iPhone/iPad – Tech Savvy Life

How to Set Chrome As Your Default Browser in Windows and iPhone/iPad

Features like Google account’s password and bookmark sync, extension support, cross-device migration, etc., make Chrome the number one choice over competitors. Chrome is the most installed web browser used today.

RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2
October 20, 2021

Features like Google account’s password and bookmark sync, extension support, cross-device migration, etc., make Chrome the number one choice over competitors. Chrome is the most installed web browser used today. Let’s explore how to set Chrome as your default browser.

This is for Windows 10 and iPhone/iPad running Chrome

Dilbert and CEO — *Copyright Scott Adams, Inc./Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS*

Before we go any further, you need to have the Google Chrome browser installed on your computer or iPhone/iPad. You can download the Chrome app from the app or play store for your iPhone/iPad or from Google’s website if you are using a desktop or laptop.

Set Chrome as Default Browser on Windows 10

First, open System settings by pressing Windows key+I, and then click on Apps. Refer to below image:

Next, from the pane on the left side, click Default Apps. See below image:

Now, locate the Web Browser section, click on your current default browser, and then scroll through the list and select Google Chrome. See following image where Google Chrome is already my default browser:

Chrome 3 — Setting Chrome as default web browser

Next, close Settings. Chrome is now your default web browser.

Set Chrome as Default Browser on iPhone/iPad

If you are running iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 or higher, Apple made it possible to change the default web browser on iPhone/iPad.

First, locate your Settings app on your iPhone/iPad and tap it. Use Apple’s built-in Spotlight Search (your first screen) to quickly find the app if you can not locate it on your Home screen. Refer to below image:

Next, scroll down and select the Chrome app. See below image:

Now, select the Default Browser App from the menu. If the setting has not been changed before, it will list Safari as the default. See following image:

Chrome 6 — Selecting Default Browser app

Next, choose Chrome from the list of installed web browser apps. Refer to below image:

Chrome 7 — Setting Chrome as default web browser

Now, close Settings. The next time you click on a link in any app installed on your iPhone/iPad, it will automatically open Chrome.

Quote For the Day

I was born not knowing and have had only a little time to change that here and there.
Richard Feynman

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The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong Vietnam: Events and Aftermath

How to Open HEIC Files on Windows

Apple’s iPhone and iPad takes photos in the HEIF image format by default. These photos have the HEIC file extension. Windows 10 can view HEIC files in just a few clicks; or you can convert them to standard JPEGs and view them anywhere.

RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2
October 19, 2021

This is for devices running Windows 10, iPhone, and iPad

Dilbert and Directors — *Copyright Scott Adams, Inc./Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS*

What is HEIC

HEIC is the name that Apple gave to its container for the HEIF (High Efficiency Image File) image format and is based on the HEVC (High Efficiency Video Compression) video format.

What it means for you are high-quality images that take up less storage space thanks to a more modern compression method.

You can disable HEIC on the iPhone, but since its introduction in iOS 11, it has become Apple’s default photo storage format.

How to View HEIC Files

On modern versions of Windows 10, you can install support for HEIC image files.

First, locate an HEIC file in File Explorer on your computer and double-click it. If you are asked which application you want to open it in, select Photos.

Note! If the HEIC file does not open in the Photos app, right-click the HEIC file and select

Open With > Photos

Refer to below image:

HEIC 1 — Selecting how to open HEIC photos

The Photos app will tell you that the HEIF Image Extension is required to display this file. Click the Download and install it now link to get it from the Microsoft Store. It’s a free download. If you do not see this requirement screen, do a Google search and install the extension. See below image:

HEIC 2 — Google search for HEIF extension

If Windows asks Did you mean to switch apps?, select Yes.

This will open the HEIF Image Extensions page in the Microsoft Store app. Click the Install or Get button to download support for HEIC image files (which use the HEIF format.) See following image:

HEIC 3 — Get or Install the HEIF extension

On the next screen, if the extension is already installed, you are set. If not, the Launch button will display Install instead. Just click to install the extension. Refer to below image:

Now, when you open an HEIC image in the Photos app, you will be able to view it like you would any other image file, like a JPEG, PNG, GIF, or BMP. See below image:

Windows 10’s File Explorer will automatically generate and display thumbnails for your HEIC image files, too. See following image:

HEIC 6 — Thumbnails of HEIC photos in File Explorer

Convert HEIC to JPEG

To quickly and easily convert HEIC files to standard JPEG images on Windows, we recommend you download and install CopyTrans HEIC for Windows.

This tool installs full support for HEIC images in Windows, so it’s particularly useful on Windows 7 and older versions of Windows 10 that do not have integrated support in the Photos app. It adds support for HEIC images to the classic Windows Photo Viewer.

CopyTrans HEIC also allows you to right-click an HEIC file in File Explorer and select Convert to JPEG to easily convert it to a JPEG file. Select the option and you will get a JPEG version of the image automatically placed in the same folder as the original HEIC file.

JPEG files are more widely supported, so this will help you use the HEIC file in applications that support JPEG images but not HEIC files. Refer to below image:

HEIC 7 — Selecting to convert HEIC to JPEG

Change the Default

If you find dealing with HEIC files inconvenient, you can also configure your iPhone to always take photos in JPEG format.

Go to

Settings > Camera > Formats > (and checkmark) Most Compatible

instead of High Efficiency. See below image:

However, HEIC offers higher image quality in smaller file sizes. It’s a more modern image format, and we recommend sticking with it if the applications you use support it.

Quote For the Day

When you’re older you want to learn from other people.
Ray Bradbury

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The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong Vietnam: Events and Aftermath

How to Turn on Captions in Siri on iPhone and iPad

The all-new compact Siri interface, available with iOS and iPadOS 14, renders just a small animated orb at the display bottom along with a compact, banner-style response that slides into view.

RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2
October 13, 2021

The all-new compact Siri interface, available with iOS and iPadOS 14, renders just a small animated orb at the display bottom along with a compact, banner-style response that slides into view. Lets explore how this is done with a few simple steps.

This is for iPhone and iPad

*Copyright Scott Adams, Inc./Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS*

That’s an improvement over Siri in earlier iOS version that would take up the whole display. To keep the interface as minimal as possible, Siri in iOS and iPadOS 14 does not show Caption for spoken text nor does it display a live transcription of what you have spoken.

Thankfully, you can easily enable Siri Captions on an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. Doing so will help you verify that you have heard Siri’s response correctly.

Enable Siri Captions

First, open Settings on your iPhone or iPad. Refer to below image:

Next, in Settings, tap Siri & Search. See below image:

Now, in Siri & Search, scroll down and tap Siri Responses. See following image:

Siri 3 — Selecting Siri Responses option

Next, in Siri Responses, toggle the switch beside Always Show Siri Captions into the ON position.

Note! if you have trouble seeing toggle colors, you can turn on toggle labels in Settings as well. Refer to below image:

Now, close Settings. Launch Siri and ask it a question. If your phone is not silenced, Siri will speak the response, and you will see the same response written on the screen in the form of a Caption. See below image:

Disable Siri Captions

If you ever want to disable the Captions, revisit

Settings > Siri & Search > Siri Responses

and toggle Always Show Siri Captions to OFF.

Note! you will still see Siri’s responses as Captions if your device is set to silent mode and you have Spoken Responses in Settings > Siri & Search > Siri Responses set to When Silent Mode is OFF.

Quote For the Day

It has not yet become obvious to me that there’s no real problem. I cannot define the real problem; therefore, I suspect there’s no real problem, but I’m not sure there’s no real problem.
Richard Feynman

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How to Use Incognito Mode in Google Search on iPhone and iPad

Incognito Mode is a common feature in web browsers that allows you to use the web somewhat anonymously. On an iPhone or iPad, if you are using the Google app as a web browser instead of Safari or Chrome, you can browse in Incognito.

RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2
October 6, 2021

Incognito Mode is a common feature in web browsers that allows you to use the web somewhat anonymously. On an iPhone or iPad, if you are using the Google app as a web browser instead of Safari or Chrome, you can browse in Incognito.

The Google app for the iPhone and iPad offers an all-in-one experience. All of the searching and browsing results happens within the app. It’s essentially a mini-browser of its own but you may not want your activity recorded. Let’s setup this feature.

This is for iPhone and iPad

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First, open the Google app on your iPhone or iPad. Use Apple’s Spotlight Search (your first screen) to locate the app if you can not find it on your Home page or App Library. Refer to below image:

Next, tap your Profile icon in the top right-hand corner. See below image:

Now, select Turn on Incognito from the drop-down menu. See following image:

Next, you will see a screen saying you are in Incognito Mode . You can now do searches and browse the Internet without the activity being saved to your account. Refer to below image:

To reset Incognito Mode, return to the Google App’s home page and tap the Turn Off button. See below image:

And that’s it. Just like Incognito Mode in a browser, your search and browsing history will not be saved to your account. This is a nice little trick to know if you find yourself using the Google app like a browser a lot.

Quote For the Day

Don’t think. Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It’s self-conscious, and anything self-conscious is lousy. You can’t try to do things. You simply must do things.
Ray Bradbury

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How to Pin/UnPin a Facebook Post

What does it mean to pin a post on Facebook? A pinned post is a status update that you manually select to stay at the top of your page’s timeline, meaning it will not slip down as you continue to add other posts to your page.

RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2
October 5, 2021

What does it mean to pin a post on Facebook? A pinned post is a status update that you manually select to stay at the top of your page’s timeline, meaning it will not slip down as you continue to add other posts to your page. Let’s explore how to do this.

This is for devices running Facebook

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You can only have one post pinned to your profile at a time. If you try to pin a second post, that second post gets pinned and the first post gets unpinned.

Pin to Your Profile

First, launch a web browser on your computer and access the Facebook site. Next, log in to your account and in the top right-hand corner of the site, click your profile icon. Refer to below image:

Now, on your profile page that opens, find the post you want to pin. At the top right-hand corner of the post, click the three dots menu. See below image:

Next, from the three-dots menu, select Pin post. See following image:

And immediately, Facebook will pin the selected post to the top of your profile page. Scroll up your profile and your pinned post will appear there. Refer to below image:

To unpin a pinned post, from the top right-hand corner of the pinned post, select the three dots menu and click Unpin post in the menu. See below image:

Facebook will remove the post from the top of your profile page. It will continue to appear at its original location in your profile, though. Now, refresh the page or exit Facebook.

How to Pin/Unpin a Twitter Tweet

Pin to Your Page

In addition to your personal profile, you can pin a post to your Facebook page, too.

First, access your page and find a post to pin. (Note! I am doing this on my business page using my iPhone). Next, at the top right-hand corner of the post, click the three dots menu. See following image:

Now, from the three-dots menu, select Pin to Top. Refer to below image:

Next, Facebook will add your selected post to the top of the page.

To remove the post from the top of the page, from the top right-hand corner of the post, click the three dots menu. Next, from the menu that opens, select “Unpin from Top. See below image:

Quote For the Day

You can’t just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they’ll want something new.
Steve Jobs

That’s it. You now know how to pin/unpin a Facebook post. Please feel free to share this post! One way to share is via Twitter.

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The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong Vietnam: Events and Aftermath

How to Crop Photos on iPhone and iPad

The stock Photos app for iOS and iPadOS comes with a built-in editing tool that can let you automatically resize a pic. Besides, you can also get rid of the unwanted parts manually to ensure there is no blemish. You do not need any photo editing apps to rotate, crop, or straighten your photos.

RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2
September 22, 2021

There could be all sorts of reasons why you would like to crop photos on your iPhone and iPad. Maybe you are not pleased with the actual size of the image or want to make it perfectly fit a frame.

The stock Photos app for iOS and iPadOS comes with a built-in editing tool that can let you automatically resize a photo. Besides, you can also get rid of the unwanted parts manually to ensure there is no blemish. You do not need any photo editing apps to rotate, crop, or straighten your photos.

However, the best part is that you can go back to the original size just in case the end result does not turn out as expected. Let’s see how this is done.

This is for the iPhone and iPad

Dilbert and Genes — *Copyright Scott Adams, Inc./Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS*

Crop Your Photo

First, open the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad and navigate to the photo that you want to crop. In the top right-hand corner, tap the Edit button. Refer to below image:

Now, in the photo editing view, you will see the bottom toolbar. Tap the Crop button which looks like a box with arrows around it. See below image:

Next, you will see the image surrounded by a white frame. Swipe in from any edge to crop the image. You can do this from all corners. Just, lift your finger to see the cropped image. See following image:

Now, you can also crop the image using a specific aspect ratio if you need the photo to be a perfect square. Tap the Aspect Ratio button in the top toolbar which looks like overlapping boxes. Refer to below image:

Crop 4 — Selecting the Aspect Ratio button to crop a photo

Next, you can choose the Aspect Ratio (such as “4:3” or “16:9”) or switch between the Portrait and Landscape formats.

Even after selecting the Aspect Ratio, you can continue to crop the image. The difference is that now, the Aspect Ratio will be locked. If you do not want to use the Aspect Ratio feature, choose the Original option. See below image:

Now, if you are satisfied with the crop dimensions, tap the Done button in the bottom toolbar on iPhone. See following image:

Your photo will be cropped, and the result displayed on the screen. Refer to below image:

Crop 7 — Original on left, cropped on right

Do not forget that you can share the photo with your friends using the Share button in the bottom toolbar which looks like a box with an arrow coming out of it. See below image:

Undo Your Crop

All edits in the Photos app are non-destructive. This means that you can revert any photo to its original state.

First, open the photo in the Photos app. Tap the Edit button in the top right-hand corner. See following image:

Now, in the bottom right-hand corner on iPhone, tap the Revert button. Refer to below image:

Next, in the pop-up, choose the Revert to Original option. See below image:

Crop 11 — Revert your photo back to the original

Now, your photo will be back to its original form!

Quote For the Day

We are cups, constantly and quietly being filled. The trick is, knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out.
Ray Bradbury

And that’s it. Please feel free to share this post! One way to share is via Twitter.

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The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong Vietnam: Events and Aftermath

How to Check if Chrome 93 is Installed

Google Chrome 93 is officially here. There is plenty to be excited about. For example, with Chrome 93, progressive web apps (PWAs) feel a lot more like native desktop apps, as clicking on a link can open an associated web app. There’s also improved multi-screen support for web apps, making this an update web app users will love.

RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2
JSeptember 21, 2021

Google Chrome 93 is officially here. There is plenty to be excited about. For example, with Chrome 93, progressive web apps (PWAs) feel a lot more like native desktop apps, as clicking on a link can open an associated web app. There’s also improved multi-screen support for web apps, making this an update web app users will love. Let’s explore how to install Chrome 93.

This is for Windows, Android, Mac, iPhone, and iPad

Dilbert and Stats — *Copyright Scott Adams, Inc./Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS*

Some new features are related to recently closed tabs, a Material You theme for Android 12, a new Google Search UI on Android, the ability to sync Two-Factor OTP codes across devices (a true game-changer), the ability to use note-taking apps right from the browser, a new context menu on iPhone, and so much more.

Chrome 93 will now also show Google Drive documents on the New Tab page. The suggested documents will appear in a card underneath the Search Bar, allowing you to easily access recently edited Google Docs or Sheets.

First, you can check for an update by going to the three-dot menu hamburger icon on the top-right of Chrome. Next, click Help followed by About Google Chrome. Refer to below image:

Chrome 93 1 — Selecting the About option

Now, the Chrome Settings window open. If Chrome is outdated, it will automatically download and install the latest version. See below image:

Now, close Chrome and restart the app.

If you are on iPhone or Android, update the app as you would for any other application.

Quote For the Day

The most remarkable discovery in all of astronomy is that the stars are made of atoms of the same kind as those on the earth.
Richard P Feynman

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How to Add a Web Page to Chrome’s Reading List for iPhone and iPad

The Reading List is a similar concept to bookmarks but intended for reading material that you find online. At the time of this writing, it’s available in Chrome on the desktop (Windows, Mac, and Linux) and for iPhone and iPad. The feature is not available on Android.

RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2
September 15, 2021

The Reading List is a similar concept to bookmarks but intended for reading material that you find online. At the time of this writing, it’s available in Chrome on the desktop (Windows, Mac, and Linux) and for iPhone and iPad. The feature is not available on Android. For this blog post, we will explore this feature for the iPhone and iPad.

This is for the iPhone and iPad using Google Chrome

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Chrome for iPhone and iPad has two different ways to add web pages to your Reading List. It can either be done from Chrome or from another app.

Method 1 – Within Chrome

First, find a page to save for later, and then tap the Share icon in the address bar. Refer to below image:

Next, select Read Later from the menu. See below image:

That’s it! The page is now in your Reading List.

Method 2 – Use an App

The second method allows you to add things to the list from outside of Chrome. Now, find a news article or story that you would like to read later in any app. In our example, we are using Apple News. Next, find the Share icon in the app and tap it. See following image:

Now, find Chrome in the app row and select it. If you do not see Chrome, tap the three-dot More menu. Refer to below image:

Now, find Chrome from the app list and tap it. See below image:

Next, from the Chrome menu, tap Read Later. See following image:

To access the Reading List on your iPhone or iPad, first, open Chrome and tap the three-dot Menu icon at the bottom. Refer to below image:

Next, select Reading List from the menu. You will notice a number that indicates unread pages. See below image:

Reading 8 — Accessing Reading List option

Now, the Reading List will open with Unread pages at the top and Pages You’ve Read at the bottom. Pages marked with a green check are ready to read offline. See following image:

Next, tap Edit in the bottom corner to manage the list. Refer to below image:

Reading 10 — Selecting to Edit your Reading List

From here, you can select pages and delete or mark them as read. See below image:

Reading 11 — Selecting Delete or Mark as Read option

The Reading List is a nice, simple alternative to apps that provide similar services. It all happens right inside of Chrome without any additional software.

Quote For the Day

We’ve gotta reinvest in space travel. We should’ve never left the moon.
Ray Bradbury

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The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong Vietnam: Events and Aftermath

How to Add an iPhone Contact to Your Home Screen

iPhones are awesome communication devices. So it makes sense that you would want to put the people you talk to the front and center.

Surprisingly, Apple does not make it clear that it’s even possible to do this. The functionality is buried in the powerful Shortcuts app.

RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2
September 8, 2021

iPhones are awesome communication devices. So it makes sense that you would want to put the people you talk to the front and center.

Surprisingly, Apple does not make it clear that it’s even possible to do this. The functionality is buried in the powerful Shortcuts app. Let’s explore how this is done.

This is for the iPhone and iPad

Dilbert and Talking — *Copyright Scott Adams, Inc./Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS*

There are basically two different actions that can be associated with contact Shortcuts. You can have the Shortcut give you the option of how you want to contact the person; Message, Call, FaceTime; or it can jump straight into one of those. We will be covering the first option.

Create the Shortcut

First, open the Shortcuts app on your iPhone or iPad. Refer to below image:

Shortcuts 1 — Accessing your Shortcuts app

Next, go to All Shortcuts See below image:

Now, switch to the Gallery tab in the bottom bar. See following image:

Shortcuts 3 — Open the Gallery of Shortcuts

Add the Contact

Next, do a search for Contact, and select the Contact on Home Screen shortcut. Refer to below image:

Now, tap the Add Shortcut button. See below image:

On the next screen is where you will select a person for the Shortcut. Tap the “+” button. See following image.

Shortcuts 6 — Selecting to add a contact

Now, find the person you want to use for the Shortcut in your contacts list. Refer to below image:

Next, tap Done to finish. See below image:

View the Newly Added Shortcut

Now, go back to the My Shortcuts tab, and you will see the newly added Shortcut. Touch and hold to bring up some options. See following image:

Next, select Details from the menu. Refer to below image:

Shortcuts 10 — Accessing Details for the Shortcut

Add to Home Screen and Customize

Now, select Add to Home Screen. See below image:

Shortcuts 11 — Add contact Shortcut to your Home screend

Next, tap the text to enter the name that you would see under the icon on the Home screen. See following image:

Now, select the icon to choose a photo for it or the other two options. Refer to below image:

Shortcuts 13 — Select a photo for the contact

Next, once you are done customizing the icon, tap Add in the top right-hand corner. See below image:

Now, the icon will be added to your Home screen. When you tap it, a menu with communication choices will appear. Simply do this for all of your favorite people! See following image:

Quote For the Day

It doesn’t matter how beautiful your theory is, it doesn’t matter how smart you are. If it doesn’t agree with experiment, it’s wrong.
Richard P Feynman

Pretty nifty feature. It’s like having a person on speed dial. Please feel free to share this post! One way to share is via Twitter.

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The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong Vietnam: Events and Aftermath

How to Highlight Blank or Error Cells in Excel

Spotting things in a spreadsheet can be much quicker when you nightlight them. With conditional formatting in Microsoft Excel, you can make finding blank cells or formula errors easier.

RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2
August 26, 2021

Spotting things in a spreadsheet can be much quicker when you highlight them. With conditional formatting in Microsoft Excel, you can make finding blank cells or formula errors easier. Let’s explore how this feature works.

This is for devices running Microsoft Excel

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Highlight Blank Cells

When you have a spreadsheet full of data that you expect to fill every cell, you can easily overlook cells that are left empty.

First, open the sheet and select the cells where you want to apply the formatting. Next, go to the Home tab and click Conditional Formatting in the Styles group of the Ribbon. Now, choose New Rule. Refer to below image:

Next, in the New Formatting Rule window that appears, click Format only cells that contain under Select a Rule Type at the top. See below image:

Now, at the bottom, pick Blanks in the Format only cells with drop-down box. Next, click Format to the lower right of the preview to select how to format the blank cells. See following image:

Excel 3 — Select Format Cells with blanks

Now, in the Format Cells window, use the tabs at the top for Font, Border, and Fill to choose your formatting. Click OK. For our example, we are using Fill to color our blank cells bright yellow. Refer to below image:

You will be back on the New Formatting Rule window, where you will see a preview of the formatting for blank cells. If you are happy with it, click OK to apply the conditional formatting. See below image:

You should then see any empty cells in the range that you selected highlighted with the formatting that you picked. See following image:

Highlight Error Cells

Even though Microsoft Excel does a decent job of of pointing errors out to you, they might not be noticeable if you have a large sheet to scroll through. To make sure that you see the errors quickly, conditional formatting is the way to go.

You will actually follow the same process that you used in the previous section to highlight blanks, but with one difference.

First, switch to the Home tab, click Conditional Formatting, and then choose New Rule. Refer to below image:

Next, in the New Formatting Rule window, pick Format only cells that contain at the top. But this time, pick Errors in the Format only cells with drop-down box at the bottom. Now, click Format to choose the formatting. See below image:

For this example, adjust the Font options to make the cells with errors bold and red. Click OK. After you pick the formatting, click OK again to apply the rule. See following image:

Now, those errors will be very visible! Refer to below image:

Quote For the Day

The true delight is in the finding out rather than in the knowing
Isaac Asimov

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I Would Like to Hear From You

The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong: Events and Aftermath

Set Chrome as Default Browser on Windows 10

Set Chrome as Default Browser on iPhone/iPad

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What is HEIC

How to View HEIC Files

Convert HEIC to JPEG

Change the Default

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Enable Siri Captions

Disable Siri Captions

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Pin to Your Profile

Related

Pin to Your Page

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Crop Your Photo

Undo Your Crop

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Method 1 – Within Chrome

Method 2 – Use an App

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Create the Shortcut

Add the Contact

View the Newly Added Shortcut

Add to Home Screen and Customize

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Highlight Blank Cells

Highlight Error Cells

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I Would Like to Hear From You

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