Most days, I love my dual-monitor office setup. But then deals like the one for this Samsung ViewFinity S50GC come along and make me itch to add another monitor to my setup. This 34-inch Samsung ultrawide display just dropped to $219.99 on Amazon, a massive savings on its original $329.99 tag and the lowest price it’s ever been! Hot dang. The star of the show here is the 3440×1440 resolution, providing lots more screen real estate than your typical 1440p 16:9 display. Want to fit your apps side by side on screen without feeling cramped? This’ll get the job done. It’s only a VA panel—that’s how it stays so cheap—so don’t expect the super color accuracy or vibrancy of IPS or OLED, but those options would easily cost you double or even quadruple. It does have HDR10 support though for enjoying Netflix and the like. The 100Hz refresh rate is fine for office work and media streaming, but not the best for avid gamers. Same goes for the 5ms response time. Connectivity is pretty standard as well, with dual HDMI 2.2 and one DisplayPort 1.2 for inputs, and the minimal bezel keeps it sleek and undistracting. Built-in Picture in Picture mode also aids with productivity, allowing you to keep one source minified while focusing on a task. The Samsung ViewFinity S50GC is pretty basic, but sometimes that’s all you need in a monitor—and that no-bells-or-whistles approach means you can grab this 34-inch 1440p ultrawide for only $219.99. Don’t miss out on this deal! If you want something a step up, check out our roundup of the best monitors for a home office. Get this 34-inch Samsung 1440p ultrawide monitor at its best priceBuy now on Amazon Read...

My laptop’s desktop used to be a dumping ground for all and sundry files. From images to spreadsheets to word documents, they’d all find a home there and in doing so clutter up my PC. That was before I decided to do something about the clutter. Here are my top tips to having a clean, clutter-free laptop. Start a ‘use it, lose it’ rule I’ve implemented a “use it, lose it” rule now. That means if I touch a file for anything at all, it has to be sorted immediately afterwards into a folder. That way I don’t accumulate random files that just build up and prevent me from finding the things I need. Start by cleaning up the downloads and the desktop Have you got drawers at home full of batteries, screws, tape measures, and all sorts of other oddities? They’re the equivalent of the downloads folder and your PC’s desktop. It’s where everything is dumped quickly on the way to somewhere else. Why not give both locations a quick scan to identify any files that might be of high importance. Obviously, you’ll want to sort and save those important files immediately on an external drive like one recommended by PCWorld. But chances are you’ll find lots of junk and duplicates, otherwise you’d already have saved it elsewhere on your computer, right? So, delete, delete, delete! Automate for the future You don’t necessarily need to do all the sorting of files yourself. Tools like File Juggler can take all the effort out of the process by automating the sorting based on rules that you set. For example, you can tell File Juggler to send all images to an image folder, and the app will monitor your images and do just that. You can also ask the software to rename files for you. It’s just like having a personal assistant at your beck and call. Remove any unused apps and programs If the downloads folder and your desktop are drawers full of oddities, then the apps folder is the garage full of forgotten junk. You probably have a handful of unused apps and programs just taking up useless space on your storage drive, not to mention real estate on your desktop too. But think of it like this, every app and program you uninstall will make your PC run better. So, let’s clean it up! Pexels: picjumbo Disable start up programs If you’ve done an audit on your apps, you may have come across some that you want to keep but that load into Windows automatically on startup. An app loading into Windows automatically can slow down your PC and clutter up your desktop, not to mention they can just be extremely tiresome to close all the time. The simple solution is to disable them loading automatically. To do that open Settings and navigate to Apps > Startup. Toggle the switches to Off next to the apps you don’t want to load automatically at startup. Create a logical folder structure When it comes to folders, the word “hierarchy” is an apt term. Start off with broad categories like work, vacation, finances, and admin and then make subfolders within those folders, until you have an organized system. For example, a subfolder in the work folder may be “current projects.” It doesn’t have to be perfect, but it should at least make sense to you. Group files by type and purpose Keep it simple. Start by grouping files by type, for example, documents, spreadsheets, and photos and then bring purpose into it — spotlight presentation, vacation photos, work photos. Doing this will most likely uncover a heap of duplicates. If you suspect you have lots of duplicates, tools like Duplicate Cleaner can help you find and delete them. Rename files for clarity If you take a look at your files now, chances are they have random names like Document_File01.docx. Rather than this, change the name to something that makes sense to you like: CompletedProject_Sep2025.docx. Be sure to keep the naming convention consistent (for my example, I used [topic][date]) so that they’re easy to identify in the future. Dominic Bayley / Foundry Have an icons folder on your desktop You don’t need all your app icons taking up space on your desktop. Instead, have a single folder that you can duck into and launch an app when you need to. Then you can sit back and enjoy the images on your desktop background for once. Related content Do these 5 maintenance tasks for a pristine PC. You’ll thank me Deep clean your Windows PC: 10 professional tricks and tools 12 tweaks to make your Windows PC lean, mean, and fast 9 tips that turbocharge your Windows PC startup time Read...

Microsoft has redesigned all the icons for its various Office applications (officially known as Microsoft 365 apps), this time focusing on color gradients and contrasts. The result? These new Microsoft Office icons are now more colorful, more curvy, and more approachable. We’ve known for some time that Microsoft Office apps were getting new icons (thanks to a leak). But they’re official as of today, according to Jon Friedman (CVP of Design and Research for Microsoft 365) in this Microsoft Design blog post. Microsoft is rolling out the new design to users with immediate effect. In the post, Friedman explains the redesign’s significance: When it comes to outsized impact, it’s hard to debate the almighty icon. No bigger than a postage stamp, these tiny symbols are gateways to entire experiences, distilling complex ideas, product abilities, and brand identities into a single, memorable image. By evoking emotion, sparking curiosity, and giving intuitive guidance, they make technology more accessible and approachable. The last time Microsoft updated the Office icons was in 2018. Below, you can see all the redesigned icons side by side: The 2025 redesigned icons for Microsoft 365 apps.Microsoft We find the following illustration from Microsoft particularly interesting, which shows the evolution of these icons over the years: The evolution of Microsoft Office app icons from 2001 to 2025.Microsoft And here’s a direct comparison of how the Word icon changed: Old versus new icon for Microsoft Word.Microsoft Microsoft stuck to four main principles in this redesign: Delightfully simple: To maintain familiarity while streamlining the visual experience, we graphically simplified the icons for clarity and reduced visual noise. Whereas Word’s icon previously used four horizontal bars, the new version uses just three, improving legibility at small sizes and creating more visual concision. Fluid shapes: We’ve moved away from bold, static solidity to embrace softer, more fluid forms. Sharp edges and crisp lines are replaced by smooth folds and curves, giving the icons a sense of playful motion and approachability. Rich and colorful: The color palette has been dramatically refined. Where gradients were once subtle, they’re now richer and more vibrant, featuring exaggerated analogous transitions that improve contrast and accessibility. This shift makes the icons feel brighter, punchier, and more dynamic. Instantly recognizable: Letter plates were much debated because they’re valuable real estate and icons following the core 10 Office ones no longer use them. Their brand equity is so strong, however, that we decided to keep them—maintaining our heritage while also modernizing them through a more cohesive visual integration with the overall design. The reference to the omnipresent AI is almost inevitable as well, with the design of the new Microsoft 365 icons clearly influenced by the Copilot icon. The new look is intended to represent a more connected design system and the influence of Copilot on Microsoft 365. Read...

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When Microsoft’s Copilot key first poofed into existence, I tilted my head and thought… Wait, another shortcut key? I’ve definitely been here before. Does anyone remember the Cortana key? The Office key? The F-Lock key? I hear nothing but the sound of crickets from the peanut gallery, and that’s because none of them stood the test of time.  So, why do new shortcut keys (like Microsoft Copilot) fail to launch? Or maybe launch in the way companies want them to? Well, the answer is embarrassingly simple. Those keys were just plain unnecessary or confusing. Sure, they helped a tiny slice of people, but they weren’t really built for the rest of us. If it doesn’t save you time or actually make life easier, then why bother? Were those keys even made for real people? Microsoft’s shortcut key graveyard Let’s pour one out for the keys that never made their mark in history. The Cortana key, for instance, summoned Microsoft’s voice assistant. The key was supposed to save you the time it’d take to enter the Windows key + C combination, which activated Cortana’s listening mode. But in practice, it was actually quicker to just use that combo, and people prefer to stick with something they’re already familiar with. Many folks didn’t like the idea of Cortana “actively listening,” either–it rightfully raised some privacy concerns. The Office key is another one, which is similar to today’s Copilot key. It promised quick access to Word and Excel, but what it really did was relentlessly pester you into opening Word and Excel. It wasn’t all that helpful for most people, in fact it was mostly chaos.   The F-Lock key was an oddball, that’s for sure. It toggled between standard function and special function, and nobody knew what the heck that meant or if it was on or off. Set it off and suddenly your F5 key is trying to open the calculator instead of refreshing the web page.  These keys, as you might’ve guessed, quietly faded out with time. But that raises a real big question, that question being… Why don’t these shortcuts ever stick? IDG / Mark Knapp Muscle memory is such a deeply ingrained thing, isn’t it? It’s in everything, especially in how we type and interact with our computers and other tech. Throw in or take out a random key and boom! Everything’s all topsy-turvey. For the majority of folks, daily habits are difficult to break and re-wire. But what about accessibility users? Abrupt, unwelcome changes to their keyboard may very well be catastrophic to their daily flow. Unless people are taught to use these keys, they just go, well, unused, taking up valuable real estate on the keyboard — and crucially changing the standard placement of keys, just shifting everything a wee bit off. There’s nothing more panic-inducing than accidentally pressing the wrong key, especially if you’re in the middle of a work presentation–it just disrupts your whole flow and throws you off. AI is the golden goose right now OpenAI AI’s the new “it” girl at the party and everyone’s chasing her (a little creepy, if you ask me). And Microsoft is jumping on this trend like a lion on a gazelle by hardwiring AI directly into the hardware. It’s probably the fastest way to get to Microsoft’s AI assistant. Press the key down and up pops Copilot, and it’s ready to draft your e-mails or conjure up images. On paper, that sounds cool. But AI hit like a crashing wave and before we knew it, we were entirely submerged. For me, I’d rather be the one to decide when and if I jump in. I don’t want anyone to make that choice (looking at you, Microsoft) for me. Is Copilot doomed? So, what do these shortcut keys (now ancient relics) tell us about Copilot’s chances? The hype builds and builds, then there’s the heavy marketing push, and then… cue the tumbleweeds. Companies often roll out shiny new things, it’s kind of par for the course. But at the same time, it’s important to acknowledge the weird disconnect between what users actually want and what Microsoft keeps trying to spoonfeed them with these dedicated keys.  I think it’s still too soon to know if the Copilot key will join the graveyard of forgotten keys. If it fits naturally into one’s workflow and day-to-day life, then sure. But if Reddit is anything to go by, the response is very mixed. It seems to help as much as it hinders.  The takeaway I really get why Microsoft’s pushing with the Copilot key, I really do. It could help people, especially if it genuinely boosts productivity. But shortcuts work only if they serve us and not the other way around. Given Microsoft’s disastrous history with dedicated keys, and people generally shrugging at Copilot, I worry this will wind up being just another victim buried deep in Microsoft’s keyboard graveyard. Read...

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If you dread working on your laptop away from your home office because you can’t handle being cramped to just your laptop’s screen, then what you need is a portable monitor—like this Uperfect 2K that’s 30% off on Amazon right now. Normally $189.99, you can now grab it for just $133.58 with this hot limited-time deal! And this one’s a doozy. For starters, it’s large at 16 inches and crisp with a glorious 2560×1600 resolution, providing plenty of screen real estate for all your apps, browser tabs, spreadsheets, and whatever else. It’s also an IPS panel, meaning vivid and accurate colors that look great whether you’re staring at documents or watching Netflix. Other details worth noting: 400 nits of brightness to match whatever ambient environment you’re in, 120Hz of refresh for smooth responsiveness while gaming, and a smart cover that doubles as a stand so you can prop it up hands-free. It also has VESA-compatible mounting, in case you want to mount it on a monitor arm. Yes, you can use this with your laptop, but also with a handheld like the Nintendo Switch for gaming on the go. This monitor has two USB-C video ports and a Mini HDMI port for wide compatibility across devices, including your phone, tablet, and whatever else. The Uperfect 2K is a phenomenal portable monitor that’s a clear step up from the usual entry-level options. Get it now for 30% off while you still can because this awesome deal won’t last forever! Save 30% on this 16-inch 1600p 120Hz portable monitorBuy now at Amazon Read...

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If you’re having trouble deciding between a laptop and a desktop PC, then you’re probably better off with a mini PC. It’s the middle-of-the-road option that balances price with performance, offering the best of both worlds as long as you don’t need the portability of a laptop or the maximum power of a proper gaming PC. They’re perfect for home offices. Right now, you can get the Beelink SER5 Max mini PC for its all-time low price of $318.99 on Amazon, which is 26 percent off its original $429 and one of the best budget machines worth getting right now. This thing is more than just a daily driver. Under the hood, there’s an AMD Ryzen 7 6800H processor and a solid 32GB of fast LPDDR5 RAM for a speedy configuration that can handle Windows 11, multiple apps, and dozens of browser tabs with aplomb. The 500GB SSD isn’t as large as we’d like, but it’s still plenty fine as long as you aren’t hoarding tons of video files or installing massive apps. Fortunately, if you need more space, you can always upgrade it yourself to a max of 8TB later on. This mini PC is fantastic for work and productivity thanks to its triple 4K monitor support. Between the HDMI, DisplayPort, and USB-C video ports, you can run three 4K displays at up to 60Hz of refresh each, providing loads of screen real estate for apps, documents, spreadsheets, etc. You also get four high-speed USB-A ports for drives and peripherals, a Gigabit Ethernet port, and a 3.5mm audio jack. Skip the laptop and skip the giant desktop PC. Take advantage of this sale and get this Beelink SER5 Max for only $318.99 while you can! Save 26% on this awesome Ryzen 7 mini PC with 32GB RAMBuy now at Amazon Read...

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