Some tech advice was true in 2005 and has been repeated ever since. Here are ten myths I still hear in offices — and what is actually true.
In this article
- 1. “Incognito mode makes me anonymous.”
- 2. “Drain your battery to 0% before charging.”
- 3. “Closing all background apps saves battery.”
- 4. “More megapixels = better photos.”
- 5. “Macs can’t get viruses.”
- 6. “Deleting a file erases it.”
- 7. “More RAM always makes a PC faster.”
- 8. “Magnets will wipe my phone or SSD.”
- 9. “You must always ‘Safely Remove’ a USB drive.”
- 10. “Excel can’t handle more than 65,536 rows.”
1. “Incognito mode makes me anonymous.”
Private browsing only stops your browser from saving history and cookies after you close the window. Your employer’s network, your internet provider and the websites you visit can still see what you do.
2. “Drain your battery to 0% before charging.”
That was advice for old nickel-based batteries. Modern lithium-ion batteries prefer partial charges; regularly running them flat actually adds wear.
3. “Closing all background apps saves battery.”
Phone operating systems already freeze apps you are not using. Force-closing them means they must start from scratch next time, which can use more energy.
4. “More megapixels = better photos.”
Sensor size, lens quality and software processing matter more. A 12 MP phone with a good sensor can beat a 100+ MP one in low light.
5. “Macs can’t get viruses.”
They are less targeted than Windows, not immune. Malware, phishing and malicious browser extensions exist for every platform.
6. “Deleting a file erases it.”
Deleting usually just marks the space as free. Until it is overwritten, recovery tools can often bring it back — which is why old laptops should be wiped properly before being sold.
7. “More RAM always makes a PC faster.”
Only if you are running out. If your PC uses 6 GB of its 16 GB, adding another 16 GB changes nothing. An SSD upgrade usually makes a bigger difference on older machines.
8. “Magnets will wipe my phone or SSD.”
Everyday magnets (phone cases, fridge magnets) do not affect flash storage. They were a real risk for floppy disks and, with very strong magnets, older hard drives.
9. “You must always ‘Safely Remove’ a USB drive.”
Since Windows 10 version 1809, USB drives default to “Quick removal”, so pulling them out is generally fine when nothing is being copied. If a copy is still running, you can still corrupt the file.
10. “Excel can’t handle more than 65,536 rows.”
That limit ended with Excel 2003. Modern Excel handles 1,048,576 rows per sheet — although, honestly, if you are near that, it is time for Python or SQL.
More surprises in the Wacky Facts collection.