Troubleshooting Guides
Practical, step-by-step fixes for the most common device problems — each one paired with a free tool to confirm the fix worked.
Audio
Headphones only working in one ear
Find the dead side and bring it back.
How to test your microphone online
Check your mic in three quick steps.
No sound from laptop speakers (Windows)
Get audio back in a few quick steps.
How to test left and right speakers
Check stereo balance and spot swapped sides.
Microphone not working on Windows 11
Unblock permissions and get your mic heard.
Mic too quiet?
Make your microphone louder and clearer.
Mic echo or background noise
Cut echo and noise so you sound clean.
Mic not working on Discord
Get your voice working in Discord.
One speaker louder than the other
Re-center your stereo balance.
Speakers crackling or popping
Clear up distorted, crackly audio.
Headphones not detected
Get your PC to recognise plugged-in headphones.
Bluetooth headphones, no sound
Connected but silent? Get audio back.
How to test headphone channels
Check left, right and stereo balance.
Microphone not working on Zoom, Teams or Meet
Fix a mic that no one can hear on video calls.
Wired vs Bluetooth Microphone Quality
Why a Bluetooth headset that sounds excellent for music sounds poor on calls, what the profile switch actually does, and when a cable is the better answer.
Camera
How to test your webcam online
See a live preview and confirm it works.
Webcam showing a black screen
Get your video back in a few checks.
Webcam not working in Teams, Zoom or Chrome
Fix app permissions and get on camera.
Webcam not working on Mac
Fix a Mac camera that will not turn on.
Webcam not detected on Windows
Get Windows to see your camera again.
Input
Controller stick drift
Stop a stick that moves on its own.
Keyboard typing double letters
Stop one keypress becoming two.
Some keyboard keys not working
Find the cause and bring dead keys back.
What is a good CPS (clicks per second)?
See the benchmarks, then test your click speed.
Controller not detected on PC
Get Windows and games to see your pad.
How to test a controller in your browser
Check every button, stick and trigger live.
Touchscreen not responding
Bring an unresponsive screen back to life.
How to test keyboard ghosting
See how many keys register at once.
Keyboard typing wrong characters
Fix swapped symbols and wrong letters.
Mouse lagging or stuttering
Get smooth, responsive movement back.
Mouse cursor jumping around
Stop a cursor that teleports or jumps.
Controller buttons not responding
Revive sticky or dead buttons and triggers.
Touchscreen ghost touches
Stop taps and swipes you did not make.
How to test touchscreen dead zones
Find spots that do not register touch.
How to fix a mouse that double-clicks on its own
Stop a single click registering as two.
How to Test Keyboard Rollover and NKRO
Find out how many keys your keyboard can register at once, why some combinations drop keys, and whether your advertised N-key rollover is actually switched on.
Membrane vs Mechanical Keyboards
How membrane and mechanical keyboards differ in construction, why rollover limits usually follow the type, and which differences actually affect typing and gaming.
How to Check Your Mouse Polling Rate
What polling rate actually does, how to measure yours in the browser, why a 1000Hz mouse often is not running at 1000Hz, and when a higher rate stops helping.
How to Test Your Phone's Sensors
How to check whether your phone's motion sensors are working, why the compass drifts, and how to tell a broken sensor from a software setting.
Hall Effect vs Potentiometer Sticks
How Hall effect and potentiometer analog sticks differ, why one drifts and the other largely does not, and whether the upgrade is worth paying for.
Display
Dead pixel vs stuck pixel
Tell them apart and fix what you can.
Refresh rate explained
What Hz means and whether higher is worth it.
Monitor stuck at 60Hz
Unlock 120Hz or 144Hz on your display.
How to test for colour blindness
Check your colour vision with plate tests.
Testing a new monitor
A quick checklist before the return window ends.
Refresh rate vs frame rate
How Hz and FPS work together.
How to test your FPS
Check display and in-game frame rates.
Types of colour blindness
Red-green, blue-yellow and total, explained.
Check a monitor for dead pixels
Test a new monitor before the return window closes.
How to Test a Monitor for Ghosting
A practical walkthrough for finding ghosting, overshoot and motion blur on any monitor, and what to change in your display's settings when you find it.
How to Try to Fix a Stuck Pixel
What actually works on a stuck pixel, what does not, and how to tell a stuck pixel from a dead one before you waste time on a fix that cannot help.
How to Check an OLED Screen for Burn-In
How to find burn-in on an OLED phone, monitor or TV, how to tell it apart from temporary image retention, and what actually reduces the risk.
How to Check Your Screen for Colour Banding
How to spot colour banding on a monitor, why it often comes from a cable or a setting rather than the panel, and what to change to fix it.
IPS vs OLED — Dead Pixels and Burn-In
IPS and OLED panels fail in completely different ways.
60Hz vs 120Hz vs 144Hz — What You Actually Notice
What changes between 60Hz, 120Hz and 144Hz, where the returns diminish, and why your frame rate and display settings matter more than the number on the box.
Performance
What is a good typing speed?
See the WPM benchmarks, then test yourself.
What is a good reaction time?
See the ms benchmarks, then test your reflexes.
How to improve typing speed
Type faster and more accurately.
How to improve reaction time
React faster in games and tests.
How to improve your aim
Sensitivity, crosshair placement and training.
How to Check Your Laptop's Battery Cycle Count
Where to find your battery's cycle count and design capacity on Windows and macOS, what the numbers mean, and why a browser cannot tell you battery health.
System
How to check laptop battery health
Read your battery's real capacity and wear.
Find your screen resolution
See your resolution and aspect ratio instantly.
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