MakeUseOf

Your Windows clipboard can remember 25 items — and it changes how you work

Brandon Miniman — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 22:00:13 GMT

For a long time, I've accepted that Windows only stores your most recently-copied thing, and as soon as you copy something else, that original item is bumped out of memory. Sure, there are third party clipboard managers that can save more, but I didn't want to bother with them.

This Windows Search setting used more resources than every startup app on my PC

Oluwaseun Bamisile — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 19:30:13 GMT

When you face performance issues on your Windows PC, one of the first pieces of advice you're likely to hear is to look into startup apps. People who give that advice aren't absolutely wrong; I do give out the same advice myself.

Postgres has the spreadsheet-style interface it was always missing, and it's free

Yadullah Abidi — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 19:00:14 GMT

Postgres is one of the best databases in the world, but it has never been welcoming for newcomers. Like every other reliable, powerful, and flexible tool, the first interaction generally involves a terminal window, a connection string, and SQL syntax you need to look up every five minutes.

Every WhatsApp user should turn on this new security feature immediately

Hamed Paydarfar — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 18:54:55 GMT

Meta has introduced several new security features to tighten WhatsApp’s account protections, including stronger two-step verification and support for multiple passkeys. Although these upgrades will make certain account-takeover attempts harder, a stronger password still can't protect you if you unknowingly authorize a scanner's device.

American routers offer 11 channels on 2.4GHz, but 8 of them are the wrong choice

Oliver Haslam — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 18:30:14 GMT

When you unbox and set up your new router in North America, you're given the option of using no fewer than 11 different channels on the 2.4GHz band. That's a lot of options for you to choose from, but in reality, you should ignore the vast majority of them.

Your Pixel 11 has a potentially life-saving feature you need to turn on yourself

Christine Persaud — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 18:00:14 GMT

The latest tech gadgets like smartphones and smartwatches are adding impressive features leveraging AI that make your days easier, your photos better, and the user experience more fluid overall. But there are also advanced safety features that are often ignored in favor of the flashier upgrades. And some of these Pixel features can literally save your life.

I bought a gadget for my nightstand on a whim and it's the one thing I'd never give up

Mahnoor Faisal — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 17:30:14 GMT

I don't spend a lot of time away from home, but I recently went on a two-week vacation. Homesickness wasn't really an issue, and if anything, I was dreading coming back to my usual routine.

PowerToys finally gave Windows a quality-of-life feature MacOS has had for years

Hamed Paydarfar — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 17:19:53 GMT

Alt + Tab is one of Windows’ most useful keyboard shortcuts, until it isn't. If you have three Chrome windows, a couple of File Explorer windows, and a handful of other apps running simultaneously, shuffling through everything to find the window you want can quickly make your head spin.

That forgotten USB port on your router can solve 5 home-network problems

Afam Onyimadu — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 17:00:13 GMT

You probably have never used that USB port at the back of your router. Yet sometimes files bounce between devices, a perfectly good printer remains attached to a single computer, and you keep facing other home-network headaches. On routers that support USB features, that port can fix some of these problems without extra hardware or leaving a separate computer running. The extent of what a router's USB port can do isn't universal. However, you may be leaving so much value on the table if you keep ignoring it.

You can download hundreds of free NASA books to your Kindle, Kobo, or iPad right now

Sara Heritage — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 16:49:42 GMT

Craving your next sci-fi fix? NASA's official e-book library might sound like a treasure trove of science fiction tales, but it's actually an awesome nonfiction collection that lets you delve into the realities of space travel. Rather than science fiction stories, this open-access repository offers celestial history, engineering blueprints, and high-resolution deep-space photographs that make the universe feel closer than ever — all for free!