We are sharing some helpful and practical tips for creating daily cleaning habits that are easy to implement and will make your home feel better than ever.

Why Make Daily Cleaning a Habit?

Tackling a few cleaning tasks every day can make maintaining a welcoming and tidy household more manageable.

Some of the additional benefits of implementing a daily cleaning routine include:

• Curb seasonal allergies: Wiping down surfaces and ridding your home of dust helps reduce the allergens in your space for healthier air quality.
• Reduce stress: Think of the stark difference between spending time in a room draped with miscellaneous clothing items and dishes versus a tidy room. Clearing clutter helps lower stress and harness more tranquility in your space.
• Movement: A clean sweep through your house can help you sneak in some extra physical movement every day. Some people use their cleaning routine to meet their daily step count.
• Boosting productivity: When you have a tidy space, you can focus on other things beyond what needs straightening up. A daily cleaning habit can boost your productivity and inspire you to get more done.
• Feeling accomplished: After tending to your space, you will feel more accomplished and happier. A daily routine can help you enjoy your home more.
• Healthy habits: Having a daily cleaning routine is good for you and your family. It promotes other healthy habits and helps you maintain a space that looks and feels good.

20 Tips For Creating Daily Cleaning Habits

Explore the following tips for developing daily cleaning habits that will help you manage your space more effectively:

1. Channel the Right Mindset

Our first tip is to get into the cleaning mindset. The trick is to inspire yourself to get started by not looking at your daily cleaning routine as a chore and focusing your thoughts on how you’ll feel when the job is complete. Think of it as a way to enhance your space and the time you spend there.

You can do this a few different ways, depending on what inspires you the most. Some people enjoy watching TikTok or YouTube videos of others tidying up their spaces. Seeing the transformation from a messy home to a spotless one may motivate you to get started on your own house.

2. Make the Bed Right Away

An easy way to kickstart your daily tasks is to make your bed as soon as you get up for the day. Tackling this chore immediately will help set the tone for your day.

Making the bed is an easy process that takes less than 10 minutes. It can give you a sense of accomplishment first thing in the morning. You can appreciate how nice your bed looks anytime you return to your room during the day. Plus, it feels good to get into a freshly made bed when you’re ready to sleep at night.

3. Keep Clutter Hidden

We all have those corners of our homes that seem to be messy no matter how often we tidy them. Clutter is sometimes inevitable. However, you can use baskets and other storage furniture to help conceal some of the unsightly things in your space.

For example, your home office may have a pile of various cords and chargers. Instead of letting these set out in the open, consider storing them away in a container and getting them out as needed.

4. Organize Your Cleaning Supplies

A good way to make your daily cleaning routine easier is to keep all your cleaning supplies well organized. If you have to fight through a messy closet to reach your surface cleaners or vacuum extensions, you will be less likely to get the job done.

Make it easy on yourself, and keep your products and tools in order. That way, when you need a product, you can easily locate it without having to spend time moving other things around to find it.

5. Clean Up As You Go

Another tip for enhancing your daily cleaning habits is to tidy as you go. Some people use the rule of never leaving a room empty-handed. As they move throughout their home during the day, they pick up any items that are out of place and take them to their respective locations.

Whether you are cooking a meal for your family or getting ready for the day with various products on your bathroom counter, cleaning as you work is one of the best ways to minimize the mess and save time later.

6. Make the Most of Trash Day

You can also enhance your routine by taking advantage of trash pickup day. Check with your local municipality to ensure you understand what items can go into your trash cans and recycling bins each week.

Make the most of trash day to clear out your clutter. Do things like tossing any expired food in your pantry and refrigerator. If you’ve received any packages over the last week, break down and recycle the cardboard boxes.

Trash day is an opportunity to refine your home and make it better.

7. Prioritize the Tasks That Make the Biggest Difference

On those days you feel overwhelmed or unmotivated but still want a clean your space, consider prioritizing your tasks. Make a list of two to three things that will make the biggest difference in your home right now.

The tasks you choose will depend on your home’s condition. If you have miscellaneous clothing items or toys, it may be beneficial to start by picking them up. If your floors are especially dirty, an important task to prioritize may be vacuuming. It all depends on your unique situation.

8. Create a Physical Daily Cleaning Checklist

Enhance your daily cleaning schedule by creating a checklist you can refer to each day. Having a physical list will help lighten your mental load. Instead of thinking of all the tasks you’d like to get to that day, you will have them all in one streamlined checklist.

As you check items off, you will feel a sense of accomplishment. A checklist also lets you monitor your productivity and see what you tend to get done in one day.

9. Keep Shoes by the Entrances

An easy way to simplify your daily house cleaning schedule is to keep shoes by the door. You do not have to store every pair here, but it is a good practice to have people remove their shoes before walking through your home. You can drastically reduce the amount of dirt that visitors and family track throughout your house.

By asking everyone to take off their shoes, you can vacuum and clean your floors less frequently.

10. Do a Load of Laundry Each Day

Laundry can feel like a never-ending task, but you can stay on top of overflowing hampers by tackling one load every day.

Instead of letting items pile up throughout the week and spending a full day tending to your family’s dirty clothes, make it a habit to toss a load in the washer daily.

We suggest getting the full chore done, from washing to putting the clothes away in your closets or dressers. Don’t abandon the load at any step of the process, as this can create more work for later.

11. Clean During Commercial Breaks

A fun way to switch up your cleaning schedule is by performing tasks during the commercial breaks of your favorite television shows. These breaks are a great opportunity to sneak your chores in without much thought.

Cleaning during commercials also helps you work more productively because you’ll be motivated to finish before the show returns. Small tasks like fluffing throw pillows or dusting surfaces are easy to complete in short spurts of time.

12. Set Yourself Up for Success

You can do a few different things to set yourself up for success and make your daily cleaning tasks even easier.

One idea includes storing your cleaning supplies near the spaces where you use them. This will save time and energy and can even increase the likelihood you’ll clean that area.

Another idea is investing in storage furniture. Whether you have an ottoman that you can toss your kids’ toys in or a cabinet that stores your winter jackets, storage solutions make your cleaning job much simpler.

13. Create a Weekly Cleaning Schedule

Creating a weekly cleaning schedule separate from your daily routine can also be beneficial. You can tackle these weekly to-do items over the weekend.

Some ideas for the weekly checklist include:

• Cleaning out the fridge
• Disinfecting all surfaces
• Scrubbing soap scum
• Cleaning appliances

By having a plan, you will feel less overwhelmed by all the tasks you could do during the week. Instead of considering all the little things that need to be done around your house, you can focus on a few key chores, knowing you’ll get to the others later.

You can also streamline your cleaning routine by assigning certain tasks to specific days of the week.

14. Clean the Tub After Every Shower

A habit you can incorporate into your everyday cleaning routine is tending to your shower or tub after bathing. You can use a daily spray cleaner to help prevent soap scum buildup and keep your bathroom sparkling. Running a squeegee over your shower walls is also a good practice.

Doing these tasks each day makes your job easier in the future when you deep clean your space. As a bonus tip, keep your shower liner spread out to avoid trapping mold- and mildew-causing moisture in its folds.

15. Deal With Your Mail Immediately

Another tip to enhance your daily cleaning habits is to deal with mail and deliveries right away. Instead of grabbing your mail from the mailbox and dropping it on your dining room table, go through each piece. Sort them by importance and toss anything that is not relevant or needed. File the other pieces into their respective locations.

Letting your mail or packages pile up contributes to unnecessary clutter in your home. Dealing with them promptly helps you stay on top of things and maintain a tidier space.

16. Change Up Your Routine With Trial Runs

The right daily cleaning routine for you may take some time to perfect. Do not be afraid to conduct some trial runs to see what works for you and what doesn’t. Stick with a routine for a week or two. Make changes as needed.

Switch up your schedule until you find the habits that are sustainable and make you feel good. Ultimately, you will not stick with a routine that doesn’t serve you and enhance your life, so take some time to find what is realistic and achievable.

17. Get the Whole Household Involved

Getting your entire household involved is a great way to make your daily cleaning habits more effective. Having everyone working towards a shared goal will speed up the cleaning process each day.

If you have kids, consider creating chore charts so everyone knows their cleaning responsibilities. You can also make tidying up into a game. Have the kids clean up their toys as fast as possible or roll dice to see who gets what chore on the checklist.

18. Do a 10-Minute Clean Before Bed

Incorporating a 10-minute clean into your nighttime routine is an easy and simple way to tidy up your home before going to sleep. When you wake up the next morning, you can enjoy starting your day in a clean and calm environment.

Set a timer for just 10 minutes and clean up as much as possible until time runs out. You may be surprised by how much you can get done in such a short amount of time.

19. Reward Yourself

Making your daily cleaning routine rewarding is a great way to motivate yourself to maintain a clean home. Your reward could be as small as a piece of your favorite candy that you give yourself after completing your checklist each day. Or the reward could be something bigger for consecutive days of getting everything done.

You can also incorporate rewards into your cleaning process. For example, you might have a certain podcast or audiobook you listen to only when you are cleaning. You’ll be more motivated to start tackling your chores if you know you’ll get to enjoy something you love during them.

20. Don’t Forget to Tidy Up Your Digital Life

While you are busy cleaning up your living space, don’t forget to address your digital space too. Some ideas include:

• Take a moment each day to clear your notifications.
• Delete any messages or emails you don’t need.
• Respond to your texts.
• Organize your chargers.
• Sanitize your screens and phone case.

Keep your electronics storage well-organized and get rid of any pieces of tech you no longer want or need.

Trade-In Your Device With Gazelle

If you find an old cell phone you no longer want while cleaning your home, turn to Gazelle. We make trading in your used device easy. You can get an offer for your old phone in about two minutes, and it is totally free to send us your device for inspection. Our team will take a closer look at it and get you your money fast.

Learn more about our trusted trade-in process today!

The post How to Make Daily Cleaning a Habit — Checklists, Schedules and More Nico Schatz appeared first on Gazelle The Horn.

Let’s take a look at everything the 2023 Galaxy phone has to offer and how you can grab one.

The Samsung S23 Lineup

The lineup for this next Galaxy phone is mostly the same as the S22 collection. You’ll find a standard model, a “plus” model and an Ultra. In typical fashion, the S23+ has a larger screen than the standard model but with similar features. The S23 Ultra is a beefed-up version of the standard models. It has a high-powered camera, Samsung’s S Pen stylus and other hardware upgrades.

We’ll dive into the details later, but here’s a quick overview of the S23 lineup:

• Samsung S23: The standard model has a moderate 6.1-inch screen. It comes in 128-gigabyte (GB) and 256GB varieties. As the base model, it doesn’t have all the fanciest features. It still offers the exceptional flagship experience we expect from Samsung.
• Samsung S23+: The S23+ is good for anyone who likes the larger view but doesn’t need all the bells and whistles of an Ultra. It comes with a 6.6-inch screen. Samsung has bumped up the base storage to offer 256GB and 512GB options.
• Samsung S23 Ultra: Samsung’s Ultra models offer better cameras and display tech. They also have some other perks. If you like the sound of a stylus, the S23 Ultra is compatible with Samsung’s S Pens. This next Galaxy looks pretty similar to the S22 versions with a 6.8-inch screen. Storage options include 256GB, 512GB and 1 terabyte (TB). The S23 Ultra also comes in an option with 12GB of memory for some extra oomph in demanding situations.

No matter which option you go with, expect an all-day battery and a speedy new processor. You’ll also get great water resistance and a slew of software features like Samsung Pay and stellar photo processing.

Color options include Lavender, Green, Phantom Black and Cream. Samsung’s gone with a gentler, subdued palette this year. Lavender is a light purple, while Cream is more of a warm beige. Even Green is a more desaturated tone. These muted colors pair well with the matte finish of the phones. There are also limited quantities of Graphite and Lime editions for all models and an additional limited Red and Sky Blue edition for the S23.

Samsung S23 Release Date and Price

As it does most years, Samsung announced the S23 in February. It held an announcement event on Feb. 1 and revealed the new Galaxy S23. The new Samsung phones hit shelves a few weeks later, with most colors available as early as Feb. 17. The Samsung S23 Ultra release date is about the same.

Here’s how Samsung priced the S23’s debut lineup:

• Samsung S23: The 128GB model debuted at $799 to $859.
• Samsung S23+: The larger version of the Galaxy starts at $999 to $1,119, with a base storage option of 256GB.
• Samsung S23 Ultra: The high-powered Ultra model starts at $1,199 to $1,379. It offers twice the storage as the S22 Ultra, starting at 256GB.

These prices are in line with other flagship smartphones and about the same as last year’s. There are no big surprises here.

Samsung S23 Features

While the lineup looks pretty similar to the S22, let’s take a look under the hood. Overall, the S23 seems to opt for a lot of little upgrades rather than anything drastic. Well, besides the huge 200-megapixel (MP) camera in the Ultra.

Design

The S23 looks pretty similar to the S22, with the same sizes. The biggest physical difference is the removal of the camera island. The island is the small bump that raises the camera lenses off the body of the phone. Instead, the individual lenses are raised up from an otherwise smooth camera body. The S22 Ultra already uses this design, and the S23 extended it to the standard models. It makes the phones look pretty sleek. All models use an armor aluminum frame. They’re also IP68 water resistant. They can take a quick dunk in up to 1.5 meters of fresh water for up to 30 minutes.

Otherwise, the S23 phones follow dimensions similar to the S22 lineup. Here’s how they stack up:

• S23: The standard model has a 6.1-inch screen and weighs in at 168 grams.
• S23+: With a 6.6-inch screen, the hefty S23+ weighs 195 for the sub-6 model and 196 grams for the mmWave.
• S23 Ultra: The biggest of the bunch has a 6.8-inch screen and weighs 233 grams for the 6-sub and 234 grams for the mmWave.

These measurements are almost exactly the same as those of the S22 models. If you’re used to one of them, it shouldn’t feel like a drastically different phone.

Samsung also uses some recycled materials in the S23 lineup. Both the standard and Ultra models use recycled parts in the screen, backing and other areas.

Display

The display of the S23 got a nice boost with extra brightness, but that’s the biggest change. The S23 models have the same AMOLED 2X display as the S22 phones. The standard and plus models stuck to the Full HD+ display. The Ultra got a higher-resolution Quad HD+ display. The Ultra model still has an Edge Screen that curves slightly along the sides.

Perhaps the flashiest update to the S23 display is more brightness. We measure brightness in nits. The S22 maxed out at about 982 nits, and the S22+ and S22 Ultra got over 1,200. All models of the S23 can go up to 1,750 nits, which is ideal for seeing your screen in bright light.

Gamers will also appreciate the updates made to the Samsung S23 Ultra specs. The screen is now optimized for immersive gaming with bright colors and smooth refresh rates.

Some rumors suggested we might see a lower minimum refresh rate. Putting lower rates on the standard models might improve battery life. Those predictions didn’t happen, as the S23 and S23+ still run on 48-120Hz adaptive refresh rates.

Another small rumor that didn’t pan out was a possible under-display camera. A few smartphones have tried this tech before, but it hasn’t been wildly successful. For now, Samsung’s sticking with the same punch-hole camera as the S22 models. This design isn’t very obtrusive, so it doesn’t seem too important to move away from it just yet.

Camera

One of the biggest upgrades in the new Galaxy lineup is the camera in the Ultra. Samsung recently announced a new ISOCELL HP2 sensor, which it put to use in the S23 Ultra. This sensor offers a whopping 200 megapixels. It uses improved technology to get crisp photos in different lighting scenarios. It manages to offer these capabilities without adding more height to the camera system.

Two exciting features we see with the HP2 sensor are Super QPD and improvements to 8K video recording. Super QPD enables faster, more accurate autofocusing, particularly in low-light environments. Samsung also adapted its technology to improve the field of view when filming 8K video. It should help you capture more in every shot. These upgrades can help you get crisp, clear cinematic videos.

Overall, the HP2 sensor adds a slew of high-end camera capabilities, including nighttime photography features, but they’re only in the S23 Ultra. The cameras on the S23 and S23+ have stayed mostly the same.

On the standard models, we have the same triple-lens system. Like the S22, you’ll get a 50MP wide-angle camera and a 12MP ultra-wide camera. The selfie camera got a nice little bump from 10MP to 12MP. The S23 and S23+ also have 10MP telephoto lenses.

The S22 Ultra upgrades the 50MP main camera to 108MP. The S23 Ultra ramps things up with the 200MP sensor instead. Like its predecessor, it has an additional 10MP telephoto lens to power the 100x digital zoom. This larger sensor can zoom in on faraway subjects without losing quality. Interestingly enough, the S23 Ultra downgraded the front camera from 40MP to 12MP. Still, Samsung’s software and sensors should make up for the difference.

Overall, the name of the game for Galaxy photography is “nighttime.” Samsung has beefed up its performance in a few important low-light areas, offering:

• Nightography: Improved artificial intelligence (AI) helps you get detailed, bright and vibrant photos. You can now get them even in the dark.
• Steady nighttime video: The new sensor in the Ultra makes it easy to get sharp, steady footage when recording at night.
• Night selfies: Samsung improved the front camera with Dual Pixel technology. It can now focus faster in low light for better evening selfies. It works on video, too.
• Night portrait: The Ultra can blur backgrounds and keep your subject in sharp focus. It offers a more artistic shot, regardless of the lighting.
• Powerful wide-angle cameras: The 50MP camera in the S23 and S23+ can help you get super high-quality photos. You can zoom in and find all-new photos hidden in the details. Hefty cropping still looks nice and sharp.
• Expert RAW: Know your way around photo editing? The RAW format is great for professional editing. It’s also good for taking pictures of the night sky. You can even use it to create artistic shots with multiple exposures.
• Photo remastering: With the Photo Remaster feature, you can improve dark, blurry or low-resolution photos.
• Astrophotography: The high-powered camera in the Ultra is perfect for astrophotography. You can take simple shots of the stars or take hyperlapses. A hyperlapse records the movement of the stars over time. The result is an artistic shot of streaky stars moving over the landscape.

If you’re a night owl, the Galaxy S23 cameras could help you level up your photo game.

Specs

The big news on internal components is the new custom processor built just for the Galaxy lineup. It offers some big performance upgrades and helps separate Galaxy phones from other Androids. Samsung says the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy should offer faster graphics and computing performance. It’s also optimized to improve battery life.

Other spec upgrades in the S23 lineup include:

• More storage: Samsung added a few new storage options. The S23+ starts at 256GB, offering double the storage for the same price. You can also choose a phone with 512GB of space.
• Cooling tech: Galaxy S22 models can get hot. They often heat up under stress from demanding tasks like gaming. The new graphics system in the processor should help the S23 phones stay cool during this kind of use. This change is especially helpful for power users.

Many Samsung users hoped for a satellite-based emergency tool. Apple unveiled such a feature in the iPhone 14. Some rumors even suggested that Samsung would expand on satellite connections. They suggested using it for texting and other messages rather than just emergencies. Unfortunately, this doesn’t seem to be the case in the S23.

If you want a phone that uses the S Pen, you’ll need to spring for the Ultra. The S Pen slides into a holder at the bottom of the phone. It even has a remote shutter button for taking pictures.

Overall, it looks like efficiency was a significant focus for Samsung this time around. Small changes all over the phone should help increase battery life and speed.

Battery

We got a small but pleasant boost to battery sizes across the S23 collection. The standard models got a modest bump of 200 milliamp-hours (mAh). The S23 and S23+ have 3,900 mAh and 4,700 mAh batteries, respectively. The Ultra models have the same sized batteries as they did in the S22 lineup.

According to Samsung, you can get up to 22, 27 and 26 hours of video playback on the S23, S23+ and S23 Ultra, respectively.

The battery size doesn’t get much of a boost, but the real-world life span should improve. These benefits mostly come from the efficiency-focused processor. The display is also more efficient to help increase the life of the new Galaxy phones.

Charging looks fairly similar to that of the S22. You can use a 25-watt (W) charger with the S23 and a 45W charger with the S23+ and S23 Ultra. These wattages are enough to power Samsung’s Super Fast Charging. Wireless charging and PowerShare have stuck around.

Get Ready for the Newest Galaxy Phone With Gazelle

Whether you’re a dedicated Samsung fan or you’re considering switching from another brand, this is a great time to grab a new Galaxy — and Gazelle is here to help.

We can help you sell your used phone to offset the cost of the new one. We also have plenty of used Galaxy phones to help you save a buck.

Trading in a phone is easy and quick, with fair pricing and a trustworthy buyer. If you’re buying, you’ll get the same trustworthiness and a simple way to save on a phone. See what you can get for your used phone today, or browse through our used phones for sale!

The post Samsung Galaxy S23 Release Guide Nico Schatz appeared first on Gazelle The Horn.

We’ll break down the difference between MacBook Airs and MacBook Pros so you can pick the right one and buy with confidence. Let’s dive in!

The current MacBook Air lineup runs on Apple’s M4 chip and comes in 13.6″ (2560×1664) and 15.3″ (2880×1864) display sizes, while the MacBook Pro features a 14.2″ Liquid Retina XDR display (3024×1964) – and that’s just the beginning of the differences between these two lines.

Here’s a quick breakdown of where they stand apart:

• Brightness: The MacBook Air maxes out at 500 nits, while the MacBook Pro doubles that at 1,000 nits – a meaningful difference if you frequently work in bright environments or outdoors.
• Size and weight: The MacBook Air M4 is remarkably thin at just 0.44-0.45 inches and weighs between 2.7 and 3.3 lbs depending on the model. The MacBook Pro is slightly chunkier at 0.61 inches thick and 3.4 lbs – still portable, but noticeably heavier.
• Ports: The MacBook Air M4 comes with two Thunderbolt 4 ports. The MacBook Pro M4 steps it up with three Thunderbolt 4 ports, plus a dedicated HDMI port and an SD card slot – a big deal for photographers, videographers, and power users who regularly connect external devices.
• Performance: Both chips are fast, but there’s a clear ceiling difference. The base M4 chip is more than capable for everyday tasks, while the M4 Max scores around 26,600 in Geekbench 6 multi-core – nearly double the base M4 and about 20% higher than the M4 Pro. If you’re doing heavy video editing, 3D rendering, or machine learning work, the Pro’s higher-tier chip options make a real difference.

The bottom line: if you want a slim, lightweight laptop for everyday productivity, browsing, and light creative work, the MacBook Air M4 delivers exceptional value. If you need more screen brightness, more ports, and significantly more processing headroom for demanding workloads, the MacBook Pro is worth the premium.

Size and Weight

The biggest differentiator between MacBook Airs and MacBook Pros used to be their size and weight. As the name implies, the Airs were the lightweight version, great for taking on the go. Nowadays, the differences are minimal, though the Air still holds a slight edge in portability.

The MacBook Air M4 comes in two sizes: a 13.6-inch model and a 15.3-inch model, weighing 2.7 and 3.3 pounds respectively. Both are impressively slim at just 0.44-0.45 inches thin. The MacBook Pro M4, by comparison, comes in at 0.61 inches thick and weighs 3.4 pounds. While the gap isn’t dramatic, the Air is still the clear winner if shaving off every possible ounce matters to you.

It’s worth noting that the MacBook Airs have a slightly different shape. Their slim, tapered profile makes them easier to slip into a bag, while the Pros have a more traditional rectangular build to accommodate additional ports and cooling hardware. Speaking of ports, the MacBook Air M4 includes two Thunderbolt 4 ports, while the MacBook Pro M4 steps it up with three Thunderbolt 4 ports, plus a dedicated HDMI port and an SD card slot – a meaningful difference if you regularly connect external displays or transfer files from a camera.

MacBook Airs also continue to offer more color variety, while the Pros stick to a more limited, professional palette. If you’re still deciding between the two, our MacBook Air vs. MacBook Pro comparison breaks down all the key differences to help you choose.

Display

Both laptops offer beautiful, colorful displays, though there are some notable differences between them. The MacBook Air features a Liquid Retina display, available in 13.6″ (2560×1664) and 15.3″ (2880×1864) sizes, with a brightness of 500 nits. The MacBook Pro, on the other hand, steps things up with a 14.2″ (3024×1964) Liquid Retina XDR display. These Pro screens use mini-LED technology that offers higher resolution and brightness, which also helps improve contrast. Notably, the MacBook Pro reaches up to 1,000 nits of brightness – double what the MacBook Air offers.

The MacBook Pro also includes two other important display advantages. It features ProMotion technology with adaptive refresh rates up to 120Hz for a noticeably smoother viewing experience, and a notch at the top of the display that houses the webcam. The notch only cuts into the menu bar area, so it isn’t too distracting in everyday use, and it allows for a larger screen with slimmer bezels overall. The MacBook Air, by contrast, lacks both ProMotion and the notch, instead using a more traditional display layout with a thin bezel across the top. If you’re shopping for a MacBook for students, the display differences between these two models are worth considering carefully.

Performance

If you’re looking to run demanding programs like games or editing software or working with high amounts of data, you may need a Pro. Otherwise, MacBook Airs are more than capable for many people. For example, an Air would have no problem with web browsers, email and word processors. More demanding applications might call for the upgraded specs of the Pro. Outside of basic performance, Pros can usually support higher-powered components, like more memory and more cores in the graphics processing unit (GPU).

One major difference you’ll find in performance comes from Apple silicon chips. In 2020, Apple announced its own line of processor chips, starting with the M1 and evolving through M2, M3, M4, and now M5. Today, all MacBooks use these chips instead of chips manufactured by Intel. Since these processors are designed by Apple specifically for their hardware, these computers have much better performance. In benchmark tests, they blow Intel out of the water with stellar scores.

The M-series chips have continued to evolve rapidly. The current MacBook Air ships with the M4 chip, while the MacBook Pro lineup goes further with M4 Pro and M4 Max options. To put the performance gap into perspective, the M4 Max scores around 26,600 in Geekbench 6 multi-core — nearly double the base M4 and about 20% higher than the M4 Pro. Meanwhile, Apple’s latest M5 chip averages a single-core score of 4,228 and a multi-core score of 17,460 in Geekbench 6.

If you’re on the fence about whether an Air can support your work, consider that the M4-powered Air is genuinely capable of handling a wide range of demanding tasks. However, if you work with intensive video editing, 3D rendering, large datasets, or professional creative workflows, the M4 Pro or M4 Max found in the MacBook Pro will offer a meaningful performance advantage — not just in raw speed, but also in sustained performance under load. If budget is a consideration, it’s worth checking out our MacBook holiday gift guide for ideas on finding the right model at the right price.

Battery Life and Charging

You won’t find huge differences in battery life between the Air and the Pro overall, but some models will last longer than others. For instance, Apple rates the 13-inch M4 Air at 18 hours and the 15-inch M4 Air at 15 hours, while the 14-inch M4 Pro checks in at 22 hours and the 16-inch M4 Pro at an impressive 24 hours. Of course, these numbers will vary with real-world use, and Apple Silicon MacBooks consistently outperform older Intel-based models in this regard. If you’re curious how MacBooks stack up against phones, check out which phones have the best battery life.

Many MacBooks support fast charging if you have the right power adapter. Some models use MagSafe charging, with Apple’s special magnetic charger, while others charge over Thunderbolt 4, a special type of USB-C cable. Many even offer both for more flexibility. The MacBook Air M4 ships with a 30W USB-C adapter in the base configuration, though a 35W dual-port adapter or 70W USB-C adapter is recommended if you want to take full advantage of fast charging. The MacBook Pro models come with higher-wattage adapters to match their larger batteries.

Memory and Storage

MacBook Pros have an edge in the memory and storage department. You can order a MacBook Pro with a ton of extra memory. The 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M4 processor supports up to 64 gigabytes (GB) with the base M4 chip, and up to a massive 128GB with the M4 Max. Meanwhile, the M4 MacBook Air only supports up to 32GB.

While many users will be just fine with the entry-level 16GB of memory, power users may need more. Again, these are folks that run resource-intensive applications like games and editing software. If that’s you, you may appreciate the higher memory options of the Pro. Otherwise, you should be just fine with an Air. Keep in mind that MacBooks use unified memory, which means the hardware is soldered directly onto the chip. You won’t be able to add memory later, so choose wisely upfront.

A MacBook Pro might give you more storage options, too. An M4 Air, for instance, tops out at 2 terabytes (TB) of storage, but a 14-inch MacBook Pro can reach up to 8TB. With the popularity of cloud storage, many users don’t need a ton of onboard storage. It depends on your usage. If you don’t keep a lot of videos or photos in on-device storage, the capacity of an Air should be plenty. You can also use external hard drives or cloud services if you need more later.

Keyboard and Touch Bar

For the most part, the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro laptops have the same keyboard. They use Apple’s backlit Magic Keyboard and a massive Force Touch trackpad. You can adjust the brightness behind the keys and use gestures and pressure-sensitive clicks with the trackpad.

You may have seen Apple’s Touch Bar on older MacBook Pro models. This bar was essentially a thin strip with an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) touch screen. It could show normal function keys like F1, F2, etc., but it also had dynamic buttons that changed based on what you were doing. If you were editing a document, it might give you spell-check suggestions or let you select your text color from a large rainbow gradient.

However, Apple permanently removed the Touch Bar from the MacBook Pro lineup. It proved controversial among users – not many app developers accommodated it with special buttons, and a lot of Apple fans missed having physical function keys. Apple ultimately listened to that feedback, and current MacBook Pro models have returned to a full row of physical function keys.

Both MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models now include Touch ID – a small fingerprint scanner built into the keyboard – for fast, secure authentication. This is consistent across the current lineup and is no longer tied to the Touch Bar in any way.

So when comparing today’s MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, the keyboard experience is largely the same between the two. The differences that actually matter come down to things like performance, display quality, port selection, and battery life – which are covered in more detail throughout this guide. If you’re also weighing your options beyond laptops, our guide to the best Apple iPhone models can help you find the right device for your needs.

Ports

The MacBook Pro is king when it comes to ports – at least, the 14-inch and 16-inch versions. Pros typically have more ports than Airs, but it depends on the model.

If you need a lot of ports, the 14-inch or 16-inch MacBook Pro is the way to go. Current MacBook Pro M4 models include three Thunderbolt 4 ports, one HDMI port, an SDXC card slot, and MagSafe charging. The MacBook Air M4, on the other hand, comes with two Thunderbolt 4 ports and a MagSafe charging port – no HDMI or SD card slot built in.

If you don’t plan to use your laptop with a lot of accessories, the two ports on the Air should be plenty. However, if you regularly connect external displays, cameras, or other peripherals, you’ll appreciate the Pro’s expanded port selection. Air users may need an adapter or USB hub to connect things like a mouse, keyboard, or external display. If your laptop is running slowly with all those connected devices, check out our tips on how to clean and speed up your laptop.

Audio

Laptops aren’t usually known for audio quality, but you can expect pretty good sound from either a Pro or an Air. Recent models support Dolby Atmos playback, which brings a surround sound-like quality to your laptop. If you have AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, or Beats headphones with spatial audio support, you can also enjoy a more immersive 3D listening experience. Connecting your AirPods to your iPhone is just as seamless.

Audio is another area where the 14-inch and 16-inch Pros pull ahead. They feature a high-fidelity six-speaker sound system that delivers noticeably richer, fuller audio compared to the competition. The MacBook Air M4, by comparison, comes with a four-speaker setup that still sounds solid for everyday use. For audiophiles or anyone who regularly watches movies and listens to music without headphones, one of the higher-end Pros would be worth the investment. That said, if you primarily use headphones or simply aren’t too focused on speaker quality, the MacBook Air or a base MacBook Pro will still provide a perfectly enjoyable stereo listening experience.

Camera

MacBooks have had high-definition front cameras for a while. Most models feature 1080p webcams built-in, with newer MacBook Pro models offering even sharper Center Stage support and improved low-light performance. Apple also includes a handy feature called Continuity Camera, which has been available since macOS Ventura and continues to be supported on modern MacBooks. It lets you use your iPhone camera as a replacement or an additional input.

Since iPhone cameras can offer extremely high quality, they can make your Zoom meetings crisp and clear. You can also use your phone as a second input with a feature called Desk View, letting you record your face and, say, a drawing on your desk at the same time.

You’ll find solid HD cameras on both Airs and Pros, so there’s no dramatic winner here. Both lineups support Continuity Camera with a compatible iPhone, which is where the biggest real-world camera upgrade tends to come from anyway. If you do a lot of video calling, pairing either MacBook with a modern iPhone will give you a noticeable edge over the built-in webcam alone.

Wireless Capabilities

For the most part, wireless connections are the same across MacBook Pros and Airs. Current models feature Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6E as standard, so you’re getting the same wireless technology regardless of which line you choose. The average user doesn’t need to worry too much about these specs. They’re fairly minor day-to-day, and you’ll likely only notice meaningful speed improvements if you’re running many devices on one network or upgrading from significantly older hardware.

Wi-Fi 6E is a step up from Wi-Fi 6, operating on the less congested 6GHz band for faster speeds and lower latency. Bluetooth 5.3 improves on earlier versions with better connection stability, energy efficiency, and data transfer rates. That said, both technologies rely on compatible devices to unlock their full benefits. Wi-Fi 6E won’t help much if your router doesn’t support it, and Bluetooth 5.3 improvements won’t fully apply when pairing with a device that only supports an older Bluetooth version.

The good news is that since both MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models now share the same wireless specs, this isn’t a deciding factor between the two. If you’re buying a new Mac in 2026, you’re getting modern wireless technology either way. Just make sure your router and other peripherals are up to date if you want to take full advantage of what’s on offer.

Price

Price is one of the biggest reasons to choose an Air over a Pro. Even the newest MacBook Airs start at under $1,000. A new 14-inch Pro starts at a much steeper price of $1,999, and the 16-inch Pro has a starting point of $2,499, with upgrades like memory and storage driving it up even further. With such a big difference, you’ll want to make sure you actually need all those extra features.

For regular users, the MacBook Air will probably offer the most bang for your buck. It’s fast and more than capable of running everyday tasks, like web browsing, emails and word processing. The Air’s price point helps make it especially popular among students and people looking for a personal-use laptop.

The price tag on the Pros might be pretty steep, but the 14-inch and 16-inch models give you a lot for the money. You’ll get a Pro-grade chip, a significantly brighter Liquid Retina XDR display (1,000 nits versus the Air’s 500 nits), and a lot more ports — including three Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI and an SD card slot, compared to just two Thunderbolt 4 ports on the Air. While those features won’t matter to everyone, those who have more demanding tasks will certainly appreciate them.

If you’re on a budget but need more power, don’t worry — a Pro is still within reach! Apple computers hold up especially well over time. Thanks to their premium components, a used MacBook can help you save big without sacrificing quality. Our used MacBook Pros and Airs can help you save hundreds off retail prices.

Buy or Trade In Your MacBook With Gazelle

Ultimately, the MacBook Air vs. MacBook Pro debate comes down to what you need it for. Casual users love the portability, price and performance of the Air. Anyone who needs to use power-hungry apps or do a lot of multitasking will likely need the beefier specs of the Pro.

Whichever one you choose, make your money count and consider buying used. At Gazelle, we make it easy with trustworthy listings, easy returns and great quality. If you’re upgrading from an older MacBook, we also offer simple trade-ins. Sell your used laptop without meeting or haggling with strangers.

Make the most of your next MacBook with Gazelle. Explore our used MacBooks online, or get a quote for a MacBook trade-in!

The post MacBook Air vs. MacBook Pro: Which Is Right For You? Nico Schatz appeared first on Gazelle The Horn.

The 10 Best Online Dating Apps for 2023

Plenty of dating apps have appeared in the last decade. It’s now less of a question of which app is the best for dating and more about which one is right for you.

Older platforms like eharmony and OkCupid have modernized themselves, and newer platforms like The League and Her offer more niche experiences for certain users. Below are some of the best free dating apps for 2026 to help you find love this year – or whatever it is you’re looking for.

1. Tinder

Tinder remains the most downloaded dating app in the world, racking up over 58 million downloads in 2023 alone. While its annual downloads are down more than a third from its 2014 peak, it still dominates the market by sheer reach – and according to Pew Research Center, 46% of U.S. online dating users have used it, more than any other app.

Tinder is geared toward a broad audience but tends to skew younger, and it’s almost entirely based on snap judgments. It focuses more on appearance and photos than prompts or personal information, and it doesn’t offer filtering based on details like height, education or religion. Still, it has handy features like profile verification, video chats and seeing who likes you.

If you want the largest possible pool of potential matches – whether for casual relationships or something more serious – Tinder delivers. You can use it online or through an iPhone or Android app.

2. Bumble

Bumble ranks among the top three most downloaded dating apps globally and remains one of the most widely used platforms in the United States, where 28% of online dating users report having tried it, according to Pew Research Center. It gained traction by flipping the script on typical first encounters, asking women to make the first move. Like many other online dating apps, it starts with swiping left and right on profiles you like or don’t like. If two people match, the woman has 24 hours to initiate a conversation. For same-sex relationships, anyone can start the chat.

Many people like Bumble for this woman-first approach. It takes some pressure off the guys and gives ladies more control. Bumble is also big on making online dating safer and more comfortable for everyone, with features like profile verification, robust dating tips and a zero-tolerance policy for unsolicited lewd photos.

The platform builds you a nicely rounded profile with badges to reflect your interests and prompts to help you share your authentic self. It also links with Instagram and Spotify, so you can start bonding over shared music tastes or photos. Like other dating apps, Bumble has a feature called Beeline, where you can see people who have already “liked” you.

Bumble is one of the best free dating apps out there, with just a few premium features you can opt-in for, like boosting your profile and sending a SuperSwipe. Bumble also offers Bumble BFF and Bumble Bizz, which can help you make friends or network. The app is available for free on Android and iPhone and through a web browser.

3. Hinge

Hinge takes a different approach that focuses on high-quality matches. It calls itself “the dating app designed to be deleted.” Hinge wants to get you into a long-term relationship, and it shows with its thorough approach to matchmaking. The app touts a Nobel-Prize-winning algorithm, a full research team and plenty of tools to help you break the ice and start meaningful conversations.

Hinge suggests particularly interesting profile prompts, offers up conversation starters and shows you who liked you. If you find someone you want to match with, you can select specific parts of their profile to like, such as a photo or a response to a prompt. This approach is great for jump-starting conversations. Hinge is also one of the more attractively designed apps, with a clean interface that’s not too cluttered or too simple.

Other unique features of Hinge include Roses, which you can send to show someone you’re extra interested, and Standouts, where Hinge highlights profiles it thinks are a great match for you. The app can also give you gentle nudges when it’s your turn to reply to someone.

You’ll get plenty of functionality in the free version of Hinge, but you can also upgrade to a preferred membership for more filtering options, the ability to see everyone who likes you at once and an unlimited number of likes per day. You can snag this free dating app for iPhone or Android.

4. OkCupid

OkCupid has been around for a while, and it’s a great choice if you’ve got some specific interests. This platform can get super niche. It has 22 gender and 20 sexual orientation options, so it works well for people who don’t fall under the limited boxes offered by other dating apps.

For instance, it’s one of the few apps that nicely supports non-monogamous relationships. Instead of awkward joint profiles, you both create your own profiles and link them up. Along with non-binary gender identities, you can also identify yourself with terms like butch or femme.

The dating platform gives you tons of keyword search options, in-depth personality quizzes and long-form profiles for making deeper connections. OkCupid lets you answer practically endless questions to improve your matches. You can hop on OkCupid from a web browser, as well as through the iPhone or Android apps.

5. Coffee Meets Bagel

Too busy for traditional dating? Burnt out from non-stop swiping? Try Coffee Meets Bagel. This dating app aims for meaningful matches. It sends you a selection of potential partners – called bagels – at noon each day. You can read through their profiles, use the app’s in-depth prompts and lean on personalized icebreakers to chat with them.

With a set number of matches each day, it’s a little easier to avoid getting sucked into an endless void of swiping. But if that’s your thing, you can also use the Discover feature for a more traditional swiping experience. Coffee Meets Bagel also has a feature called Skip the Line, so you can get yourself seen by the “bagels” you like sooner.

Coffee Meets Bagel is a great free app, but some features require “beans” to use, such as liking people in the Discover mode or turning on Read Receipts. You can get some beans for free or buy them with real currency. You can also get a Premium subscription that gives you some perks every month, like viewing everyone who likes you and getting discounts on beans.

Download the app on Android or iPhone.

6. eharmony

eharmony is another app geared toward long-term relationships. The sign-up process might start with a daunting compatibility quiz, but it promises quality matches and narrows down the field. If you don’t want to deal with sifting through bad matches or going on a lot of dates, eharmony might be a good pick, though it is more expensive than some other dating apps.

One unique feature of eharmony is its personality profiles, which emphasize learning more about yourself and what you really want in a relationship. It’ll also give you a compatibility score for each potential match.

The free version of eharmony limits the number of messages you can send. The premium app unlocks unlimited messaging, along with video chats, seeing people who viewed you and other features. You can use eharmony on a web browser, the iPhone app or the Android app.

7. HER

HER is an app designed for LGBTQ+ people and is one of the most inclusive dating apps you can get. It’s a favorite of lesbians, bisexual women and trans people, with plenty of ways to identify yourself and stay safe while dating online. HER even has tools to help people in different phases of their journey, like those who haven’t come out yet or are still discovering their interests. It also has a unique option that lets you go incognito, so other people can only see you if you like them first.

HER is free but has a premium option that gives you more filters, incognito mode, rewinds, ad-free matching and other features. You can download the app for Android or iPhone.

8. Grindr

Grindr is another app for the LGBTQ+ crowd. It tends to be focused on casual meetups, specifically for gay and bisexual men. The app itself is very minimalistic – it has profile pictures, usernames, basic questions and “tribes” that describe your style and match you with other users to start chatting. Grindr is also big on location, connecting you with people nearby.

Grindr lets you send photos, videos and voice messages, and you can control who shows up for you with tags and filters. It also has a worldwide feature called Explore that lets you see users across the globe.

This app has two paid options called Grindr XTRA and Grindr Unlimited. Grindr XTRA removes ads and offers additional features like Explore mode and read receipts. Grindr Unlimited is a higher tier that adds chat translation, message unsending, more filters and incognito mode, which makes you appear offline.

Download Grindr on iPhone or Android.

9. The League

If you’re looking for an exclusive dating app, The League is an invitation-only platform geared toward young professionals. It markets itself as an app for those with exacting standards or stricter requirements. The League promises to set you up with driven, successful people that meet your preferences. It vets all potential users to make sure they meet specific guidelines, so there’s usually a waiting period. It also rates people on flakiness – so no ghosting here!

Another interesting feature is Smart Blocking, which lets you stay hidden from people you have LinkedIn connections with. If you want to date but don’t want your fun-loving profile spreading around the office, you’re in luck. The League even has professional matchmaking services for anyone sick of swiping.

Want to see if you can make the cut? Make sure you’re in one of their operating cities, then download the iPhone or Android app.

10. Clover

Clover is an interesting dating app. Some people describe it as a Tinder-OkCupid hybrid targeted at 20-somethings. It offers various ways to find people you vibe with and spark new relationships built on genuine connections.

Like other apps, it has the classic swipe option, in-app matching games and icebreakers. But unlike other apps, it has advanced searching and a handy on-demand dating feature. Just pick a time, a place and a match, and Clover will give you venue recommendations. Clover also has chat rooms centered around different interests and live streams that let you broadcast yourself to potential matches and communicate in a more dynamic way.

Clover has premium tiers, but you can do a lot in the free version, which is available on Android or iPhone. If you’re shopping for a new device to use these apps on, check out our picks for the best Android phones of 2024 or the best Apple iPhone models to buy this year.

Online Dating Tips for 2023

Online dating apps are a great way to meet people, but each one is a little different, and you need to stay safe when you go out. If you’re gearing up to start swiping, keep these dating app tips in mind:

• Read up on the app’s best practices: Most apps will give you some pointers for putting together your profile. For example, a photo-only profile might fly on Tinder but not on Hinge, which focuses more on conversations and common interests. Pay attention to the prompts when filling out your profile.
• Choose your pictures carefully: When you pick your photos, use them to show off your personality and select different types of pictures. A profile that’s just selfies in a mirror doesn’t give the other person much to go on, but photos of you with your family, doing hobbies or hanging out with a pet are much more inviting. If your phone is running low on space, check out how to delete photos on your iPhone to free up room.
• Stay safe on your date: Any time you’re meeting a stranger, follow online dating best practices, like staying in control of your transportation and meeting in a public place. Never do anything you’re not comfortable with, and share your location with a trusted friend or family member before leaving.

Find Love With the Right Tech

These Android and iPhone dating apps are a fantastic way to meet new people. Whatever you’re looking for, one of these apps is sure to help you find a match.

If you’re jumping into the dating pool, a new phone might help. Maybe your old one is too slow to keep up with these apps, or perhaps you want to look more responsible on your date than your cracked screen would suggest. Gazelle has a vast selection of used phones, so you can put your best foot forward without going over budget.

We make it easy to buy, too. Meeting strangers might be the goal for a dating app but not for buying a phone, so we made a trustworthy platform with transparent listings and easy returns. Explore our used iPhones and Androids today to start finding your perfect match!

The post The 10 Best Apps for Online Dating in 2023 Nico Schatz appeared first on Gazelle The Horn.

The good news? Many of these issues are fixable without spending a dime. Real-world testing backs this up: something as simple as cleaning out dust from your laptop’s vents can reduce CPU temperatures by as much as 17°C and stabilize clock speeds significantly – one tested system saw CPU frequency jump from around 3,140-3,660 MHz all the way up to 4,240-4,390 MHz after a basic cleaning. Depending on how badly throttled your system was, that translates to anywhere from a modest bump to a 10-30% improvement in sustained performance during demanding tasks.

At Gazelle, we want to see your electronics last as long as possible, so we’ve put together a list of ways to speed up laptop performance on the cheap.

How to Speed Up a Slow Laptop

Before you give up on your trusty computer, try these tips on how to speed up laptop performance. Most are completely free and could help you get some more time out of your computer. Our instructions are based on Windows 11 and macOS Sequoia (the latest macOS as of 2026). Older versions usually have similar processes, but you may need to do a quick search to confirm. For other operating systems, like Linux and Chrome OS, the processes may look different.

1. Limit Apps That Launch on Startup

When you turn on your laptop, many apps launch automatically. You probably want some of them, but many will slow you down. Take a closer look at which ones open on startup:

• Windows: Open Task Manager by right-clicking the taskbar or pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc. From Task Manager, select the Startup Apps tab. Here, you’ll see all of your apps that start on launch along with their impact rating. Disable apps you don’t need, especially high-impact ones. Be cautious, as Windows needs some of these to run properly. If you reboot and notice issues, re-enable any app you recently disabled.
• Mac: Click the Apple icon in the upper left corner of the screen. Go to System Settings, then General. Head to Login Items & Extensions. Here, you’ll find apps that open on login and apps allowed to run in the background. Toggle off any you don’t want. You can also right-click an app in your Dock, hover over Options, and uncheck Open at Login. A small dot beneath an icon in the Dock indicates the app is currently running.

2. Uninstall Apps You Don’t Use

A major source of slowdown is unused apps taking up space on your hard drive. You might even find apps you don’t recognize that have sneakily embedded themselves on your system. These apps are called bloatware, which often appears when an app you install has other apps bundled with it. Other common sources of bloatware include pre-installed apps from when you first got your computer or even malware.

Some digital decluttering on your computer is always a good way to increase laptop speed. Whatever the reason, head to your apps list and remove any you don’t want:

• Windows: Open Settings from the Start menu. Click Apps, then Installed Apps. Here, you’ll see a full list of installed applications. Click the three-dot menu next to any app you want to remove and select Uninstall. Some apps may be required by Windows or other programs, so search unknown ones before deleting them.
• Mac: Apple users can head to Launchpad by clicking the grid-like icon in the Dock or pressing F4. Hold down the Option key and click the X in the corner of any app you want to remove. You can remove downloaded apps this way, but some pre-installed Apple apps cannot be deleted.

You might be tempted to drag an icon from your Dock to the Trash. While this looks like a quick fix, it only removes the Dock shortcut – not the app itself.

Another caveat with uninstalling Mac apps is the potential for leftover files the app used that remain on your system. Check your Applications folder for a subfolder with the app’s name. You can also use a third-party Mac cleaning app to track down and remove these remnants.

3. Find Out Which Apps Are Resource-Intensive

Some apps use more processing power than others, putting more strain on the system and causing slowdowns. Sometimes simply closing them does the trick. Other times, you can head into the app’s settings and make changes – if a game uses a lot of processor power, for instance, reducing graphics quality or screen resolution can help significantly.

Here’s how to view app activity on Windows and Mac:

• Windows: Right-click the taskbar and select Task Manager. You’ll see a breakdown of CPU, memory, disk, and network usage per app.
• Mac: Open Activity Monitor, found in the Utilities folder within Applications, or search for it in Spotlight.

Once there, take a look at the CPU and memory columns. If one app is consuming most of your CPU or RAM, close it. Most modern laptops ship with 8 GB or 16 GB of RAM, so any app using a large portion of that can cause noticeable sluggishness.

4. Delete or Offload Files

If your hard drive is nearly full, you’ll likely see a performance hit. A general rule of thumb is to stay under about 80-90% capacity. Solid-state drives (SSDs) handle fuller drives better than older hard disk drives (HDDs), but either way, clearing space helps.

Focus on file size rather than file count – a hundred text documents barely register compared to a single 4K video. To find the biggest culprits:

• Windows: Open Settings from the Start menu. Click System, then Storage. Use the Storage Sense tool to automatically clean up unnecessary files, or browse the categories manually to find large files. You can also open File Explorer, navigate to This PC, and sort by size to spot large items quickly.
• Mac: Open System Settings and click General in the sidebar. Click Storage. Scroll through the categories shown to identify which files and apps take up the most space and remove what you no longer need.

After clearing files, consider offloading anything you want to keep but don’t need locally to an external hard drive or a cloud storage service. When finished, empty the Trash or Recycle Bin to fully reclaim the space.

5. Clean Out Dust and Improve Cooling

One of the most overlooked causes of laptop slowdowns is heat. When a laptop overheats, it throttles its own processor to protect itself – and that directly tanks performance. Dust buildup in vents and fans is one of the most common culprits.

The impact of cleaning can be surprisingly significant. Real-world tests have shown that simply cleaning a dusty computer can reduce CPU temperatures by anywhere from 9°C to 17°C, with one Computerworld test recording a 16.2°F (9°C) drop and a 419 RPM increase in fan speed after a basic cleaning. In cases where heavy throttling was present, benchmarks have shown sustained performance improvements of 10-30% after cleaning.

To clean your laptop:

• Use a can of compressed air to blow dust out of the vents. Do this outdoors or in a well-ventilated area.
• If you’re comfortable opening your laptop, a more thorough internal cleaning can make a bigger difference – but check your warranty first.
• Make sure you’re using your laptop on a hard, flat surface rather than a bed or couch, which can block airflow.
• Consider a laptop cooling pad if heat is a recurring issue.

6. Switch to High-Performance Power

Plugging in your laptop and switching to a high-performance power setting is one of the easiest ways to get more out of your machine. This mode prioritizes speed over battery life and can reduce background throttling.

• Windows: Click Start, then Settings, then System. Select Power, then choose Best performance from the power mode options.
• Mac: If your MacBook is plugged in, performance is generally maximized automatically. However, if Low Power Mode is enabled, turn it off. Go to System Settings, click Battery, and set Low Power Mode to your preferred option – or turn it off entirely when plugged in.

7. Manually Defragment Your HDD

If you still have an HDD rather than an SSD, you may benefit from defragmenting it. Over time, files on a traditional hard drive scatter across the disk. Defragging reorganizes those fragmented pieces so your laptop can find and load them more efficiently.

Windows defragments your drive weekly by default, but you can run it manually if you suspect an issue:

• Windows: Search for Defragment and Optimize Drives from the Start menu. Select your drive and click Analyze or Optimize.
• Mac: Mac users generally don’t need to defrag. macOS handles this automatically, and nearly all Macs sold in recent years use SSDs, which should never be defragmented.

8. Run a Virus Scan

Malware and viruses can silently consume system resources and slow your laptop to a crawl. If you already have antivirus software installed, run a full scan. If not, consider downloading a reputable free antivirus tool. Windows 11 includes Windows Security (formerly Defender) built in, which is a solid starting point for most users.

9. Update Your Software and Apps

Updates often include bug fixes and performance improvements that can resolve slowdowns in individual apps or across your whole system. To update your operating system:

• Windows: Open Settings and go to Windows Update. Click Check for updates. Download and install anything available.
• Mac: Open System Settings and click General in the sidebar. Click Software Update. Download and install any available updates.

Don’t forget to also update individual apps, especially browsers, which can be significant resource hogs when running outdated versions.

10. Reinstall Your OS While Keeping Your Files

If nothing else has worked, you can reinstall your laptop’s operating system without deleting your personal files. This can clear out corrupted system files and lingering junk without forcing you to start completely from scratch. That said, back up important files to the cloud or an external drive before proceeding, just in case.

• Windows: Open Settings, click System, then Recovery. Under Reset this PC, click Reset PC. Choose Keep my files, then Local reinstall, and follow the prompts.
• Mac: The process depends on your chip. Click the Apple logo, then About This Mac to check. If the chip includes “M” in the name (M1, M2, M3, M4, etc.), shut down your Mac, then hold the power button until the startup options screen appears. Click Options, then Continue. If your Mac has an Intel chip, restart and hold Command + R until the Apple logo appears. Select the macOS reinstall option and follow the prompts.

11. Perform a Factory Reset

A full factory reset deletes all files and returns your laptop to its out-of-the-box state. This is the nuclear option, but it can resolve persistent slowdowns when nothing else works. Back everything up first. If you use an iPad alongside your laptop, the same principle applies — check out our guide on why your iPad might be slow and how to fix it.

• Windows: Follow the same Reset this PC process described above, but this time choose Remove everything instead of Keep my files.
• Mac: Open System Settings, click General in the sidebar, then Transfer or Reset. Select Erase All Content and Settings and follow the prompts.

What to Do If These Tips Didn’t Help

Unfortunately, computers won’t last forever. Depending on factors like specifications and how you use it, your laptop might last a few years or 10. Still, software always moves forward, and putting today’s demands on a laptop from a decade ago won’t give you the best results. While you could upgrade individual components, like memory or a hard drive, it can be hard to keep pace with new technology, particularly if the costs are high.

If these tips on how to speed up your laptop didn’t work, it might be time for a new one. Other telltale signs it might be time for a new laptop include:

• Noisy fans: Laptops depend on their fans to keep things cool. A stressed laptop might be overheating components and causing your fans to run on overdrive, making the problem worse. In fact, a simple cleaning alone has been shown to reduce CPU temperatures by as much as 9-17°C and meaningfully improve fan performance – so if your fans are still screaming after a thorough clean, that’s a red flag worth taking seriously.
• Persistent thermal throttling: When a laptop overheats, it automatically slows itself down to protect internal components. If your CPU is consistently throttling even after cleaning and optimizing software, performance can degrade by 10-30% in sustained workloads – a sign the hardware may simply be worn out.
• Out-of-date programs: After some time, software developers may stop supporting older systems. If your apps no longer receive updates, they might be vulnerable to security issues or glitches.
• Lots of repairs: If you’ve had to have a lot of repairs done, it’s usually a sign it’s time for a new system. Repair costs can quickly exceed the cost of a new laptop.

Consider buying another laptop if yours is running slow. You might be surprised at how affordable they can be, especially if you buy used. Used laptops from reputable brands offer affordable but reliable replacements.

Upgrade Your Laptop With Gazelle

If you’re dealing with a slow laptop, sketchy online sellers are the last people you want to work with. That’s why we make buying used MacBooks as easy as possible. Through our trustworthy platform, you can find an affordable, high-performance laptop to get you back to whatever it is you do – all without haggling, awkward in-person meetups or risky return policies. We offer tested listings, easy returns and a wide selection of used MacBooks. Not sure which model is right for you? Check out our MacBook Air vs. MacBook Pro breakdown or read up on the best MacBook for students before you buy.

Ready to speed things up? Explore used MacBooks on Gazelle today!

The post How to Clean and Speed Up Your Laptop Nico Schatz appeared first on Gazelle The Horn.

Before you can start recording, you’ll need to add the Screen Recording button to your Control Center. To do this, go to Settings → Control Center and tap the green “+” button next to Screen Recording. You only need to do this once.

When you’re ready to record, open Control Center by swiping down from the top-right corner of your screen (or swiping up from the bottom on older devices), then tap the Screen Recording button. A 3-second countdown begins before recording starts, giving you time to navigate to whatever you want to capture. To stop recording, tap the red status bar at the top of your screen and confirm, or return to Control Center and tap the button again.

All recordings are automatically saved to the “Screen Recordings” album in your Photos app. You can export them in multiple formats including MP4, MOV, and M4V, making it easy to share or edit your footage in other apps. There is technically no time limit on how long you can record – your only constraint is your device’s available storage space.

One important limitation to keep in mind: screen recording and screen mirroring cannot be used at the same time, so you’ll need to choose one or the other depending on your needs.

How to Screen Record on iPhone

The easiest way to screen record on your iPhone is with a bit of prep work. After you add the screen recording button to your Control Center – the place where you can control brightness, volume and other settings – you’ll be able to swipe down and record at any time. Here’s how:

1. Open the Settings app and tap Control Center. Find the Screen Recording option and tap the green plus icon next to it. This adds the recording button to your Control Center, which appears when you swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen. Note that you’ll need iOS 11 or later to use this built-in feature.
2. Open the Control Center and tap the Record button. Look for a gray dot within a circle in one of the squares at the bottom of the Control Center.
3. Wait for the countdown to end. After you tap the icon, it will show a 3-second countdown. When this ends, your phone will start recording. The icon will turn red, along with the status bar behind the time.
4. Record your screen. Swipe up on the Control Center to close it out and start doing whatever it is you want to record. There’s no set time limit on recordings – you’re only restricted by your device’s available storage space.
5. Stop recording. Re-open the Control Center and tap the Record button again. You can also stop recording by tapping on the red status bar, then Stop.
6. Find your recording. Your phone will automatically save your video to the Screen Recordings album in your Photos app, where you can watch, edit, share, or export it in formats including MP4, MOV, and M4V.

Keep in mind that screen recording and screen mirroring cannot be used at the same time – you’ll need to disable mirroring first if it’s active.

If you just want to take a still picture, you need to take a screenshot instead.

How to Screen Record With Audio on the iPhone

By default, your iPhone will capture whatever audio is playing through your phone. If you scroll over a video on your social media feed, it will record the audio from the video but not whatever’s going on around you. If your dog barks or the garbage truck goes by, no worries. But sometimes, you might want that audio, such as when you’re narrating a tutorial.

To make an iPhone screen recording with sound from your environment, start with the same steps as a regular screen recording. Instead of simply tapping the Record button, give it a long press. It should pop up with some more options. At the bottom is a microphone icon. Tap that to turn the microphone on and off as you record. If you leave it on, your phone will keep recording audio any time you start recording your screen.

A few things worth knowing about iPhone screen recording with audio:

• The screen recording feature is available on any iPhone or iPad running iOS 11 or later.
• After tapping the Record button, there is a 3-second countdown before recording begins, giving you time to navigate to whatever you want to capture.
• There is technically no time limit on recordings – you’re only restricted by your device’s available storage space.
• Recordings are automatically saved to your Photos app in the “Screen Recordings” album and can be exported in formats including MP4 and MOV. If your Photos app is getting full, learn how to delete photos on your iPhone to free up space.
• Note that screen recording and screen mirroring cannot be used at the same time.
• If you don’t see the Screen Recording button in your Control Center, you’ll need to add it manually via Settings → Control Center before your first use. While you’re there, it’s a great time to customize your iPhone home screen to suit your needs.

Troubleshooting Tips for iPhone Screen Recording

While screen recording is pretty straightforward, sometimes it won’t do what you want. Below are some solutions to common problems with screen recording on iOS devices.

1. Your iPhone Screen Recording Shows an Error or Blank Screen

Some apps, like video streaming platforms, won’t let you record them. This restriction is to protect copyright, so you can’t just record any TV show or movie you want. These apps might pause or freeze your screen or display an error message when you attempt to record.

You also won’t be able to screen record if you’re mirroring content onto another display, as screen recording and screen mirroring cannot be used simultaneously.

2. Your Screen Recording Icon is Grayed Out

If the icon in the Control Center is grayed out, you could have content restrictions in place. These usually apply when you’re recording the Game Center. Head to Settings and tap Screen Time, then Content & Restrictions. Tap Content Restrictions and scroll down to the Game Center section. Select and Allow screen recording.

3. The Screen Recording Button Isn’t Showing Up in the Control Center

If you don’t see your Record button, you may not have added it yet. Per Apple Support, the Screen Recording button must be manually added before first use. Head to Settings, then Control Center and tap the green plus icon next to Screen Recording.

4. You Can’t Find the Screen Recording Video

All screen recordings are automatically saved to the Photos app. Open the Photos app and go to the Albums tab, then scroll down to the list of Media Types and tap Screen Recordings — your video should be there. You can also check the Library tab, where it should appear as the most recently added file.

5. You’re Having Other Issues With iPhone Screen Recording

If the above solutions don’t fix the problem, try these general troubleshooting steps:

• Restart your phone: First, try a regular restart. If your phone doesn’t have a Home button, press and hold the side button and either of the volume buttons. When a slider shows up on the screen, drag it to the right. If you have a Home button, you just need to hold down the side button. If the problem still persists, do a force reset.
• Update your iPhone: Open up Settings, tap General, then Software Update. If there’s an available update, download and install it. Note that screen recording requires iOS 11 or later, so make sure your device meets that requirement. If you run into trouble after updating, check out our guide to common iOS problems and how to fix them.
• Check available storage: There is no set time limit for screen recordings, but they are limited by your device’s available storage. If your storage is full, recording will stop or won’t start at all. Tap Settings, General, and iPhone Storage. You’ll need to free up some space if the bar is full or almost full.
• Turn off Low Power Mode: Low Power Mode can cause your phone to behave oddly while it tries to save battery. Turn it off with the battery icon in the Control Center or tap Settings, then Battery.
• Reset all settings: This option might affect some other settings, but it’s worth a try if you really need to screen record and the other options aren’t working. In Settings, tap General. Then, tap Transfer or Reset iPhone, followed by Reset and Reset All Settings. It will leave your files, such as photos and apps, in place but will reset settings like your app layouts, permissions, and privacy settings.
• Factory reset your iPhone: This option will delete your files, but you can try a factory reset as a last resort.

Screen Recording Troubleshooting by iPhone Model

Every iPhone model is a little different. Consider these tips for troubleshooting specific iPhones.

iPhone 16

Screen recording problems on the iPhone 16 shouldn’t be too common. Thanks to its 2024 release date and support for iOS 18, any issues probably come from your settings rather than a glitch or a bug. Make sure your phone is fully updated, and use the side and volume buttons to restart your iPhone 16. Apple Intelligence is also available on this model if you’re considering new features.

iPhone SE

The latest iPhone SE (4th generation, released in 2025) supports iOS 18. Update the software if you’re having trouble with screen recording on an iPhone SE. Unlike earlier SE models, the 4th generation SE no longer has a Home button, so restart it by holding the side button until the power slider appears, or use the side and volume buttons.

iPhone X

The iPhone X doesn’t have a Home button, so you’ll need to restart it using the side and volume buttons. Keep in mind that the iPhone X is no longer supported by the latest versions of iOS, so you may be limited in which iOS updates are available to you. This phone comes with a minimum of 64 gigabytes (GB) of storage, unlike newer models that start at 128GB. Keep an eye out for maxed-out storage that might cause screen recording problems on the iPhone X. If you’re thinking about upgrading, check out our guide to the best iPhone models to buy.

iPhone 8

The iPhone 8 has a Home button, so use the side button along with the Home button when restarting. The iPhone 8 is no longer supported by the latest iOS versions, meaning it has reached its maximum supported iOS version. If you’re experiencing screen recording issues, check that your storage isn’t nearly full, as this is a common culprit on older devices with limited capacity.

iPhone 7 or Earlier

If you have an iPhone 7 or earlier, you will not be able to upgrade to the latest versions of iOS. Keep in mind that screen recording requires iOS 11 or later, so as long as your device runs iOS 11 or above, the built-in feature should be available. Low storage is often a significant issue on these older models and may cause screen recording to fail or behave unexpectedly. These devices are also more prone to software glitches due to aging hardware and discontinued software support. If your device is struggling, it may be time to explore tips for finding a cheap phone as a replacement.

How to Screen Record on iPad

The process for screen recording on an iPad is almost the exact same as recording on an iPhone. Follow these steps:

1. Add the Record button to the Control Center. In Settings, tap Control Center and tap the green plus icon next to Screen Recording.
2. Open the Control Center and tap the Record button. Wait for the three-second countdown and close out the Control Center to start recording.
3. Stop recording. Again, open the Control Center and tap on the Record button. You can also end the recording by tapping on the red status bar at the top of your screen and tapping Stop on the pop-up that appears.
4. View your recording. Head to your Photos app and navigate to the Screen Recordings album. Your recording should be the most recent entry. If your iPad is running slow, it may take a moment to process.

Troubleshooting Tips for iPad Screen Recording

If you’re having trouble with iPad screen recording, follow the same troubleshooting steps outlined for the iPhone. Check for:

• An app that doesn’t allow screen recording
• Parental controls (Screen Time settings)
• Any available software updates
• Full storage – recordings are limited by your device’s available storage space
• Whether the Screen Recording button has been added to Control Center (go to Settings → Control Center to add it manually before first use)
• Whether you have Screen Mirroring active – screen recording and screen mirroring cannot be used simultaneously

Most processes work the exact same as they do for an iPhone. You can even use the same buttons for restarting your iPad as you would for an iPhone. Keep in mind that after tapping the Record button, there is a 3-second countdown before recording begins – this is normal and not a sign of an issue.

Once your recording is complete, it will automatically be saved to your Photos app under the “Screen Recordings” album, where you can then export it in a variety of formats including MP4 or MOV.

Note that screen recording is available on any iPad running iPadOS 11 or later, so if the feature doesn’t appear at all, confirm your device is running a supported version of iPadOS. If you’re also a parent managing kids’ devices and screen time, understanding these settings can help you better oversee how your children use their iPads.

Helpful Screen Record Apps

Basic recording is pretty easy with an iPhone’s built-in screen recording tools, but sometimes you want to do more. Here are some apps that can help you level up your iPhone screen recordings:

• Record It: Record It is a simple, lightweight app that adds a few handy tools, including options to add a face cam and audio commentary. It has a built-in editor, too.
• Reflector 4: On the other end of the spectrum is Reflector 4. If you like to record from multiple devices to capture your face, your phone screen and your computer screen, Reflector 4 can help you merge them into one recording. It also offers tools for voiceovers, frames that look like specific devices and lots of recording options. It requires computer software to use.
• TechSmith Capture: If you take a lot of recordings, TechSmith Capture is great for managing them all. You can pair it with TechSmith computer software and put all of your recordings into a clean-looking library to stay organized. Plus, you can transfer them to your computer over Wi-Fi.
• DU Recorder: Looking to live stream? DU Recorder can record your screen while live streaming it. It also has a built-in editor and can add watermarks to your footage.
• AZ Recorder: With AZ Recorder, you can configure various options like your video’s resolution, orientation and framerate before you start recording. It offers editing tools and a face cam option, too.

Ideas for How to Use Screen Recording

The wonderful world of screen recording opens up many doors. Some people use it for educational purposes, while others use it to share news, record tech problems or hang onto precious conversations for later. Here are a few ways you can use screen recording.

1. Tutorials

Maybe you want to show your blog readers how to draw something on their iPad or send grandma a video about how to share that photo she wants to send you. Screen recording is an excellent way to show people exactly how to do something when you can’t be right next to them. Some examples include:

• On-screen art: Show digital art processes like illustrations and photo editing on your iPad or iPhone. With some editing or third-party apps, you can add a face cam or additional resources and turn your recording into a timelapse.
• Games: Walk your audience through a tricky level or show off your skills by screen recording mobile games.
• General tech issues or processes: Whether you’re solving a specific problem or teaching people how to do something, screen recording can help you make an easy-to-follow tutorial.

You can use plenty of additional features in your screen-recorded tutorials, like narrations. iPhones will often show when you press a button by changing its color, but you can make button presses more pronounced with Assistive Touch tools.

2. Streaming

Many people use their phones to stream themselves gaming, responding to fans, playing music or making art. Screen recording lets you save those streams to your phone. Keep in mind that screen recording and screen mirroring cannot be used simultaneously, so you’ll want to choose whichever option best fits your needs.

3. FaceTime Conversations

You can screen record FaceTime conversations to watch them later. You might, for example, record a conversation with a supervisor so you can refer to those instructions later. Or, you could record a child’s conversation with their grandparents and save those memories for later.

4. Tech Support

Is your phone doing something weird? Screen recordings can help you show the problem clearly to tech support employees or a tech-savvy friend. You can record your problem or record a bug and easily share them. Once you’re done recording, your file will automatically be saved to the “Screen Recordings” album in your Photos app, making it easy to find and share quickly. Recordings can be exported in multiple formats including MP4, AVI, and MOV, so compatibility with whoever you’re sending it to shouldn’t be an issue.

5. Recording Videos

You can record some videos, depending on the source app. Unfortunately, you cannot screen record video from Netflix, Hulu and other streaming apps. Those apps have copyright protections that prevent you from creating recordings. Even if you could, it would be against the terms of service that you agree to when you sign up for the apps. Instead, look into other options. You may be able to download a video through the app for offline viewing or purchase a downloadable version of the video from another provider.

While you can screen record a video from your Camera Roll, it’s much easier to use the Photos app itself. If you’re just looking to trim the video to a specific section, you can do so under the edit section.

One practical thing to keep in mind: there is no set time limit on how long you can screen record, but your available storage space will determine how much you can capture. If you’re planning a lengthy tutorial or recording a long stream, it’s worth checking your storage beforehand. All recordings are saved automatically to the “Screen Recordings” album in your Photos app as soon as you stop recording.

Find More Troubleshooting Resources for Smartphones with Gazelle

Smartphones might be incredibly powerful, but they can also be hard to figure out. From complicated features to everyday bugs or problems, troubleshooting may be in order. We want you to make the most of your phone, so we’ve written up plenty of tutorials and how-tos for using smartphones. Explore more troubleshooting resources on our blog to learn more!

Then, when troubleshooting gets a little too troublesome and you need a new phone, head on over to the Gazelle store. We offer a secure platform for buying used devices without the stress of working with strangers. Check out our used iPhones today to see what’s available!

The post How to Screen Record on an iPhone and iPad Nico Schatz appeared first on Gazelle The Horn.

Whether you want to improve your focus while on your iPhone or make your phone an extension of your personal aesthetic, iPhones give you options. With iOS 26 pushing customization further than ever before, there’s never been a better time to make your home screen truly your own. If you want to personalize your iPhone’s home screen, this guide provides all you need to know. Find tips on customizing your iPhone widgets, wallpaper, icon styles, and more, plus iPhone home screen ideas to get your creativity flowing!

Benefits of Customizing Your iPhone’s Home Screen

Customizing your iPhone home screen layout can have several benefits, from higher productivity to nailing that iPhone aesthetic. Here are a few reasons to make your iPhone home screen totally yours:

Better Productivity

Whether you use your iPhone for work or want to stay focused on specific tasks like checking the forecast or your email, personalizing your home and lock screens can help. Personalizing your iPhone’s home screen with custom widgets and unique app icons can encourage you to be more productive every time you use your phone.

iPhone customization options let users add widgets to their lock screen and home screen that pull data from their top apps, like the calendar or weather app. You can even stack up to 10 widgets in a single widget stack on the home screen, keeping a range of information – including stocks, reminders, fitness stats and more – neatly organized in one spot.

Better Organization

iPhone home screen customization also lets you organize your device however you want it. Maybe the default lock screen arrangement doesn’t give you ready access to the information you need most, or the home screen’s setup feels clunky. Whatever your reason, you can rearrange your iPhone’s apps and widgets to keep everything organized in a way that makes sense for you.

With iOS 26, customization goes even further – users can now resize icons and remove app labels to reduce clutter, making it easier to build a cleaner, more intentional layout. If you run into any issues along the way, check out our guide to common iOS problems and how to fix them.

Better Aesthetic

Improve your iPhone’s organization and make it aesthetically pleasing at the same time? That’s a win-win. iOS 26 offers four icon appearance styles – Default, Dark, Clear, and Tinted – giving you more control over how your home screen looks than ever before. You can apply system-wide color tints, make icons translucent, and customize your wallpaper with a vast selection of colors, photos, and emojis. For more inspiration on personalizing your device, browse our iPhone color guide.

On the lock screen, users can change the clock font and color, update the wallpaper, and swap out widgets. Users can also add a photo shuffle or get a live, animated view of the weather in their area. With icon styling options and widget customization galore, it’s easier than ever to create a look that truly represents your style.

As of iOS 26, Apple has significantly expanded iPhone customization options while still maintaining some boundaries. Here’s what you can and can’t do when personalizing your iPhone’s Home Screen and Lock Screen today.

What you can customize:

On the Home Screen, iOS 26 gives users more visual control than ever. You can now choose from four icon appearance styles – Default, Dark, Clear, and Tinted – letting you dramatically change the look of your app icons system-wide. Building on the icon flexibility introduced in iOS 18, iOS 26 also lets you resize icons, remove app labels, apply a system-wide color tint, and even make icons translucent. You can also stack up to 10 widgets in a single widget stack, saving valuable screen space while keeping key information accessible.

On the Lock Screen, users running iOS 16 or later can change the clock font and color, update their Lock Screen wallpaper, and swap out widgets for a more personalized glanceable experience.

What you still can’t do:

Despite all these improvements, there are limits. iOS 26 does not support:

• Per-app icon color selection – color tinting is applied system-wide, not individually
• Custom icon packs without shortcuts – third-party icon packs still require workarounds
• Freeform icon placement – icons still snap to Apple’s fixed grid layout

So while Apple continues to give users more creative control with each iOS release, some of the deeper customizations Android users enjoy remain off the table for iPhone. If you’re weighing your options, check out our guide to the best Apple iPhone model to buy to find the right fit for your needs.

How to Customize Your iPhone’s Lock Screen

Your lock screen is the place to start customizing your iPhone background. On iOS 16 and later, you can do a lot to personalize your iPhone’s lock screen, including changing the clock font and color, updating the lock screen wallpaper, and swapping out widgets. You can also create multiple lock screens and switch between them. If you’re running iOS 26, you’ll find even more customization options available system-wide, including new icon appearance styles and resizable icons.

Here’s how to customize the iPhone background on your lock screen:

1. Create a New iPhone Lock Screen

To personalize your iPhone’s lock screen, begin by creating a different lock screen than your existing default screen. Follow these steps to add a new lock screen and start customizing:

• Unlock your phone and long-press the lock screen, or swipe down from the top of the screen to access the lock screen.
• Tap the blue Plus icon or swipe left until you reach a blank screen with Add New at the top, then tap the blue Plus icon.

2. Select Wallpaper

Choose from any of the following wallpaper option icons at the top of the screen:

• Photo: Select a single image as your lock screen background and crop it or add filters.
• Photo Shuffle: This option creates a dynamic carousel of photos that changes throughout the day.
• Emoji: Select up to six emojis that will display in a pattern on your lock screen.
• Astronomy: You can set your lock screen as a satellite-generated view of the Earth, moon, or entire solar system.
• Color: Select a color from a color picker and choose a gradient or solid.

3. Change Clock Font and Color

The next step is to customize the clock on your lock screen with these steps:

• Tap Customize at the bottom of the screen you want to personalize.
• Select Lock Screen.
• Press on the clock.
• Choose from eight fonts.
• Select a color from the options or color picker.

4. Add Widgets

You can also customize which widgets to display on your lock screen:

• Tap Customize beneath the lock screen.
• Select Lock Screen.
• Press the Add Widgets square.

You will see a selection of widgets you can add, including:

• World clocks
• Weather
• Email
• Phone battery
• Calendar events
• Fitness stats
• Google Maps information like frequent trips
• Home information like climate or lights

Once you select a widget, press and hold to see its configuration options. Add the widgets you want and finalize your selection by pressing the X in the upper right side of the menu. It’s also worth noting that on the Home Screen, Apple supports stacking up to 10 widgets in a single widget stack, giving you a compact way to access more information in less space.

5. iOS 26: Additional Customization Options

If your device is running iOS 26, you have access to expanded appearance settings beyond just the lock screen. iOS 26 introduces four icon appearance styles — Default, Dark, Clear, and Tinted — and builds on changes first introduced in iOS 18. These options let you resize icons, remove app labels, apply system-wide color tints, and make icons translucent for a more personalized Home Screen experience.

Keep in mind that iOS 26 does not support per-app icon color selection, custom icon packs without shortcuts, or freeform icon placement outside the grid, so there are still some limits to how far you can take your customization. If you’re considering whether the latest software features are worth upgrading your device, it’s a good idea to weigh what’s new against your current setup.

How to Customize Your iPhone’s Wallpaper

With your iPhone’s lock screen customized to your liking, it’s time to tackle the home screen. The standard iPhone home screen is a grid of your installed apps. Over the years, Apple has steadily expanded home screen customization options, and with iOS 26, users now have more control than ever over how their home screen looks and feels.

By default, iOS 26 automatically matches your home screen to your lock screen after you customize it. If you want to create a separate home screen look, a few simple steps will give you the options you want.

Here’s how to change the home screen on an iPhone:

1. Select Wallpaper

iPhone users can design their home screen so their wallpaper matches their apps and widgets to create an overall unique aesthetic. There are thousands of wallpapers to suit your tastes, and with iOS 26’s expanded icon appearance options, your entire home screen can reflect a cohesive look.

Here are a few iOS home screen ideas to jumpstart your brainstorming process:

• Dark theme
• Pastels
• Minimalist
• Cloud aesthetic
• Nature theme
• Monochrome
• Geometric
• Seasonal
• Floral theme

2. Set Wallpaper

To pick a home screen wallpaper on a modern iPhone, follow these steps:

• Navigate to Settings.
• Tap on Wallpaper.
• Select Customize beneath the home screen image you want to customize.
• Pick from a solid color, gradient, or photo from your Photos app.

If your device is still running an older iOS version such as iOS 14 or iOS 15, here’s how to update your wallpaper:

• Go to Settings.
• Scroll down to Wallpaper.
• Select Choose a New Wallpaper.
• Pick from the list of dynamic or still images at the top of the screen, or choose one of your own images.
• Tap Set and Set Home Screen.

3. Customize Icon Appearance (iOS 26)

iOS 26 introduces four icon appearance styles for your home screen: Default, Dark, Clear, and Tinted. Building on changes first introduced in iOS 18, iOS 26 also lets you resize icons, remove app labels, apply a system-wide color tint, and make icons translucent — giving your home screen a truly personalized look.

Keep in mind that iOS 26 does not support per-app icon color selection, custom icon packs without shortcuts, or freeform icon placement outside the standard grid layout.

To adjust icon appearance in iOS 26:

• Long-press on an empty area of your home screen.
• Tap Edit in the top-left corner.
• Select Customize to access icon style, size, and label options.
• Choose your preferred appearance style: Default, Dark, Clear, or Tinted.

4. Add and Stack Widgets

Widgets are a powerful way to surface useful information directly on your home screen. You can stack up to 10 widgets in a single widget stack, allowing you to keep your home screen clean while still having quick access to multiple widgets in one spot.

To add a widget stack:

• Long-press on an empty area of the home screen.
• Tap the plus (+) button in the top corner.
• Select a widget and add it to your home screen.
• Drag another widget on top of it to create a stack.
• Repeat for up to 10 widgets in a single stack.

5. Choose a Focused Home Screen

With the help of Apple’s Focus tools, you can also select a focused home screen that removes apps and widgets not associated with that Focus. Here’s how to customize your home screen to a specific Focus:

• Navigate to Settings.
• Scroll down to Focus.
• Select a Focus like Personal, Sleep, or Work.
• Tap Choose under the home screen image.
• Either create a new home screen page with apps designed for your Focus or select an existing page.

How to Customize iPhone Widgets

Now that your iPhone home screen is personalized, you can customize widgets to change your home screen’s appearance even more. Widgets are a helpful addition to your iPhone home screen that display useful information from your apps in a more accessible and visually pleasing way.

Here’s how to customize widgets on your iPhone:

1. Add Common Widgets

Many apps include built-in widgets you can use on your home screen. Pre-installed apps with widgets include Calendar, Books, Photos, Game Center, and Notes.

To access these widgets, you need to:

• Long press on a blank space on the home screen.
• Tap the Plus in the upper corner of the screen.
• Scroll through the available widgets or use the search bar to look for a specific one.
• Tap the widget you want to add and scroll through the options.
• Select Add Widget at the bottom of the screen.
• Drag the widget to reposition it on your screen.

2. Create a Custom Smart Stack

Apple also has a signature widget called Smart Stack that combines multiple widgets into one space on your home screen. You can stack up to 10 widgets in a single widget stack, and a neat Smart Stack feature is that it can present different widgets throughout the day based on your iPhone use.

To customize your Smart Stack, follow these steps:

• Press and hold a blank space on the home screen.
• Tap the Plus at the top of the screen.
• Tap Smart Stack.
• Scroll through the widget options.
• Select Add Widget at the bottom of the screen.
• Tap the widget once it appears on your home screen to customize which widgets it displays.
• Scroll down through the options and drag widgets to reposition them, or tap the Minus at the upper left to delete them.

3. Customize Widget Appearance With iOS 26

If you’re running iOS 26, you have more control over how your home screen looks than ever before. Building on changes introduced in iOS 18, iOS 26 offers four icon appearance styles: Default, Dark, Clear, and Tinted. You can resize icons, remove app labels, apply system-wide color tints, and even make icons translucent for a cohesive, personalized look.

Keep in mind that iOS 26 does not support per-app icon color selection, custom icon packs without shortcuts, or freeform icon placement outside the grid — so there are still some limits to how far you can take your customization.

4. Download a Widget Customization App

The Apple App Store has dozens of widget apps to add even more personalization to your widgets. Adding customized widgets on iPhone is easy, with hundreds of styles and colors to pick from that fit a variety of aesthetics.

A few popular widget customization apps include Widgetsmith and Color Widgets. Users can edit premade widgets or create custom ones using their own photos and app data. Change themes, fonts, and border colors and customize widget sizes for the perfect look.

How to Customize iPhone App Icons

Personalizing apps lets you change default app icons to more unique versions with a color and style that better suits your preferences. Customizing app icons has evolved significantly over the years, and as of iOS 26, Apple offers more built-in customization options than ever before.

iOS 26 introduces four icon appearance styles: Default, Dark, Clear, and Tinted. Building on changes first introduced in iOS 18, iOS 26 also lets users resize icons, remove app labels, apply system-wide color tints, and make icons translucent — all without needing workarounds. Note that iOS 26 does not support per-app icon color selection, custom icon packs without shortcuts, or freeform icon placement outside the grid.

For users on older versions of iOS, or those who want fully custom images as app icons, the Shortcuts method below still applies.

Here’s how to change app icons to customize your iPhone home screen:

1. Remove Apps

Before you create customized app icons, you should reduce the apps already on your phone. Removing apps streamlines the customization process and keeps your home screen from looking cluttered.

To delete an app:

• Press and hold an app to enter wiggle mode.
• Tap Remove App.
• Select Delete App.

You can also send specific apps to your iPhone’s App Library to hide them from the home screen:

• Press and hold the app icon you want to hide until the screen enters wiggle mode.
• Tap the Minus at the upper left of the app icon.
• Select Remove from Home Screen.

2. Select App Icons

Select or create images for your new app icons. You might already have photos or images in Photos, or you can buy and download an app icon pack from digital creators online. There are also free icons from apps like Color Widgets that match available wallpapers. Look through thousands of options to stick with an aesthetic theme or use a photo you took. To keep your phone looking its best, learn how to avoid a broken iPhone screen so your custom setup stays intact.

3. Create Shortcuts

Once you have the images you want to use for your app icons downloaded, use the Shortcuts app to set your images. Here’s how to customize your iPhone home screen with your apps:

• Open the Shortcuts app.
• Tap the Plus in the upper corner.
• Select Add Action.
• Search for Open App in the text field of the pop-up menu.
• Tap Open App.
• Select Choose.
• Search for the app you want to give a new icon.
• Tap on the app.
• Press the three dots in the upper right corner.
• Choose Add to Home Screen.
• Tap the icon beside the shortcut name field.
• Select Choose Photo from the drop-down menu.
• Choose your replacement image.
• Select the shortcut name field and rename the app.
• Tap Add.
• Press Done.
• Return to the home screen and move the old app icon to your App Library.

After taking these steps, you now have a shortcut for the app. Keep in mind that using a shortcut means you’ll be briefly directed through the Shortcuts app before it opens your target app. If you want to change all your app icons, repeat the process for each.

Browse Used Phones From Gazelle

Customization options for the iPhone home screen are nearly endless. Create a unique home screen with matching themed wallpaper and app icons, and increase your productivity with widgets for your most-used apps – you can even stack up to 10 widgets in a single widget stack to save space. With so many personalization options, iPhone users can give their home screen a completely custom look.

Upgrading to a newer iPhone and the latest iOS version opens up even more ways to personalize your experience. iOS 26 introduces four icon appearance styles – Default, Dark, Clear, and Tinted – and builds on changes from iOS 18 to let users resize icons, remove app labels, apply system-wide color tints, and make icons translucent. It’s worth noting that iOS 26 does not support per-app icon color selection, custom icon packs without shortcuts, or freeform icon placement outside the grid. For users on older software, iOS 16 and later still offers meaningful lock screen customization, including clock font and color changes, updated wallpapers, and lock screen widgets.

If you’re ready to unlock the newest iPhone features and customization options, shop with Gazelle. As a reputable seller, we aim to offer a no-hassle, no-strings-attached experience. Our Gazelle Certified products, 30-day return policy, fair pricing, and secure website give you transparent listings and peace of mind. Browse compatible iPhone models from our selection today!

The post How to Customize Your iPhone Home Screen Widgets, Wallpapers, Icons and More Nico Schatz appeared first on Gazelle The Horn.