How to Remotely Control Your Computer From a Phone or Tablet

How to Remotely Control Your Computer From a Phone or Tablet

Your dad is having an issue with the computer at home but in spite of giving him instructions for an hour, he can't seem to fix the issue. One way to make sure he's actually following the steps you're dictating over the phone would be to use his phone as a webcam to quickly look at the screen, but an even better option would be to just take over his computer from your phone or tablet, and resolve things yourself over the Internet. How do you do that? That's where we step in. Read on:

The first thing that's needed is a little foresight. Download and install TeamViewer on your parents' computer now, and on your smartphone or tablet too. TeamViewer is free for personal use on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, Windows Phone and BlackBerry, and you can find the download links for all these platforms on the TeamViewer page.

Make sure both the computer and the phone are connected to the Internet.

Open TeamViewer on the computer.

Note down the ID and password that's displayed in TeamViewer - or have someone tell it to you on phone.

Fire up TeamViewer on the smartphone or tablet.

Enter the ID and password you noted down earlier in the smartphone/ tablet TeamViewer app.

Tap Remote Control.

Now you'll see the computer's screen on your phone or tablet. You can control it easily now.

TeamViewer works across the Internet, and not just when the two machines are connected to the same network, so you can now troubleshoot problems on your parents' computer right from office, or if you've installed the program on your home desktop, you can access your files and send those emails you were supposed to have saved to your laptop. You can tap on the screen to simulate a mouse-click, and if you tap on a text entry field, a virtual keyboard pops up so you can type.

There can be a little delay in what you're doing on the mobile and what's happening on the computer, depending partly on the speed of both Internet connections, so it's not the same as being there, but if you just want to troubleshoot something urgently, or if you need to get some important work finished, TeamViewer can be a lifesaver.

There are many more remote connection apps that let you control your computer via your phone or tablet, but we picked TeamViewer because it is extremely easy to use, as you can see from the steps above. TeamViewer is also free for personal use, so that's an added advantage.

Which method do you use to control your computer from your smartphone? Let us know via the comments. 

How to Disable Notifications in Google Chrome

How to Disable Notifications in Google Chrome

Desktop notifications are one of the best features of modern browsers. They show previews of email, football scores or even instant messages, letting you to take a quick glance at updates without leaving the work you're doing. But this can get a little overwhelming, particularly when it includes spam and advertisements. If too many sites have begun to send notifications, or if you need to shut out all the noise, you should disable Google Chrome notifications. Doing so is pretty simple:

Open the Google Chrome Settings page. You can either type chrome://settings in the address bar and hit Enter or click the hamburger icon at the top right > Settings.

Scroll to the bottom and click Show advanced settings.

Under Privacy, click Content settings....

Scroll down to Notifications.

Select Do not allow any site to
show desktop notifications.

If you want to allow some websites to show notifications, you can click Ask when a site wants to show desktop notifications. Now sites will show notifications only if you permit them to.

Click Manage exceptions... to see the list of sites that you've granted permission for notifications. Click the X to the right of any of these URLs to stop the site from sending notifications.









Windows 7 and 8

Tap Windows key + D or go to the desktop.

Left-click the bell shaped Chrome Notifications icon in the notifications bar in the bottom-right of the screen. If it isn't there, then click the up arrow icon at the start of the notifications bar. Once you see the bell, left-click on it.

Click the gear icon.

Uncheck apps or extensions that you don't want notifications from.

Mac

In the system menu bar, click the bell icon.

Click the gear icon.

Uncheck apps or extensions that you don't want notifications from.

If you want to disable all Chrome notifications, there is an easy way to do so. In case you're working and just want a temporary break, then you can instead right click on the bell-shaped Chrome notifications icon, and click on Do not disturb. This turns off all notifications. You can also click on Do not disturb for one hour or Do not disturb for one day if you just want a short break from notifications.

This next method will permanently stop all notifications, including email and messages. If you need those, then do not do this. If you're certain that you need to get rid of all Chrome notifications, then read on.

Windows 7 or 8

Tap Windows key + D or go to the desktop.

Click the up arrow icon at the start of the notifications bar in the bottom-right of the screen.

Click Customise....

Scroll down to Google Chrome.

In the drop-down menu, select Hide icon and notifications.

Click OK.

Mac

Click Chrome from the top menu bar.

Click Hide notifications Icon from the drop-down menu.