How to restart your router and modem the right way
The order matters. Here's the 5-minute fix for slow or dropped internet.
🛠️ How-To
Step-by-step How-To guides
Big, numbered steps for everyday home tech: Wi-Fi, phones and tablets, staying safe, photos, kids and family, computers and AI. Each guide was checked against the official help pages in October 2026 and links to them at the bottom.
Showing all 46 guides
📶 Wi-Fi & internet
How to find your Wi-Fi password
On the router sticker, or saved on a phone or computer that's already connected.
How to set up a guest Wi-Fi network
Give visitors (and smart gadgets) their own Wi-Fi, separate from your computers and phones.
Filter adult sites for every device on your Wi-Fi (free)
Change two numbers in your router so every phone, tablet and console at home skips adult and scam sites.
📱 Phones & tablets
How to block and report scam texts and calls
Block the number, report the junk and filter unknown senders on iPhone and Android.
How to back up your phone photos (iCloud Photos or Google Photos)
Turn on automatic photo backup so a lost or broken phone doesn't mean lost memories.
How to free up storage on your phone
“Storage almost full”? See what's using space and clear it safely.
How to update your phone, tablet or computer
Updates fix security holes. Here's where to check, and how to make them automatic.
How to set up parental controls (Screen Time and Google Family Link)
Set time limits, filter content and approve app downloads on your child's phone or tablet.
How to turn on Find My (iPhone) or Find Hub (Android)
Do it now, before a phone goes missing. Then you can locate, lock or erase it.
Print from your phone (iPhone or Android)
Print photos, emails and documents straight from your phone over Wi-Fi.
Scan a document with your printer or phone (and email it)
Scan pages to a PDF with your printer or phone, scan both sides, and send the scan by email.
Approve what your kids buy and download (Ask to Buy and Google Play)
Make your child ask you first before buying or downloading apps and in-app items.
Set up your kid's first phone the safe way
Give your child their own account, then turn on the parent controls before you hand the phone over.
Move your photos to a new phone (iPhone or Android)
Bring your photos and videos with you when you get a new phone, even when switching between iPhone and Android.
Got a new phone for Christmas? Move everything over from your old one
Copy your photos, contacts, messages and apps from your old phone to the new one, iPhone or Samsung Galaxy, the official free way.
Set up a new iPad or tablet for a grandparent (bigger text, simpler screens)
Before you wrap it: bigger text, a simpler home screen, video calls ready to go, and the family's numbers saved.
🛡️ Staying safe
How to set up a guest Wi-Fi network
Give visitors (and smart gadgets) their own Wi-Fi, separate from your computers and phones.
How to turn on two-step verification for Google, Apple and Microsoft
Add a second lock to your most important accounts. It takes a few minutes per account.
How to set up a password manager
Let your phone or browser remember strong, different passwords for every site, for free.
How to block and report scam texts and calls
Block the number, report the junk and filter unknown senders on iPhone and Android.
How to update your phone, tablet or computer
Updates fix security holes. Here's where to check, and how to make them automatic.
How to turn on Find My (iPhone) or Find Hub (Android)
Do it now, before a phone goes missing. Then you can locate, lock or erase it.
Make TikTok and Snapchat safer for your teen
Link your account to your teen's with TikTok Family Pairing and Snapchat Family Center, then check the key privacy settings.
Remove your location from photos before you share them
Photos can reveal where they were taken, including your home. Here's how to share them without that.
Holiday shopping and gift card scams: how to spot them
The FTC's rule is simple: only scammers ask you to pay with a gift card. Here's how to spot fake deals and "buy gift cards" tricks this season.
Send (and receive) digital gift cards safely
E-gift cards are a great last-minute present. Buy them from the store itself, send them to the right address, and know how to spot a fake "you've got a gift" email.
🖼️ Photos & backups
How to back up your phone photos (iCloud Photos or Google Photos)
Turn on automatic photo backup so a lost or broken phone doesn't mean lost memories.
How to share a photo album with family
Create one album everyone can see and add to, with iCloud Shared Albums or Google Photos.
Get all your photos into one place, without duplicates
Gather photos from old phones, computers and cloud accounts into one home, then clean up the duplicates.
Move your photos to a new phone (iPhone or Android)
Bring your photos and videos with you when you get a new phone, even when switching between iPhone and Android.
Scan old printed photos with your phone
Turn shoeboxes of prints into digital photos you can share and back up, using Google's free PhotoScan app or a scanner.
Remove your location from photos before you share them
Photos can reveal where they were taken, including your home. Here's how to share them without that.
👨👩👧 Kids & family
How to set up parental controls (Screen Time and Google Family Link)
Set time limits, filter content and approve app downloads on your child's phone or tablet.
How to share a photo album with family
Create one album everyone can see and add to, with iCloud Shared Albums or Google Photos.
Set up YouTube for your kids (YouTube Kids or a supervised account)
Give your child a YouTube experience that fits their age, using YouTube Kids or a supervised account you control.
Set parental controls on Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch
Use each console maker's free phone app to set play time limits, spending limits and who your child can talk to.
Set up Roblox parental controls
Link your account to your child's Roblox account to manage chat, content, screen time and spending.
Approve what your kids buy and download (Ask to Buy and Google Play)
Make your child ask you first before buying or downloading apps and in-app items.
Set up your kid's first phone the safe way
Give your child their own account, then turn on the parent controls before you hand the phone over.
Filter adult sites for every device on your Wi-Fi (free)
Change two numbers in your router so every phone, tablet and console at home skips adult and scam sites.
Make TikTok and Snapchat safer for your teen
Link your account to your teen's with TikTok Family Pairing and Snapchat Family Center, then check the key privacy settings.
Write a family tech agreement (free template)
Sit down together and agree on simple screen rules for everyone, using the pediatricians' free Family Media Plan tool.
Set up a new iPad or tablet for a grandparent (bigger text, simpler screens)
Before you wrap it: bigger text, a simpler home screen, video calls ready to go, and the family's numbers saved.
A tablet, phone or game console for the kids? Set it up before Christmas morning
Do the boring setup the night before: a child account, parental controls, purchase approvals and a family plan, so Christmas morning is just fun.
💻 Computers
How to find your Wi-Fi password
On the router sticker, or saved on a phone or computer that's already connected.
How to set up a password manager
Let your phone or browser remember strong, different passwords for every site, for free.
How to update your phone, tablet or computer
Updates fix security holes. Here's where to check, and how to make them automatic.
Set up a new printer (Wi-Fi, Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android)
Get a new printer onto your Wi-Fi, then add it to your Windows PC, Mac, iPhone or Android phone.
Save money on printer ink and toner
Simple settings and buying habits that stretch your ink or toner, plus the honest tradeoffs of cheaper cartridges.
Fix "printer offline" or a printer that won't print
Step-by-step fixes, from the simplest to the bigger ones, when your printer says offline or nothing comes out.
🖨️ Printers & scanning
Set up a new printer (Wi-Fi, Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android)
Get a new printer onto your Wi-Fi, then add it to your Windows PC, Mac, iPhone or Android phone.
Save money on printer ink and toner
Simple settings and buying habits that stretch your ink or toner, plus the honest tradeoffs of cheaper cartridges.
Print from your phone (iPhone or Android)
Print photos, emails and documents straight from your phone over Wi-Fi.
Fix "printer offline" or a printer that won't print
Step-by-step fixes, from the simplest to the bigger ones, when your printer says offline or nothing comes out.
Scan a document with your printer or phone (and email it)
Scan pages to a PDF with your printer or phone, scan both sides, and send the scan by email.
🤖 AI
How to set up the ChatGPT app on iPhone or iPad
Find the real app, install it, sign in and ask your first question.
How to set up the ChatGPT app on Android
Install the official app from Google Play and get chatting.
How to use ChatGPT on a Windows PC or Mac
Use it in your web browser (nothing to install) or get the official desktop app.
How to ask ChatGPT your first questions
A simple recipe for clear questions, plus what to do when the answer misses.
How to talk to ChatGPT with voice chat
Have a spoken back-and-forth conversation, hands-free.
How to stop ChatGPT using your chats for training
Turn off “Improve the model for everyone,” use Temporary Chat, and delete what you don't need.
How to get Microsoft Copilot or Google Gemini on your phone
Two popular ChatGPT alternatives, and where to get the real ones.
How to get started with Grok Bot
Sign in, name your first bot, give it a task and keep it safe.
How to use AI to write an email or letter
Get a clear first draft, then make it sound like you.
How to use AI to plan a trip or a week of meals
Turn your dates, budget and tastes into a plan you can check.
How to use AI to explain a document or bill, safely
Remove private details first, then ask it to explain in plain English.
How to lock a private chat in ChatGPT with a PIN
Hide a sensitive chat from your history behind a 4-digit PIN, and open it again only when you need it.
💡 Apps change their buttons often. If something looks a little different, look for a similar label, or check the official help link at the bottom of each guide.