You think you hate laptops, but you're just using them wrong

Published Nov 11, 2026, 7:00 PM EST Sydney Butler is a technology writer with over 20 years of experience as a freelance PC technician and system builder and over a decade as a professional writer. He's worked for more than a decade in user education. On How-To Geek, he writes commerce content, guides, opinions, and specializes in editing hardware and cutting edge technology articles. Sydney started working as a freelance computer technician around the age of 13, before which he was in charge of running the computer center for his school. (He also ran LAN gaming tournaments when the teachers weren't looking!) His interests include VR, PC, Mac, gaming, 3D printing, consumer electronics, the web, and privacy. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Research Psychology with a minor in media and technology studies. His masters dissertation examined the potential for social media to spread misinformation. Outside of How-To Geek, he hosted the Online Tech Tips YouTube Channel, and wrote for Online Tech Tips, Switching to Mac, and Helpdesk Geek. Sydney also wrote for Expert Reviews UK. He also has bylines at 9to5Mac, 9to5Google, 9to5Toys, Tom's Hardware, MakeTechEasier, and Laptop Mag. Laptops compromise the computer experience in exchange for portability and mobility. There's no way around that fact. At the same time, laptops have been improving by leaps and bounds. Battery power is basically a non-issue for general use. Screens are generally bright and high-res. Most people should get almost anything they'd normally do on a desktop system done on a laptop without much fuss. The problem is that if you try to use your laptop like a desktop, you'll keep bumping your head. Instead, you need to change your approach. Give each job the whole screen Don't squint; it'll wrinkle your forehead On a large desktop monitor, you usually have enough space to have the screen split between two windows. This makes it convenient to, for example, write in one window while reading information from the other. While this is workable on some laptop displays, it's simply too cramped on many of them. Especially the models that are the most mobile. As a case in point, I have a 14-inch MacBook Pro, which has plenty of pixels to display two windows side-by-side in crisp detail, but it's simply too small for my eyes to see without strain. So it's often better to have your windows (on whatever OS you're using) maximized, and then use a shortcut to switch between them as needed. On macOS, I use the Control + Left Arrow or Right Arrow shortcut to switch between desktops, with one maximized window on each. On Windows, I use Windows Key + Ctrl + Left Arrow or Right Arrow. Once you get used to it, flipping between two windows becomes second nature. With my MacBook, in situations where I really need to have a web page and a word processor open at the same time, I simply resize it so the webpage takes up a quarter of the screen vertically, and the word processor takes up three quarters. Almost all web pages today are designed to reflow into a format that suits a smartphone screen, and so if you just narrow the window until this happens, you should be able to read the information easily, while taking up minimal screen real estate. Give the trackpad one job your mouse can’t do as easily I have a very specific set of skills Modern multitouch trackpads are more than just a replacement for a desktop mouse. There are things you can do with a touchpad that are simply faster than a mouse, and I often use an external mouse and my Mac's touchpad in tandem with each other. The key tool here is, of course, the trackpad gesture. For me, the most useful ones are the upward swipes that give you an overview of all open windows or virtual desktops. You can also use a multi-finger left or right swipe to switch between desktops. It's a good idea to review the trackpad gestures for Windows and trackpad gestures for macOS. You can even customize them to get the most out of this feature. Gestures on Linux differ by distro, but Linux Mint, for example, has great gesture support. Who knows? Maybe you'll grow to love the trackpad so much you'll buy a standalone model for your desktop. Quiet work deserves a quieter power setting When you're not a big fan of noise Thin and light laptops are actually pretty great these days when it comes to fan noise, and there are even fanless models like the MacBook Air that make no noise at all. However, a typical gaming or mid-range work laptop can be quite noisy, even when idle. There are several ways to curb laptop fan noise, but if you're just browsing the web, doing light productivity, or watching a movie. The most effective is to use your laptop's manufacturer-provided management utility. This will usually have presets for performance levels, hopefully with a "silent" mode. In some cases, this utility will even have the option for custom fan curves, which can bring down the noise in higher-power modes too. You should even consider undervolting your laptop. Not only will this reduce noise, but it will decrease how much heat the machine generates and how much power it uses. It's a win-win, assuming your CPU and GPU are up for a leaner supply of power. Learn to love the laptop Laptops are the most popular form factor of PC in the world, having overtaken desktop PCs years ago. Of course, with the right docking station, there's no difference in the basic experience between a laptop and desktop, but when you're away from your desk, there's no reason you can't be just as comfortable and productive. Treat it like a tiny desktop PC, and you're sure to be disappointed, but let your laptop play to its strengths, and you may never look back again.