It’s the new year and thus the perfect time, once again, to clear out any obsolete data, files or apps on your digital devices. Where to start? How about your apps for contacts: Apple’s Contacts, Windows’s People and Android’s Contacts.

Step 1: Check to see if there is an option to look for duplicates. On a Mac, open Contacts and click on “Card” in the top menu. Then click on “Look For Duplicates.” If you have an iPad or iPhone, once you open the Contacts app, you’ll find how many duplicates you have under your name and “My Card.” The Windows world is a bit more complicated because you have to download an app like Duplicates Finder and Cleaner. Androids have a multi-step process to address duplicates. These steps can be found at tinyurl.com/25mvyfur.

Step 2: Check your contacts for information that is no longer relevant. For example, I found people I barely remembered that I had met professionally. I have no need to contact them again, so it was an easy decision to delete their contact information. Sadly, I also found contacts who have passed away.

Step 3: After you finish with your devices’contact apps, move on to the contacts in your email. They may not be the same. You will save space in your email account by removing outdated information. People change email accounts. When the old address is not deleted, a new message might inadvertently be sent there instead of to the current email address.

Speaking of emails, do you hold on to messages or are you the person who empties their email inbox daily or weekly? If you are the latter, you can skip this paragraph. However, if you are like me and a bit of a hoarder of emails, you probably should read on. Email accounts are not bottomless pits; eventually, you will receive a message that you are out of space. The email provider will offer to sell you more space, but a free solution is to clean up your inbox.

Here are two suggestions: First, unsubscribe from companies and organizations that send you daily messages or offers. Usually, you can find the unsubscribe button at the bottom of the message. Often, it is in tiny print, so you may have to search for it. Secondly, use the email search feature to delete a bunch of emails at once. Once again, think about businesses, organizations and people you get a lot of emails from. For example, I get headlines from the Portland Press Herald every day. If I type in “Portland Press Herald” in the email search window, all of those messages pop up and I can delete them all at once.

Another app that probably needs a good bit of cleaning out is your texting app. People share pictures and videos. These are taking up storage space on your device. Review the images and videos, save the ones you want and delete the others.

While thinking about photographs, let’s move into the app where your photos are stored. This app is another place to check for duplicates. On a Mac, you will find the option to merge duplicates in the left-hand menu. On an iPad, the duplicates option is in the left-hand menu under “Utilities.” The duplicates option on an iPhone is also under Utilities, but you access it through the Albums tab.

Androids have a multi-step process that you can find described at tinyurl.com/363xkrbh. There are three ways to deal with duplicates in the Windows 10 Photos app. Two of them are free. Read about your options at tinyurl.com/yrve3nta.

You may think you don’t have an issue with duplicate photos, but check. I was shocked to find I have 680!

Here’s one more action to take during your new year’s clean-up of your digital devices: Review your apps. Are you using all of them? Are there some you wanted to preview and then never opened again? Do you have apps that duplicate in purpose? For example, how many apps do you need to identify plants? Delete apps that are just taking up space. You can always download them again if you miss them.

A good clear-out of unneeded and outdated files and apps benefits your device and you. You’ll be freeing up valuable storage space on your device. Plus, you will not be overwhelmed with icons to sort through when looking for a specific app. A stormy day is a great time to put your feet up and clean out your devices.

We at BoomerTECH Adventures expect that our readers also have useful ideas for sorting through files and apps on their digital devices. The more ideas the better — please share yours.

BoomerTECH Adventures (boomertechadventures.com) helps boomers and older adults navigate the digital world with confidence and competence. Active boomers themselves, they use their backgrounds as teachers to support individuals and groups with online courses, articles, videos and presentations to organizations upon request.

Copy the Story Link

« Previous

Intertidal: Protecting local waterways from storm effects starts at home

Next »

Maine high schoolers wanted for guitar competition