0patch, a Slovenia-based service, offers extended Windows 10 updates after Microsoft’s support ends in October 2025. For €24.95 ($27) per year, users receive small security “micropatches” for critical vulnerabilities, without needing to reboot. This service may appeal to those with incompatible Windows 11 PCs.
RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2 October 8, 2024 – 4 minutes read time
This is for devices running Windows 10. Screenshots are from Dell XPS PC
Overview
As Microsoft prepares to end support for Windows 10, a third-party service is ready to step into the void by offering five years of extra updates for the popular OS.
The offer comes from Slovenia-based 0patch, which has made a business out of patching out-of-date Windows operating systems, including Windows 7. It plans to supply critical security patches for $27.00 annually to Windows 10 users once Microsoft officially stops supporting the OS in October 2025.
“With 0patch, you will be receiving security ‘micro patches’ for critical, likely-to-be-exploited vulnerabilities that get discovered after October 14, 2025,” Refer to the below image:
Protected by Opatch screen
Pricing
The catch is trusting Opatch, an unofficial Microsoft service, to safely maintain your Windows 10 installation. Extended support will cost €24.95 ($27) per year.
Still, the price might be a bargain. Microsoft will also offer an Extended Security Updates (ESU) program, but the cost to business customers starts at $61 per device per year and doubles every consecutive year for up to three years ESU does not include new features, nonsecurity updates, or design changes. It has not announced pricing for consumers yet, but it will likely be more than $27 per year as Microsoft would prefer you upgrade to Windows 11.
The 0patch service may appeal to those with one of the estimated 240 million PCswhich are incompatible with Windows 11.
“Many of us do not want to, or simply can not upgrade to Windows 11,” 0patch wrote in a blog post that also excoriates Microsoft’s efforts to revamp the OS. “We do not want to because of increasing enshittification including bloatware, Start Menu ads, and serious privacy issues. We do not want to have an automated integrated screenshot and key-logging feature constantly recording our activity on the computer”.
How It Works
In contrast, 0patch promises to maintain Windows 10 by serving its critical security fixes. “These patches will be small, typically just a couple of CPU instructions (hence the name), and will get applied to running processes in memory without modifying a single byte of original Microsoft’s binary files,” the service says. Thus, no CrowdStrike-like crash.
“There will be no rebooting the computer after a patch is downloaded because applying the patch in memory can be done by briefly stopping the application, patching it, and then letting it continue,” 0patch adds. “Users will not even notice that their computer was patched while they were writing a document, just like servers with 0patch get patched without any downtime at all.”
Still, 0patch will not fix every security vulnerability for Windows 10, only “the important ones, such as those exploited in the wild or those without official vendor patches.” If demand for 0patch’s Windows 10 support is high, the service plans will support the OS beyond five years.
Source – PC Mag, Microsoft
Disclaimer
Technology is always changing. Rarely is there static tech for smartphones and desktops. Thus, the contents of this post are only valid at the time of writing. Blog posts older than six months may have directions incompatible with your device or OS. Hopefully, older post content will continue to work as advertised. Thank you for reading TechSavvy.Life for Technology at Work For You.
Quote For the Day
“Real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time.”
-Terry Prachett
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The author’s Vietnam eBook on the “Battle for Tra Bong Vietnam: Events and Aftermath” can be accessed from a Kindle device or the Kindle App for a desktop or smartphone. The apps are free.
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This post emphasizes the importance of strong, unique passwords and the use of password managers to enhance security. It highlights the risks of using common or personal information-based passwords and provides tips for creating and managing secure passwords.
RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2 August 13, 2024 -9 minutes read time
This is for devices using passwords. Screenshots are from iPhone 14 Pro running iOS 17.5.1+
If you are still using “qwerty” or “starwars” as a password, you should stop doing this. Let’s find out what makes a bad password, why you should care, and how to make a good one.
The Case For Strong Passwords
Don’t have the password to get into your bank account? You are out of luck unless you can trick the bouncer into telling you the password is “kangaroo.” A simple password like that would be a terrible choice to protect your access to a bank site. And yet, chances are good you are using something just as bad, because stronger passwords are too hard to remember.
The only safe way to store proper passwords is in a password manager. If you are not using one, you probably rely on a highly crackable password like “baseball” or “12345”, or you have memorized one complex password, like “Jazz2day4Me!” and use it everywhere. Password security is no small matter. Given the enormous risk, you need to keep your passwords safe.
Even the best password manager does not guarantee the safety of your accounts; not if you use it to store the same old, tired passwords. You have to switch out your old and weak passwords for new and stronger ones.
Once you have replaced all your lame passwords with strong, unique ones, you can relax, at least until a data breach forces a change. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NST) no longer recommends changing passwords every 90 days. NIST now recommends using long phrases like “Correct-Horse-Battery-Staple” and changing them only when necessary. If you have terrible passwords, “when necessary” means right now.
Bad passwords
Just what makes a bad password? Let’s look at some of the attributes of terrible passwords, and then some pointers on improving them.
Ditch the Dictionary
Every few months a news outlet posts a list of the worst passwords. We see a lot of easy-to-type options, like“12345” and “qwerty”. Easy for you to type? Sure. But also easy for hackers to crack. Other common (and poor) passwords consist of simple dictionary words, like “baseball”, “monkey”, and “starwars” in the list of worst passwords. These, too, are easy to crack.
A few of the best password managers (tap or click a button to view):
Some secure websites lock down after a given number of wrong password attempts, but many do not. For those with no bad guess lockout, hackers can cross a list of email addresses with a list of popular passwords and set up an automated process to keep trying combinations until they get in.
A properly secured website does not store your password anywhere. Instead, it runs the password through a hashing algorithm, a one-way encryption. The same input always produces the same output, but there’s no way to return to the original password from the resulting hash. If the password you type hashes to the same one that’s stored, you gain access. Even if hackers capture the site’s user data, they do not get passwords, just hashes.
But smart hackers can crack weak passwords if they know the site’s hashing function. They start by running a huge dictionary of common passwords through the hashing function. Then they look for the resulting hashes in the captured data. Each match is a cracked password. Sites with the best security enhance the hash function with password salting, which makes table-based cracking impossible, but why take the risk? Just stay out of the dictionary.
Think Differently
What about this perfect password: 1qaz2wsx3edc4rfv. You just “type” it by sliding a finger down four slanted columns of the keyboard. You think it’s so perfect, that you use it everywhere. And that is a big mistake.
Hardly a week goes by without news of a breach at some company or website, exposing thousands or millions of usernames and passwords. Smart victims change their passwords immediately. Those who ignore the problem may find themselves locked out of their accounts after the hackers have reset your passwords.
Those hackers know that all too many people recycle their passwords. Once they find a working username and password pair, they try the same credentials on other sites. You may not be so worried about losing access to your old Dropbox account, but if you used the same login on your bank’s website, you are in big trouble.
Using the same credentials on websites
It gets worse. If someone else takes control of your email account, they can lock you out by changing the password. Then they can break into your other accounts by having a password reset link emailed to that account. Worried yet? You should be!!!!
Stay Away From Being Personal
Using personal information as the basis for your passwords is awfully tempting, but it’s a bad idea. Whether your dog’s name is Fifi or Khaleesi, that name probably appears in the dictionaries hackers use for brute-force attacks. Other possibilities such as the initials and birthdate of a family member probably will not fall to a brute-force attack. If someone wants to hack your account specifically, that personal data can fuel a trial-and-error guessing attack.
Do not think for a minute that your personal details are private. There are dozens of sites people can use to find details about anybody: address, birthdate, marital status, and more. Your social media posts can be another source of personal info, especially if you have not properly secured your accounts. A determined hacker (or a nosy neighbor) can probably guess any password you build based on your data.
Shut the Back Door
If you are not using a password manager, you have surely experienced forgetting the password for a site. It’s all too common. That is why virtually every login page includes a “Forgot your password?” link. Some sites send a reset link to your email address, while others let you reset the password after answering your security questions. And that opens a back door to anyone wanting to hack your account.
Most sites offer abysmal options for security questions like:
What is your mother’s maiden name?
Where did you go to high school?
What was your first job?
As noted, your personal life is an open book to anyone with internet searching skills. When possible, ignore the preset questions. Create your own question, with a unique answer you will always remember but nobody else could guess.
It’s harder when the site does not let you define your own questions. In that case, your best bet is to use a memorable answer that’s a total LIE like:
My mother’s maiden name is Fauci.
I went to school at More Science High School.
For my first job, I was a linotype operator.
There is an element of risk since you might forget which lie you chose. We suggest storing these oddball answers in the iPhone Notes app or onGoogle Drive.
What To Do Now
We hope we have convinced you that using common passwords is a rotten idea, as is building passwords from personal information. Even the best strong, random password becomes a liability if you use it everywhere. If you are ready to spring into action, here are some starting points:
Use a password manager
Switch to a better password manager
Remember an extremely secure master password for your password manager and keep it on another app. Better yet, just remember the master password.
Take advantage of a random password generator to upgrade your old, bad passwords
You could even create your own random password generator in Excel
Enable multi-factor authentication wherever available
If a secure site does not take care of security, you could still lose that site’s credentials to a data breach, but by making all your passwords long, strong, and unique, you can rest assured that you have done everything you can to protect your online accounts from password-based attacks.
Risky password behavior
You may want to switch to using Passkeys or Passphrases.
Source: PC Mag
Disclaimer
Technology is always changing. Rarely is there static tech for smartphones and desktops. Thus, the contents of this post are only valid at the time of writing. Blog posts older than six months may have directions incompatible with your device or OS. Hopefully, older post content will continue to work as advertised. Thank you for reading TechSavvy.Life for Technology at Work For You.
Quote For the Day
“Try and keep on trying until that which seems difficult becomes possible and that which seems only possible becomes habit and a real part of you.”
Dieter F Uchtdorf
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This post discusses how to identify legitimate calls and avoid scammers, addressing phone verification, spoofed numbers, and web searching. It provides options like reverse phone lookup websites and tools like WhoCallsMe, Spy Dialer, PeopleFinders, and USPhoneBook. It also suggests utilizing mobile carrier solutions, reporting to the FTC, and the National Do Not Call Registry to combat spam calls.
This is for any browser on a desktop, laptop, or smartphone. Screenshots are from Google Chrome on Windows 10
The phone rings and it’s a number you do not recognize. Or perhaps an unknown number shows up in your missed calls. You are curious but do not want to pick up or call back if it’s a telemarketer or scammer. Instead of playing robocall roulette let’s explore five ways to see who is calling before you engage.
Legit Verses Scam Calls
You may have noticed that America has a problem with scam calls. Scammers took $10 billion from unsuspecting victims in 2023, and it’s hard to see the problem going away anytime soon. If you get a call, there are a few ways to tell if it’s legit or not.
What does the phone say? When a call comes in, look for a displayed number and location. If your phone is not showing any information and says something like Unknown, chances are there’s a scammer on the other end. Anyone can hide their number, but it’s best to let this one go to voicemail and call back if it’s someone you know. If the phone says Scam Likely, it’s typically correct; just ignore the call.
Look for verification. Carriers have started verifying phone numbers when you receive a call. Google’s phone app also adds a badge on incoming calls that can be attached to a business. Unfortunately, this does not verify every call from a legitimate business or weed out legitimate businesses that use robocalls.
Watch out for spoofed numbers. Have you ever gotten a call from what looks to be your own phone number, only it’s a few numbers off? Do not pick those calls up; scammers like to spoof phone numbers and trick you into picking up. They think you are more likely to pick up if the call is from your area code or someone you know.
Note! We recommend ou not click or tap on any icon off the main screen. These buttons launch web sites that may introduce malware or be blocked by your browser security. Also, any screen that has flashing items, immediately exit the screen.
If you click or tap on a button that starts a scanning process for addresses,emails, public information, criminal records, etc., the process will take several minutes. On the desktop, you can stop the process by hitting Cntl-Alt-Del keys, then select Task Manger. Next, right=-click on your browser entry and select End Task. Your browser will exit stopping the scanning process.
Search the Web
If you want to quickly know whether a caller is legit or a scammer, do a quick web search. As a rule of thumb, if the search results are primarily reverse phone lookup websites, it’s safe to say other people have received unwarranted calls from that same number and are reporting it to warn others. Refer to the below image:
Search the web
Reverse Phone Lookup
Speaking of reverse phone lookups, if you want to do some digging about a certain phone number, many websites can help you. You usually have to pay to get any worthwhile information, but there are a few tools that can help you for free. Even though they are free if you want additional information about the phone number, the sites charge for their service.
whocallsme
At WhoCallsMe, users can report their experiences with specific phone numbers. Enter a number and the website will tell you where the area code is from. You can then enter your own report or view what others say about it. See the below image:
WhoCallsMe main screen
spy dialer
Spy Dialer allows you to search for phone numbers, names, addresses, and emails. Enter a phone number, then choose if you want to look up any linked names or photos, listen to the number’s outbound voicemail, or confirm if the number is spam or not. Spy Dialer can tell you with whom the number is registered, their general location, and whether or not the number has been reported as spam before.
For more information, click Phone Details to see how long the line has been in service and if the number is spoofed. Choose Hear Voicemail to get the caller’s outbound voicemail, if available. You can click Report Call to file a complaint with Spy Dialer.
We recommend this site over the others because it’s faster and offers more information. See the following image:
Spy Dialer main screen
peoplefinders
PeopleFinders allows you to look up a phone number, name, address, or email. Enter a phone number into the search bar to get the caller’s general location, carrier, and phone type. More revealing information, such as the caller’s full name and address, is hidden requiring a fee. Refer to the below image:
PeopleFinders main screen
usphonebook
You can look up phone numbers, names, and addresses at USPhoneBook, though this works better for identifying individuals rather than businesses. Enter a number to find the person connected to it. The site will display a list of people who may be related to the person. You can then mark the number as safe or spam. Keep in mind that these listings can be outdated.
Click Get Details to view extra information about the person. This will include their age, current (and former) addresses, phone numbers associated with them, a list of relatives and associates, and even related email addresses. See the below image:
USPhoneBook main screen
What To Do Next
One option is to look at your mobile carrier’s anti-spam solutions for stopping spam calls and robo texts. Additionally, apps likeRoboKiller and Truecaller help keep the spam callers at bay. You can also report unwanted calls to the FTC and register your number with the National Do Not Call Registry, though those wishing to do you harm will undoubtedly ignore this. See the following image:
National Do Not Call Registry main screen
Disclaimer
Technology is always changing. Rarely is there static tech for smartphones and desktops. Thus, the contents of this post are only valid at the time of writing. Blog posts older than six months may have directions incompatible with your device or OS. Hopefully, older post content will continue to work as advertised. Thank you for reading TechSavvy.Life for Technology at Work For You.
Quote For the Day
. Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.
Jim Rohn
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The content provides a guide on safeguarding personal information from appearing in Google search results. Users can monitor their information’s visibility and request removal if necessary. Specific steps are outlined for monitoring, requesting removal, and reporting illegal content. .
This is for devices using Google Search. Works best on a desktop/laptop. Screenshots are from Windows 10
Table of Contents
Learn When Your Information Appears Submit a Manual Request Illegal Activity Find Your Results Step 1: Find Results About You Step 2: Review the Results About You Step 3: Request Removal of Results About You View Your Results Step 1: Report URLs on Google Search Step 2: Check for Email Confirmation Step 3: Monitor the Status of Your Requests Policy Requirements for Removal Requests Invisible? Not! Email Notifications Related
Looking for more privacy? Here’s how to remove your phone number, email, physical address, and lots of other personal data about yourself from Google’s search results.
Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is what every bad actor wants. If they get their hands on it, it can be used to rob, impersonate, or even endanger you on the internet and in the real world. One of the prime places to find it is via Google, and while Google can not stop that info from appearing on other websites, you can try to remove it from search results.
Let’s explore how to get notified when your PII appears in a search and how to tell Google to stop it from happening again. Like with other endless settings and features in Google, this is a complex process.
Learn When Your Information Appears
You are unable to tell Google to delete your info if the search is not even finding and displaying it. Google has an option to notify you when that happens.
The spot to visit is called the Results About You activity page. You have to be logged into Google for it to work. Follow the prompts on the screen as Google asks you for your physical addresses, emails, and phone numbers. Tell Google how you want to be notified (email or push notification via the Google app). Then wait. Refer to the below images:
Your Get Started pageFill in your criteriaHow to be notifiedGoogle Search is working
After a few hours, you should receive a report from Google on what’s turning up that’s yours PII-wise. You can also just go back to the Results About You page to check it. Plus, you can tick off the boxes next to any result you want to make sure is removed from the search. The status of your request will also be displayed (eventually). Just be patient.
Submit a Manual Request
The above is just your address/contact Info. Google will also let you request to remove other things online that you may find harmful. That includes:
National/government ID numbers
Bank accounts
Credit card numbers
Personal signatures
Login info and credentials
Medical records
“Irrelevant pornography” (that is, explicit material somehow tied to your name)
Login credentials
Deepfake porn you may appear in against your will
You can request this without even having to prove that the data floating out there is a problem (with some exceptions).
If you own the website displaying the information you do not want to show, Google spells out how to block a URL or specific site pages from Google search results.
Removing info requires that you know if it is appearing only in Google search results or in results on a separate website. If the latter, Google may not be very effective, and it asks whether you have contacted the site’s owner first to remove the information. It also suggests ways to get in touch with a site.
Maybe you do not want to get in touch with a site or you have already tried and were unsuccessful. Google asks you a series of questions, such as what type of info you would like removed, narrowing it down to one specific thing when possible. It will also ask whether the content is being shared with the intent of doxing you; that’s when someone shares your PII with the intent to harm you. You may need to enter a lot of data, but the more detail you provide, the less likely it is that Google will have to follow up with you before nuking the PII in search results.
Google says if your PII appears on a live page you control and you have already updated it to remove the information, it should eventually go away. But the page might be cached by the search engine, so you should request to remove outdated web pages. You will need specific URLs for the pages; you can submit up to 1,000 on the form. See the following images:
Request to refresh outdated contentSubmit your request
Illegal Activity
If you see something in a Google search that’s illegal, such as potentially criminal content, intellectual property infringement, or Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), Refer to the below image:
Find and Remove Personal Contact Info in Google Search Results
When you use Results about you, you can find out if your personal contact info, like your home address, phone number, or email address shows up in search results.
Find Your Results
Step 1: Find Results About You
Go to the Results about you page.
In the Google App:
Log in to the Google app.
To open the menu, click your Google Account avatar.
From the menu, select Results about you.
From the mobile web or desktop:
Log in to your Google Account.
To open the menu, click your Google Account avatar.
From the menu, select Manage your Google Account > Data & privacy.
In the History settings, select My Activity > Other activity.
Scroll down to the Results about you section, and select Manage results about you.
Select Get started or Settings.
Enter your name and the contact info that you want to find in search results.
Google uses this information to check for search results that show this info.
You can also enter these types of contact info in the form:
Nickname
Maiden Name
Multiple personal phone numbers
Multiple addresses
Multiple email addresses
Set up notifications
You can choose to receive email notifications if Google finds results with your contact info. You can also receive push notifications through the Google app. If you have notifications on, you will receive a notification to let you know if the results match your info. After that, you will receive a new notification when new results are found that match your contact info.
Step 2: Review the Results About You
If you have notifications on, you will get a notification within a few hours to let you know if any search results match your name and personal contact info. You can also check directly from the Results about you page.
To view your results, from the Results about you page, go to the Results to review tab.
When you select a result, you can learn more about it, like the website it’s from, or the contact info it contains.
Step 3: Request Removal of Results About You
If you see a result that you would rather keep private, you can request to remove it from search results.
To remove more than one result, select the checkbox next to each result, then click Request to remove.
To remove a single result, select the result to expand, then click Request to remove.
If you do not want to start a removal request, you can also choose Mark as reviewed.
Google considers some results valuable to the public. These can include government or educational websites, online newspapers, or business websites. If your result is from a website like this, you won’t find a Remove result option.
To confirm your removal request and for status updates when your request has been reviewed, you will get an email. You can check the status of your requests anytime from Results about you under Removal requests.
View Your Results
Step 1: Report URLs on Google Search
On desktop or mobile, log in with your Google Account.
You will get an update on the status of your requests through the email address associated with your account.
If you want to request the removal of a result for someone else, or if you do not want to log in, you can use the detailed removal request form instead.
On Google Search, search for your name.
To find results that show your personal contact info, you can search for your name and your home city, or your name and your home address.
To reach About this result panel, click More.
Select Remove result > It shows my personal contact info.
Go through the reporting flow.
Submit your request.
After you submit your request, select I’m done.
Tip: Make sure to enter your name and the personal contact info shown on the result page exactly as they appear on the result. For example, if the result shows:
Additional Information
Your nickname: Enter your nickname in the form.
An old home address: Enter the old home address in the form.
More than one type of contact info: You only need to include one type of contact info in your request form. This includes your phone number and your home address.
More than one type of contact info: You do not need to submit multiple removal requests for the same URL.
Step 2: Check for Email Confirmation
Within the next few hours, you will receive an email confirmation that your request was submitted.
After you select a specific request, you can check details like the:
Link to the page you flagged
Submission day and time
Request ID
Contact info you flagged on the page
Tip: There may be a delay between when a request is approved and the result is removed from search results. You can check if your info is already removed within a few hours after it was approved.
Policy Requirements for Removal Requests
After you submit a request, Google will review it to make sure it meets policy requirements for removal. Requests must meet the following policy requirements:
The contact info displayed on the result has to be your personal info. To request to remove professional info that’s been posted with the intent to harm you, use the detailed removal request form.
You do not control the info yourself. This means contact info that you can remove from the internet yourself, like info on a social media page or a personal blog that you own.
As Google Search seeks to provide users with useful info, it won’t remove info that’s valuable to the public. For example, Google won’t remove results for web pages that are owned by:
Educational or government institutions
Newspapers
See the following image for your request being processed:
Your removal request is in process
For now, just wait while Google processes the request. When Google has finished the Removal requests status will change. Refer to the below image:
Your removal request is approved
You will receive a Request approved notification. Just click the See details button for additional information. Refer to the below image:
Confirmation of your removal request
Your removal request details are now displayed. See the following image:
Details of your removal request
Invisible? Not!
Scrubbing the search engines of your digital footprint is not the same as taking it off the internet. Search engines did not put the info out there; they indexed it, grabbing the data from some other source. They might snag it again from a different source.
You are never going to be completely free of search engine results unless you delete any traces of yourself and get offline entirely. You could always try services such as Abine’s DeleteMe or other personal data removal services and many others, which do what they can to prevent your information from being used by data brokers, though for a subscription fee.
Until you delete all your old email accounts, stop using mobile apps and location services, quit social media, stop online shopping, and never sign into anything ever again, some entity will have something on you. Trying to hide something only makes it easier to find.
Email Notifications
Once you have set up Google Search based on your criteria, you will receive emails regarding new search results about you. Refer to the below image:
Technology is always changing. Rarely is there static tech for smartphones and desktops. Thus, the contents of this post are only valid at the time of writing. Blog posts older than six months may have directions incompatible with your device or OS. Hopefully, older post content will continue to work as advertised. Thank you for reading TechSavvy.Life for Technology at Work For You.
Quote For the Day
You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing and falling over.
-Richard Branson
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Please feel free to leave a comment. I would love to hear from you. Do you have a computer or smart device tech question? I will do my best to answer your inquiry. Just send an email to contact@techsavvy.life. Please mention the device, app, and version you are using. To help us out, you can send screenshots of your data related to your question.
Author’s E-Book
You can access the E-book from a Kindle device, or the Kindle App for a desktop or smartphone. The apps are free.
The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong Vietnam: Events and Aftermath
The post discusses methods for deleting Facebook Messenger chats on iPhone and desktop. It advises changing message retention settings on the iPhone and provides steps for deleting messages on both platforms. It also mentions using Chrome extensions for bulk deletion.
This is for the iPhone and desktop using Google. Screenshots are from iPhone 14 Pro running iOS 17.3 and Windows 10.
I was surprised at the number of Facebook Messenger chats on my iPhone. I started to delete them one at a time. But doing so was too time-consuming; there had to be a better way.
If you research this post, you will find articles that say bulk deletion of chats cannot be done. But with the help of Google Extensions, you can delete all your chats at once.
This blog post is one of my favorites, especially since I have thousands of chats that I want to delete. We had forgotten that the Forever option was selected, which as you may guess, saves your chats forever.
Where is a chat, a message, a conversation, or a thread used?
A chat is a term used in Messenger (owned by Facebook). A message is a term found on Facebook. In Facebook if there is more than one message with a person, group, or entity, that is labeled a conversation. For a thread, that is used in Reddit.
Check Your Settings
Why do you have hundreds or thousands of chats? On your iPhone head to:
Settings > Messages > Keep Messages
and tap the option. If the option is set to Forever you will have lots of chats. Refer to the below image:
Your Facebook Message time setting
We recommend you choose another option. When you do so, all older chats will be automatically deleted. We are selecting to delete messages older than one year. On the confirmation screen, tap Delete Older Messages. See the below image:
Selecting to delete messages older than one year
Your Keep Messages will now be set to the option you just chose. See the following image:
Your Keep Messages setting
Deleting Facebook messages does not have to be incredibly difficult. Whether you are deleting one or an entire history, there are options for you to do both with minimal effort.
Some users may find it easier to delete their entire Facebook account, although we do not recommend this. For now, let’s just clean up your messages/chats.
Using iPhone
Deleting messages on an iPhone or iPad one at a time:
Open the Facebook Messenger app.
Tap and hold the message that you no longer want, then swipe to the left.
When the menu appears, select Delete.
Confirm the selection by tapping Delete.
If you want to delete in bulk, it would be best to use a browser.
Using a Browser
Log into your Facebook account.
Click See all in Messenger.
Click on the 3-dot menu icon next to a conversation.
Click Delete Chat if you want to erase all the chats.
Confirm your deletion by clicking Delete Chat.
But what can you do about multiple messages and multiple conversations? For this, you have to install a third-party browser extension.
Using a Chrome Extension
Extensions become a part of your web browser and allow you to perform various functions on a website. To delete multiple or all of your Facebook message history, we need to install a web browser extension.
Whether it’s Chrome, Firefox, or Internet Explorer, we will begin by using Google to pull up the Web Store.
Note! You will find a lot of Chrome extensions for deletion of messages. We strongly recommend only using the following extensions from the Chrome web store, not from third-party web sites.
Extension: Delete Facebook Messages
You want to use Google Search to find the “Delete Facebook Messages” extension. Once you have found it, click Add to Chrome. Refer to the below image:
Adding Delete Facebook Messages Chrome extension
You will be prompted through various pop-ups until that extension is added. To view the added extension:
Click the 3-dot menu icon in the upper right-hand > Exenesions > Manage Extensions
See the below image:
Delete Facebook Messages Chrome extension
Now, let’s add the extension icon to the Chrome toolbar. Click the Details option. See the following image:
Selecting Details for the Chrome extension
Next, toggle the Pin to toolbar to ON. Refer to the below image:
Toggle Pin to toolbar to ON
Now, the Delete Facebook Messages icon will be in your toolbar. See the below image:
The Chrome extension icon
Next, click the Delete Facebook Messages icon and choose the Begin Deletion option. See the following image:
Launching the Chrome extension
Note! To use this extension more than once, there is a subscription fee.
Extension: Message Cleaner
To install the Chrome extension, search for Message Cleaner using Google Search, then select Add to Chrome. Refer to the below image:
Adding the Message Cleaner Chrome extension
Follow the directions above to add its icon to the toolbar.
The extension icon will be labeled Delete all Facebook Messages in your Chrome toolbar. When you click the extension icon you can Open Messages and Delete All Messages. For one-click deletion, press the F8 key. See the below image:
Launching the Message Cleaner Chrome extension
This extension works best if you scroll down to the bottom of the message list. Once you start the extension, it will recognize all the messages as being selected for removal. You can also then pick individual messages that you may want to save.
If you selected “all” before clicking “confirm,” the only way to get those messages back is to ask the person you sent them to for help or to use data recovery methods to retrieve backed-up information, assuming you have them backed up.
Disclaimer
Technology is always changing. Rarely is there static tech for smartphones and desktops. Thus, the contents of this post are only valid at the time of writing. Blog posts older than six months may have directions incompatible with your device or OS. Hopefully, older post content will continue to work as advertised. Thank you for reading TechSavvy.Life for Technology at Work For You.
Quote For the Day
Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.
Jim Rohn
Tweet Info
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Please feel free to leave a comment. I would love to hear from you. Do you have a computer or smart device tech question? I will do my best to answer your inquiry. Just send an email to contact@techsavvy.life. Please mention the device, app, and version you are using. To help us out, you can send screenshots of your data related to your question.
Author’s E~Book
You can access the E-book from a Kindle device, or the Kindle App for a desktop or smartphone. The apps are free.
The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong Vietnam: Events and Aftermath
Microsoft’s latest operating system, Windows 11, has high requirements many users cannot meet with their current PCs. Consequently, many users might stick with Windows 10, which will receive Microsoft’s official support until 2025. Tips and tricks, some old and some specific to Windows 10, can enhance the user experience.
This is for devices running Windows 10. Screenshots are from Windows 10
Windows 11 is the latest and greatest operating system from Microsoft, but it will be a few years before it surpasses Windows 10 as the most popular desktop OS in the world. Despite the company’s desire to get us all to upgrade, Microsoft has made it difficult with high requirements many users can not meet with their current PCs.
If you are sticking with Windows 10 instead of buying a new computer, you have until 2025 before Microsoft begins to wind down official support. So there’s still plenty to learn to get the most out of your aging operating system. Personally, we do not like Windows 11. We will wait for Windows 12 before upgrading from Windows 10.
Whether you do not consider yourself a power user or made the jump from macOS, these tips will help you get more out of your Windows 10 experience. Some of these tricks originated from an older generation of Windows, while others are new to this iteration.
The Secret Start Menu
If you are a fan of that old-school (i.e. non-tiled) Start menu experience, you can still (sort of) have it. Right-click on the Windows icon in the bottom-left corner to prompt a textual jump menu with several familiar destinations, including Apps and Features, Search, and Run. All these options are available through the standard menu interface, but you can access them quickly here.
Note! In this post your can access Settings from the Start menu as noted below or in the Sortana type “Settings”, then click on the Settings app in the Search results.
Refer to the below image:
Start Menu
View Your Desktop Quickly
You do not have to minimize all your open windows just to look at the desktop. There’s a secret button in the bottom-right corner of the taskbar. If you do not see it, look all the way to the bottom and right, beyond the date and time. There, you will find a small sliver of an invisible button. Click it to minimize all your open windows at once; click it again to bring everything back. See the below image:
Accessing View Your Desktop
There’s also the option to minimize windows when you hover over the small silver button versus clicking. Select your preference in:
Settings > Personalization > Taskbar
then flip the switch to ON under Use Peek to preview the desktop… See the following image:
View your Desktop option
Change Windows Search Settings
If your PC searches are taking too long in Windows, narrow things down under:
Settings > Search > Searching Windows
Set search to Classic, which only applies searches to your libraries and desktop. The Enhanced option indexes your whole computer, which can take longer and uses more power. You can further narrow your search by marking certain folders as excluded. Refer to the below image:
Search Settings
Enable God Mode
This may be a little too niche for most users, but if you are a power user or IT professional who wants access to all of Windows’ control panels from one folder, God Mode is for you. Right-click on the desktop and select:
New > Folder
.Re-name the new folder with this bit of code:
GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}
To enter God Mode or the Windows Master Control Panel shortcut, as it is officially called, simply double-click the folder. See the below image:
God Mode
Customize the Command Prompt
If you like to dig into the innards of Windows with the Command Prompt, you will be happy to know you can customize the tool. Open the Command Prompt from the Cortana search box, right-click on the window’s top bar, and select Properties to personalize your experience.
The Properties window allows you to change the controls, font, layout, colors, and cursor within the Command Prompt. You can also turn the window transparent by opening the Colors tab and moving the Opacity slider. This lets you code while simultaneously observing the desktop. See the following image for the color setting:
Command Prompt colors
Dark and Light Mode
Windows 10 gives you a significant amount of control over color themes. Open:
Settings > Personalization > Colors
and you can set the operating system to either Dark mode or Light mode. These themes change the color of the Start menu, Taskbar, Action Center, File Explorer, Settings menus, and any other compatible programs. There is also a custom option that will let you set one theme for Windows menus and another for apps. Want a little more color? There are swatches of color themes available to choose from that can help your menus and taskbars really pop Refer to the below image:
We all use the Windows Clipboard to cut and paste, but did you know you can save multiple items at once and paste across devices? Use the command Win + V to view the last 25 clippings saved to the Clipboard. Go to:
Dark and Light mode
Bulk Copy and Past
Settings > System > Clipboard
to control this feature and to sign into your Microsoft Account for cross-device usage. See the below image:
Bulk Copy and Paste
Use Sandbox to Test Files and Apps
Windows 10 Pro users have an extra asset to protect them against dangerous apps and files. If you enable Windows Sandbox inside the Control Panel, it will create a virtual instance of Windows inside Windows. In the Cortana search box, type in Control Panel then click the Control Panel app in the Search results. Now, click:
Programs > Programs and Features > Turn Windows features on or off link. > Windows Sandbox in the popup > Select a program
Note! If you receive a message about Sandbox virtualization support is disabled in the firmware, then click here on how to enable.
You can then safely open anything you are unsure about before introducing it to your Windows installation. Once you close out of Sandbox, everything inside it goes away without hurting your computer. See the following image:
Sandbox
Quickly Open Task Manager
Back in the day, Ctrl + Alt + Delete was the go-to command if your PC was acting up. If you are sick of having to select Task Manager from the menu that appears, there’s a quicker option. Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + Esc to immediately open the Task Manager and make things a little easier. Refer to the below image:
Task Manager
View File Extensions
By default, Windows hides file extensions in File Explorer, requiring you to dig into the file’s properties to see if it’s a .jpg or .png file. But you can set it so Windows shows you the file extension automatically. Open:
File Explorer >View > Options > View
Scroll down to the option for Hide extension for known file types and uncheck the box. Click Apply, and now file types will be listed at the end of all file names inside File Explorer. See the below image:
Do not hide the File Extensions option
Set New Start Menu Shortcuts
Have you ever noticed the shortcut options that Windows offers when you open the Start menu? Just above the power button, you should have links to Settings, Documents, and Pictures. However, if you do not find those options useful, Windows lets you change them.
Head to:
Settings > Personalization > Start > Choose which folders appear on Start link
You can then add a shortcut for File Explorer, Downloads, and a few others. See the following image:
Start Menu options
Disclaimer
Technology is always changing and rarely is there static tech for smartphones and desktops. Thus, the contents of this post are only valid at the time of writing. Blog posts older than six months may have directions incompatible with your device or OS. Hopefully, older post content will continue to work as advertised. Thank you for reading TechSavvy.Life for Technology at Work For You.
Quote For the Day
You will either step forward into growth or you will step back into safety.
Abraham Maslow
Tweet Info
That’s it. Please feel free to share this post! One way to share is via Twitter.
Just click the Tweet icon below. This will launch Twitter where you click its icon to post the Tweet.
Checkout TechSavvy.Life for blog posts on smartphones, PCs, and Macs! You may email us at contact@techsavvy.life for comments or questions.
Please feel free to leave a comment. I would love to hear from you. Do you have a computer or smart device tech question? I will do my best to answer your inquiry. Just send an email to contact@techsavvy.life. Please mention the device, app, and version you are using. To help us out, you can send screenshots of your data related to your question.
Author’s E-Book
You can access the e-book from a Kindle device, the Kindle App for the desktop or smartphone, which is a free app.
The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong Vietnam: Events and Aftermath
This post provides instructions on finding Wi-Fi passwords on Windows and iPhone devices. For Windows, it details how to access and reveal the password in plain text. For iPhone, it explains the steps to reveal the Wi-Fi password. The post also includes a disclaimer about technology changes and a quote by Thomas Sowell.
This is for Windows 10/11 and iPhone. Screenshots are from Windows 10 and iPhone 14 Pro running iOS 17+
Are you connected to Wi-Fi on one device, but need the password to log in on another? Here’s how to find Wi-Fi passwords in Windows and iOS.
Struggling to connect to Wi-Fi? Maybe your laptop is connected but your phone is not, or you need to share your network with a guest but can not remember the password. There are ways to wirelessly share passwords between devices, but that’s not always an option.
Below, we will outline how to grab a Wi-Fi password from already-connected devices by viewing it as plain text. This way you do not need to reset the network security or hack the Wi-Fi network so everyone can get online.
View Password Using Windows
Windows makes this easy, as long as you are connected to the network.
For Windows 10, open:
Settings > Network & Internet
then click the Change Adapter Options button. Refer to the below image:
Accessing your network
For Windows 11, open:
Advanced network settings > More network adapter options
then right-click on your computer’s Wi-Fi adapter in the list and choose:
Status > Wireless Properties
Open the Security tab, and you should see a password box with dots in it. Click the Show Characters box to see the password in plain text. See the below image for Windows 10:
Viewing your password in plain text on Windows 10
If you are trying to view the password for a network you are not currently connected to, things are a tad more complicated. You can download a third-party app like Wi-Fi Password Revealer which will show you the passwords of all saved networks. See the following image :
Viewing Password Revealer software
View Password Using iPhone
iPhone users could not view Wi-Fi passwords as plain text until iOS 16. First, open:
Settings > Wi-Fi
Refer to the below image:
Accessing your Wi-Fi network
Now, tap the “i” icon for the current network. See the below image:
Tapping the informational icon
Next, select the Password entry and verify your identity with FaceID, Touch ID, or a Passcode. See the following image:
Tapping the hidden password
Now tap the password box with dots in it to reveal the password in plain text. Refer to the below image:
Revealing the hidden password in plain text
Disclaimer
Technology is always changing and rarely is there static tech for smartphones and desktops. Thus, the contents of this post are only valid at the time of writing. Blog posts older than six months may have directions incompatible with your device or OS. Hopefully, older post content will continue to work as advertised. Thank you for reading TechSavvy.Life for Technology at Work For You.
Quote For the Day
It is hard to imagine a more stupid or more dangerous way of making decisions than by putting those decisions in the hands of people who pay no price for being wrong.
Thomas Sowell
Tweet Info
That’s it. Please feel free to share this post! One way to share is via Twitter.
Just click the Tweet icon below. This will launch Twitter where you click its icon to post the Tweet.
Checkout TechSavvy.Life for blog posts on smartphones, PCs, and Macs! You may email us at contact@techsavvy.life for comments or questions.
Please feel free to leave a comment. I would love to hear from you. Do you have a computer or smart device tech question? I will do my best to answer your inquiry. Just send an email to contact@techsavvy.life. Please mention the device, app, and version you are using. To help us out, you can send screenshots of your data related to your question.
Author’s E-Book
You can access the e-book from a Kindle device, the Kindle App for the desktop or smartphone, which is a free app.
The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong Vietnam: Events and Aftermath
This post provides instructions for customizing the Google homepage on both the Google website and Google Chrome. It covers enabling Dark Mode, changing the homepage color and background, managing shortcuts, and installing themes from the Chrome Web Store. The post also includes a disclaimer about technology changes and a quote for the day.
This is for devices using Google. Screenshots are from Windows 10
How many times a day do you navigate to Google.com to look up something on the internet? Modern browsers allow you to search directly from the address bar, so there are a few reasons to load up Google Search’s homepage, but some people can not shake the habit. If that’s you, at least customize it to your needs. Here’s how to customize your Google Homepage.
Enable Google Search Dark Mode
The barebones aesthetic of Google.com keeps things simple…and bright. Turn down the lights with Dark Mode. Click the Settings button in the lower-right corner of the screen, where you can toggle the Dark theme on and off to change the theme you see on Google Search results pages. Refer to the below image:
Set Dark Mode
Customize Google Chrome Homepage
Are you a Google Chrome user? If so, chances are your homepage is set to Google already, which adds a few shortcuts to Google’s usually minimalist screen. Unlike the Google website, this version of Google Search only follows the default theme setting of your operating system.
To customize Chrome’s Homepage, click the Customize Chrome link in the bottom-right of the screen to open options related to appearance, shortcuts, and what Google calls Cards. Change the color of Chrome’s homepage and menus by choosing one of the preset colors in the menu or selecting the color picker option. See the below image:
Set your color
For more options, click Change Theme to see several available categories. You can set your homepage to feature Chrome’s brand colors or select among collections of landscapes, space, art, and various artists. Each option gives you a background and color theme. You can also upload your own picture to use as a background. See the following image:
Set your background
From the Customize Chrome menu, you can also tell Google whether or not you want to show shortcuts on the Homepage. Enable My shortcuts to manually set what websites should be included or the Most visited sides to have Google suggest websites based on how often you visit them. Lastly, Google has a Cards section that allows you to see recent Google Drive files, shopping carts, and recipes. You can turn this section off or disable certain components.
Install Themes
You can also customize your Google Homepage on Chrome with the help of themes from the Chrome Web Store. Open the Customize Chrome menu and click Change Theme, then choose the Chrome Web Store listing at the bottom. (Or open Settings > Appearance > Theme.) Refer to the below image:
Search the Chrome Web Store
Choose the Themes tab on the web store sidebar to search through various categories. Click into a category, then select a theme you like and choose Add to Chrome to download the theme and apply it to your Google page. See the below image:
Select a theme
Disclaimer
Technology is always changing and rarely is there static tech for smartphones and desktops. Thus, the contents of this post are only valid at the time of writing. Blog posts older than six months may have directions incompatible with your device or OS. Hopefully, older post content will continue to work as advertised. Thank you for reading TechSavvy.Life for Technology at Work For You.
Quote For the Day
Think big. Start small.
Seth Godin
Tweet Info
That’s it. Please feel free to share this post! One way to share is via Twitter.
Just click the Tweet icon below. This will launch Twitter where you click its icon to post the Tweet.
Checkout TechSavvy.Life for blog posts on smartphones, PCs, and Macs! You may email us at contact@techsavvy.life for comments or questions.
Please feel free to leave a comment. I would love to hear from you. Do you have a computer or smart device tech question? I will do my best to answer your inquiry. Just send an email to contact@techsavvy.life. Please mention the device, app, and version you are using. To help us out, you can send screenshots of your data related to your question.
Author’s E-Book
You can access the e-book from a Kindle device, the Kindle App for the desktop or smartphone, which is a free app.
The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong Vietnam: Events and Aftermath
This is for devices using Text Messaging and Email.
Phone and email scammers are running rampant. Here are some real-life phishing lures and how to stop scammers in their tracks.
Recently, Google warned that hackers were sending phishing emails to YouTube creators, offering antivirus software in exchange for a review on the channel. The antivirus was, in fact, malware designed to steal passwords and browser cookies, which can also hold login credentials.
Tips for Opening Cold Emails
Identifying legitimate contact is difficult in the age of frequent phishing attempts. Recently after helping a friend figure out whether an email purporting to be from Facebook was a phishing lure. In the end, that email turned out to be a real marketing message from Facebook, but he had to go through several steps to determine the message’s legitimacy. Even we have difficulty determining the authenticity of messages from Facebook and other companies.
Facebook keeps a list of verified correspondence in the account area of your profile, so it’s easy to match emails you receive in your inbox with the messages you see from Facebook in your account. But what if you want to verify that an email came from someone you know and contains safe links? The US Federal Trade Commission offers a few steps you can take to stay safe:
Look at the From email address. If you do not recognize the address or the sender, think twice about opening any links contained within the email.
Spot a generic greeting. A business email usually will not begin with a casual greeting such as, “Hi Dear.” An email from a friend usually will not spell your name wrong or address you with an honorific like “Mr., Mrs., or Miss.”
Look at the link URLs. Mouse over links before you click on them. Your browser will reveal the web address for each one. If the link looks suspicious (for instance, a link purporting to be from Netflix takes you to an entirely different domain), do not click on it! Delete the email or report it as spam and move on.
Be wary of any emails that invite you to click on a link, whether to update your payment details, update your account information, receive a coupon for free stuff, or examine an invoice you are not expecting.
Our son is a cyber severity expert. He says, “Don’t click that link”.
Combat Email Phishing Attempts
Even the most vigilant email user can be caught unaware of a malicious link in an email. Add extra layers of protection to your online life so you can mitigate the damage done by scammers:
Use security software. The best antivirus and security suites have phishing protection built right in. Set the software to update automatically and run in the background to protect you from phishing attempts.
Use multi-factor authentication everywhere you can online. Even if a scammer manages to get a hold of your username or password, if you set up multi-factor to be something you have (a hardware security key or an authenticator app passcode), or something you are (a scan of your fingerprint, retina, or face), it’s harder for the bad guys to log into your accounts.
Back up your data. Copy your important documents and information regularly and store them on an external hard drive or with an online backup or storage service.
Phishing on Your Phone
Recently there have been SMS text messages using phishing attempts, also known as “smishing.” Here are some examples of smishing:
Phishing text messages
If you are not careful, these types of messages may fool you into giving up valuable information about yourself or downloading malware onto your phone.
Both messages came from an unknown phone number. Also, both requested action related to a finance-related problem, and both contained suspicious links. The first message is from an unknown company about a product we never purchased, and the use of the bit.ly link shortener is a common way for smishers to encourage their victims to click. The Citibank message is worrying because the link address is slightly off, featuring a dash instead of a period between “support” and “citi.”
For years, security researchers have noted that SMS spam could be curtailed by mobile carriers if they stopped offering unlimited texting plans. Until that happens, the best way to fight back against mobile spam in the United States is to forward the messages to short code SPAM (7726).
Phishing on Your Desktop
Here are a couple of email phishing attempts. The first one is an email from a company we do not use and with a weird link.
Phishing email on desktop
The second one has links that are way too long (only partially displayed) and a white dotted line at the top, and we did not request their help.
Phishing email on desktop
Disclaimer
Technology is always changing and rarely is there static tech for smartphones and desktops. Thus, the contents of this post are only valid at the time of writing. Blog posts older than six months may have directions incompatible with your device or OS. Hopefully, older post content will continue to work as advertised. Thank you for reading TechSavvy.Life for Technology at Work For You.
Quote For the Day
Failure is an option here. If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough.
Elon Musk
Tweet Info
That’s it. Please feel free to share this post! One way to share is via Twitter.
Just click the Tweet icon below. This will launch Twitter where you click its icon to post the Tweet.
Checkout TechSavvy.Life for blog posts on smartphones, PCs, and Macs! You may email us at contact@techsavvy.life for comments or questions.
Please feel free to leave a comment. I would love to hear from you. Do you have a computer or smart device tech question? I will do my best to answer your inquiry. Just send an email to contact@techsavvy.life. Please mention the device, app, and version you are using. To help us out, you can send screenshots of your data related to your question.
Author’s E-Book
You can access the e-book from a Kindle device, the Kindle App for the desktop or smartphone, which is a free app.
The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong Vietnam: Events and Aftermath
Google Image Search allows users to perform a reverse image search by either using a URL from a website or a local image on your device. To do so, paste the image’s URL or upload the image file onto the Google Images search bar. Google will then provide visually similar images and may also help identify the original source of the image. However, pinpointing the exact origin of the image may not always be successful.
This is for devices using Google. Screenshots are from Windows 10
Google Image Search is a great way to find images similar to one you already have or to help you track down the original source of a photo. Let’s find out how to do a reverse image search.
Search For an Image From a Website
If you would like to search for an image that appears on a website, you can paste the URL into the Google Images search bar; drag and drop an image or browse your files. We will show you how to do both.
For the first method, you need the URL of the image itself, not just the address for the page on which the image appears. The easiest way to grab that URL is to right-click the image and select the Copy image address. Refer to the below image:
Selecting the Copy image address option
Next, with the URL in your clipboard, head to Google Images and click the Google Lens icon. See the below image:
Selecting the Google Lens icon
Now, in the Paste image link text box, paste the URL you copied earlier and click Search. See the following image:
Paste the image link
Next, you will see visually similar images in the right sidebar, and you can click Find image source to see where the image originated from. Keep in mind that this is not an exact science. Google often can not find the source, if there is one. Refer to the below image:
Selecting Find image source
Now, if there’s a specific part of the image you would like to search for, you can use the handles to adjust which part of the image is selected. See the below image:
Find image source by using the handles
That’s it! This is definitely the easiest method for searching Google with images. There are also ways to do reverse image searches on Android and iPhone or iPad.
Search for an Image You Already Have
To search Google Images with a local image you already have; maybe one you downloaded from the web; use the Google Lens icon in the Google Images search bar. You will be able to drag and drop an image or browse your files.
First, head on over to the Google Images page and click the Google Lens icon. See the following image:
Selecting the Google Lens icon
Next, you can either drag an image from another window; such as the file explorer; or click upload a file to browse for photos on your computer. Refer to the below image:
Selecting to drag and drop an image or upload a file
Now, after the image uploads, you will be brought to a page with visually similar images in the right sidebar. Click Find image source to see where the image originated from. One thing to note is with images that have not been grabbed from the web, it’s not as easy to find the original source. See the below image:
Selecting Find image source
Next, if there’s a specific part of the image you would like to search for, you can use the handles to adjust which part of the image is selected. See the following image:
Find image source by using the handles
How about that! This is a great way to find similar images, or maybe you want to find different sizes of an image you already have. Google Search is a powerful tool, and Google Lens drives a lot of image-related search functions. It’s a pretty impressive tool in itself.
Disclaimer
Technology is always changing and rarely is there static tech for smartphones and desktops. Thus, the contents of this post are only valid at the time of writing. Blog posts older than six months may have directions incompatible with your device or OS. Hopefully, older post content will continue to work as advertised. Thank you for reading TechSavvy.Life for Technology at Work For You.
Quote For the Day
When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you’ll be successfull.
Eric Thomas
Tweet Info
That’s it. Please feel free to share this post! One way to share is via Twitter.
Just click the Tweet icon below. This will launch Twitter where you click its icon to post the Tweet.
Checkout TechSavvy.Life for blog posts on smartphones, PCs, and Macs! You may email us at contact@techsavvy.life for comments or questions.
Please feel free to leave a comment. I would love to hear from you. Do you have a computer or smart device tech question? I will do my best to answer your inquiry. Just send an email to contact@techsavvy.life. Please mention the device, app, and version you are using. To help us out, you can send screenshots of your data related to your question.
Author’s E-Book
The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong Vietnam: Events and Aftermathsd
Tech Savvy Life 