friends and be sure to follow us for more content just like this!
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