MakeUseOf

Excel’s MOD function is weird, but now I use it everywhere

Adaeze Uche — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 19:00:18 GMT

MOD is one function I avoided for years because it always seemed like too much mathematics for no real reason. The syntax looks simple enough, but it never quite gives you the result you'd expect at first glance.

My 4K monitor was stuck at 60Hz until I learned which port (and which cable) actually carries 144Hz

Shaheer Khan — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 18:30:17 GMT

Upgrading to a 4K monitor after nearly a decade on a 1080p display felt like seeing colors for the first time, as if I'd been colorblind my whole life. The resistance to an upgrade beforehand came from the fact that I considered the upgrade to 4K pointless, but after seeing the results of a much sharper and clearer image, boy, was I wrong.

I merged three mismatched drives into one big one, and Windows did it for free

Afam Onyimadu — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 18:00:22 GMT

Everyone who builds PCs has a drawer of drives that were once important. After years of piling up, I got tired of them sitting there serving no real purpose other than filling up space. So I investigated whether I could use them on Windows without buying a new drive, and it turned out that Windows 11 has the perfect feature for this. It's tucked away in Settings, and it turns a pile of mismatched drives into one drive in File Explorer, for free.

The best gallery app on Android isn't Google Photos — and it has never needed the internet to work

Abhijith N Arjunan — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 17:30:18 GMT

Though many smartphone makers still include proprietary gallery apps on their devices, Google Photos has become the go-to option for many Android smartphones. Because of this familiarity, Google Photos is often cited as the best gallery app on Android as well.

I never pay full price for power tools because the sale calendar never changes

Chris Hachey — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 16:31:18 GMT

Power tools are some of the most helpful additions to your workbench and garage if you own a home. Even if you don't own a home, you should still at least have a drill or electric screwdriver, as they would certainly come in handy. Of course, power tools have become more essential for the larger-scale projects you're attempting to do, even if it's just clearing away brush and weeds in your home.

You're probably running your desktop CPU on a laptop power plan and don't know it

Yasir Mahmood — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 16:00:22 GMT

Most Windows PCs ship on the Balanced power plan, and Balanced exists to do one thing, which is to stretch your battery life. It gives the CPU enough headroom to feel quick, then eases it back the moment you stop pushing it, which keeps a laptop cool, quiet, and easy on the battery. That made sense when laptops took over. However, your desktop may also be using the same default plan even though it never runs on a battery.

6 adaptations of the Odyssey you didn't know were adaptations of the Odyssey

Dan Selcke — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 15:30:19 GMT

The Odyssey is the latest film from The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan, and it's gearing up to be one of the biggest movies of the year. It's an adaptation of Homer's epic poem about the Greek king Odysseus (Matt Damon) making his way home to Ithaca after the Trojan War.

I found the best DNS for my connection in under 30 seconds and without any complicated software

Pankil Shah — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 15:00:19 GMT

Your ISP’s DNS is probably the weakest link in your connection right now, and there’s zero reason to stick with it. But even if you know that, the bigger question is what DNS you should switch to because every option seems to market itself as the fastest and most private.

This Windows feature is supposed to improve gaming, but disabling it gave me better performance

Brady Snyder — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 14:01:20 GMT

Microsoft wants to make Windows 11 the perfect platform for gamers and the Xbox brand, but sometimes, its additions can do more harm than good. The bloat in Windows 11 is well-documented, particularly for gamers. There are background features like Xbox Game Bar that are constantly running, and they consume system resources.

Your ISP probably didn't bother to set up these 5 useful router settings for you

Bryan M. Wolfe — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 13:40:37 GMT

ISPs configure just enough to get your router online, then stop. They stick to out-of-the-box defaults that make things easy for their support team, leaving speed and security as an afterthought. Look past the initial setup screens in your router's app, and there are usually a handful of settings sitting there unconfigured, waiting for someone to turn them on.