Software Help
The everyday software questions that are too small to Google but too annoying to figure out. Crade reads your screen and walks you through the fix in seconds.
Stuck in software? Crade names the next click.
How do I save this album as a playlist?
Three clicks in Spotify: • Click the ⋯ menu (right of album title, next to ❤) • "Add to playlist" → "New playlist" • Type a name → hit Enter • Want it private? Playlist ⋯ → "Make secret"
Stuck in software? Crade names the next click
Lost in a settings panel, a video editor, a CAD tool, a CRM you used twice last year? Instead of searching for a tutorial, ask Crade what is on screen. It reads the interface and tells you exactly which menu to open or button to press.
Cryptic error? Crade tells you what it means.
What does this mean? Is it dangerous?
Site's SSL certificate expired 3 days ago. Not a virus — the owner forgot to renew. • If you typed the URL yourself + recognize the site → safe to proceed (but don't enter passwords) • If you got here from an email link → close the tab. Could be phishing. Wait until they fix the cert before logging in.
Decode any cryptic error message with Crade
Error code 0x80070005. Kernel panic. NSURLErrorDomain -1009. Stack trace ten lines deep. Crade reads it on your screen, tells you what it actually means, and whether it is a real problem or you can ignore it.
Wi-Fi connected but no internet?
Why isn't my Wi-Fi working?
You're on Café Wi-Fi but no internet. Three fixes, in order: • Open Safari — most cafés want you to accept terms first • Wi-Fi menu → "Forget" Café Wi-Fi → reconnect • Toggle Bluetooth off — interferes with 2.4 GHz routers Still nothing? Ask café to power-cycle the router.
Wi-Fi connected but no internet? Crade walks you through it
Five bars, full Wi-Fi icon, websites do not load. The most maddening tech problem. Crade reads what is on your screen and walks you through the usual culprits in the right order, so you fix it instead of restarting your router seven times.
Disk full? Crade tells you what to delete.
Why am I out of disk space?
480 GB used, 32 GB free. Easy wins, sorted by impact: • Empty Trash → 12 GB sitting there • Downloads folder → 38 GB, last touched 6 mo ago • Old iPhone backup → 18 GB (your phone is in iCloud now) • Xcode caches → 22 GB if you don't dev daily That's 90 GB without opening anything.
Disk full? Crade tells you exactly what to delete
Storage almost full and you have no idea why. Crade reads your storage breakdown on screen and names the easy wins. Which folders to clean, which apps eat the most, what is safe to delete and what is not.
Deleted by accident? Crade gets it back.
I deleted a file I needed. Can I get it back?
Yes — Time Machine had it. • Top right menu → ⏱ Time Machine icon → Enter Time Machine • Navigate to ~/Documents (where it lived) • Use the timeline on the right edge to go back • Find the file → click Restore No Time Machine? Check Trash first — most stuff lives there 30 days.
Deleted by accident? Crade walks you through recovery
A file gone from your Desktop. A folder you cannot find. Crade tells you exactly where Time Machine, File History, or your cloud backup hides the file and how to get it back.
How do I take a screenshot?
How do I take a screenshot?
Three shortcuts: • Cmd+Shift+3 — whole screen, saved to Desktop • Cmd+Shift+4 — drag to select area • Cmd+Shift+5 — toolbar (record video too) Pro tip: hold Spacebar while dragging area = lock size, move it instead.
How to take a screenshot on Mac and Windows (every case)
Full screen, single window, partial selection, a specific region with annotations. Three keyboard shortcuts cover everything you actually need. Crade explains them in plain language for both macOS and Windows.
Trash won't empty? Crade has the trick.
Trash won't empty — says items in use.
Option-click bypasses the "in use" check: • Right-click (or Ctrl-click) Trash in the Dock • Hold Option • Click "Empty Trash" — skips the warning entirely Still stuck? Reboot first. Some files lock until logout.
Trash won't empty? Crade has the trick
macOS says "Item in use" and refuses. Windows says permission denied. Crade explains the hidden Option-click bypass on Mac, the Safe Mode trick on Windows, and when to do which.
My AirPods will not pair. What should I try?
Quick fix order, highest-success first: 1. Forget the device, re-pair . Click (i) next to AirPods. Forget This Device . put in case, hold setup button 10 sec. 2. Toggle Bluetooth off . wait 10 sec . on 3. Reset the Bluetooth module . Option+Shift+click Bluetooth menu icon . Reset 4. Restart your Mac Battery check: AirPods need >20% to pair from a fresh case open. Charge first if low. If still nothing after all 4: check Software Update . a recent macOS patch broke pairing for a window of users.
Bluetooth not connecting? Crade walks you through the fix
Headphones, mouse, keyboard, AirPods. Bluetooth fails in the same handful of ways. Crade reads what is on your screen and gives you the fix in the right order.
| Process Name | % CPU | Memory | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Chrome Helper (Renderer) | 78.4 | 9.2 GB | High |
| Google Chrome Helper (GPU) | 22.1 | 1.4 GB | High |
| Google Chrome | 8.7 | 740 MB | Moderate |
| Spotlight | 3.2 | 320 MB | Low |
| Slack Helper | 2.8 | 580 MB | Low |
| com.docker.hyperkit | 2.4 | 2.1 GB | Moderate |
| WindowServer | 2.1 | 410 MB | Low |
My Mac is slow. What is the cause?
Cause: Google Chrome Helper is eating 9.2GB of RAM and 78% CPU. Memory pressure is yellow . close to swapping to disk. Top contributor: 47 Chrome tabs open. Most are inactive sites the browser is keeping warm. Fast fix: 1. Quit Chrome entirely (Cmd+Q, not just close window) 2. Reopen with just the 5 tabs you need now 3. Memory pressure should drop to green within 30 sec Long-term: install a tab-suspend extension (The Great Suspender, Auto Tab Discard) or switch to Safari for tab-heavy work . Safari suspends background tabs aggressively.
Mac is slow? Crade finds the actual cause
Crade reads Activity Monitor on your screen and tells you what is eating your CPU, RAM, or battery. Specific fix for your specific bottleneck, not generic advice.