Martin Brinkmann is a journalist from Germany who founded Ghacks Technology News back in 2005. Martin started his career as a tech support representative at a large German financial corporation which he used to finance his college education in English, Information Technology and History.
He quit college and his job when Ghacks began to attract a large enough readership. He made the decision to become a full time blogger and webmaster, and has not looked back since.
Martin is interested in all things tech. His primary focus is on desktop operating systems, web browsers, Internet services, and privacy related topics.
He published the book The Complete Windows 10 Privacy Guide: Windows 10 Fall Creators Update version in 2017. Martin writes a weekly column for fellow tech site Betanews as well.
You can reach Martin on Facebook or on Twitter. Please use the contact form at the bottom of the page to contact the author directly.
Martin has been quoted or mentioned in many major online and print publications, including Forbes, Lifehacker.com, ComputerWorld, LinkedIn, Reddit, Betanews.com, Bleeping Computer, TechCrunch, PC World, Tom's Hardware, Slashdot, Hacker News, The Register, and more.
Martin's articles on Ghacks
Microsoft Office 2016 and Office 2019 reach end of support on October 14, 2025. That is the last day of support, which means that Microsoft won't release security updates or any other […]
Microsoft announced the deprecation of the security feature VBS Enclaves today for earlier versions of Windows 11 and Windows Server. Based on VBS, Virtualized-Based Security, VBS Enclaves were formally introduced by Microsoft […]
Traditionally, Google has maintained a large number of country-code domains such as google.de or google.co.jp to better distinguish between American-English Google users and users who wanted localized search results. Soon, users from […]
Mozilla plans to release the second point update for Firefox 137 in the next hours. The new update fixes security issues in Firefox and includes a good number of bug fixes next […]
Google's video hosting and streaming service YouTube offers one of the largest selections of music videos and playlists on the planet. You can listen to the music for free, if you do […]
When Microsoft announced the AI-feature Recall last year, it rode on a wave of positive AI news and coverage. Copilot was taking off and integration of AI features in Windows and other […]
Microsoft released security updates for Windows 11 and other company products earlier this week. If you have installed the security update on a Windows 11 PC, you may have noticed something peculiar […]
Microsoft released security updates for Windows yesterday and revealed today that the updates include a patch for a 0-day issue that is exploited in the wild. The vulnerability -- Windows Common Log […]
It is the second Tuesday of the month and that means Microsoft has released security updates for Windows and other company products like Office. Our overview gives regular users and system administrators […]
Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft 50 years ago on April 4th, 1975. While the two may have had ambitions, they probably did not imagine how successful of a company Microsoft […]
Microsoft changed the taskbar in Windows 11 in several significant ways. From the new centered default view mode to the lack of customization options such as vertical taskbars. Third-party alternatives, like Start11 […]
Microsoft will end support for its Windows 10 operating system this October officially. While users may extend support for a year by paying Microsoft, or longer, if they resort to hacks, many […]
Google Chrome 135 Stable is now available for all supported platforms. The new version of Google's browser is a security and feature update. Users on unmanaged devices should receive the update automatically. […]
Mozilla plans to release a new version of its open source Firefox browser later today. The Firefox 137 update introduces several new features to the browser, including tab groups and the previously […]
When Mozilla announced plans to drop the email client Thunderbird about ten years ago, some users feared that this could be the end of the popular open source email client. Things have […]
As an Amazon Echo customer, you may have had access to an option that processed your voice input locally on the device instead of on Amazon servers. Echo customers had to enable […]
Microsoft replaced the classic Notepad text editor on Windows 11 with an advanced version featuring new features such as tabs and AI integrations. Not every Windows user likes the change. Some prefer […]
Microsoft is working on a new program called Command Palette for its open source PowerToys collection that will replace the Run module in the near future. PowerToys Run is a quick launcher […]
Mobile phones are not only expensive, they may also hold the keys to someone's life. From personal photos over emails to finance apps or chats. Bad things can happen when a mobile […]
If you do use Microsoft Word, you may have noticed the "draft with Copilot" icon that Microsoft added to it. It is displayed whenever you create a new document. Using it, you […]
Microsoft is doing a commendable job when it comes to Windows security. Keeping billions of devices secure is no small feat. Sometimes, however, it appears that someone at Microsoft is pushing the […]
Microsoft is sending out emails to customers who still run the Windows 10 operating system to inform them that support for Windows 10 is ending later this year. The email begins harmlessly […]
It has been almost a year since Google started to implement changes on YouTube to block content blockers on the platform. The fight against adblockers started in 2023 with "Ad blockers are […]
Mozilla has been diligently at work recently to introduce highly requested features to its Firefox web browser. It launched one of these features, vertical tabs, in Firefox 136 already. Other features, including […]
Advertisement is slowly but steadily taking over streaming. Previously, you subscribed to streaming services to get an ad-free experience. Now, you pay to get an experience that includes ads at its core, […]
Microsoft released security updates and other updates for its Windows operating system on Tuesday. The security updates fix critical issues in every Microsoft operating system. Our overview of the security updates provides […]
Has your printer been acting strangely lately? By that, I mean printing pages even though you did not hit the print-button? Then it may be related to a new issue that Microsoft […]
Windows 11 users and administrators who want remote desktop connectivity can use the baked-in functionality. First, be enabling Remote Desktop on non-Home devices, and then downloading the Remote Desktop app for Windows […]
We have seen our fair share of malicious Chrome extensions in the past 17 or so years since Google released the initial version of its browser. From fake VPN extensions and outright […]
Password managers are useful tools. They help users create, store, and manage passwords and other sensitive data. Some offer additional features, like synchronization, two-step authentication, or SSO support. The core functionality remains […]
Whenever I'm asked for printer recommendations, my first response is to get a printer from Brother. Unlike other corporations, Brother has been refreshingly fair when it comes to the use of third-party […]
Google released a new stable version of its Chrome browser. This one brings Chrome to version 134 on the desktop. The new release fixes security issues and introduces new features. Google says […]
Mozilla published a new version of its open source browser Firefox today. Firefox 136 is a big update that ships with a few highly requested features. Highlights include support for vertical tabs […]
Microsoft's Windows 11 operating system supports a wide range of file formats by default. JPEG XL, a royalty-free open image format has not been on that default list up until now. What […]
When Google released the October 2024 security update for Android, it made no mention of a new app that it integrated in the update. Android System SafetyCore was suddenly installed and users […]
LibreOffice is a popular open source Office suite that is used by millions of users as an alternative to Microsoft Office. We have followed LibreOffice for almost 15 years here on this […]
While Google is ending support for classic extensions for more users of its Chrome web browser, several browser makers have pledged continued support for Manifest V2 extensions. Mozilla confirmed in 2023 that […]
Many PayPal users have seen their fair share of phishing emails ever since they signed up for the service. Being a financial service, PayPal is a high value target for criminal organizations. […]
For some time now, Google has been asking for a mobile phone number and verification when new customers create Gmail accounts. SMS verification is also used as part of the login process, […]
Support calls are something that many consumers dread. From long wait times and irritating menu choices to members of support that can't or won't help you, or hang up on you after […]
