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Change the Default Apps on Android

On Android, if you have more than one app installed that does the same thing, you'll be given an option of which app to launch whenever you try to perform that task. For instance, if you want to ask Google Assistant to navigate you somewhere, by default it will open Google Maps. If you have Waze installed, it may ask you what maps app to use first. Once you tap "always" when opening one of those apps, however, it will use that app and won't ask you in the future. But that doesn't mean you're stuck using that app as the default forever — there is a way to change this later.

Protect Yourself Online Without Antivirus Software

On episode 1385 of The Tech Guy, Leo had seven tips for protecting yourself online without relying on antivirus software at all. Six of these tips come from the acronym "U.P.D.A.T.E." in Mark Goodman's book "Future Crimes," and one of the tips was added by Leo:

Make Text on Your Computer Easier to Read

If you've noticed that it's been getting harder to read websites lately, you aren't alone. The trend in modern website design has gone in the direction of smaller font sizes and reduced contrast between the text color and the background.

Create a Secondary Administrator Account on Your Computer

It should go without saying that having a current backup of your computer is an essential preventative measure in case the worst happens. But there's another very simple step you can take that can potentially save you a lot of headache -- create a secondary administrator account. Make sure that account is pure and is in the default Mac or Windows configuration.

Identify the Cause of Battery Drain on iOS and Android

Owning a smartphone can often be a balancing act of usage and power conservation. If you're noticing that your phone is draining a lot quicker than usual, however, there is a way you can easily find the culprit. iOS and Android both offer statistics on what apps are using up your battery.

Sign Into Windows 10 with a Microsoft Account

There are a couple of benefits to using your online Microsoft account (Outlook or Live) to sign into Windows 10. On Windows Weekly episode 506 on the TWiT network, Paul Thurrott talked about these benefits, and you can find his article on the subject at thurrott.com.

How to Fix Slow PC Bootup Problems

If it takes too long to bootup your computer, there are a few of things you can try:

- Try taking the hard drive out and accessing it from another computer using the Universal Drive Adapter from NewerTech. If you have difficulty accessing the drive that way, you can try running SpinRite to repair the drive.

Improve Your In-Home Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi is great when it works, but all too often there are problems that cause disconnects or slowdowns. If you have a large house, or there are too many walls that make it hard for signal to travel through, you may need more than just one wireless router.

One option for improving your reception is to set up a secondary Wi-Fi access point to extend your current Wi-Fi router. You'll want to buy an extender from the same company that made the router you already own. Set up the extender in "bridge mode" and it will rebroadcast the signal and extend its range.

Verify Your Account with Google Security Checkup

Google's Security Checkup is a great way to verify the security of your account. This is great if you suspect unusual activity on your account, but it's also a good idea to do periodically as a preventative measure.

macOS Sierra: Remove Desktop and Documents Folders From iCloud

When Apple released macOS 10.12 Sierra, it changed the way it handles your data. Instead of keeping the "Documents" and "Desktop" folders on the Mac locally, it added those locations into iCloud. Since Apple only gives you 5GB of cloud storage for free, you would need to buy more storage to storage more files unless you turn that feature off.