Guides
Short guides for the things that most often play up at home. Written for someone who would rather be doing something else.
Wi-Fi and internet
- Wi-Fi is slow or does not reach the whole home
Wireless network fast by the router and sluggish in the bedroom? How to measure the speed, move the right things, and make Wi-Fi reach the whole home.
- Wi-Fi not working at home? How to get internet back
Wireless network down, or internet that will not load on anything? Here are the steps that usually bring it back, in the order that is easiest to try first.
Computer
- Black screen? How to get the picture back on your computer
No picture on the screen although the computer sounds like it is running, or a second monitor staying blank? Here is how to find the picture again.
- Blue screen in Windows? How to find what is causing it
Your PC shows a blue screen and restarts by itself? Here is how to read the stop code and track down the cause, step by step, without deleting anything.
- Clear your browser: cache and cookies in Chrome, Safari, Edge
A page that looks wrong or a button that does nothing? Here is how to clear cache and cookies in Chrome, Safari and Edge, and how to prepare first.
- Keyboard typing the wrong characters? How to switch back
Letters coming out wrong, or Swedish å, ä and ö missing entirely? How to set the keyboard language back in Windows, on a Mac, and on your phone.
- Mac running slow? How to get the speed back again
Your Mac is sluggish, the spinning colour wheel keeps appearing and everything takes ages? Here are the steps that usually bring the speed back.
- Microphone or camera not working in Teams or Zoom
Nobody can hear you in the meeting, or the camera shows only black? How to pick the right devices and give the meeting app permission, well before you join.
- No sound on your computer? How to get the audio back
Sound not working on the computer, or coming out of the wrong speakers? How to pick the right audio device in Windows and on a Mac, in a couple of minutes.
- PC will not start? How to find where it stops
Your computer will not start, or stops before Windows loads? Begin by working out what it actually does, and you will know which steps apply.
- Uninstall programs on Windows and Mac, step by step
How to remove programs you no longer use, on Windows and on Mac, and how to tell which names in the list should be left exactly where they are.
- Update macOS safely, and what to do if it gets stuck
How to update your Mac step by step, what to do before you start, how long it should take, and what to do when the progress bar sits still for hours.
- Windows PC running slow? How to get the speed back
Your PC takes forever to open anything and freezes when you click? Here are the steps that usually bring the speed back in Windows 11, easiest ones first.
- Windows update stuck? How long you should wait
The update has sat at the same percentage for hours? Here is how to tell when that is normal, and what to do when it truly is stuck in Windows 11.
Phone and tablet
- Android storage full? How to make room on your phone
Your phone says storage is full and the camera refuses. Here is how to see what is using space on Samsung and Pixel, and how to clear it without losing photos.
- How to back up your phone so the photos survive
A phone backup is what saves your photos the day the phone disappears. Here is how to switch it on for iPhone and Android, and how to check it really worked.
- How to find a lost phone, on iPhone and Android
Your phone is missing. Here is how to locate it with Find My or Find My Device, lock it from a distance, and block things in the right order.
- How to move photos from your phone to your computer
Copy your photos from phone to computer, with a cable or without, on iPhone and Android, and check the copy properly before you delete anything.
- iCloud storage full? Free up space without losing photos
When iCloud runs out, backups and photo syncing stop quietly. Here is how to see what is using the space, how to clear it safely, and what not to touch.
- iPhone not charging? Here is how to get it going again
Your phone is in the charger but nothing happens? Work through these steps in order, easiest first, and learn the signs that mean you should stop charging.
- iPhone storage full? How to free up space in minutes
Your iPhone will not take photos or update apps because storage is full. Here is what to clear first, what is safe to remove and what to leave until last.
- iPhone update stuck? How to get the install moving again
Your iPhone has stopped on Preparing Update or a bar that will not move. Here is how long to wait, and how to restart the download without risking anything.
- Phone running slow? How to make it quick again
Apps take an age to open and the screen stutters. Here are the steps that usually help on both iPhone and Android, and the sign that the battery is why.
Accounts, passwords and safety
- Cannot log in to Kivra or 1177? Here is the fix
Kivra or 1177 stuck on a spinning login? It is almost always BankID or your browser rather than the service itself. Here are the steps in the right order.
- Facebook account hacked? Here is how to take it back
Someone else is in your Facebook account? Do these things first, in the order that saves the most, and warn your friends before anyone is tricked out of money.
- Fake virus warning filling your screen? How to close it
A box says your computer is locked and tells you to call a number? Never call it. Here is how to close the page and why your computer is fine.
- Forgot your Apple ID password? How to reset it
Forgotten the password to your Apple account? Here is how to change it, both when you are still signed in on a device and when you are not, step by step.
- Forgot your Google account password? Here is what to do
Locked out of Gmail or your Google account? Here is how to reset the password, what Google asks along the way, and why you must not factory reset the phone.
- Pop-up ads and alerts in Chrome? How to switch them off
Boxes with adverts and virus warnings keep appearing in the corner of the screen? Those are website notifications, and they take minutes to switch off.
- Scam emails and texts: how to spot one and what to do
A text about a parcel, or an email from your bank that feels off? Here is how to recognise a scam message, and exactly what to do if you have already clicked.
- Verification code not arriving? How to get it through
Waiting for a code that never turns up? Here are the steps that usually bring it through, and what to do when the code goes to a number you no longer have.
- Cannot log in to Outlook or your Telia email? Try this
Your email will not let you in, or keeps asking for the password? Here is how to sign in to Outlook and Telia mail, and how to reset a password you have lost.
- Gmail not syncing on your phone? How to get mail back
New emails stop arriving on the phone. Here is how to force a refresh, switch syncing back on for Android and iPhone, and where to look for missing mail.
- Your mailbox is full and new email is bouncing
A full mailbox blocks new email. Here is how to see what is taking the space, where to clear it, and how to save the receipts you need before you empty it.
Printers, TV and accessories
- Bluetooth headphones will not connect? How to pair them
Headphones missing from the list, or dropping out every few minutes? How to put them in pairing mode and connect them to a phone, computer or tablet.
- How to scan a document from your printer to a computer
Scan a page to PDF with your printer, or with your phone camera if you do not have a printer. Step by step for Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android at home.
- Printer says offline? How to get it printing again
Printer shows as offline even though it is switched on, or simply will not respond? Here are the steps that usually get it printing, easiest ones first.
- Smart TV or Chromecast will not connect to Wi-Fi
TV cannot find the internet, or casting from your phone shows nothing? Here is how to get the TV and the Chromecast back on the right network, step by step.
BankID and Swish
- Mobile BankID is not working? How to get it going
BankID will not start, or your bank will not accept it? Here are the steps that usually fix it, easiest first, and how to order a new BankID from your bank.
- Swish is not working? Here is how to sort it out
Swish refuses the payment or will not open? Check BankID, the connected number and your bank limit. Here are the steps in order, from quickest to slowest.