How to Quickly Search for Emoji on Windows 10

Emoji are playful graphical representations of emotions, things, symbols, or ideas. Sometimes while using Windows 10, you’d like to quickly find the perfect emoji, but there are hundreds to choose from. Here’s how to quickly find the emoji you’re looking for with a text search.

First, open the app you’d like to insert the emoji into. Focus on a text input area in any Windows application by clicking on it, and when you see a cursor, press either the Windows+. or Windows+; key combination (i.e., the Windows key and a period or the Windows key and a semicolon).The emoji picker panel will pop up.

The Emoji Panel in Windows 10

With the emoji panel open, begin typing a word that corresponds with what emoji you’d like to find. For example, you could type “Cat” if you’re looking for a cat emoji, or “Cry” if you want to find a crying emoji.

If your search is more on the general side (such as “Fruit”), the results will match all applicable emoji, not just a single one, so you can pick the exact one you’d like to use the most.

Type a word to search for its emoji in Windows 10

If you switch away from the search results by clicking on another category symbol at the bottom, click on the magnifying glass to see them again.

Click magnifying glass to return to emoji search results in Windows 10

Now you’re ready to express your thoughts perfectly—with no words required! The emoji picker and its Search feature work in basically any Windows desktop application, from Notepad to Google Chrome.

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O rezolvare simpla atunci cand nu iti functioneaza mouse-ul si tastatura in windows 10

Keyboard and mouse failures aren’t uncommon, especially with regular usage. If your keyboard or mouse has stopped working on your Windows 10 PC, here are a few steps you can follow to resolve the issue.

It goes without saying that you should check your hardware thoroughly before doing anything else.

Start by carefully checking all of your device connections. If your keyboard or mouse is plugged in correctly, try switching them to another USB port. If you’re on a laptop, make sure you haven’t accidentally disabled your keyboard or mouse using the function keys at the top.

If you have a wireless keyboard or mouse, check that the batteries have enough charge to work correctly. Switch to a wired alternative to double-check the problem isn’t with the hardware itself.

Finally, try your keyboard or mouse on a different PC, or try an alternative keyboard or mouse. In either case, if your keyboard or mouse do work (or the alternatives work instead), then you can assume the problem is with your PC.

Check Windows for Malware

Malware can sometimes play a part in preventing you from using your keyboard or mouse in Windows 10. A malware infection that disables these devices will cripple your ability to use your PC.

If that’s the case, you’ll need to force Windows to scan for malware. You can use your own antivirus software to do this, using an antivirus boot disc or a boot scan to conduct the check.

You can schedule a boot scan using Windows Defender. This will scan your drives and remove any malware it detects. You might need to boot into Windows Safe Mode to do this first if the infection is stopping you from controlling your PC.

RELATED: How to Boot Into Safe Mode on Windows 10 or 8 (The Easy Way)

To begin, access your Windows settings menu by right-clicking the Windows Start menu button and clicking the “Settings” button.

Right-click the Start Menu button, then click Settings

From here, click Update & Security > Windows Security > Virus & Threat Protection.

Tap “Scan Options” underneath the central “Quick Scan” button.

In the Virus and Threat Protection menu, click Scan Options

In the “Scan Options” menu, select the “Windows Defender Offline Scan” option.

Click “Scan Now” to begin the process.

Choose Windows Defender Offline scan, then click Scan Now

Windows will reboot and begin the deep scan of your PC. This process might take some time to complete. Once it’s done, any malware infection detected on your PC should be automatically removed.

You can check your scan history afterward by clicking “Protection History” in the “Virus & Threat Protection” menu.

Forcefully Reinstall Your Keyboard and Mouse Drivers

Windows automatically handles the drivers for your keyboard and mouse but forcing Windows to reinstall these drivers can sometimes resolve any issues preventing them from working correctly.

To reinstall your keyboard and mouse drivers, right-click the Windows Start menu button and select the “Device Manager” option.

Right-click the Start Menu, then click Device Manager

The Windows Device Manager lists all of the devices attached to your PC, both internal and external. Your keyboard will be listed under the “Keyboards” category, while your mouse will be listed under the “Mice and Other Pointing Devices” category. To force Windows to reinstall the drivers for these devices, click on the arrow next to each of these categories to expand them. Right-click on your device and then click the “Uninstall Device” option.

It’s probably best to do this with your keyboard first and your mouse second, as you’ll lose access to the device until you restart.

Right-click your keyboard or mouse in the Windows Device Manager, then click Uninstall Device

Confirm you want to uninstall the device by clicking the “Uninstall” button in the confirmation pop-up dialog box.

Click Uninstall to begin the device removal

As we’ve mentioned, once the installation process begins, these devices will likely stop working until you reboot.Press your power button to begin the shutdown or reboot process. Once rebooted, your keyboard and mouse drivers should reinstall automatically.

In an Emergency, Use Windows Accessibility Options

If you can’t immediately solve a problem with your keyboard or mouse, you can switch to using the built-in Windows accessibility options. These will work only if you have a working mouse or a working keyboard available to you.

Enabling MouseKeys

With a working keyboard but a broken mouse, you can switch to using MouseKeys. This accessibility feature allows you to move your mouse cursor using the number keys on your keyboard.

To enable it, access your Windows settings by right-clicking the Start Menu and clicking “Settings.” From here, click Ease of Access > Mouse and then click the slider to the “On” position to enable MouseKeys.

In the Mouse section of the Windows Ease of Access menu, click the slider to enable MouseKeys

You’ll now be able to use your number keys to move your cursor.  For example, the number “8” will move your mouse cursor up, “2” will move it down, etc.

Enabling the Onscreen Keyboard

Another useful accessibility feature in Windows 10 is the onscreen keyboard. If your keyboard is working, but you have access to a mouse (or your screen is touch-enabled), you can use this feature instead as a short-term solution.

RELATED: How to Use the On-Screen Keyboard on Windows 7, 8, and 10

For easy access to the onscreen keyboard, right-click your Windows taskbar and click “Show Touch Keyboard Button.”

Right-click the taskbar, then click the show touch keyboard button

This will display an icon in your taskbar notifications area that you can press to easily show or hide the onscreen keyboard.

Click the on-screen keyboard icon in the Windows taskbar notifications area

With this option enabled, clicking it will bring up the onscreen keyboard to fill the lower half of your screen.

The Windows on-screen keyboard, activated for use

It’ll be easier to use on touchscreen devices, but if you have a working mouse, simply click on each key for it to respond as your typical keyboard would.

To close the keyboard, click the “X” button in the top right.

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Care este cel mai eficent mod de a face backup?

Everyone loses data at some point in their lives. Your computer’s hard drive could fail tomorrow, ransomware could hold your files hostage, or a software bug could delete your important files. If you’re not regularly backing up your computer, you could lose those files forever. Backups don’t have to be hard or confusing, though. You’ve probably heard about countless different backup methods, but which one is right for you? And what files do you really need to back up?

It’s All About Your Personal Data

Let’s start with the obvious: what do you need back up? Well, first and foremost, you need to back up your personal files. You can always reinstall your operating system and redownload your programs if your hard drive fails, but your own personal data is irreplaceable.

Any personal documents, photos, home videos, and any other data on your computer should be backed up regularly. Those can never be replaced. If you’ve spent hours painstakingly ripping audio CDs or video DVDs, you may want to back those files up, too, so you don’t have to do all that work over again. Your operating system, programs, and other settings can also be backed up. You don’t have to back them up, necessarily, but it can make your life easier if your entire hard drive fails. If you’re the type of person that likes to play around with system files, edit the registry, and regularly update your hardware, having a full system backup may save you time when things go wrong.

The Many Ways to Back Up Your Files

There are many ways to back up your data, from using an external drive to backing up those files on a remote server over the Internet. Here are the strengths and weaknesses of each:

  • Back Up to an External Drive: If you have an external USB hard drive, you can just back up to that drive using your computer’s built-in backup features. On Windows 10 and 8, use File History. On Windows 7, use Windows Backup. On Macs, use Time Machine. Occasionally connect the drive to the computer and use the backup tool, or leave it plugged in whenever your home and it’ll back up automatically. Pros: Backing up is cheap and fast. Cons: If your house gets robbed or catches on fire, your backup can be lost along with your computer, which is very bad.

  • Back Up Over the Internet: If you want to ensure your files stay safe, you can back them up to the internet with a service like Backblaze. Backblaze is the well-known online backup service we like and recommend since CrashPlan no longer serves home users (although you could pay for a CrashPlan small business account instead.) There are also competitors like Carbonite—we also used to mention MozyHome, but it’s now a part of Carbonite. For a low monthly fee (about $5 a month), these programs run in the background on your PC or Mac, automatically backing up your files to the service’s web storage. If you ever lose those files and need them again, you can restore them. Pros: Online backup protects you against any type of data loss–hard drive failure, theft, natural disasters, and everything in between. Cons: These services usually cost money (see the next section for more details), and the initial backup can take much longer than it would on an external drive–especially if you have a lot of files.

  • Use a Cloud Storage Service: Backup purists will say this isn’t technically a backup method, but for most people, it serves a similar enough purpose. Rather than just storing your files on your computer’s hard drive, you can store them on a service like Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, or a similar cloud storage service. They’ll then automatically sync to your online account and to your other PCs. If your hard drive dies, you’ll still have the copies of the files stored online and on your other computers. Pros: This method is easy, fast, and in many cases, free, and since it’s online, it protects you against all types of data loss. Cons: Most cloud services only offer a few gigabytes of space for free, so this only works if you have a small number of files you want to back up, or if you’re willing to pay for extra storage. Depending on the files you want to back up, this method can either be simpler or more complicated than a straight-up backup program.

While backup programs like Backblaze and cloud storage services like Dropbox are both online backups, they work in fundamentally different ways. Dropbox is designed to sync your files between PCs, while Backblaze and similar services are designed to backup large amounts of files. Backblaze will keep multiple copies of different versions of your files, so you can restore the file exactly as it was from many points in its history. And, while services like Dropbox are free for small amounts of space, Backblaze’s low price is for as big a backup as you want. Depending on how much data you have, one could be cheaper than the other.

Backblaze and Carbonite do have one big limitation you should keep in mind. If you delete a file on your computer, it will be deleted from your online backups after 30 days. You can’t go back and recover a deleted file or the previous version of a file after this 30 day period. So be careful when deleting those files if you might want them back!

One Backup Isn’t Enough: Use Multiple Methods

RELATED: You’re Not Backing Up Properly Unless You Have Offsite Backups

So which should you use? Ideally, you’d use at least two of them. Why? Because you want both offsite and onsite backups.

“Onsite” literally means backups stored at the same physical location as you. So, if you back up to an external hard drive and store that at home with your home PC, that’s an onsite backup. Offsite backups are stored at a different location. So, if you back up to an online server, like Backblaze or Dropbox, that’s an offsite backup.

Onsite backups are faster and easier, and should be your first line of defense against data loss. If you lose files, you can quickly restore them from an external drive. But you shouldn’t rely on onsite backups alone. If your home burns down or all the hardware in it is stolen by thieves, you’d lose all your files.

Offsite backups don’t have to be a server on the Internet, either, and you don’t have to pay a monthly subscription for one. You could back up your files to a hard drive and store it at your office, at a friend’s house, or in a bank vault, for example. It’d be a bit more inconvenient, but that’s technically an offsite backup.

Similarly, you could also store your files in Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive and performing regular backups to an external drive. Or you could use Backblaze to back up online and Windows File History to create a local backup. There are a lot of ways to use these services in tandem, and it’s up to you how to do it. Just make sure you have a solid backup strategy, with onsite and offsite backups, so you have a wide safety net against ever losing your files.

Automate It!

All that may sound complicated, but the more you automate your backup system, the more frequently you’ll be able to back up and the greater the odds you’ll stick with it. That’s why you should use an automated tool instead of copying files to an external drive by hand. You can just set it up once, and forget it.

That’s one reason we really like online services like Backblaze. If it’s backing up to the internet, it can automatically do that every single day. If you have to plug in an external drive, you have to put in more effort, which means you’ll back up less often and you may eventually stop doing it. Keeping everything automatic is well worth the price.

If you don’t want to pay anything and want to primarily rely on local backups, consider using a file-syncing service like Dropbox, Google Drive, or Microsoft OneDrive to synchronize your important files online. That way, if you ever lose your local backup, you’ll at least have an online copy. Ultimately, you just need to think about where your files are and ensure you have multiple copies at all times. Ideally, those copies should be in more than one physical location. As long as you’re actually thinking about what you’ll do if your computer dies, you should be way ahead of most people.

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How to Migrate a Windows User to Different Windows 10 PC

Microsoft removed Easy Transfer from Windows 10, but you can still move user profiles between PCs. Microsoft accounts are easy to transfer; you can move files manually. Transwiz (free) and PCmover (paid) also do a good job.

Easy Transfer Used To Make Things Easy

Windows Easy transfer program with "NO" symbol over it.

Microsoft introduced Windows Easy Transfer with Windows Vista and supported it in Windows 7, 8, and 8.1. It was a great free option to bring your settings and local user profiles from an old computer to a new computer. Starting with Windows 8, you could choose to sign in with a Microsoft account. Signing in with that same account on any device would transfer many of your settings.

When Microsoft released Windows 10, it did not bring forward Easy Transfer. Instead, Microsoft chose to partner with Laplink and for a short period offered free access to its PCmover software. Unfortunately, that free offer is no longer available. If you want to use PCmover, you’ll need to spend at least $30 now.

What’s the Best Way to Move a Windows User Profile?

We investigated several methods of manually moving Windows user profiles from one PC to another. But, in each case, we couldn’t consistently move the profile without some further troubleshooting afterward. We can’t recommend a process that requires so much manual fixing of file permissions and other complicated work.

That leaves you with a few reliable options to move your account: Convert your Local account to a Microsoft account, use free software like Transwiz, or purchase PCmover. Each has benefits and downsides.

  • Converting your local Account to a Microsoft account is free and easy, and you won’t need to download any outside software. But it won’t move everything over. Files you have outside OneDrive, and settings for third-party apps like Photoshop won’t make the move.
  • TransWiz is free and simple software that will transfer a single profile account from one device to another. If you have quite a few profiles, you’ll spend extra time exporting and importing since it doesn’t handle multiple accounts well. Additionally, it can’t transfer the account you’re signed into, so you’ll need at least two accounts on the source machine. You’ll also need an external drive to move your data.
  • PCmover is the more powerful option. It can move multiple profiles at once, and you can facilitate the transfer over your network, a USB transfer cable, or an external hard drive. Additionally, it can transfer files, settings, and even some programs. However, it is the most expensive option, starting at $30 and going up from there.

Option 1: Use a Microsoft Account and Transfer Files

If you’re using Windows 8.1 or Windows 10, your Microsoft account user profile will automatically transfer with a sign-in. If you currently use a local account instead of a Microsoft account, you may want to consider converting it to a Microsoft account. Some features, like OneDrive and device encryption, won’t work without it.

This won’t bring everything over; you’ll still need to manually transfer any important files and reinstall programs with an external hard drive. Think of this as a quick way to bring over Windows settings and get cloud sync going.

The conversion process is easy, especially if you already have a Microsoft account. If you don’t, you’ll need to make one.  You’ll need to start this process on the PC with the account you want to transfer.

Click on the Start button then the Settings gear. Then choose Accounts, followed by “Sign in with a Microsoft account” instead. Then follow the setup wizard.

Next, we’ll manually move over data using Window 10’s File History tool. After connecting a hard drive go to Settings > Update & Security > Backup. Select add a drive, then your external hard drive.

backup settings dialog, showing add a drive options

Windows will start making a backup automatically. By default, the backup includes the Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures, Videos folders. If you want additional folders, click on the “More options” text and choose the folders to add.

Take your external to your new machine and plug it in. Go back to Settings > Update & Security > Backup, and setup file history again using the external drive from before. Click more options, scroll to the bottom (past the list of folders) and click “restore files from a current backup.”

Browse to your most recent backup, choose the folders you want to restore then click on the green button.

File history restore dialog, showing folders that have been saved.

You will need to reinstall any programs to finish things up.

Option 2: Download TransWiz (Free)

Transwiz profile select dialog, with TestUser profile selected.

Transwiz is an excellent option to consider if you need want to transfer one or two local accounts, and don’t want to convert to a Microsoft account. You’ll still need to manually move some things over, just like the Microsoft account conversion process, however. You’ll also need an external hard drive.

First, download and install Transwiz on both the old and new machine. The program is free.

On the old machine, if you only have one profile, create a new one with admin rights. Then switch to it. If you have more than one profile, make sure at least two have admin rights and change to whichever profile you aren’t currently transferring. Transwiz can’t transfer a profile if you’re currently signed into it.

Start Transwiz and select “I want to transfer data to another computer” and click Next. Then choose the profile you want to switch and click Next.

Choose your external drive as the location to save; click next. Then enter a password if you want one. If you don’t, leave both fields blank and click OK.

Transwiz will create a zip file on your external drive. Take it to your new machine, open Transwiz there, and choose the restore data option. Point it to the zip file on the drive (no need to unzip it yourself), and Transwiz will do the rest. A machine restart is required to finish adding the profile.

Transwiz brings over user profiles, but not any data. If you want your files and folders, use the file history process described above. You’ll need to reinstall programs, too.

Option 3: Buy PCmover ($30)

The previous two options will work for moving profile data, but it’s up to you to transfer files, folders, and reinstall programs. PCmover will not only migrate your user profile, but it will move files as well. More expensive options also transfer applications.

You’ll need to download and pay for PCmover to get started. Several levels exist at different pricing, but if you want to move all users and applications the “Express” version for $30 will do the trick. Laplink offers ethernet and USB transfer cables you can purchase. The program will transfer data over your network, so the cables aren’t required, but they can speed up the transfer process depending on the speed of your network. However, another benefit to this method if you can skip the external drive.

Once you’ve installed PCmover on each PC, open it and click through the Next buttons, providing the serial number when prompted. If you purchased a transfer cable, connect it to both PCs.

PCMover with box around Next button.

On each PC, choose the other PC to connect. If you have a transfer cable plugged in, you may see two entries for your devices, one for network connection and one for a cable connection. Select the cable connection for both. Then click “OK.”

Multiple computers dialog with boxes around computer options and ok button.

PCmover will try to guess the direction to move data. If it gets it wrong, you can click on the words “Switch transfer direction.” Then on the “new PC” (that is, the PC you’re moving data to) click “Analyze PC.”

Transfer dialog with boxes around "switch transfer direction" and "analyze pc" boxes.

Depending on the amount of data to look through, you may need to wait awhile while the program scans your PC. Eventually, you’ll see an amount of data to be transferred. If you’d like more granular control, click “View details.”

Transfer details with box around "view details" option.

From here, you can drill down into different categories and uncheck anything you don’t want to transfer. Once you have everything to your liking, click “Start Transfer.”

In our case, it took about five minutes to transfer 20 gigs of data over a USB 3 transfer cable. If you have more to move, or you are using a network connection (or both), it may take longer. When PCmover finishes, it will prompt to restart your computer. Once you the reboot completes, you’re done.


It’s a shame Microsoft removed EasyTransfer in Windows 10, but with Microsoft accounts and cloud options like OneDrive and Dropbox or large external drives, it is less necessary than it used to be. Transwiz can still do a decent job if you’re looking for a free solution. And, while Laplink’s PCmover does have a cost associated to it, the program works very well and is extremely easy to use.

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How to Enable or Disable Secure Sign-In for Windows 10

Windows 10 Logo

Windows is the most targeted operating system on the planet. That means you should fortify your PC’s defenses to stay safe both online and offline. This guide shows you how to enable or disable Secure Sign-In for Windows 10.

Secure Sign-In is an additional component on the Windows 10 login screen. It doesn’t prevent anyone from accessing your PC if they have your credentials. Instead, Windows 10 removes the login fields until you type a string of keys. After that, enter your password or PIN as usual.

This feature aims to thwart malware. Malicious code could reside in the background and spoof the Windows 10 login screen to capture your credentials. Because apps and programs typically don’t have access to the Ctrl+At+Del command, you can bypass the fake login screen by using Secure Sign-In that’s activated by typing this three-key command.

Enable or Disable Using the Netplwiz Command

To start, launch the Run command by pressing the “Windows” and “R” keys simultaneously (Windows+R). A small pop-up window will appear. Type “netplwiz” (without quotes) in the text field and then click the “OK” button (or press the Enter key) to continue.

Type netplwiz in Run Command

Alternatively, you can access the User Accounts panel by typing “netplwiz” into the taskbar’s search field and selecting the resulting Run command.

The User Accounts panel will appear onscreen. Click the “Advanced” tab (if it’s not loaded by default). Locate the “Require Users to Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete” option listed under “Secure Sign-In.” Check to enable or uncheck to disable.

Click the “Apply” button and then the “OK” button to finish.

User Accounts Set Secure Sign-In

Enable or Disable Using the Local Security Policy

Here’s another method that’s somewhat busier than following the User Accounts instructions. Use this method if you want to take the scenic route but avoid the Windows registry.

Launch the Run command by pressing the “Windows” and “R” keys simultaneously (Windows+R). A small pop-up window appears. Type “secpol.msc” (without quotes) in the text field and then click the “OK” button (or press the Enter key) to continue.

Type secpol in Run Command

Like before, you can also access the Local Security Policy panel by typing “secpol.msc” into the taskbar’s search field and selecting the resulting desktop app.

In the Local Policy Window, expand “Local Policies” listed on the left and select the “Security Options” subfolder underneath. Next, scroll down on the right and double-click the “Interactive Logon: Do Not Require CTRL+ALT+DEL” entry.

Local Security Policy Secure Sign-In

The entry’s Properties panel appears onscreen with the “Local Security Setting” tab displayed by default. Click a radio button to enable or disable this feature. Finish by clicking the “Apply” button and then the “OK” button.

Interactive Logon Secure Sign-In

Enable or Disable Using the Registry

If you want to take the hardcore route, why not edit the registry? Remember, tread lightly: Any changes you make could cause system instability. This option is for experienced individuals who enjoy digging deep into Windows.

RELATED: Windows Registry Demystified: What You Can Do With It

Launch the Run command by pressing the “Windows” and “R” keys simultaneously (Windows+R). A small pop-up window will appear. Type “regedit” (without quotes) in the text field and then click the “OK” button (or press the Enter key) to continue.

Type Regedit in Run Command

You can also access the Registry Editor by typing “regedit” into the taskbar’s search field and selecting the resulting desktop app.

In the Registry Editor, expand the following folders in this order:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Microsoft > Windows NT > CurrentVersion

In the CurrentVersion folder, select the “Winlogon” entry to show its settings in the panel on the right. Double-click the “DisableCad” entry to edit its values.

Registry Editor Alter Winlogon Setting

In the “Edit DWORD (32-bit) Value” pop-up box, change the Value Data with one of these values:

  • Enable = 0
  • Disable = 1

Click the “OK” button to finish. Restart your PC to save the settings.

Registry Editor Alter Winlogon Value

Note: If you don’t see a “DisableCad” entry in the “Winlogon” settings, right-click on “Winlogon,” select “New” in the pop-up menu, and then click “DWORD (32-bit) Value” in the next list. Name this new DWORD as “DisableCAD” (without the quotes) and change its value.

Registry Editor Create DWORD

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How a Password Manager Protects You From Phishing Scams

Password managers make it easy to use strong, unique passwords everywhere. That’s one significant benefit to using them, but there’s another: Your password manager helps protect you from imposter websites trying to “phish” your password.

What Is Phishing, and How Does It Work?

Phishing is designed to trick you into giving your password or other information to an imposter.

For example, let’s say you get an email claiming to be from your bank. The email says your account may be compromised, and you should click this link to take action. You click the link in the email and end up on a site that looks just like your bank’s real website. In a rush to secure your account, you type your password and possibly other details like your credit card number. Boom, you’ve been phished. The attacker now has your bank account’s username and password, as well as any other information you provided. That wasn’t your bank’s real website. You got an email from a scammer.

Security professionals recommend against clicking links in emails like this. Instead, go to your bank account’s website directly and sign in. Similarly, if someone claiming to be from your bank calls you on the phone, it’s a good idea to hang up and call your bank’s customer service number directly to see if the call is legitimate.

You could end up on a phishing site in many other ways. Maybe you click a link to buy something on the web and end up at what looks like Amazon.com or another legitimate store, for example. Perhaps you click a link to email someone and end up on what appears to be a Google login screen for your Gmail account.

It’s All in the URL

There’s one thing you can do to spot phishing sites: Examine the URL, which is the address of the web page. For example, if you bank with Chase, you’d look to verify you were on chase.com. But phishing sites could be clever—for example, a phishing site might use the domain “secure.chase.com.example.com/onlinebanking/login”.

If you understand URLs, you’ll realize that that particular URL is actually hosted on “example.com” and not “chase.com”.

Similarly, some phishing websites will use characters that look similar to other characters. It’s all part of making the URL look similar to the real one. After all, many people likely don’t examine the URL at all. Even people who do may just be trained to look for something like “chase.com.” Not everyone understands how to decode that line of text.

How a Password Manager Helps Protect You

If you use a password manager, you have additional protection. This is true as long as your password manager can automatically fill your credentials, whether it’s 1Password, LastPass, Dashlane, Bitwarden, or even the password-saving feature built right into your web browser.

If you save a login for a website like Chase.com or Amazon.com, your password manager will remember it and offer to automatically fill it in for you when you’re on Chase.com or Amazon.com. If you end up on a different website, your password manager won’t offer to enter your credentials—after all, you’re on a different website. Your password manager doesn’t fall for the disguised URL.

This protection isn’t fancy, and you won’t see a big red “warning” message pop up. But you will quickly notice that wait a minute; your password manager isn’t offering to sign you in on this website. Why is that? Once you’ve noticed something is amiss, you might quickly discover you’re not on the website you thought you were on.

Peace of Mind When Logging In

Your password manager doesn’t just make it faster to enter your credentials while browsing the web. It gives you peace of mind while it goes about its job.

If you’re signing into your email online, you don’t need to double-check the domain before typing your username and password. You know that, if your password manager is offering to fill your credentials automatically, it’s already checked that the domain is a match with the one saved in your database.

This Works on Smartphones, Too

Of course, the same features are available when you use a password manager on a mobile device like an iPhone, iPad, or Android phone. Use your password manager to enter credentials, and you’ll be protected from phishing on the mobile web, too.

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How to Turn on Two-Factor Authentication for LinkedIn

LinkedIn Logo

Two-factor authentication (2FA) is a great security tool, and we always recommend it. Most apps make it pretty easy to turn on 2FA, and LinkedIn is no exception. Here’s how to enable it and make yourself safer.

You can turn on two-factor authentication from either the LinkedIn website or the mobile app, but either way, you’ll need to be logged in to your LinkedIn account. Go ahead and do this first.

Click on your avatar in the top-right corner of the LinkedIn website. In the menu that opens, click the “Settings & Privacy” option.

The "Settings & Privacy" menu option.

Click on the Account tab, scroll down to the “Two-Step Verification” section, and then click the “Change” link.

The Account tab, and the "Two-step verification" option.

The section will expand. Click the “Turn On” button.

The "Two-step verification" option with "Turn on" highlighted.

You can choose whether to use an authenticator app to generate a code for you or to receive SMS (text) messages with the code. We strongly recommend using an authenticator app as it’s more secure, but two-factor authentication using SMS is still much safer than not using two-factor authentication at all.

Choose your method—we’re going to use an authenticator app—and then click the “Continue” button.

The verification method dropdown.

Enter your password in the prompt that appears and then click “Done.”

The Password entry field and the Done button.

The instructions for adding an account to your authenticator app are displayed. Add a new account in your authenticator app, scan the QR code using your phone’s camera, and once the account is created, enter the six-digit code from the authenticator app into the text box in LinkedIn and click “Continue.”

LinkedIn's instructions for adding the account to an authenticator app.

Two-factor authentication is now turned on. Click on “Recovery Codes” to display the backup codes, so you can still get in if you ever lose your phone.

The "Two-step verification" settings, with "recovery codes" highlighted.

Click “Copy Codes” and save them somewhere secure. You’ll need them to get into your LinkedIn account if you ever lose or wipe your phone.

The recovery codes, with "Copy codes" highlighted.

Now that you’ve turned on two-factor authentication, you’ll need to log in again through any other devices you use, such as your phone.

Turn on Two-Factor Authentication in the LinkedIn App

Turning on two-factor authentication in the mobile app is the same on the iPhone, iPad, and Android. Open the app and tap your profile picture.

LinkedIn's Profile button.

Then select the “View Profile” link.

The "View Profile" option.

Tap on the Settings gear in the top-right corner.

The Settings cog.

Open the “Privacy” tab, scroll down, and then tap “Two-Step Verification.”

The Privacy tab, with the "Two-step verification" option highighted.

Select the “Set Up” button.

The two-step verification "Set up" button.

You can choose whether to use an authenticator app to generate a code for you or to receive SMS (text) messages with the code. We strongly recommend using an authenticator app as it’s more secure, but two-factor authentication using SMS is still much safer than not using two-factor authentication at all.

Choose your method—we’re going to use an authenticator app—and tap “Continue.”

The verification method dropdown.

Enter your password in the prompt that appears and then tap the “Submit” button.

The Password entry field and the Submit button.

The instructions for adding an account to your authenticator app are displayed. Add a new account in your authenticator app and then tap “Continue.”

LinkedIn's instructions for adding the account to an authenticator app.

Enter the six-digit code from the authenticator app into the text box in LinkedIn and tap “Verify.”

The entry field for the verification code.

Two-factor authentication is now turned on. You won’t have to enter the two-factor code on your phone, although you will have to enter it if you access LinkedIn on any other device.

Tap the “Recovery Codes” link to display the backup codes, so you can still get in if you ever lose your phone.

The "Two-step verification" settings, with "recovery codes" highlighted.

Tap “Copy Codes” and save them somewhere secure. You’ll need them to get into your LinkedIn account if you ever lose or wipe your phone.

The recovery codes, with "Copy Codes" highlighted.

Now that you’ve turned on two-factor authentication, you’ll need to log in again on any other devices you own using the two-factor code.

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