How-To

How to Delete or Deactivate Instagram Accounts

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After spending 5 consecutive hours scrolling Instagram, double-tapping pics, and stalking your ex (you know you did it), you’ve decided that it might be time to learn how to delete Instagram, or at the very least, deactivate Instagram. While Instagram is an amazing tool for both personal and business use, sometimes the addictive nature of social media can get the best of us.

In these moments, you have two choices. You can permanently delete your Instagram or you can temporarily deactivate it. In most cases, deactivating will serve the necessary purpose. However, at times, a full delete might be the best way. This is completely situationally dependent so think about it carefully before making a choice. It’s always safe to use the first option to deactivate, however.

How to Deactivate Instagram Accounts (Temporarily)

Deactivate Instagram

If you’re not sure if you might want your account back then you can simply deactivate Instagram and then all your pictures and settings will be saved for when and if you want to return.

  1. From a web browser, log in to Instagram and click on Profile, then choose Edit Profile.
  2. In Edit Profile, look at the bottom corner for the link that says “Temporarily Disable My Account”. Clicking this will deactivate Instagram and you can get it back later.

On an iPhone, simply follow the same steps and, from your profile, go to Edit Profile and then choose “Temporarily Disable My Account”.

How to Delete Instagram Accounts (Permanently)

Delete Instagram

For whatever reason, you may need a more nuclear option where you destroy all pictures and setting and delete your entire Instagram account. In this case all posts are also destroyed and your username cannot be reactivated. If you’re going to do this, then make sure to grab all your pictures that you’d like to keep first because you won’t be able to get them back.

Once you’ve made the decision that a complete deletion is right for you, go to instagram.com and go to the Delete Your Account Page. You will then fill out the form, enter your password, and click on “Permanently Delete Account” and it will be gone. Again, there is no way to get it back so that is why Instagram makes you go through a few extra steps to do this.

Whether you’re just wasting too much time browsing and want to deactivate Instagram for a while or you have to delete it permanently, you should know exactly what you need to do now.

How-To

How to Force Quit on Mac: Troubleshooting the Frozen Beach Ball

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We’ve all been there before. It’s 2am and you’re trying to play that new album that your friend recommended in iTunes. Then it appears, the spinning beach ball of death. Learning how to force quit on mac can save you time and frustration.

Luckily for you, we got you covered. You want to know how to force quit on Mac, don’t you? Perhaps you’re an avid Windows user and you’re used to hitting the good old Control-Alt-Delete when things are all locked up on you. Well, now you’re a Mac user so you’re not accustomed to the new commands. Not to fret.

The good news is that there are several ways to make this happen. The bad news is that you might not get to practice it too much because Macs are generally highly responsible devices.

How to Force Quit on Mac: The Force Quit Option in the Dock

how to force quit on mac
Hit the Option/Alt key to change to Force Quit

You’re staring at the beach ball and you move the mouse up to the menu to try to close it but it’s all beach ball, all the time. It’s okay because we have the dock at the bottom of the screen that can help us out.

Go to the bottom of the screen, find the icon for the app, then right click (or control + click). You’ll bring up the “contextual menu” and then you hit the Quit option at the bottom. Hopefully that does it and the app will close. If not, try again, but when the contextual menu appears hold down the ALT key and the Quit option will change to Force Quit. Boom. Select Force Quit and the troublesome program should close immediately.

One more cool way to find the Force Quit option on a Mac is to change to another program that is working and then head up to the Apple icon at the top left of your screen. From there you can select the Force Quit option from the drop-down list. Voila! You have used the force quit Mac option and the program is gone.

How to Force Quit on Mac: Using the Keyboard to Force Quit

For you Windows users, this might be a lot more comforting of an option. Yes, you can use your keyboard to force quit on Mac.

When you find that you can’t escape from an app through the Force Quit option in the dock, you can simply hold down the Command-Option-Esc keys. Within the list that appears is every app that is running on your system. You can then force quit on the one that is causing you a problem. Mostly likely it will be the one that says “Not Responding” and you can simply highlight it and then click Force Quit at the bottom of the window. This handy Mac function is probably the most similar to your beloved Control-Alt-Delete PC function.

How to Force Quit on Mac: When Your Stuck in the Application

Mac Force Quit
Command-Shift-Option-Escape

Uh oh. You’ve tried all of the above but you can’t get out of the app! Not to fear. There is a solution for you. Just hold down Command–Shift–Option–Escape and OS X will close whichever app is currently active. This is a nuclear option when you just have to get out of the app and it’s not responding.

How to Force Quit on Mac: Use the Activity Monitor

Force Quit Mac
Select the unresponsive program and hit the X button

Another handy function on your Mac is the Activity Monitor. Go to the Finder and then navigate to Applications>Utilities/Activity Monitor and you’ll see all of the applications that are running. Double click the app and hit the Quit button to quickly force quit on your Mac.

How to Force Quit on Mac: Frozen Computer, What Next?

We hope this doesn’t ever happen to you but what do you do when your compute is completely frozen? Simple. Just hold down the Power button and your computer will restart. This is the most drastic option for restarting your computer. Keep in mind that files that were not saved may not be there when you restart. Use this option only when all else fails.

At this point, you should have plenty of different ways to Control-Alt-Delete on your Mac and also have all the tools at your disposal to make your Mac force quit whenever necessary. Although Macs are stable systems, sometimes you might have to use the good old Control-Alt-Delete (PC) or rather the Command-Option-Esc (Mac) to get things moving again.

iPhone

Amazon trade in program offers top dollar for your iPhone

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The Amazon trade in program is one of the easiest ways to get cash for your old phone. If you’re thinking about purchasing the latest iPhone there are many options when it comes to getting the best value out of your previous model. Some may pass it on to a family member, use AT&T and Verizon trade-in program or possibly even auction it off on eBay. But before you do any of those check out the Amazon Trade in offers.

The Amazon trade in program offers you an Amazon Gift Card in exchange for your phone or other electronic device.

The Amazon Trade in Process

The process is simple, first select the phone you wish to trade in and then answer a few simple questions about its condition. You’ll be asked the following questions once your Amazon Trade in is selected:

  1. Does the device power on?
  2. Are there cracks or other heavy damage?
  3. Does the device hold a charge and function perfectly?
  4. Is your device still being financed through your carrier?
  5. Are there any scratches or dents?
  6. Has your device been removed from your online account (For example iCloud)?

amazon tradein

After answering those questions you’ll be asked to review your order. Your trade-in value will be locked in and you have 28 days to ship your device. Once received Amazon trade in program has 7 days to review its condition. Once accepted the Amazon Gift card will be applied to your account. You can always track the process of being accepted or rejected in your Amazon trade in account.

amazon trade in program

The Amazon Trade in Conditions

Amazon will accept your trade-in if it meets the condition requirements for New, Good or Acceptable.

  • New: Brand new phone in perfect working condition and contains all original packaging and accessories.
  • Good: Normal wear and tear, phone is in good working order and display is flawless.
  • Acceptable: Phone is worn from use and shows signs of scratches, cracks and dents but phone remains in working condition and powers on.

Amazon will not accept your phone trade-in if:

  • Does not turn on
  • Phone is water damaged
  • Operating system can’t be set back to original factory settings
  • Your phone is still being financed through your carrier
  • Your iCloud or similar account has yet to be removed from the phone

You’ll receive a lower Amazon trade in offer if your phone is having trouble holding a charge, has numerous cracks, scratches, dents or other heavy damage. For example in our testing Amazon reduced the price of our trade-in as much as $165 for the most severely damaged iPhone that was still in working condition.

Amazon will produce a pre-paid label for you to print and ship your old phone. If your phone is not accepted there are no charges for return shipping.

For our previous model iPhone we received a total of $279 with our Amazon trade in. Enough to buy additional iPhone accessories like wireless headphones and a case. Of course you can use the Amazon Gift Card for anything of your future Amazon orders. In short if you are used to the ease of Amazon the Amazon trade in program is a great way to maximize the value of your older phone.

How-To

How to charge iPhone 7 and listen to music at the same time

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Recently many in the Apple community have been asking… “How can I charge iPhone 7 and listen to music at the same time?”

With the release of the iPhone 7, Apple has officially eliminated the analog 3.5mm headphone jack from the iPhone. The lightning connector is the only port remaining on the iPhone 7.

iphone 7 charge lightning

In the box you’ll find EarPods with Lightning Connector for listening to music and Lightning to USB Cable + USB Power Adapter for charging. Unfortunately both use the Lightening Connector on the iPhone 7 preventing you from charging and listening to music at the same time.

charge iPhone 7 and listen
iPhone 7 – What’s in the box?

Luckily Belkin saw this problem coming and will soon be introducing the Lightning Audio + Charge RockStar™ (F8J198dsWHT) adapter for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Priced around $40 it’s reasonable for an accessory but an additional cost to an already expensive iPhone.

 

RockStar™ Features:

  • Dual functionality to charge the device and listen to Lightning Audio at the same time
  • iPhone & iPad supported pass-through charging up to 12W
  • Supports up to 48 kHz + 24-bit audio output
  • Compatible with Lightning Audio headphones and the Apple Lightning to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter
  • Supports remote control & microphone from Lightning Audio headphones
  • Works with Apple iPhone 7 Smart Battery Case
  • Made for iPhone and iPad
belkin f8j198dswht
The Lightning Audio + Charge RockStar™ from Belkin

With the Belkin Lightning Audio + Charge RockStar™ adapter you’ll be able to use your EarPods with Lightning Connector and charging cable at the same time. Problem solved. Also since the iPhone now comes with a Lightning to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter you can use your old headphones as well.

Belkin iPhone 7 Adapter
Close-up of the Belkin Adapter, detailing two Lightning connections

Additional ways to charge iPhone 7 and listen to music simultaneously:

  • Buy wireless headphones to free up the Lightning Connector for charing. Apple’s new wireless AirPods were created just for this purpose. Though you’ll have to buy them separately. If you are not a fan of those there are many other styles available like the popular Beats Wireless Headphones.

Other Helpful tips:

  • Get a wireless charger for your iPhone. Currently even wireless charging needs a receiver that will still use your iPhone’s Lightning Connector so this isn’t technically a solution. However, having a wireless charger is easier to use than cables and helps you maintain a fully charged phone by just placing it on your desk or night stand charger. Hopefully in future releases this will be included in the iPhone.
  • Fully charge your iPhone before listening to music. This may not sound like a solution however newer iPhones can have 40 – 60 hours of audio playback time. Which means with a little planning you can leave your house and listen to music for a long time before charging.
How-To

How to quickly merge PDF files on Mac using Preview

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Preview makes it easy to merge PDF files on Mac. Professionals may use advanced programs such as Adobe Acrobat Pro DC to combine PDFs, but Preview, which comes free with macOS, is ideal for most Mac users.

Preview has been around for a long time. In fact you may have used it when previewing images on your mac. Few however, are aware that Preview is a quick way to edit PDF files, including merging and arranging pages.

Combining PDFs in Preview is simple but lets go through the process slowly for those who have never merged PDFs.

How to Merge PDF files on Mac:

1. First open one of the PDFs you want to combine in Preview. You can do this by first opening Preview and going to File > Open. Or by right clicking the PDF and selecting Open With > Preview.

How to merge pdf files on a Mac

2. Next you’ll want to click on the View Menu icon in the upper left and select Thumbnails. Alternatively you can do this by selecting View > Thumbnails in the Preview menu bar.

Combine PDF Files on Mac

3. After selecting thumbnails you should see the page thumbnails in the Sidebar on the left.

How to combine PDF file on macOS

4. For this example we have the second PDF we want to merge on our desktop. You can simply drag the PDF from your desktop and hover it over the thumbnail of the first PDF until you see the Plus Symbol, then release.

Combine PDF mac

5. If you did it correctly you should see the second PDF is now added to your first PDF. Notice in the PDF title it now says Page 1 of 2.

How to merge PDF files

6. Finally, Save your newly created combined PDF.

Combine pdfs mac

7. Alternatively if you want to combine additional pages or only select pages from one document to another, we suggest opening both PDFs in Preview side-by-side. You can then drag and drop any number of pages and rearrange as you see fit.

pdf merge mac

Again there are many programs that can help you merge pdf files and even some websites offering to combine PDF for free. It’s clear however Preview for macOS is a simple and quick solution to merge PDFs on Mac. In addition to being able to merge PDFs, Preview also lets you rearrange and rotate pages. Apple also has a great support page on how to combine, reposition and rotate PDFs.

Let us know in the comments if this tutorial helped you merge pdf files on your mac.