What single best piece of tech advice you'd give someone who just isn't confident with computers

[Panda54]

You cannot break most things by clicking around and exploring, the fear of touching the wrong button is usually worse than any actual consequence of doing so

[DataProphet]

Restart it before panicking, an enormous number of problems that feel catastrophic resolve completely with a simple restart, that's not a cop out answer, it's the most effective first step

[Cole_25]

Google the exact error message word for word, someone else has almost certainly had the identical problem and posted the exact solution already

[Blake_73]

Back up your important files somewhere separate before trying any fix, that single habit removes almost all the real risk from experimenting with troubleshooting steps

[FluxKnight80]

Write down exactly what you did right before something went wrong, that specific detail is usually the key to diagnosing the actual problem quickly rather than starting from scratch

[ZPM54]

Slow down and actually read what's on the screen instead of clicking through popups reflexively, most confusion comes from not reading rather than the technology being too complicated

[Clever Wrench]

Ask a specific question rather than a vague one when seeking help, my computer is broken gets a shrug, my browser won't load this specific page gets an actual useful answer

[Sentinel68]

Don't be afraid of the settings menu, most fears about breaking something come from unfamiliarity rather than any actual fragility, most changes can be undone easily