Throughout the year, I hear from readers and friends share their tech problems. Last year, I wrote about Ways to avoid technical problems. This year, I’m sharing how to fix the most common problems, including poor internet, Bluetooth failures, and general Wi-Fi connection puzzles.
If you’ve experienced one of these headaches – or have been similarly bombarded with inquiries such as The official IT person of the familyThere is good news: with patience, you can solve most problems on your own.
Most of its technical problems Simple solutions. not connected? Turn wireless settings off and on again. Not syncing? Sign out and sign back in to your account. slow performance? Restart your device or clear your browser cookies. Here are the settings and tools you need to become your own tech troubleshooter.
Click on the source
The best place to get guidance is the official support page. go to the an Applewebsite for iPhone and Mac,
to windows And Google for android And the Chrome OS. popular applications such as Zoom in And the slack Get good help resources too.
Don’t rely on rumours. For example, if you wet your phone, people will tell you to dunk it in uncooked rice. But
He does not agree, because the pills can be put in the phone. instead of, Any open ports face downTap to remove excess liquid and leave the device in a dry area with air flow.
For persistent issues, check to see if the device is running the latest firmware. Software updates often include bug fixes. If your device It is no longer supported with updatesBetter to search for a newer model.
Search your settings
The solution to your problem likely lies in a magical place called Settings. The fix is to flip a specific control on or off – or on And the turning off. But where to find the relevant menu or button is not clear, unless you use the search field in the settings.
Iphone: Once Settings opens, swipe down to reveal the search bar.
Android: Each device manufacturer has a slightly different settings interface. employment
SamsungAnd the
Click on the magnifying glass icon at the top right. Other phones show the search field right above the settings.
Mac: Open System Settings (formerly System Preferences). Search is in the upper left (or upper right in earlier versions of macOS).
windows: Open Settings and the search box on the top left. You can also type Settings: followed by the search term from the taskbar.
Share your thoughts
What are your favorite easy tech tips? Join the conversation below.
Ending the public Wi-Fi craze
Coffee shops, airports, hotels, and other public places have “restricted” Wi-Fi networks. When you choose a network from your phone or computer, a popup appears asking you to pay or provide credentials such as your hotel room number. But sometimes you don’t see the popup. Fortunately, you can force it to appear.
iPhone or Mac: Writes captive.apple.com in your browser.
Android or Chrome OS: Writes google.com/generate_204 in your browser.
windows: Writes www.msftncsi.com/ncsi.txt in your browser.
If a web page does not load, tap the three dots, then select Clear browsing data.
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Nicole Nguyen/The Wall Street Journal
Still not working? You may need to clear your browser cache, which can solve unwanted website problems as well. Just note that when you clear cookies, you often have to log back into websites.
Chrome: On the computer, click the three buttons in the upper right, then click More tools, then Clear browsing data. In that menu, select “Cookies and other site data” and “Cached images and files”. employment Mobiletap on the three dots, then History to find Clear browsing data.
Safari: On mac, go to the Safari menu, then Settings, then Privacy. Click Manage Website Data, select the desired website, and then Remove or Remove All. employment Mobile, go to the Settings app, then Safari and tap Advanced, then Website Data. Select Remove All Website Data.
Fix bluetooth failure
Connecting Bluetooth accessories to your phone, computer, or car can be a hassle. This fix recipe tends to work: Turn off your phone or computer’s Bluetooth setting. Turn off the accessory. Re-enable Bluetooth on your phone or computer. Turn the accessory on and put it into pairing mode. Find the name of the addon in the list.
Still not working? Try removing the accessory from your phone or laptop’s Bluetooth list, then reading it.
Iphone: in a Settings > Bluetoothpress the information “i” button next to the name of the accessory, and then Forget This Device.
On a Mac, add Sound and Bluetooth controls to the menu bar for faster troubleshooting.
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Nicole Nguyen/The Wall Street Journal
Mac: in a System settings, click Bluetooth. Hover over the device name and click the X button to remove.
Android: in a settings, go to Connected Devices, then Connection Preferences, then Bluetooth. Press the device name and then the X button to disconnect.
windows: in a settings, tap on Bluetooth & Devices, then on Devices. Next to the device name, select More options, then Remove device.
Bluetooth headsets can also cause videoconferencing problems, so make sure you can access the settings from your computer’s menu bar:
Mac: On macOS Ventura, go to the Control Center at the top right. On Macs running older system software, there is a “Show in menu bar” option in the Bluetooth and Sound settings.
windows: Pin Bluetooth and volume control to the taskbar.
Speed up slow internet
Sometimes your home Wi-Fi problems are out of your control: Maybe your service provider can’t get you a faster speed, or they want more money for it. And sometimes the solution is to buy a new router. (We recommend mesh networkif you do.) But before you upgrade your service or hardware, try to fix it yourself.
First, stand near your router and go to Speedtest.net on your phone or laptop to verify that it’s an internet issue, and not a device performance issue, like too many open tabs. A bad result would be download speeds of less than 15Mbps and upload speeds of less than 5Mbps.
If your router is located far away, put it in a more central location in the open if possible, away from metal furniture and large appliances. Also, too many connected devices can slow down your Wi-Fi, so turn off devices you don’t need (like an unused Kindle).
If you’re in a pinch, connect your computer directly to your router with an Ethernet cable.
Fine-tune your notifications
In Gmail, you can turn off notifications for work accounts but leave them on for high-priority personal email.
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Nicole Nguyen/The Wall Street Journal
continuous sounds Notifications can drive you crazy. Turning Do Not Disturb on will mute distractions globally — including important ones.
Notifications are a bit more complicated on iOS than Android, so we’ll just focus on iPhone users: all app notifications can be accessed through the main notifications setting — you can turn anything on or off there.
But third party apps like slackAnd WhatsApp and Gmail have their own notification settings too. If you are not getting the notifications you expect, check your phone settings And the Application settings for the offender.
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Write to Nicole Nguyen at [email protected]
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