34 Tech Life Hacks You Should Know
Learning a useful life hack can be awesome – especially if they are tips and tricks that help make our life easier.
Well, hop on board for 34 of them! Whether it’s a strategy, technique, trick or shortcut life hacks rock!
They are always worth learning and can really make your tech life a breeze especially if you’re a student looking to improve your academic standing!
Be sure to bookmark this page for future reference. I find, if I practice them at least twice I never forget them. Let’s get these tech hacks rockin’.
1 – To quickly change the case (upper vs. lower) of text in Microsoft Word, highlight the phrase, then hit Shift + F3. Word will automatically lowercase everything first, and if you tap the shortcut again, it will take into account periods and capitalize the start of a sentence.
2 – Ever close your browser by mistake? We all have. No worries! To re-open an accidentally closed browser tab, use Ctrl + Shift +T. Cmd is for Mac.
3 – If you need to proofread a long essay, be sure to paste your article into Google Translate and listen to it instead of reading it. This makes it easier to pick up mistakes and makes you a more proficient writer in the process. The tool can help you pick up minor typos that often shoot right past our eyes. Below, you can see an example of the site. It’s super easy to use!
4 – Run your writing or document past PolishMyWriting.com to clear typos, grammar mistakes and get help with writing styles. As per the below image, all you do is click the “check writing” icon to quickly get the results you need.
5 – If you love using PowerPoint then this tip is essential. If you save your PowerPoint presentation in .PPS instead of .PPT, your file goes into slide show mode when you open it – this is very useful for presentations.
6 – Want to charge your phone faster? Put your phone in Airplane Mode. (Research has found the difference to be only 3 minutes, but that’s still faster!)
7 – Want a quick way to unfreeze your frozen phone? Plug it into its charger and bam – done!
8 – Want to scroll down a web page faster? Hitting the Spacebar scrolls down a web page and hitting the Spacebar +Shift lets you scroll back up.
9 – Laptop batteries can last longer if you charge them up to only 80% instead of the full 100%. Who would have known?!
10 – This is one of the best sites for us music lovers. If you can’t remember the title of a song but you know the melody or lyrics to it, hum or sing it on Midomi to get the title. I’m having way too much fun using this!
11 – When booking flights or hotels online, clear cookies before you start looking, or shop in Incognito mode, for lower prices.
12 – If you ever search through a discussion thread to find the solution to one of your many computer troubleshooting issues, add “Solved” to sift through the results. It will help you get the solution you need faster.
13 – Looking to save excel files more effectively? Saving an Excel file as an .XLSB will shrink the size by half or 75%
14 – This is one of the best ways to save on your black ink. If your printer is out of or running low on black ink, change the font color to #010101 for 99% gray.
15 – Have you ever found yourself in a hotel without your charger? Be sure to check the TV for a USB.
16 – Who doesn’t love a good GIF? If you want a quick way to turn part of a YouTube video into a GIF? Add “GIF” after “www.” and before “youtube” in the URL of the video.
17 – To paste copied text without the formatting, use Ctrl + Shift +V or Cmd+Shift+V on Mac. Previously you would have had to copy the text into a format-neutral space (like Notepad) and then copy it into Chrome.
18 – Clearing your browsing history is important to do. Here’s how to delete your browser history. In Chrome, click Ctrl+ Shift + Del to quickly access the “Clear Browsing Data” Window.
19 – Searching for exam samples can be a difficult task. Now, it’s easy peasy! To find sample tests for a looming exam, search “site:edu [subject] exam”.
20 – Make a small knot at either side of the earphone to identify left or right side of the earphones.
21 – This is the easiest way to keep track of valuable documents. Take pictures of important notices, receipts, invitations, business cards, shopping lists for easy access and never lose your paper trail again.
22 – Ever find yourself wanting to crank up the volume when listening to music on your smartphone. The easiest way is placing it in an empty cup or glass jar.
23 – I’ve heard about this hack before and always wondered if it worked. Well, it seems it does! Bounce batteries to see if they are good or bad. The higher they bounce, the lower the charge they have in them. Be sure to watch this cool video illustrating that.
24 – To delete files or folders quickly without dragging it to the trash bin, just use Shift+ Del .
25 – Did you know you can turn your handwriting into a font? Well, you can with MyScriptFont. It’s easy and lots of fun!
26 – Stumped by a math problem? Get the PhotoMath app and scan the math problem with your phone and the app will solve it for you. I installed this the other day and I can’t stop using it!
27 – This is a great hack if you ever lose your phone! Put an emergency contact number and a name on your lock screen.
28 – For quick dictionary meanings, google “define: [your search term]”. I can’t tell you how many times a day I use this!
29 – Ever need to download a YouTube video? To download a YouTube video, insert “ss”, after www. and before youtube.com. Works like a charm!
As above, that’s what your URL should look like. Then, press “enter” – it will take you to a site called savefrom.net where you can download your video!
30 – If you see an attire on TV and want to own the same attire, this site WornOnTV.net helps you to easily find the clothes they were wearing. It’s truly hysterical. You can find almost every outfit that’s been worn on TV.
31 – I’m always looking for an easy way to edit PDF files. You can easily view, edit, or annotate PDF documents online via PDFEscape.com.
32 – This is a great hack for everyone. I’m a weather enthusiast and love checking the weather out all over the country. To get the time and weather of a city, just google “[location] time” or “[location] weather”. Example “LA time” or “LA Weather“.
33 – You deserve this! Do Nothing for 2 Minutes is a website that wants you to do nothing except stay calm and listen to their wave music for 2 minutes. I use this several times a day.
34 – Have an old cassette case lying around? Don’t chuck it out, use it as a holder or stand for your mobile phone.
And as always, thanks so much for reading this 34 Tech Life Hacks You Should Know. Please subscribe via email below and never miss a post again!
Such useful information, Carolann. Thank you!
Your genius is overflowing. I can’t even remember all of these, must pin for later. Great post!!
Thanks much Helene, I’m so glad you found it useful. Have a wonderful rest of the week.
Carolann
Thanks so much Qs! I’m so glad you enjoyed the post. I love tech hacks and use so many of them daily. It’s always so good hearing from you. xo
Well this is definitely pinterest-worthy. There are so many in here I can’t even remember them. Some of them are really amazing. Thanks for sharing this very useful post.
Thanks so much Patti. I always enjoy hearing from you!
Carolann xo
I love these hacks. I found many on here that I can’t wait to try out myself. I love the font tip.
Thanks much Crystal! I’m so glad you enjoyed them. Always good hearing from you!