Chrome: Click the three-dot menu at the top-right corner of Chrome. Select More tools and then Extensions. [1] X Research source Click the slider button to turn off an extension. The slider will move to the left and turn gray when you’ve turned off an extension. Repeat these steps to turn the extension back on when you need it. Safari: Click the Safari menu. Select Settings and then Extensions. Click the checkbox to turn off an extension. You can repeat these steps to reactivate an extension when you need it.
Click the three-dot menu at the top-right corner of Chrome. Select More tools and then Extensions. [1] X Research source Click the slider button to turn off an extension. The slider will move to the left and turn gray when you’ve turned off an extension. Repeat these steps to turn the extension back on when you need it.
Click the Safari menu. Select Settings and then Extensions.
Clearing the cache in Firefox Clearing the cache in Google Chrome Clearing the cache in Safari
Make sure you don’t select a program which you’re currently using (e. g. , your browser).
Ventura: Open the Apple menu and select System Settings. Click General. Click Login Items. Select an app that you don’t want to launch automatically and click the - symbol. [2] X Research source Monterey and earlier: Open the Apple menu and select System Preferences. Users & Groups. Select your name. Click Login Items. Uncheck any item’s box on this page to disable the item at startup. You may have to click the lock icon in the bottom-left corner of the page and enter your password before you can edit this menu.
Open the Apple menu and select System Settings. Click General. Click Login Items. Select an app that you don’t want to launch automatically and click the - symbol. [2] X Research source
Open the Apple menu and select System Preferences. Users & Groups. Select your name. Click Login Items. Uncheck any item’s box on this page to disable the item at startup. You may have to click the lock icon in the bottom-left corner of the page and enter your password before you can edit this menu.
Press the Windows key and type startup. Click Startup Apps in the search results. You’ll see a series of switches next to the names of apps scheduled to start at boot time. If the switch next to an app is enabled, that app starts automatically. To disable a startup app, click the switch to turn it off. You can still launch this app when you need it, but it will no longer start automatically.
This is in the More menu button (three vertical dots) in Windows 11.
To empty the trash, go to Finder > Empty Trash in the menu bar.
Note: This method only applies to Windows computers. If your computer uses a solid-state drive (SSD), you should never defragment it. If your computer’s hard drive is almost full, defragmenting it may not have much of an effect.
Double-click the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop. If there is a file in your Recycle Bin that you want to keep, right-click the item and choose Restore. If you’re using Windows 11, click Empty Recycle Bin at the top of the window, then click Yes to permanently delete the files. On Windows 10, click the Manage tab, click Empty Recycle Bin, then click Yes when prompted.
Click the Trash icon on the Dock. [5] X Research source If there are any files you want to keep, drag them out of the Trash and into another folder (or onto your desktop). To empty the Trash, click Empty at the top-right corner of the Finder window, then click Empty Trash to confirm.
Press Windows key + S to activate the search bar. Type cleanup. Click Disk Cleanup in the search results.
You will have to scroll down to see all available boxes in the main window.
macOS Ventura: Click the Apple menu. Click System Settings. Click General. Click Storage. [6] X Research source macOS Monterey and earlier: Click the Apple menu. Click About This Mac. Click Storage.
Click the Apple menu. Click System Settings. Click General. Click Storage. [6] X Research source
Click the Apple menu. Click About This Mac. Click Storage.
On Windows 11: Open the Settings menu and go to the System section. Select Recovery from the System menu list. Click Reset PC and select Keep my files. Complete the process to reinstall Windows. On Windows 10: Open the Settings menu and go to the Update & Security section. Select Reset this PC > Get Started. Choose the Keep my files option. Complete the process to reinstall Windows.
Apple silicon device (the M series processors): Power on your computer. Continue pressing and holding the power button. Wait for the startup options window to appear. Click the Options button (a gear icon). Click Continue Select Reinstall macOS and follow the prompts to reinstall macOS. Intel processor device: Power on your computer. Press and hold Cmd + R right after pressing the power button. Wait for the Apple logo to appear. (This will be a different image on some versions). Select a user and sign in with the user’s administrator password. Select Reinstall macOS and follow the prompts to reinstall macOS.
If you’re a laptop user, check out our guide on taking good care of your laptop. Then, take a look at how to clean one. Compressed air is often used to clean computers. For a more general guide, see how to clean your computer.
