Panic fast, fix faster

June 26, 2025

By Kim Komando

You’ve got 13 seconds to undo, unplug, swipe or save your digital dignity. That’s your window to salvage your glitchy app, that accidental “Reply All” email or your phone freezing mid-sentence. 

Don’t scream, at least not yet. 

☕ 1. Spilled something on your laptop? Flip it upside down. Immediately. Don’t sit there staring at the mess like it’s a Greek tragedy: “Oh, Zeus! How could I have done this to me?”

Unplug, flip and do not power it on to “check.” That’s how things get fried.

✉️ 2. Sent the wrong email? Hit “Undo” in Gmail, you’ve got five to 30 seconds. 

Set your undo window to the max in Settings > See all settings > Undo Send > Save changes (you’re welcome). 

Now, when you accidentally write “Hey, dummy” instead of “Hi, Debbie,” you’ve got time to recover.

💻 3. Closed the wrong browser tab? Know the magic keys. Ctrl + Shift + T (Windows) or Command + Shift + T (Mac). This miracle combo reopens your last closed tab like nothing ever happened. A true tech time machine.

📱 4. Phone glitching? Hard restart. Hold the buttons like your digital life depends on it. 

• Android: Press and hold the power button for about 30 seconds. Easy, right?
• iPhone: Press the volume up button, then the volume down button. Do this quickly, one after the other. Now, press and hold the side power button until you see the Apple logo pop up.

🗑️ 5. Deleted a file you actually needed? Check the trash. It’s almost always there unless you shift-deleted. In which case … yikes. For Android, open Google Photos > Collections > Trash to recover any photo or video. On iPhone, look in Photos > Recently Deleted under “Utilities.” Remember, you have 30 days before they disappear forever.

🎯 The moral of the story is that you’ve got a tiny window to save yourself from disaster. When tech goes sideways, don’t freeze. Act fast. 

Bonus: Try narrating your panic like David Attenborough. “And here, the professional enters a frenzy, clicking violently in hopes of undoing their digital disgrace … what a marvel of instinct.”

Have your own tech horror moment turned into a win? Hit the thumbs-up rating at the end and tell me. I might feature your story anonymously, unless it’s really funny. 😉