Martin Brinkmann

martin photo

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

Windows 10

Microsoft reveals Windows 10 ESU pricing: starts at $61

Microsoft's Windows 10 operating system is nearing the end of its life. Come October 2025, support for the operating system ends officially. Microsoft announced that it is going to offer ESU, Extended […]

Mozilla released a Firefox Nightly test build with vertical tabs

Mozilla released a Firefox Nightly test build recently that includes support for vertical tabs. This new functionality is not available in regular Firefox Nightly builds, but there is a way to get […]

Android PC emulator

Android on Windows: the best emulators for gaming

Would you like to play your favorite Android games on your PC? Run Android apps on PC to use them even without your Android device? It is easier than you may think […]

Microsoft Edge fixes 0-day vulnerability: confirms all Chromium-based browsers vulnerable

Microsoft released a security update for its Edge web browser that address several security issues, including one that is exploited in the wild. Google released security updates for its Chrome web browser […]

Windows Copilot Key

Intel: Microsoft AI PCs need a Copilot Key

Microsoft hopes that 2024 will be the year that so-called AI PCs will take off. Tidbits and rumors about this new breed of PCs are found everywhere, but Microsoft itself has been […]

Moment

Windows 11's Moment Update 5 is finally here: how to download

Microsoft released the fifth Moment Update for Windows 11 in February 2024. This release did not reach many user systems, as Microsoft limited its availability artificially. While Microsoft did state that the […]

How to launch the old Task Manager in Windows 11

Microsoft launched a redesign of Windows 11's Task Manager some time ago. The new task manager has a different design but also functional differences. Microsoft removed the -- rather useless -- basic […]

Windows Copilot

Microsoft Copilot app getting installed on Windows devices

Last week, Microsoft revealed that it started to push its AI Microsoft Copilot to more Windows 10 and 11 devices. The feature, still in preview at the time of writing, shows up […]

Brave no longer installs VPN Services on Windows for everyone

Brave Software released a new stable version of the company's web browser this week. Besides more AI and several improvements, it is also introducing a change regarding the installation of VPN services […]

You can now zoom images easier in Microsoft Edge thanks to new Magnify feature

Microsoft added a new feature to its Edge browser recently that improves how you zoom images in the browser. Most websites restrict the width of content and this impacts images as well. […]

Google

Google Chrome 123 launches with security fixes and Google Update changes on Windows

Google released a new stable version of its Chrome web browser for desktop operating systems and Android today. This new version of Chrome, Google Chrome 123.0,  is a feature and security update. […]

firefox

Firefox 124.0 launches with new features and security fixes

Mozilla has released Firefox 124.0 Stable and Firefox 115.9 ESR. The new stable version of the organization's Firefox web browser fixes security issues and introduces some new features and improvements as well. […]

ads

Microsoft shows another Bing popup advertisement to Windows users

Microsoft has done it again. This time, the company displayed a popup advertising its Bing search service to Chrome users on Windows devices. The popup appeared for users who launched Chrome on […]

Windows 10

Next Windows 10 update brings Windows Spotlight, Lock screen content, and another Windows 11 upgrade offer

Microsoft released a new update to the Windows 10 Release Preview channel. The update KB5035941 is in testing and will be released soon to the general Windows 10 device population. While most Windows […]

Tor launches WebTunnel Bridge as another way to bypass censorship

The Tor Project announced the immediate release of WebTunnel Bridge, a new way for Tor users to bypass censorship. Not all Tor users may fire up the official client to connect to […]

First look at Google Chrome's upcoming link preview feature

Google is working on a link preview feature in its Chrome web browser that enables users to preview links without opening them in a tab. The link preview feature has been in […]

Update

Overview of the March 2024 Windows Security Updates

Microsoft released security updates for all supported versions of its Windows operating system and other company products on the March 2024 Patch Day. This overview provides home users and administrators with information […]

windows setup

Microsoft starts rollout of Windows DMA compliance changes in Europe

Microsoft has started the rollout of Windows changes for users in the European Economic Area to comply with the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA). The company says that the rollout has started […]

new outlook for windows classic outlook migration

Microsoft won't kill classic Outlook for Windows "until at least 2029"

Good news for users of Microsoft's classic Outlook application. Microsoft won't deprecate the classic Outlook version until at least 2029. The new Outlook for Windows has been released as a preview some […]

Windows

Microsoft's sneaky KB5001716 Windows 10 update pushes Windows 11

If you run Microsoft's Windows 10 operating system on your devices and wan to keep it that way, you may want to check whether the Windows 10 update KB5001716 is installed on […]

How to restore the Photos Legacy app on Windows

Microsoft launched a new Photos application for Windows some time ago. It replaced the previous version of the Photos app, which Microsoft now calls Photos Legacy. Some features of the legacy app […]

Malwarebytes 5

First look at Malwarebytes 5.0

It took Malwarebytes nearly five years to release the next iteration of its Malwarebytes security program. Malwarebytes 5.0 is available now for all supported operating systems (Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android). Malwarebytes […]

Add End Task to Windows 11's Taskbar to one-up Close Window

Microsoft's Windows operating system comes with several options to close programs. Common options include using window controls and the Task Manager. Previous versions of Windows, including Windows 10, also included an End […]

Windows

Windows 11: new Features roll out in the coming 2 months

Microsoft released an optional non-security update for Windows 11 today that introduces a set of new features. The features, part of the Moment 5 update for Windows 11, add new capabilities to […]

Next Windows

Microsoft showing Windows 11 upgrade prompts on more Windows 10 devices

Starting April 2024, Microsoft is extending upgrade offers to Windows 11 on Windows 10 devices. The company announced the plan on its Tech Community website this week. When Microsoft released Windows 11 […]

Google Chrome will soon prevent malicious websites from attacking your home network

Google changes Chrome's "add bookmarks" flow and users are not happy

Google has changed the flow of adding bookmarks in its Chrome web browser recently. While it is still possible to click on the bookmark star icon in the browser's address bar, doing […]

Windows

The latest Windows 11 Security Update fails to install for some users

Microsoft has just confirmed a Windows Update issue that affects the company's Windows 11 operating system. Some users may experience issues installing the most recent security update for the operating system. Microsoft […]

Windows 11

Windows 11 version 24H2 may block devices without SSE 4.2 support

Recent Windows 11 development builds include new hardware compatibility rules that block the operating system on unsupported devices. Unlike current compatibility requirements, these new requirements cannot be bypassed. Microsoft released a new […]

Brave Browser 1.63 launches with vertical tabs on right support and more AI

Brave Software released a new version of its Brave Browser to the public. Brave Browser 1.63 includes several new features and improvements of existing features. Highlights include that vertical tabs may now […]

Windows 11 version 23H2 is going to be installed automatically on older systems

Windows 11 device owners who still run an older version of Microsoft's Windows 11 operating system need to be aware that their systems may be upgraded automatically to Windows 11 version 23H2. […]

Windows Copilot

Windows 11: Copilot is gaining more Windows management options (with a catch)

Microsoft released a new Insider build for its Windows 11 operating system to the Canary channel yesterday. This new build is all about improving the Copilot AI in Windows. One of the […]

Broken

Firefox 123 is out with broken site reporting tool

Mozilla Firefox 123.0 is the new Stable version of the open source web browser. The official release date is February 20, 2024. Mozilla releases Firefox 115.8 ESR on the same day. Firefox […]

Windows

Windows 11's final "Moment Update" has these new features

Microsoft is preparing the fifth Moment Update for its Windows 11 operating system. Currently available in the Release Preview channel, Moment Update 5 is included in the February 2024 optional updates for […]

Chrome AI Theme

Google integrates Chat with Gemini option silently into Chrome

It is probably only a matter of time before all Chrome users gain access to Gemini directly in the browser. Microsoft led the way with its integration of Copilot in Microsoft Edge. […]

Windows Copilot Taskbar Icon

Windows 11: Microsoft replaces Show Desktop with Copilot on taskbar

Microsoft has changed the position of the Copilot icon on Windows 11's taskbar in the latest stable version of the operating system. Previous versions of the operating system show the Copilot icon […]

Breaking: Mozilla changes strategy, focuses on Firefox and AI

It has been less than a week since the new interim CEO took over the reigns from long-time Mozilla CEO Mitchell Baker. Today news broke that Mozilla is changing its product strategy […]

The Windows Security Updates for February 2024 are here

This is the Microsoft Windows security updates overview for February 2024. Microsoft patched 73 different security vulnerabilities in its products and six non-Microsoft vulnerabilities on today's Patch Day. Our overview is a […]

Windows

Windows 11 24H2 to enforce hardware requirement

Microsoft is working on the next feature update for Windows 11 currently, which it calls Windows 11 version 24H2. The company confirmed the name of the update this month and ended speculations […]

Breaking: Mozilla has a new CEO

Mozilla has a new CEO. The announcement on Mozilla's official web blog confirms that Mitchell Baker is no longer Mozilla's CEO. Mozilla's new CEO is Laura Chambers, who has been a Mozilla […]

Gemini Google

Google AI: Goodbye Bard: Gemini Advanced and Google One AI launches

Today, Google launched a series of updates for its AI products. Google Bard, the company's main consumer AI product, is no more. Google changed the name of its core consumer AI product […]