How Mail Rules Work Each rule has two components: a condition and an action. Conditions are guidelines for selecting the messages an action impacts. For example, a Mail rule with the condition to look for emails from your friend Sean might have an action to highlight the message so you can easily notice it in your inbox. Mail rules do more than find and highlight messages. Mail rules organize mail. For example, rules can:...

Fortunately, improvements to this version of Windows, like Windows 8.1, made turning it off easier by adding some additional methods of doing so. Having almost a dozen ways to shut down your computer isn’t all bad, mind you. You’ll be happy to have these options if you need to turn your computer off during certain kinds of problems. Shut Down Windows 8 From the Power Button on the Start Screen The easiest method, assuming your computer is working properly, is to use the virtual power button available on the Start Screen: Don’t See the Power Button Icon?...

The main purpose of a personal network firewall is to keep whatever is behind it safe from harm—specifically from hackers and malware. Why Firewalls Matter When implemented correctly, a network firewall makes your PC invisible to hackers. If they can’t see your computer, they can’t target you. Hackers use port scanning tools to scan for computers with open ports that might have associated vulnerabilities, providing hackers with backdoors into your computer....

How to Turn Hardware Acceleration On in Chrome You can turn hardware acceleration on through Chrome’s settings: How to Force Hardware Acceleration in Chrome The final thing you can try to enable acceleration when Chrome doesn’t seem to want to is to override one of the many system flags: Under the System heading, locate and enable the Use hardware acceleration when available option. If you see that the “Use hardware acceleration when available” option is already enabled but your GPU settings show that acceleration is unavailable, follow the next step....

Here’s a closer look at Wi-Fi calling, when you can use it, and how to turn it on for Android smartphones. What Is Wi-Fi Calling? Wi-Fi calling is an HD (High Definition) Voice service offered by mobile service providers, including Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, and others. Together with your HD Voice compatible Android smartphone, Wi-Fi calling allows you to place calls over a Wi-Fi network instead of your phone plan....

How to Update Your PS4 Automatically Although its focus is now on the PlayStation 5, Sony still regularly releases software updates for the PS4. It’s a good idea to have the latest firmware running on your PS4 to take advantage of new features, bug fixes, and security improvements. There are a few different ways to update your PS4. This article will show you the various methods you can use to ensure your PS4 is always running the latest software....

How to Upload Videos on Twitch Uploading to Twitch can be a great way to share edited videos you have made with your audience. It also removes the need to upload those same clips to other video-sharing sites like YouTube. The process is also relatively easy. Why Upload Videos to Twitch? With more than 26.5 million daily visitors and almost 7 million unique streamers reported for each month in 2020, Twitch has become one of the biggest hubs for online entertainment....

Microsoft Teams’ shared calendar functionality allows group members to create meetings directly within the Teams app, specify details, and add other members so that they’re not only notified of the event but have it added to their synced Microsoft Teams calendar as well. How Microsoft Teams Calendars Work Microsoft Teams is a collaboration tool designed for organizations or groups and is thus structured with a group, or team, focus in mind....

How to Set Up Drop-In on Your Echo Devices To begin using the Drop-In feature as an intercom, you must first set up Alexa Calling and Messaging on the Alexa app. You’re prompted to do this when you download and install the app. If not, select Communicate from the bottom menu, enter your mobile phone number, and give permission for calling and messaging. Drop-In is set to off by default, so you’ll need to turn it on for your Echo devices....

Can You Use Alexa as an Intercom Between Rooms? Enable the Alexa Intercome Feature—Drop In Before you can use your Echo Dot or other Echo device as an intercom, you must first enable the Drop In feature on your Alexa App. How Do I Speak to Another Echo Dot? After you have enabled Drop In on your Echo Dot, then using it is as easy as speaking to Alexa. Just say “Alexa, drop in on [the name of the Echo device you want to connect to]....

What Is Cash App? Formerly known as Square Cash, Cash App is a peer-to-peer mobile payment app founded by mobile payment platform Square in 2013. Cash App lets you send money to someone with just a phone number, email address, or $Cashtag (a unique Cash App ID). Other important things to know about Cash App: Cash App is free to use for sending, receiving, and transferring money using a debit card or bank account....

What Does Windows File History Do? File History doesn’t do a complete backup of your PC including system files. Instead, it watches the data in your user accounts, such as your documents, photos, and video folders. When you save changes to a document, for example, File History updates the file on your external drive. You can choose how often File History checks for modifications as well as how long it holds on to data....

This feature originally began as the free Password Checkup Chrome extension that needed to be manually installed on Google Chrome, but it’s since been incorporated directly into the web browser and works as a built-in security setting that can be turned on or off. The password checker feature has also been integrated into the Android operating system, so it can be used on Android tablets and smartphones. How Does the Google Password Checker Work?...

How to Enable Back Tap on iOS 14 In iOS 14, Apple introduced a feature called Back Tap with almost no fanfare. The feature, part of the accessibility option on iOS 14, allows you to tap the back of your iPhone to trigger an action, such as opening a program or taking a screenshot. Before you can use Back Tap, you’ll need to enable it. Here’s how: What Can Back Tap Trigger?...

How to Use Picture in Picture with FaceTime The Picture in Picture (PiP) mode on iPhones makes multitasking easier. You can watch a video in a supported app like Vimeo or take a FaceTime call, for example, while doing something else. How to Watch YouTube in Picture in Picture Mode Unfortunately, YouTube isn’t compatible with Apple’s Picture in Picture mode. The only way to get PiP on YouTube is to become a YouTube Premium subscriber....

Make a Call With Skype The Skype interface offers access to your contacts, calls, and other features. What You Need to Run Skype on Your iPad and iPhone You’ll need to go to the App Store and download the Skype app on your iPhone or iPad. You’ll also need a free Skype account, which you can register for on the Skype website. Skype is tied to your Microsoft account login, so if you have a Microsoft account, you have a Skype username and password....

How to Use Snapchat on Your PC Snapchat has rolled out a web version of its platform, but it currently comes with a catch: It’s not currently available on all browsers; you can only use Chrome or Microsoft Edge. To access Snapchat in a browser, navigate to https://web.snapchat.com and sign in with the email address and password you use to sign in to the mobile app. What Can I Do With Snapchat on the Web?...

Use SSL With an Email Account in Apple Mail Unless you use encryption, email messages travel around the world in plain text, meaning anyone who intercepts them can read their contents. There is a way to at least partially secure the connection from you to your mail server. Here’s how to enable SSL encryption for an email account in macOS Mail: SSL can slightly reduce performance because all communication with the server will be encrypted....

How to Launch the Chrome Task Manager One of the features of Google Chrome is its multiprocess architecture, which allows tabs to run as separate processes. Occasionally, Chrome lags or acts strangely or a webpage freezes, but you don’t know which tab is the culprit. This is where the Chrome Task Manager comes in handy. Chrome Task Manager not only displays the CPU, memory, and network usage of each open tab and plug-in, it also allows you to kill individual processes with a click of the mouse, similar to the Windows Task Manager or macOS Activity Monitor....

How to Open the Control Panel on the iPad The control panel has moved around a bit in the last few updates, but you access it by swiping down from the top-right corner of the screen on any page. On the lock screen that appears after you wake up your iPad, but before you unlock it, a horizontal line is visible in that corner, under the clock and battery indicators....