Links

Privacy checks

Run these with your VPN, DNS filter or ad blocker turned on to make sure it's doing its job.

IP and DNS leaks

• DNS Leak Test dnsleaktest.com

  Shows which DNS servers answer your lookups, so you can spot a VPN or DNS leak.

• BrowserLeaks: IP address browserleaks.com

  Your public IP address, location and internet provider, plus WebRTC and DNS leak tests.

• Psylo Leak Checker leaks.psylo.app

  Checks whether your browser leaks your real IP address or DNS servers. Made by Mysk, the team behind the Psylo browser.

NextDNS

• NextDNS test test.nextdns.io

  Shows whether this device is using NextDNS, over which protocol and with which profile.

• NextDNS ping ping.nextdns.io

  Measures how fast the NextDNS servers near you respond.

Tracking and fingerprinting

• Cover Your Tracks coveryourtracks.eff.org

  The EFF's test of how well your browser blocks trackers and resists fingerprinting.

• Am I Unique? amiunique.org

  Shows how unique, and how easy to track, your browser's fingerprint is. A university research project.

• PrivacyTests.org: iPhone browsers privacytests.org

  Side-by-side privacy test results for iPhone browsers, rerun as new versions come out.

  iPhone

Ad blocking

• AdBlock Tester adblock-tester.com

  Checks how many ads, trackers and analytics scripts your blocker stops.

Connection quality

• Bufferbloat Test waveform.com

  A speed test that also measures how much lag builds up when your connection is busy.

Privacy tools & guides

• Privacy Guides privacyguides.org

  Nonprofit, open-source recommendations for private apps and services, with how-to guides.

• PRISM Break prism-break.org

  A directory of open-source alternatives to big-tech apps and services, sorted by platform.

• OptOutPrescreen optoutprescreen.com

  The credit bureaus' official site for opting out of prescreened credit and insurance offers in the mail, for five years or for good.

  US

• NoFaceScan nofacescan.app

  Shows a 3D face model in your browser that you can use for face scans in apps and websites.

• This Person Does Not Exist thispersondoesnotexist.com

  Shows a new AI-made face of someone who doesn't exist every time you load it.

Apps & extensions

• FineTune github.com

  A menu bar app for per-app volume, audio routing and a 10-band EQ. Needs macOS 15 or later.

  MacFreeOpen source

• StopTheMadness underpassapp.com

  Stops websites from blocking copy and paste, autoplaying videos and adding tracking to links. On the Mac it also works in Chrome and Firefox.

  SafariiPhoneiPadMacPaid

• Auto Tab Groups github.com

  Groups your tabs by website automatically, with your own rules on top.

  ChromeFirefoxFreeOpen source

• YouTube Watch Later Cleaner chromewebstore.google.com

  Filters and bulk-deletes videos in your YouTube Watch Later playlist.

  Chrome

• Soundiiz soundiiz.com

  Moves playlists and favorites between music streaming services.

  WebiPhoneAndroidFree tier

Fixes

Forum posts and manuals that solved a problem for me. A saved copy is a snapshot of the original post, like a cached page, in case the original disappears.

Safari tabs that keep coming back

Tabs you closed keep reappearing from another device through iCloud Tabs, often called ghost or zombie tabs.

MaciPhoneiPad

• How to delete zombie Safari open tabs in iCloud synchronization? Ask Different (Apple Stack Exchange)

  Sign out of iCloud and back in on the device the zombie tabs come from. A commenter found new ones can show up again later.

  By JoaoAlby, 2021 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Saved copy (PDF), Oct 14, 2026

• iCloud tabs not syncing (page 46) MacRumors Forums

  Two fixes from this page: set the device's date a few weeks ahead so Safari drops the stale tabs, or turn off Safari in iCloud, move the CloudTabs files out of the Safari folder in your Library, then turn it back on.

  Thread by Morac; fixes by iStorm and unkno, 2021 · Saved copy (PDF), Oct 14, 2026

• I finally found the solution to Safari ghost tabs (Ventura) Reddit, r/MacOS

  Delete Safari's three CloudTabs files on the Mac to reset iCloud Tabs. Commenters add a Handoff off-and-on fix for macOS Sequoia.

  By u/watch_abc, 2023 · Saved copy (PDF), Oct 14, 2026

Photos: reset face recognition

Clear the face data behind the People album so Photos can start over.

Mac

• How can I reset the faces database in Apple Photos Apple Community

  Select everything in the People album and press Delete. Instead of deleting photos, Photos offers to reset all names and face data.

  Asked by Macgaspode, answered by amozarte, 2017 · Saved copy (PDF), Oct 14, 2026

• Is it possible to reset the faces database in Apple Photos? Reddit, r/applehelp

  The same reset on the Mac (select all in People, then Command-Delete), with tips to back up first and rebuild the library afterward.

  Asked by u/azz3879, answered by u/Environmental_Door15, 2023 · Saved copy (PDF), Oct 14, 2026

Finder: no Skip button when copying

Finder's prompt for files that already exist sometimes offers Skip and sometimes Keep Both.

Mac

• Why are these randomly different? Sometimes skip isn't an option… Reddit, r/applehelp

  When Finder asks about files that already exist, hold the Option key to turn Keep Both into Skip.

  Asked by u/pex2006, answered by a deleted account, 2023 · Saved copy (PDF), Oct 14, 2026

Mullvad VPN

• [Guide] NextDNS + Mullvad (WireGuard) + DoH3 on iOS / iPadOS / macOS Reddit, r/mullvadvpn

  Edit a NextDNS configuration profile to use DoH3, then set up Mullvad's WireGuard tunnel so NextDNS keeps filtering while the VPN is on.

  iPhoneiPadMac

  By u/DN9TP3, 2022 · Saved copy (PDF), Oct 14, 2026

• The same guide on the NextDNS Help Center help.nextdns.io

  The author's earlier post of the guide, kept on NextDNS's own site.

  iPhoneiPadMac

  By DN9TP3, 2022

• PSA: You can run two Mullvad WireGuard tunnels on one machine and double your speed Reddit, r/mullvadvpn

  Run two Mullvad WireGuard tunnels on one computer and spread connections across both with ECMP routing for about twice the speed. A commenter warns it can make you easier to identify.

  Linux

  By u/on121212, 2026 · Saved copy (PDF), Oct 14, 2026

FreeFileSync: run syncs on a schedule

MacWindowsLinux

• Schedule batch jobs FreeFileSync manual

  Save a sync as a batch job and run it on a schedule with Task Scheduler on Windows, Automator and Calendar on a Mac, or cron on Mac and Linux.

Hardware & deals

• Disk Prices diskprices.com

  Hard drives, SSDs and other storage sorted by price per terabyte, from Amazon US listings.

• SSD Tester ssd-tester.com

  Speed tests and benchmark rankings for SSDs and USB flash drives.

• RAID Performance Calculator bradgarrison.github.io

  Compares speed, usable space and redundancy across RAID levels for your number of drives.

• PQS: charger test results pqs.app

  Power Quality Score ratings for USB chargers, based on efficiency, power factor and distortion.

• r/buildapcsales reddit.com

  Community-posted deals on PC parts, storage and accessories.

Lookups

• NHTSA recall lookup nhtsa.gov

  Check a vehicle for open recalls by VIN or license plate, plus car seats, tires and equipment.

  US

• Recall email alerts recalls.gov

  Sign up for recall emails from the CPSC, FDA, USDA and NHTSA.

  US

• Instant Username Search instantusername.com

  Checks whether a username is free on more than 100 sites as you type.

• YouTube Channel ID Finder ytlarge.com

  Finds the channel ID behind any YouTube channel.

Food & skincare

• Effects of cooking on vitamins beyondveg.com

  A table of how heat, water, air, light and acidity affect each vitamin, from Beyond Vegetarianism's raw vs. cooked series.

• Skinsort skinsort.com

  A skincare ingredient checker, product database and routine builder.