Everyone loves a good trick. There’s always a shortcut that we don’t know, no matter how much we know about an app. Hardware is the same: We might use gadgets every single day, but we don’t know their useful quirks.

Zoom is a great example. It’s something that millions of Americans are just now discovering. e

You may spend a lot of time in quarantine with the technology you already have, especially if your work is from home. You may not realize it, but you could be saving money by doing things the hard way.

Here are my top tech tricks and shortcuts that I love for many popular programs and tools.

Make sure you put your USB drive in the correct way the first time

It seems like an easy task to plug in a USB cable correctly. Hence, why is it so common to get it wrong the first time?

  Here’s the trick: Use any USB cable you have lying around. Do you see that symbol on one side? This symbol is not only for branding and decoration. If you are plugging in horizontally, that symbol will point up. If you’re plugging into a cable vertically the USB symbol will point you in the face. You now know.

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Closed browser tabs can be reopened

It happens all the time. It happens all the time. You accidentally close one of the tabs you have opened in your browser. You can either open your browser’s history to reopen the tab or use a few keystrokes.

To automatically open the tab that you have just closed, hit Ctrl+Shift+T or Command+Shift+T on your Mac.

At a specific point, share a YouTube video

You can share a YouTube video if you like a certain point. Click the “Share” button below the video. Below the link, look for a checkbox. The checkbox below the link will display the current time that the video has been stopped.

You have the option to either stick with the current time or choose another time. Copy the link, and send it to friends or on social media. The YouTube video will automatically skip to the point that you have chosen when someone views it.

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To search for content like a Ninja, use “Site:”

Google searches can yield millions of results. Google’s Site feature can reduce that number by searching only one site. Open Google in your browser. Type “site:” followed by the URL of the website you want to search. As such: site:komando.com, but without the quotation marks

 Tip: Enter the “site:komando.com keyword” in the address bar of your browser. No need to go to Google. Again, no quotation marks are needed.

Send junk text to the scammers and report it.

Junk text messages can be downright irritating. Although you can block junk texts, it is better to act.

Just a few clicks and you can report text to the GSMA Reporting Service. Forward the message to (guess what it spells?) 7726 You can also hit the “Report Junk” button in your messaging app.

Use your voice in Google Docs

You probably already use your phone’s speech-to-text feature to dictate emails or text messages. But did you know that you can also do this in Google Docs? It’s free, and it works well.

Open a new Google Docs document, and then enable Voice Typing in the Tools menu. Start dictating. Voice Typing also recognizes commands such as “comma”, “period” and “new paragraph”.

Disney Plus Movies available for download

Every streaming service has its own policy regarding downloading video content and watching offline. Netflix was a big holdout up until 2016. Disney Plus made it possible to download the movie right away. You will find the download icon at the bottom right of the menu. You can also download as many titles to your Disney Plus app as you have space.

Crop a screenshot

Screenshots are a common practice, but often you capture more than you need. Your security can be at risk if you reveal too much of your screen within a single image. You can instead take a screenshot and crop it precisely so you only include what you need.

A Mac user can press Command + Shift + 5 to create a rectangle that you can manipulate however many times you like.

Windows 10: Go to Start, and type the Snipping tool in the Search Bar. You will see a similar box that you can drag to any shape on your screen.

Chat with WhatsApp

No matter which platform you use, messages accumulate over time. It’s difficult to find the one funny quote or vital street address. WhatsApp is the most downloaded app of the decade. However, many people don’t know that you can search your messages just like Google.

The search bar is available for iOS and the search icon is for Android. To narrow down the message you are looking for, search words specific to that conversation.

Unsend an Email

Did you send an email to everyone when it was only intended for one person? Gmail allows you to unsend an email. This can be done by changing one setting before you write your email. 

You can also recall a message and make corrections to spelling mistakes, recipients, or subject lines, as well as attach forgotten attachments.

Adjust the setting to a longer time than the default five seconds. We all know that five seconds is not enough time to notice you have made an error and hit the unsend key. Gmail settings allow you to pause an email delivery for up to 30 seconds.

Bonus Tip: How do you electronically sign a PDF?

Although they are more portable, flexible, and easy to use, not everyone is aware that you can sign PDF documents just like physical ones.

Nearly all PDF-reading applications allow you to sign forms and documents electronically. 

The Kim Komando Show is the country’s most popular weekend radio talk show. Learn all about the latest technology. Kim answers call and gives advice about digital life today, including smartphones and tablets, as well as online privacy and hacks. Komando.com has her daily tips and free newsletters.