Windows 10 Search Cheat Sheet: Shortcuts and Tips to Know

When you’ve amassed hundreds of files on your PC, finding one specific file can quickly turn into a nightmare. Fortunately, Windows 10 has a few methods that you can use to navigate through your files and find the exact document or tool you’re looking for.

Using Windows Search is the easiest way to get started. You can simply press the Windows key to start searching, or you can click the built-in search bar on your taskbar.

Alternatively, you can use Cortana to find files or search for information on the web. Cortana gives you the convenience of asking questions via voice commands, and also lets you type in specific searches. Just hit Windows + Q to open Cortana, or click the Cortana icon on your taskbar.

The final way to search through your documents is with File Explorer. With this feature, you can browse your entire collection of files to find specific data. What’s more, you can narrow down your search using Advanced Query Syntax and Boolean operators.

This cheat sheet will go over the shortcuts you can use to search in Windows 10 using each of these methods.

FREE DOWNLOAD: This cheat sheet is available as a downloadable PDF from our distribution partner, TradePub. You will have to complete a short form to access it for the first time only. Download The Windows 10 Search Cheat Sheet.

Windows 10 Search Shortcuts and Tips

Shortcut	Action
Basic Windows 10 and Cortana Search
Windows	Open Start menu search bar
Windows + S OR Windows + Q	Open Cortana search bar in text mode
Down Arrow	Select result below
Up Arrow	Select result above
Right Arrow	Select option to the right
Left Arrow	Select option to the left
Enter	Open selected item
Esc	Close search menu
Narrow Down Local Cortana Search
Apps:	Search within Apps
Documents:	Search within Documents
Videos:	Search within Videos
Folders:	Search within Folders
Music:	Search within Music
Settings:	Search within Settings
Photos:	Search within Photos
Mail:	Search within your Outlook email inbox
People:	Search within People
Cortana Web Search Tools
Web:	Search the internet
Paris weather	Get weather information
Sydney time	Get time zone information
Define: "technology"	Find word definitions
Facebook stock	Get stock market information
Donald Trump age	Find facts about public figures
50usd to eur	Convert currencies
5in to mm	Convert measuring units
74f to c	Convert temperatures
86/2*10	Perform math calculations
DAL1439	Track flight status
red sox score	Find current sports scores
food near me	Find local restaurants
Cortana Voice Command Search
Windows + C	Open Cortana in voice command mode
Say "Hey Cortana"	Open Cortana in voice command mode
Find document (file name)	Find a specific file
Find photos from January 2018	Find photos from a specific time
Open (app name)	Open a specific app
Search the web for Lenovo laptops	Search the internet for a specific term
What's the tallest mountain in the world?	Find facts on the internet
Find restaurants near me	Search the internet for local restaurants
What's the time in Paris?	Find time zone information
Show me the latest news	Display the latest news headlines
What's the weather?	Find local weather information
Find showtimes near me	Find local movie showtimes
What's 2+2?	Perform math calculations
What's 13 pounds in ounces?	Perform measurement conversions
Basic File Explorer Search
Windows + E	Open File Explorer
Ctrl + F OR Ctrl+E OR F3	Place cursor in the search bar
Ctrl + L OR Alt + D	Place cursor in the address bar
Up Arrow	Select result above
Down Arrow	Select result below
Right Arrow	Select result to the right
Left Arrow	Select result to the left
Enter	Open selected file
Backspace OR Alt+ Left Arrow	Return to previous page
Alt + Right Arrow	Go to next page
Alt + Up Arrow	Return to the folder that the current file or folder is in
Esc	Clear search or address bar
File Explorer Advanced Query Syntax Search
store:desktop	Limit your search to the desktop
store:files	Limit your search to Files
store:outlook	Limit your search to Outlook
store:oe	Limit your search to Outlook Express
*.file_extension	Search for a files with a specific extension
kind:everything	Search all file types
kind:communications	Search communication files
kind:contacts	Search contacts
kind:email	Search emails
kind:im	Search instant messaging conversations
kind:meetings	Search meetings
kind:tasks	Search tasks
kind:notes	Search notes
kind:documents	Search documents
kind:text	Search text documents
kind:spreadsheets	Search spreadsheet files
kind:presentations	Search presentation files
kind:music	Search music files
kind:pics	Search picture files
kind:videos	Search video files
kind:folders	Search folders
kind:favorites	Search favorites
kind:programs	Search program files
date:today, date:tomorrow, date:yesterday	Search for items with a specific date
modified:last week	Search for items by modification date
size:>40, size:<40	Search for items by size
File Explorer Search Using Boolean Operators
Keyword 1 NOT keyword 2	Results with keyword 1 but not keyword 2
Keyword 1 OR keyword 2	Results with keyword 1 or keyword 2
Keyword 1	Results with the exact phrase "keyword 1"
(Keyword 1 keyword 2)	Results with keyword 1 and keyword 2 in any order

Search Smarter in Windows 10

With these Windows 10 search shortcuts, you can access various Windows features, find lost files, and also uncover answers to your questions on the internet. If you’re still having trouble locating files, check out these free search tools for Windows 10.

Image Credit: Bruce Mars on Unsplash

Read the full article: Windows 10 Search Cheat Sheet: Shortcuts and Tips to Know

Windows 10 Search Cheat Sheet: Shortcuts and Tips to Know

When you’ve amassed hundreds of files on your PC, finding one specific file can quickly turn into a nightmare. Fortunately, Windows 10 has a few methods that you can use to navigate through your files and find the exact document or tool you’re looking for.

Using Windows Search is the easiest way to get started. You can simply press the Windows key to start searching, or you can click the built-in search bar on your taskbar.

Alternatively, you can use Cortana to find files or search for information on the web. Cortana gives you the convenience of asking questions via voice commands, and also lets you type in specific searches. Just hit Windows + Q to open Cortana, or click the Cortana icon on your taskbar.

The final way to search through your documents is with File Explorer. With this feature, you can browse your entire collection of files to find specific data. What’s more, you can narrow down your search using Advanced Query Syntax and Boolean operators.

This cheat sheet will go over the shortcuts you can use to search in Windows 10 using each of these methods.

FREE DOWNLOAD: This cheat sheet is available as a downloadable PDF from our distribution partner, TradePub. You will have to complete a short form to access it for the first time only. Download The Windows 10 Search Cheat Sheet.

Windows 10 Search Shortcuts and Tips

Shortcut	Action
Basic Windows 10 and Cortana Search
Windows	Open Start menu search bar
Windows + S OR Windows + Q	Open Cortana search bar in text mode
Down Arrow	Select result below
Up Arrow	Select result above
Right Arrow	Select option to the right
Left Arrow	Select option to the left
Enter	Open selected item
Esc	Close search menu
Narrow Down Local Cortana Search
Apps:	Search within Apps
Documents:	Search within Documents
Videos:	Search within Videos
Folders:	Search within Folders
Music:	Search within Music
Settings:	Search within Settings
Photos:	Search within Photos
Mail:	Search within your Outlook email inbox
People:	Search within People
Cortana Web Search Tools
Web:	Search the internet
Paris weather	Get weather information
Sydney time	Get time zone information
Define: "technology"	Find word definitions
Facebook stock	Get stock market information
Donald Trump age	Find facts about public figures
50usd to eur	Convert currencies
5in to mm	Convert measuring units
74f to c	Convert temperatures
86/2*10	Perform math calculations
DAL1439	Track flight status
red sox score	Find current sports scores
food near me	Find local restaurants
Cortana Voice Command Search
Windows + C	Open Cortana in voice command mode
Say "Hey Cortana"	Open Cortana in voice command mode
Find document (file name)	Find a specific file
Find photos from January 2018	Find photos from a specific time
Open (app name)	Open a specific app
Search the web for Lenovo laptops	Search the internet for a specific term
What's the tallest mountain in the world?	Find facts on the internet
Find restaurants near me	Search the internet for local restaurants
What's the time in Paris?	Find time zone information
Show me the latest news	Display the latest news headlines
What's the weather?	Find local weather information
Find showtimes near me	Find local movie showtimes
What's 2+2?	Perform math calculations
What's 13 pounds in ounces?	Perform measurement conversions
Basic File Explorer Search
Windows + E	Open File Explorer
Ctrl + F OR Ctrl+E OR F3	Place cursor in the search bar
Ctrl + L OR Alt + D	Place cursor in the address bar
Up Arrow	Select result above
Down Arrow	Select result below
Right Arrow	Select result to the right
Left Arrow	Select result to the left
Enter	Open selected file
Backspace OR Alt+ Left Arrow	Return to previous page
Alt + Right Arrow	Go to next page
Alt + Up Arrow	Return to the folder that the current file or folder is in
Esc	Clear search or address bar
File Explorer Advanced Query Syntax Search
store:desktop	Limit your search to the desktop
store:files	Limit your search to Files
store:outlook	Limit your search to Outlook
store:oe	Limit your search to Outlook Express
*.file_extension	Search for a files with a specific extension
kind:everything	Search all file types
kind:communications	Search communication files
kind:contacts	Search contacts
kind:email	Search emails
kind:im	Search instant messaging conversations
kind:meetings	Search meetings
kind:tasks	Search tasks
kind:notes	Search notes
kind:documents	Search documents
kind:text	Search text documents
kind:spreadsheets	Search spreadsheet files
kind:presentations	Search presentation files
kind:music	Search music files
kind:pics	Search picture files
kind:videos	Search video files
kind:folders	Search folders
kind:favorites	Search favorites
kind:programs	Search program files
date:today, date:tomorrow, date:yesterday	Search for items with a specific date
modified:last week	Search for items by modification date
size:>40, size:<40	Search for items by size
File Explorer Search Using Boolean Operators
Keyword 1 NOT keyword 2	Results with keyword 1 but not keyword 2
Keyword 1 OR keyword 2	Results with keyword 1 or keyword 2
Keyword 1	Results with the exact phrase "keyword 1"
(Keyword 1 keyword 2)	Results with keyword 1 and keyword 2 in any order

Search Smarter in Windows 10

With these Windows 10 search shortcuts, you can access various Windows features, find lost files, and also uncover answers to your questions on the internet. If you’re still having trouble locating files, check out these free search tools for Windows 10.

Image Credit: Bruce Mars on Unsplash

Read the full article: Windows 10 Search Cheat Sheet: Shortcuts and Tips to Know

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Download a FREE Copy of Success Habits for Dummies (Worth $18)

A large part of what we do, how we think, and what we achieve is governed by habits. It makes sense then, that by developing the right habits, we can better position ourselves for success.

In Success Habits for Dummies, Dirk Zellar sets out a proven framework for “creating, building, and cultivating winning habits to achieve success”.

Through daily routines, time management strategies, and plenty of wisdom, this book (free for a limited time), can help you on the path to long-term job satisfaction, career progression, and the accomplishment of your goals.

Download Success Habits For Dummies

Inside, you will learn to:

• Make a plan to perform at maximum potential.
• Maintain a growth mindset.
• Overcome a lack of motivation and willpower.
• Design your environment to make success easier.
• Get back on track when you fall off course.

Whatever your situation in life, this book will help you to reshape your habits to put you on the road to success.

Interested? Simply click here to download this free ebook (worth $17.99) from TradePub. You will have to complete a short form to access the ebook, but it’s well worth it!

Note: This free offer expires on June 2, 2020.

Read the full article: Download a FREE Copy of Success Habits for Dummies (Worth $18)

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Intraday Trading Calls for 25-May-2020

Intraday Trading Calls for 25-May-2020

Please click on the following link to view full post.

https://intradayguruji.blogspot.com/2020/05/intraday-trading-calls-for-25-may-2020.html

Via http://intradayguruji.blogspot.com

Live Intraday Trading on 22-May-2020 (Profit 7800)

Live Intraday Trading on 22-May-2020 (Profit 7800)

Please click on the following link to view full post.

https://intradayguruji.blogspot.com/2020/05/live-intraday-trading-on-22-may-2020.html

Via http://intradayguruji.blogspot.com

5 Unique Ways to Celebrate Birthdays Online

No birthday goes uncelebrated on the internet. Before you blow the candles and cut that cake, check these websites and guides for a happy birthday.

In a world where everything is going digital, why not birthday celebrations too? From virtual birthday parties on video calls to apps that pump up the special day, the internet has it all. You can get a free Happy Birthday song, create a fake newspaper with your details, or check out intergalactic happenings on your birthday.

1. How to Host a Virtual Birthday Party on Video Chat Apps Like Zoom

The first thought that pops into one’s head about an online birthday celebration is to do a birthday party on a video call. How do you do that though? And is it any fun? Well, a few people tried it, and they’re sharing tips and tricks to have an entertaining remote birthday party video call.

1. How to Celebrate a Birthday During the Coronavirus Showdown by The New York Times
2. How to Celebrate a Birthday While Social Distancing by Refinery29
3. I Threw a Virtual Birthday Party and 46 People Came, Here’s What I Learned by Inc.

All three posts are worth reading and offer a range of advice, hacks, and tips. They have a few common words of wisdom for virtual birthday parties.

First and foremost, allow for some advance planning for participants. Ensure most people know each other. Have a common activity, like a drink or food you can all eat at the same time, or a fun dress code like party hats. And whoever hosts the party should have a few topics they can involve all people in, or ask them to prepare in advance.

Naturally, a virtual birthday celebration isn’t going to be as fun as a real one. But if circumstances dictate such limitations, then you can still have a merry old birthday. All you need then is Zoom or any of the great Zoom alternative video chat apps.

2. 1 Happy Birthday (Web): Free Birthday Song, Movie Clips, Trivia, and More

1HappyBirthday.com has a customized birthday song maker. Search for your name on the website, and if it’s listed, download the free song wishing you a happy birthday. It’s not the usual Happy Birthday song, but a different peppy and lively number.

The collection of names is surprisingly large, including odd ones that you might not easily find. In our search, we found most of the MakeUseOf staff’s names.

Apart from the song, every bit of audio you want related to birthdays, you’ll find on this site. In Movie Birthday Wishes, you’ll find famous quotes from movies as audio clips that you can play or download. It collects pop-rock birthday songs, Spanish and Mexican birthday songs, and lyrics for all of them.

1Happy Birthday also hosts a bunch of mini birthday games. Enter any birth date to find exactly how many days, weeks, months, or years old that person is. Get random information and trivia about things that happened on your birthday. Or play the “Younger or Older” game if you like pop culture.

3. My Birthday Hits (Web, Spotify): Playlist of the #1 Hit Song on Every Birthday

Would you like to know which song was topping the charts on the day you were born, or every birthday after that? My Birthday Hits has the answer. And it will quickly create a playlist of all these songs on Spotify.

Key in your birth date and the website generates a grid of the #1 song in the USA on that date each yet. Click any song to open it with an embedded YouTube video, and a bit more information about how long it stayed at the top. My Birthday Hits also throws in the top movie and the top book of that year, if you’re interested.

At the bottom of the results page where you input your birthday, you’ll find playlist options. You can copy-paste a text file of all songs, and search and add them to a playlist in your favorite music streaming app. Or grab the Spotify track list and add it to a playlist. It’s a little time-consuming, but the end result is fun.

My Birthday Hits has a catalog of hit songs going back to the 1940s. So if you’re less than 80 years old, you’ll get a list of every hit on your birthday (or any special date).

4. What Did the Hubble See on Your Birthday? (Web): Space Events on Your Birth Date

We’re just a tiny speck in our galaxy, let alone the whole universe. But while we’re exploring the Earth, the Hubble Telescope is exploring the Milky Way, constantly photographing events for over 30 years. What if something cool happened on your birthday?

This official NASA mini-site lets you find the universe’s highlight on your birthday. You can only filter by month and day, not by year, which is a bit of a bummer. But you’ll quickly forget about that limitation as the site brings up a galactic event with a colorized photo.

The image comes with a short description educating you about its significance. You can also visit the Hubble site link to learn more about it, as well as related trivia. On a day when many consider their own mortality and meaning, it’s marvelous to get this big picture perspective.

5. The Birthday Times (Web): Create a Fake Newspaper Birthday Gift

Newspaper pages are a cool way to commemorate birthdays. The Birthday Times lets you create a fake newspaper page from the day you were born, but goes a long way in trying to look authentic. It’s filled with little things to bring that era alive while customizing it to you. Add your name and birth date, with the year, to begin.

The Birthday Times has 10 elements, starting with a big headline announcing your arrival. Then the US President of that time visits you, followed by a wrap-up of news events of that year.

Other elements of that year include a sports event, the Academy Awards, musical hits, and even an ad of that era. Surprisingly, more than all the words, the ad provides a unique and cool feel for the era that’s hard to replicate.

You can purchase a PDF copy of this newspaper front page for $3.99, or have it printed and sent to you for $5.99. You can’t change the text, but if you want to customize the newspaper, you could try making your own through free templates like Make My Newspaper.

What About Birthday Gifts?

Online birthday celebrations are great, but the gifts get a little difficult. Sure, if you ordered them well in advance to ship in time, that works.

But if it’s last-minute or unavailable, you can send a cash gift online in a creative way. It’s a nice compromise that still looks and feels like a gift, not the digital equivalent of cash stuffed in an envelope.

Read the full article: 5 Unique Ways to Celebrate Birthdays Online

Read Full Article

5 Unique Ways to Celebrate Birthdays Online

No birthday goes uncelebrated on the internet. Before you blow the candles and cut that cake, check these websites and guides for a happy birthday.

In a world where everything is going digital, why not birthday celebrations too? From virtual birthday parties on video calls to apps that pump up the special day, the internet has it all. You can get a free Happy Birthday song, create a fake newspaper with your details, or check out intergalactic happenings on your birthday.

1. How to Host a Virtual Birthday Party on Video Chat Apps Like Zoom

The first thought that pops into one’s head about an online birthday celebration is to do a birthday party on a video call. How do you do that though? And is it any fun? Well, a few people tried it, and they’re sharing tips and tricks to have an entertaining remote birthday party video call.

1. How to Celebrate a Birthday During the Coronavirus Showdown by The New York Times
2. How to Celebrate a Birthday While Social Distancing by Refinery29
3. I Threw a Virtual Birthday Party and 46 People Came, Here’s What I Learned by Inc.

All three posts are worth reading and offer a range of advice, hacks, and tips. They have a few common words of wisdom for virtual birthday parties.

First and foremost, allow for some advance planning for participants. Ensure most people know each other. Have a common activity, like a drink or food you can all eat at the same time, or a fun dress code like party hats. And whoever hosts the party should have a few topics they can involve all people in, or ask them to prepare in advance.

Naturally, a virtual birthday celebration isn’t going to be as fun as a real one. But if circumstances dictate such limitations, then you can still have a merry old birthday. All you need then is Zoom or any of the great Zoom alternative video chat apps.

2. 1 Happy Birthday (Web): Free Birthday Song, Movie Clips, Trivia, and More

1HappyBirthday.com has a customized birthday song maker. Search for your name on the website, and if it’s listed, download the free song wishing you a happy birthday. It’s not the usual Happy Birthday song, but a different peppy and lively number.

The collection of names is surprisingly large, including odd ones that you might not easily find. In our search, we found most of the MakeUseOf staff’s names.

Apart from the song, every bit of audio you want related to birthdays, you’ll find on this site. In Movie Birthday Wishes, you’ll find famous quotes from movies as audio clips that you can play or download. It collects pop-rock birthday songs, Spanish and Mexican birthday songs, and lyrics for all of them.

1Happy Birthday also hosts a bunch of mini birthday games. Enter any birth date to find exactly how many days, weeks, months, or years old that person is. Get random information and trivia about things that happened on your birthday. Or play the “Younger or Older” game if you like pop culture.

3. My Birthday Hits (Web, Spotify): Playlist of the #1 Hit Song on Every Birthday

Would you like to know which song was topping the charts on the day you were born, or every birthday after that? My Birthday Hits has the answer. And it will quickly create a playlist of all these songs on Spotify.

Key in your birth date and the website generates a grid of the #1 song in the USA on that date each yet. Click any song to open it with an embedded YouTube video, and a bit more information about how long it stayed at the top. My Birthday Hits also throws in the top movie and the top book of that year, if you’re interested.

At the bottom of the results page where you input your birthday, you’ll find playlist options. You can copy-paste a text file of all songs, and search and add them to a playlist in your favorite music streaming app. Or grab the Spotify track list and add it to a playlist. It’s a little time-consuming, but the end result is fun.

My Birthday Hits has a catalog of hit songs going back to the 1940s. So if you’re less than 80 years old, you’ll get a list of every hit on your birthday (or any special date).

4. What Did the Hubble See on Your Birthday? (Web): Space Events on Your Birth Date

We’re just a tiny speck in our galaxy, let alone the whole universe. But while we’re exploring the Earth, the Hubble Telescope is exploring the Milky Way, constantly photographing events for over 30 years. What if something cool happened on your birthday?

This official NASA mini-site lets you find the universe’s highlight on your birthday. You can only filter by month and day, not by year, which is a bit of a bummer. But you’ll quickly forget about that limitation as the site brings up a galactic event with a colorized photo.

The image comes with a short description educating you about its significance. You can also visit the Hubble site link to learn more about it, as well as related trivia. On a day when many consider their own mortality and meaning, it’s marvelous to get this big picture perspective.

5. The Birthday Times (Web): Create a Fake Newspaper Birthday Gift

Newspaper pages are a cool way to commemorate birthdays. The Birthday Times lets you create a fake newspaper page from the day you were born, but goes a long way in trying to look authentic. It’s filled with little things to bring that era alive while customizing it to you. Add your name and birth date, with the year, to begin.

The Birthday Times has 10 elements, starting with a big headline announcing your arrival. Then the US President of that time visits you, followed by a wrap-up of news events of that year.

Other elements of that year include a sports event, the Academy Awards, musical hits, and even an ad of that era. Surprisingly, more than all the words, the ad provides a unique and cool feel for the era that’s hard to replicate.

You can purchase a PDF copy of this newspaper front page for $3.99, or have it printed and sent to you for $5.99. You can’t change the text, but if you want to customize the newspaper, you could try making your own through free templates like Make My Newspaper.

What About Birthday Gifts?

Online birthday celebrations are great, but the gifts get a little difficult. Sure, if you ordered them well in advance to ship in time, that works.

But if it’s last-minute or unavailable, you can send a cash gift online in a creative way. It’s a nice compromise that still looks and feels like a gift, not the digital equivalent of cash stuffed in an envelope.

Read the full article: 5 Unique Ways to Celebrate Birthdays Online

12 Discord Tips and Tricks All Users Should Know

Discord has become one of the leading chat platforms on the web. What started life as a service for gamers has built an impressive list of features that have helped it grow into other areas. Today, the app is used by everyone from businesses to crypto investors.

Using Discord is simple, but if you know where to look there is more to Discord than meets the eye. With that in mind, here are some Discord tips and tricks that all users should know.

1. Special Discord Integrations

Discord has some built-in integrations with other common apps. You just need to enable the connections to reap the benefits.

In total, nine different apps are supported. They are Twitch, YouTube, Blizzard Entertainment, Steam, Reddit, Facebook, Twitter, Spotify, and Xbox Live. The features of each integration vary from app-to-app. However, they all provide a way to sync the data from the linked app directly into your Discord server.

To set up Discord integrations from your desktop app, go to User Settings > Connections and click on the apps’ icons.

2. Control Your Discord Notifications

If you are a member of lots of Discord servers, your notifications can quickly spiral out of control. Opening the app to discover thousands of unread messages isn’t helpful; you can’t possibly parse that amount of information.

Thankfully, Discord lets you take a granular level of control over your notifications. You can edit your preferences at the server level, the channel level, and the user level.

To edit your general notification settings (such as unread notification badges and desktop messages), go to User Settings > Notifications. If you want to turn off notifications for an entire server, right-click on the server’s icon and select Server Mute. Finally, if you only want to turn off alerts for a particular channel, right-click on the channel’s name and choose Mute [Channel Name].

3. Use Server Folders in Discord

In July 2019, Discord added support for server folders; it was a feature that users had been requesting for years. By using server folders, you can organize your list of servers on the left-hand side of the screen into more manageable groups. For people who are members of dozens of different groups, the folders make the app much easier to use.

To create a new server folder, drag one server’s icon on top of another server’s icon. And if you right-click on the newly created folder, you can rename it, change its color, and tweak other settings.

4. Use Markdown in Discord

One of the cool Discord tricks that not many people know is the app’s support for markdown. For the uninitiated, Markdown is a lightweight markup language created in 2004. It has many applications, but it is most commonly used to create rich text using a plain text editor. It means you can use markdown to format your messages the way you want.

Here are some of the most common markdown writing tips you should know about:

• Bold: **[TEXT]**
• Italics: *[TEXT]* or _[TEXT]_
• Underscore: __[TEXT]__
• Strikethrough: ~~Strikethrough~~
• Code: `[TEXT]`
• Hyperlink: [Hyperlink!]([URL])
• Remove embeds: <[URL]>

Use these codes liberally, and you’ll be able to make your messages stand out from the crowd.

5. Set Up Discord Hotkeys

Discord hotkeys—called Keybinds—let you set which keys activate certain in-app actions. You can either set up a single key or a combination of keys.

They are available for the following actions:

• Activate Overlay Chat
• Push to Talk (Normal)
• Push to Talk (Priority)
• Toggle Mute
• Toggle Deafen
• Toggle VAD
• Toggle Streamer Mode
• Toggle Overlay
• Toggle Overlay Lock

To set up keybinds, go to User Settings > Keybinds. Click on Record Keybind to enter your preferred combinations.

6. Use Discord Keyboard Shortcuts

As you’d expect, Discord offers a bunch of keyboard shortcuts. Expert users rely on them a lot; if you’re involved in lots of simultaneous chats, you need to be able to bounce between them quickly.

Some Discord shortcuts that are worth knowing include:

• Switch servers: Ctrl + Alt + Up/Down
• Switch channels: Alt + Up/Down
• Cycle through unread messages: Alt + Shift + Up/Down
• Mark channel as read: Escape
• Mark server as read: Shift + Escape
• Jump to oldest unread message: Shift + Page Up
• Toggle emoji window: Ctrl + E
• Toggle deafen: Ctrl + Shift + D
• Answer a call: Ctrl + Enter
• Edit your last message: Up

Keyboard shortcuts differ from hotkeys in that you cannot edit or remove them; they are hardcoded into the Discord app.

7. Install Discord Bots

Bots play an increasingly important role in lots of communications apps. You’ll find them in everything from Facebook Messenger to Telegram.

Discord is no different. There are hundreds of community-developed bots available—each of which is designed to fulfill a specific role on the server. For example, GAwesome Bot can be used to conduct polls and giveaways, GameStats lets you rank gaming stats and profiles against your buddies, and there’s even a quiz-themed bot called TriviaBot.

The bots are almost all free to install and use. You will only be able to add new bots to a server if you’re an admin, but you can add as many as you want to your personal rooms.

8. Buy Discord Nitro

If you find that the basic version of Discord is not meeting your needs, you should consider upgrading to the paid pro version, called Discord Nitro.

Discord Nitro introduces some cool additional features. For example, you can set up a custom Discord tag (for the duration of your subscription), share your screen in either 720p (60 FPS) or 1080p (30 FPS), increase the maximum file upload size (from 8MB to 50MB or 100MB), upload your own GIFs, and enjoy support for global custom emojis.

Discord Nitro costs $50/year or $5/month. There’s also a more expensive plan that introduces “server boosts”. The boosts are mostly gimmicks and don’t warrant the price of $10/month or $100/year.

9. Type Discord Chat Commands

Discord offers several in-app chat commands. They are only available on the desktop app and iOS; unfortunately, Android users are out of luck.

Check out some of these popular commands to get started:

• /nick: Lets you change your server-specific nickname (assuming the permission is turned on). Enter your new nickname after the command.
• /tenor and /giphy: Allow you to search the web for animated GIFs.
• /spoiler: Hides your message so other users don’t see your spoilers for TV series and games.
• /shrug: Gives the common ¯\_(?)_/¯ output in the chat window.
• \[emoji]: Typing a \ before an emoji will enter the Unicode emoji picture rather than the Discord version.
• s/[text]/[new text]: This command is a simple way to edit typos in your previous message. For example, s/bananna/banana would replace the misspelled word (bananna) with the correct version.

10. Edit Voice Processing Settings

One of the most underused Discord tricks is to improve your own mic’s audio output by using the app’s powerful voice processing features. Settings you can toggle on/off include Echo Cancelation, Noise Reduction, and Automatic Gain Control. You can also use a beta noise suppression tool for your microphone.

If the person you’re chatting to is struggling to hear you, you should have a fiddle with these settings. They are all enabled by default, however, if you have a decent mic, they could prove to be more of a hindrance than a help.

11. Enable 2FA on Discord

If you’re anything like us, you’ll be a member of dozens of different Discord servers across a wide range of topics. You don’t want someone to gain unauthorized access to all that information—it’s a window on your life, hobbies, and friends that needs to be kept out of the wrong hands.

One of the best ways to ensure the security of your Discord account is to turn on 2FA. When enabled, you’ll need to add an extra numerical code generated by a phone app or dongle every time you log in. You can enable 2FA on Discord by heading to Settings > My Account > Enable Two-Factor Auth.

To learn more about 2FA, check out our article explaining the pros and cons of various 2FA methods.

12. Enable Discord Developer Mode

The Discord Developer Mode is primarily aimed at, well, Discord developers.

However, if you run your own server it’s worth turning on for one reason: you can use the tool to easily grab the unique multi-digit ID of users, individual messages, and servers. You can use them to further customize the Discord experience for your server’s members.

Turn on Developer Mode by going to Settings > Appearance > Advanced > Developer Mode.

More Discord Tips and Tricks Worth Knowing

In this article, we’ve discussed some of the best Discord tips and tricks everyone should use to squeeze more out of the app.

However, these are just the tip of the iceberg. If you want to learn more about using Discord, here’s how to find the best Discord servers and how to set up your own Discord server.

Read the full article: 12 Discord Tips and Tricks All Users Should Know

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How to Use NFC: 7 NFC Uses That’ll Impress Your Friends

Near Field Communication, known as NFC, may sound like a dry, technical specification. In many ways, it is. However, the applications of NFC are worth considering.

Android smartphones have had access to NFC for many years, while Apple’s iPhones previously had a feature-limited version. However, both platforms use the wireless technology for contactless payments, headphone pairing, and some level of automation.

If you want to make the most of NFC applications, we’ll show you how.

What Is NFC?

Near Field Communication (NFC) allows wireless communication between two electronic devices that are close to each other. Officially, NFC can support distances of up to 1.5 inches apart, but in practice, it can be up to 4 inches.

Generally, this comes in two forms; device to device communication or readable tags. While it is possible to make two devices interact via NFC, there are generally better methods of achieving this either through physical cables or other wireless technologies like Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.

That said, contactless payments are facilitated via NFC. So, when you walk into your local store and pay with your phone using Google Pay or Apple Pay, the transaction is initiated via NFC.

The primary interaction method, then, is between a device like a smartphone and a readable NFC tag. These tags are small, cheap, and unpowered. This is made possible because the reading device, often your smartphone, can generate a Radio Frequency (RF) field that will power the tag.

NFC Compatibility

Android devices have supported NFC since the early days of the smartphone, but Apple chose to withhold support on the iPhone. However, when the company unveiled Apple Pay, a contactless payment system enabled by NFC, they began including these wireless chips on iPhones.

Before iOS 11, the company limited its use just to Apple Pay. However, iPhone models from the iPhone 7 and newer running iOS 13 and above now support contactless payments, the ability to read NFC tags, and the capability to write them, too.

This brings both mobile platforms into step with one another, allowing you to use NFC on your Android smartphone or iPhone. However, the specifications of Android phones vary considerably, so NFC support isn’t guaranteed. This is especially true of the affordable end of the market, where other features are given priority.

What You’ll Need

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If you own an NFC-compatible smartphone, then you’ll need to purchase some NFC tags before you get going. There are many types of NFC tags available, ranging from the affordable through to expensive industrial use varieties.

To make the most of the following NFC applications, you’ll want to invest in a set of rewritable NFC tags. Although there is a wide range of available tags, the Timeskey NFC Stickers (10 Pack) are great value, can be rewritten, and are easy to place wherever you need them.

You’ll also need to download an NFC tag writer app to your smartphone. NFC-enabled iPhones can read tags without additional software, but your experience may vary on Android.

There are many apps on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store that can write tags, one of the best options is the NFC TagWriter by NXP. The app is available for both mobile platforms and is easy to use.

Download: NFC TagWriter by NXP for Android | iOS (Free)

The Best Ways to Use NFC

Once you’ve got a compatible smartphone, rewritable NFC tags, and downloaded a tag writing app, you can then begin to make the most of what NFC can offer. As the tags can be rewritten, you can experiment with your own automated setup. That said, there are plenty of NFC uses that you can get started with right away.

1. Instantly Connect to a Wi-Fi Network

Wi-Fi passwords are lengthy and complicated. This makes connecting to your network a pain. If you’d rather replace that cumbersome process with a single tap, you can write your Wi-Fi password to an NFC tag. Android and iOS support this feature, so a tap on the tag will pre-populate Wi-Fi connection details and get you online without any fuss.

If you like this idea, but would rather have something a bit more formal, consider a product like the Wifi Porter. The device is a well-designed, easy-to-use NFC device that does the same thing. Still not sure? Take a look at our review of the Wifi Porter before investing.

2. Get Yourself Out of Bed

Waking up in the morning can be a considerable challenge. For some people, even the most relentless alarm clock doesn’t help. In that case, consider using an NFC tag to motivate you out of bed instead. Apps like Sleep As Android integrate alarms with NFC tags, through the use of in-app captchas.

These aim to verify that you have acted by making you interact with a physical item. Use the app to write an NFC-based captcha, then the only way to disable the alarm is to venture out of bed, find the NFC sticker, and tap your phone against it.

3. Launch a Website

There might be times when you want to direct someone to a specific website. This can be a bit tricky, especially if it’s not a simple website address. Instead of having them type out a long random URL, you can write the URL to an NFC tag. When tapped, it loads the user’s mobile browser and directs them straight to the site you wanted.

4. Automatically Enter Driving Mode

iPhone users know that when they get into the vehicle and connect to their in-car entertainment system, their phone will automatically enter Driving Mode. This silences notifications and optimizes your setup for your journey. Although some Android smartphones can do this, the majority don’t.

If you’d prefer to automate this process, you can write the tasks to an NFC tag. When placed inside the car, a tap of your phone can perform actions like enable Do Not Disturb, turn on or off data, and open your navigation app.

Some NFC tag writing apps, like Trigger on Android, let you set up a toggle switch to reverse the actions. So, the first tap will enable Driving Mode, while a second can disable it and return your phone to normal operations.

5. Make Payments

As we mentioned earlier, NFC enables contactless payments when using services like Google Pay or Apple Pay. In many places around the world, contactless payments have become commonplace. Indeed, in many food and convenience stores in the US, contactless is the preferred method of payment.

Both Apple Pay and Google Pay allow you to keep track of your spending, analyze your habits, and store coupons. Additionally, opting for NFC payments means you no longer need to carry other payment methods alongside your phone.

6. Automate Common Phone Tasks

Android and iOS now have methods of automating regular tasks, but they don’t always offer the kind of flexibility you’re after. Using NFC, you can set up shortcuts for actions like calling a specific friend or family member, opening your camera, or running your favorite streaming service as you leave the house.

If you want a more efficient way to automate these shortcuts, consider investing in a set of DIMPLE Smart Buttons. These physical buttons stick to the rear of your smartphone near the NFC chip. When pressed, they activate a custom NFC task, which you can set via the DIMPLE app.

7. Share Media

If you create videos for YouTube, stream on Twitch, or release music on Spotify, one of the biggest challenges is getting people to see your content in the first place. You can overcome this hurdle with NFC.

It’s possible to embed a link to your work on the NFC tag and then strategically stick it somewhere that’ll get people interested. Just be sure to explain what is on the tag, as people may be wary of the notable NFC security issues.

The Best Uses for NFC

NFC chips have changed the way we interact with the world around us. These cheap electronic components have enabled contactless payment systems like Google Pay and Apple Pay, made some physical tickets redundant, and made home automation an affordable reality.

However, although NFC is undoubtedly useful, like all technology, it is vulnerable to security issues, too. Before you delve into the wireless technology, you might want to read up on how a drive-by NFC hack works.

Read the full article: How to Use NFC: 7 NFC Uses That’ll Impress Your Friends

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6 Funny Comedy Blogs That’ll Make You Laugh Without Pictures or Videos

While being online 24/7 is not always great, the list of ways that you can entertain yourself through the web is practically endless. On top of social media sites, there are also tons of funny blogs to read when you’re bored.

To put it in perspective: everyone reading this article has probably heard of The Oatmeal, Fail Blog, or The Onion at least once.

However, one thing all these websites have in common is that they are immensely popular, and need little introduction. A lot of them also rely on images instead of text in order to give you a laugh.

So to show you the other side of “absolutely hilarious,” here are six more blogs, forums, or social media accounts that will make you laugh with just text—no pictures or videos.

1. Not Always Romantic

If you’ve been on the internet for a while, you might have heard about Not Always Right. It’s a blog that documents how employees try to satisfy unreasonable customer demands from the employee’s perspective.

Not Always Right also has a sister site called Not Always Romantic. Once again, it parallels the same concept. Through Not Always Romantic, readers can send in their stories detailing weird, offbeat, quirky, or downright strange conversations between themselves and a loved one.

From unromantic quotes, to stories about how couples first met, this funny blog has it all. At the very least—even if you’re not laughing—it will leave you feeling slightly amused. Not Always Romantic is definitely one of the more interesting blogs to read when you’re bored.

If you’re looking for other “odd-ball” things to do that may be romantically inclined, you can also check out our list of hilarious Valentine’s Day pranks. Fair warning, though: be careful who you try these pranks on.

2. Not Always Related

Following in the tradition of our previous recommendation, we also wanted to give a shoutout to Not Always Related, which, once again, is related to Not Always Right.

Featuring stories about family members, these funny blog posts talk about the weird occurrences, strange events, and odd conversations that occur between readers and their relatives.

There’s even a hall of fame section that will guide you through the most upvoted posts. Usually, those posts are a distinct combination of superbly awkward but amusing.

3. Don’t Even Reply

Looking for funny blogs to read that are all about classified ads, and nothing but? The creator of Don’t Even Reply—a consummate troll of the old-school variety—has set up a website with this premise.

While some of these posts may be shocking, we think there’s a high chance it’ll keep you entertained.

Basically—for each blog post—the author of the website finds a classified ad and replies to the person who posted it. When the original poster responds, the blogger sends back increasingly nonsensical replies until the recipient becomes understandably angry. You can’t help but feel bad for some of these ad owners.

While this blog has not been updated in a very long time (since 2013), its magic lies in how it’s a window to an earlier internet time period. Since these conversations often involve ridiculous levels of trolling, the posts do contain profanity more often than not. So heads up on the language.

If you’re looking for more humorous blogs or ways to entertain yourself when you’re bored, check out our list of fun things to do online when you’re bored at work.

4. r/IAmVerySmart

While this subreddit does dip into screenshots—and screenshots are technically pictures—most of the screenshots on r/iamverysmart are usually of text. As such, we think it should make the list.

As a forum devoted to making fun of online posts from people who think they are “very smart,” r/iamverysmart is one of several massive subreddits that cover the huge levels of ego that you can find on the web.

These posts range from people preening about their IQ scores in ironic ways, to “not-so-humble-brags.” It seems that everyone wants to shout from the rooftops that they are better than everyone else in the room, and often, it comes back to bite them.

With over 1 million members, this subreddit is definitely updated frequently. Although it’s not a blog in the technical sense, it can definitely fall under the category of “fun blogs to read when you’re bored.”

5. Clients From Hell

Clients From hell is a text-based website that I’ve personally been following on-and-off since I was a university student. It’s also one of the funniest blogs around.

The concept of “Clients From Hell” is very simple. Like Not Always Right, the blog documents customer interactions from the point of the employee, except this time the employees are specifically designers.

From people who try to get out of paying for a service, to downright illegal requests, the stories on this site are numerous, mind-boggling, and absurd. The levels of difficult behaviour that designers must put up with is astounding, and there are actually so many stories that each post is filed under a particular story “type.” These types range from deadbeat clients to full-on bigots.

We definitely recommend checking out Clients From Hell if you want to work in a design-related field.

6. So Sad Today

Last on the list, we want to recommend So Sad Today: a Twitter account devoted to sad-but-funny one-line tweets.

Part millennial humor, part self-effacing doom and gloom, this Twitter account captures the mindset of a generation (or several) that is always on the brink. Even still, it seeks to find some laughter in the darkness.

So Sad Today has almost a million followers. In fact, there’s even a book to go along with the account. The book is called So Sad Today: Personal Essays by Melissa Broder. It’s a must-check-out if you’re a regular Twitter user.

Laugh Out Loud With More Funny Sites

With this list of blogs to read when you’re bored, you can settle in, start reading, and smile.

If you’re looking for other funny sites that have less of a text-based focus, you can also read up on these hilariously random websites to help you procrastinate.

Read the full article: 6 Funny Comedy Blogs That’ll Make You Laugh Without Pictures or Videos

8 Most Common Internet Explorer Issues (And Easy Ways to Fix Them)

After being the subject of jokes and hated for years, Internet Explorer has largely moved into obscurity now. Microsoft still includes Internet Explorer 11 (the final version) with Windows 10, but it’s more for compatibility reasons than anything else.

However, you might sometimes find yourself in situations where you have to use Internet Explorer. Let’s look at quick fixes for common Internet Explorer issues so your time with the aging browser isn’t a hassle.

1. Internet Explorer Is Not in Active Development

Before we address specific Internet Explorer problems and fixes, we have to cover the obvious. While Microsoft maintains it on supported versions of Windows, Internet Explorer is an old browser that the company no longer actively develops. Due to a lack of modern features and an aging configuration, Internet Explorer 11 is increasingly insufficient for today’s web.

Because of this, we don’t recommend that you use Internet Explorer unless you absolutely have to. It’s mainly included with Windows 10 as a backward compatibility tool, as many internal business websites require Internet Explorer to work properly. Unless you come across such a site, you’ll be much better off using Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Microsoft’s revamped Edge, or even an open source browser.

Below, we’ll cover a few common problems with Internet Explorer. If you can’t solve any of them easily, don’t waste your time—just use something else.

2. Basic Internet Explorer Troubleshooting: Updates Not Installed

As mentioned, Internet Explorer doesn’t receive updates often. However, on the off chance that Microsoft fixed a known problem with Internet Explorer recently, you should check for updates before you start more focused troubleshooting.

On Windows 10, the browser receives updates through Windows Update, since it’s a component of the OS. Head to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update to check for the latest updates, and apply any that appear here.

3. Can’t Find Internet Explorer

Internet Explorer comes with Windows 10 by default. To open it, just search for Internet Explorer on the Start menu. If it doesn’t appear there, press Win + R to open the Run box and type iexplore.exe.

Should you see an error message or have Internet Explorer fail to load, it’s likely that you (or another administrator on your computer) disabled it. Perhaps they didn’t want anyone using the old browser unnecessarily.

To activate Internet Explorer again, type Windows features into the Start menu and select Turn Windows features on or off. In the list that appears, scroll down and check Internet Explorer 11 if it’s not already. Click OK, wait for the process to complete, then restart your PC. It should then be available.

4. Error 404 in Internet Explorer

Error 404 means that the page you’re trying to visit doesn’t exist. Usually, this happens because you mistyped a URL or clicked on a link that leads to a dead page; it’s rarely a problem with IE.

When this happens, press F5 to refresh the page and make sure it’s not a temporary issue. If you manually typed the URL, double-check to confirm you didn’t make any mistakes. After checking those, try searching for the page using Google.

If it doesn’t appear from searching, chances are that the page no longer exists. Try accessing it from another browser, or a different device like your phone. If that works, try clearing your browser cache in IE.

5. Internet Explorer Crashes, Freezes, or Hangs

A lot of Internet Explorer troubleshooting revolves around poor performance. To address these problems, you should first run the Internet Explorer Performance troubleshooter.

To access this, search for control panel in the Start menu to open it. If you see Category in the top-right, click this to change it to Small icons. Next, select Troubleshooting, followed by View all at the top-left.

In the resulting menu, double-click on Internet Explorer Performance. Before you start, click the Advanced link and choose Run as administrator for best results.

Once the troubleshooter completes, it shows you any completed actions that it took. Hopefully, these will resolve your Internet Explorer problem.

Toggling hardware acceleration can also help with these issues. This option uses your PC’s graphics card (instead of the CPU) to handle graphics-extensive tasks, such as streaming video. Most of the time it’s better to keep it enabled, but you can try toggling it to see if it makes a difference.

To change this, click the gear icon at the top-right of Internet Explorer (which represents the Tools menu), followed by Internet options. Select the Advanced tab at the top, then check the box for Use software rendering instead of GPU rendering. Click OK, then you’ll need to restart your PC for the change to take effect.

Further Performance Troubleshooting

Browser add-ons can often interfere with performance. Click the gear icon and choose Manage add-ons to review the ones you have enabled and try turning off any that you don’t need. As another troubleshooting step, you can also run Internet Explorer without any add-ons and see if that improves anything.

To do this, close all Internet Explorer windows first. Then press Win + R to open the Run dialog, enter iexplore.exe -extoff, and hit Enter. See if IE performs better with no extensions running.

If all else fails, you should try a complete reset of Internet Explorer. This sets everything back to its default state so you can start from a clean slate. Before proceeding, we recommend saving anything you want to keep from Internet Explorer, such as backing up your bookmarks.

To reset IE, go to Tools > Internet options > Advanced and click the Reset button at the bottom. You’ll see a warning letting you know what this process will do. It resets all your settings, but won’t remove personal content like your homepage, history, and saved form data.

Check the Delete personal settings box if you want to erase this content as well.

After you click Reset, you’ll need to restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

6. Internet Explorer Display Issues

If a website doesn’t look like you expect, such as appearing blank, images not displaying, broken or jumbled text, or misplaced menus, there could be some compatibility issues between IE and the website.

This can often occur due to Compatibility View, a feature designed to help display websites built for ancient versions of IE. To check, click Compatibility View settings from the Tools menu. The current website will show in the Add this website box; click Add to display it using Compatibility View.

On the flip side, if the site looks wrong and it’s on the Compatibility View list, click it and choose Remove. You should never need to use Compatibility View Unless a website was specifically built for IE 8 or older, which is rare these days.

Internet Explorer’s Tracking Protection feature, which reduces website tracking for your privacy, can also interfere with content. To turn off Tracking Protection, select Manage add-ons from the Tools menu. Choose Tracking Protection from the left sidebar, then right-click on each item in the list and choose Disable.

You can also try clearing your browser cache, as mentioned in section #4 above. Head to Tools > Internet options > General and click Delete under Browsing history.

Display issues can also be caused by hardware acceleration, as mentioned above. Try toggling that setting if you haven’t already.

7. Videos Won’t Play in Internet Explorer

If you can’t get a video to play in IE, try using another browser. Most video uses HTML5 these days, which works in every modern browser. When a specific video won’t play, it probably relies on a feature that IE lacks.

If you really need to watch it in IE, check your add-ons to check for conflicts, as described above.

8. Can’t See Any Pictures in Internet Explorer

You can try all the previously mentioned solutions for this problem, such as Compatibility View, turning off Tracking Protection, and clearing temporary internet files. However, there’s actually a setting that disables all pictures in Internet Explorer. It’s a simple fix if you’ve run into this issue.

Browse to Tools > Internet options > Advanced. Scroll down to the Multimedia header and make sure that Show pictures is checked.

If this is checked, you may want to reset Internet Explorer’s security settings. While in Internet options, click the Security tab and you’ll see several “zones” at the top (most sites fall into the Internet zone). Simply click Reset all zones to default level and restart your PC to put everything back to normal.

Should this all fail, reset IE to its default settings as explained above.

IE Is Old, So Issues Aren’t Surprising

Now you know how to respond when Internet Explorer isn’t working properly. Hopefully, you almost never have to use it and thus don’t run into many problems. Again, since the browser is far from modern, these problems can definitely occur. We urge you to use another browser when at all possible.

In case you’re stuck with IE for a while longer, check out our Internet Explorer FAQ for more help.

Read the full article: 8 Most Common Internet Explorer Issues (And Easy Ways to Fix Them)

How to make the most of your at-home videoconference setup: Microphone edition

Working from home isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, and a slew of companies just announced longer-term initiatives to make their remote work practices either extend or permanent. That means for some it’s the perfect time to take their at-home videoconferencing setup even further, so we’re going to take a closer look at various core elements to build on our initial exploration of what can help you improve your video call or live broadcasting game. Today, it’s all about audio.

Microphone basics

In our initial feature, I highlighted some great entry-level options for add-on pics that you can use to produce better sound than what your Mac or PC can produce alone. Those included the Samson Meteor Mic, a longstanding favorite that connects directly via USB and that produces great, full-bodied sound without any customization required.

There’s also the Rode Wireless GO, a simple and affordable wireless mic pack kit that you can use on its own, or pair with a lavalier like the Rode Lavalier GO for a bit better sound. Rode also makes a great USB mic, that, like the Meteor Mic, just works and comes in at around $100 – the Rode NT-USB Mini. It features some design decisions like a magnetic desk stand that could make it more flexible for use for certain setups vs. the Meteor Mic, and the sound it produces is also fantastic.

To improve your Rode Wireless GO setup a bit further, or to use a wired lavalier-style wearable mic plugged directly into your computer or audio interface, there are a couple of great options available from Sennheiser that provide subtle but noticeable sound quality improvements no matter how you’re using them.

The Sennheiser MKE Essential Omni is a great lavalier mic that’s often used in stage productions and other professional settings, with a tiny profile that you can pretty easily hide in clothing using the included clip, or even in hair, or in tandem with an earset holder for putting it right on your cheek next to your mouth. You’ll get slightly different sound profiles depending on how you wear it, but it generally produces great, warm sound and doesn’t cost too much at just under $200 (on the relative scale of sound equipment prices).

Sennheiser’s ME 2-II is another, lower-cost option at $129.95 that also produces great results, and works with with wireless transmitters like the Rode Wireless GO, but it’s a bit less warm and present than the MKE Essential.

Getting serious about sound

High-end lavalier mics are already starting to get into high expense territory, but as with most audio equipment, the sky’s the limit here. That’s also true for shotgun microphones, which is another option for rigging your setup for the best possible audio without compromising on things like unsightly microphones in frame, or some of the trade-offs that come with using very physically small microphones like lavalier and lapel mics.

In our original post, I talked about using a Rode VideoMic NTG as one option, and that is indeed a great, mid-level shotgun mic to experiment with, with the added benefit of being terrific for use on-camera in the field thanks to its built in battery, compact dimensions and intelligent compatibility with a range of modern cameras.

But for home studio use, there are shotgun mics that are much more appropriate to the task. The Rode NTG3 is a personal favorite, and a popular standard in the broadcast and film industries – for good reason. The NTG3 is a tubular mic with a standard XLR output, that required 48v phantom power and that is perfect for videos shooting scenarios where you’re staying relatively still in a fixed location with cameras also mounted in fixed positions – ie., exactly how most people have their home working spaces set up.

The Rode NTG3 is a bit of a budget-buster, however – it’s $699, which is more than even some very high-quality standard podcasting mics out there. But for the price, you get an extremely high-quality piece of hardware, that has built-in moisture resistance for shooting outdoors if that’s ever something you want to do, and that sounds great even when mounted out of sight beyond the frame of your camera’s lens.

It’s also supercardioid in its pickup pattern, which means it does an excellent job of picking up sound directly in front of it, but not sound to either side. That’s a great advantage to have in most shared home office spaces, just like it is with on-location film shoots.

Another top option that’s a popular favorite, and that comes in at a lower price point, is the Sennheiser MKE 600. At around $330, it’s roughly have the price of the NTG3, and it has a built-in battery in case you want to take it with you and plug it into your camera. It also uses XLR, which means you’ll need a preamp like the Focusrite 2i2 or the recently released Audient EVO 4 to make it work with your computer (or the iRig Pre if you’re running it to a deck like the Blackmagic ATEM Mini, as I was).

The sound from the MKE 600 is still top notch, but it doesn’t do quite as good a job as the NTG3 of eliminating any self-noise, and of capturing a deep, rich tone that’s suitable to deeper voices. You can check out a comparison of both boom mics, along with the Sennheiser MKE Essential, in the video below.

Another option is to use a pole or boom-mounted mic like you generally see podcasters or radio personalities use. These include popular options like the Shure SM7B, which you’ll probably recognize immediately from its distinct profile. I’m partial to the Shure Beta 87A supercardioid mic for home recording of audio podcasts, but as you can see from the video below, there are some reasons that you might not want to use it for live video conferences, meetings or events – even if it sounds great even untreated.

There are a range of other options, of course – including differently priced options from both Rode and Sennheiser, most of which offer great quality for what you pay. The nature of audio is that it’s also a highly personal preference, with different people preferring sound that’s either favors the higher end, the low end, or that’s more or less balanced, so it’s going to take a lot of comparison shopping and listening to samples to figure out what works for you.

Bottom line

In the end, sticking to quality brands with established reputations in the film and video industries is a great way to get make the most of your setup. Mics like those I use above benefit even more from physical sound isolation, including measures that are fairly easy to accomplish, like laying down carpets and towels, as well as more advanced practices, like picking up dedicated sound isolating materials including foam pads and mounting them on your walls.

Sound is probably the trickiest part of any videoconferencing or virtual event setup to get right – it’s as much art as it is science, and there are a lot of variables that are hard to control, even with the best equipment, especially in live settings. But going the extra mile can mean the difference between coming across polished and professional, and appearing unprepared, which is bound to make a difference in our increasingly virtual face-to-face world.

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