Operating system families

The iPhone has so many clever and fun little features that it's easy to miss some of them. One of the most whimsical features to come along in recent years is the ability to lift the subject of a photo away from the background so you can use it elsewhere — whether that's sharing it in an email, pasting it into a photo editing app, or even turning it into an iMessage sticker in iOS 17. What's especially fascinating about this is that it seems like such a simple thing to do — and Apple does make it really easy — but…

Windows 11 is more than a few years old and it is getting feature drops called “moments” every so often, as well as yearly updates. But what about the whole new Windows release that will come after Windows 11? Earlier leaks from Intel and Qualcomm made mention of Windows 12, leading some to believe that Windows 12 might be in development at Microsoft and could come in 2024. Whether or not it’s called Windows 12 or Windows 11 24H2, a big update is coming. Here’s what we know so far. Windows 12 naming and release date…

There's a lot to love about Mac, but one of its quirkier features is how easy it is to change icons for files and folders. By default, a file is depicted by a piece of paper, while folders are -- well, depicted by a folder. You'll also find zip files with zippers, along with other standard iconography. But if you want to customize the look of your files and folders, Apple gives you a simple way to change icons without much effort. Here's a look at how to change icons for files and folders on Mac, including tips…

Text messaging has quickly become the default form of communication on smartphones. Sure, you can give your buddy a call to update them on your plans for the weekend, but it's not quite as quick and streamlined as a simple text. And combined with the ever-growing library of emojis available on iPhone and Android, it's easier than ever to ensure your tone and true meaning are received loud and clear by your recipient. Emojis have been around for decades, and they've only grown more popular throughout 2024. Most…

A dead pixel can be a huge pain, whether it's on your smartphone, desktop monitor, or laptop. Fortunately, even though a dead pixel isn't a great sign of monitor health, there are ways you can sometimes bring that pixel back to life. If your device is no longer under warranty or you don’t want to take it to a professional, don’t despair. Here's how to fix a dead pixel in just a few steps. Fix a stuck or dead pixel with JScreenFix Step 1: Go to the JScreenFix website. Open your favorite browser and navigate to…

Joe Maring / Digital Trends Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 6 is a popular choice for a smart watch, available in both regular and classic forms. The bright, vibrant display and improved battery life to keep going all day offer an enticing option, even making for a tempting upgrade from the Galaxy Watch 4 or Galaxy Watch 5. However, before you buy a smart watch there’s always the sticky question of phone operating system compatibility. To be useful, you need to link your smart watch to your smart phone — but not every option…

Windows includes many interesting tools, but if you’re like many people, more and more of your digital life is happening in your web browser and nowhere else. That being the case, you’ll want to keep your most important websites close at hand. The easiest way to access them in Windows is the Start menu and the taskbar, treating them more or less like programs in and of themselves. Although easy overall, getting a website from your browser to your taskbar is slightly different depending on which browser you’re using.…

Jacob Roach / Digital Trends I don’t use OneDrive, but Microsoft is hellbent on making sure I do. When you set up a new PC, OneDrive automatically starts syncing files based on the Microsoft account you sign in with. This isn’t normally a problem, but if you’re a PC gamer who switches devices often, it can cause quite a headache. It’s not an impossible problem to overcome, and you can always turn OneDrive off. But as someone who bounces around PCs often, I wish that Microsoft’s cloud storage service was opt-in…

Cottonbro Studio / Pexels One of the best things about using more than one Apple device is the way they interact with each other. Apple has built all kinds of clever features into its famous ecosystem, and it means your devices all work together in a way that you just don’t get from any other manufacturer. AirDrop might be the ultimate expression of this, though that’s fairly well-known. Here, we’ve picked out six other great ways your Mac works with other Apple products. Most require you to have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi…

Resizing an image is something we’re all going to have to do at some point in our digital lives. And whether you’re using Windows, macOS, or you’re rocking a Chromebook, there are ways to scale images up and down on each PC. Fortunately, these are all relatively simple methods too. While there’s a near-limitless world of photo-editing programs out there, we made sure to highlight tools in this multi-step guide that any Windows, macOS, or Chromebook user will have access to. With that being said, here’s how to…