As Your Nerdy Best Friend, I get questions all the time about apps I’ve recommended, such as, “Hey, Beth… what was the app you said would remove backgrounds?”…

Here are a few of my most frequent questions:

How can I remove the background from a picture?

I get this question at least once a week. It’s so easy and so fun! Go to remove.bg or download an app like PhotoRoom. And go to unscreen.com to remove the background from a short video.

How should I keep track of my passwords?

So glad you asked! LastPass is the one I use, but you can’t go wrong with 1Password or Dashlane.

How can I trim a video or combine two videos?

You have lots of options here: iMovie (Apple) is my favorite and the easiest for Apple users. WeVideo is another good one. The Windows 10 Photo app also works.

How can I send large files?

We just covered this topic in the Nerdy Best Friends Book Club. One of the easiest ways is if you use a cloud storage tool such as Dropbox, Microsoft’s OneDrive or Google Drive. You can create a link to a file or folder online, and the recipient can view online or download. The other person does not have to have the cloud storage app to get it. Dropbox now also specifically does file transfers, which prompts people to download the file, not just see it online.

For larger files or if you don’t use a cloud storage, you can visit WeTransfer or Send Anywhere.

Do I really need a VPN?

Uh. Yeah. Really. Read this….

Is it safe to sign up for all these free tools?

Great question! The short answer is no… these apps are not safe because NOTHING online is safe. No company can guarantee that your data will be secure. And we can’t always trust that the company will guard our privacy, not spam us, not track us, etc., even if they say they won’t.

But you can protect yourself by using a temporary email, doing your research, asking Your Nerdy BFF, making sure you don’t reuse passwords and just staying super alert.