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Best Free SEO Tools for Plagiarism Checking 2020

SEO Tools for Plagiarism is one of the most essential tools for checking quality and originality of content that you are making/publishing. There are paid and free SEO tools for Plagiarism checking out there but I’ll be sharing you the best free SEO tools for plagiarism that performs it’s job properly. It is important to publish quality content articles thus one way of doing so is by making sure that your content is not plagiarized by others.

I will run down the best free SEO Tools for Plagiarism checking so far on this article. So go ahead and check out their advantages, brief review and disadvantages and weigh which one you’d like to keep or use.

Best Free SEO Tools for Plagiarism Checking

The most important thing about these tools is the effectiveness of it’s function which is to detect Plagiarism. I have used quite several plagiarism checker tools however some fails to do it’s job, while some may work better when used in a different scenario compared to the other.

1. Copyscape

One of the most useful, and powerful plagiarism checker tools out there is Copyscape. It offers paid and limited free plagiarism checking features. In the SEO industry, Copyscape proves itself as a trustworthy plagiarism checker tool that performs its job beyond typical. The overall site’s interface and design also looks a little bit out of date comparing it to paid seo tools for plagiarism such as Grammarly, Copyleaks, etc.

To provide a summary, here are the pros and cons of this tool:

PROS:

  • Great detection capabilities
  • Able to submit page URL for detection
  • Free; No Registration needed

CONS:

  • Strictly limited to 3-5 checks per day
  • Unable to upload a file / manual text
  • Outdated user interface

To use this tool, visit this link.

2. Plagiarismdetector

Another free and useful SEO tools for plagiarism checking is the Plagiarism detector. Plagiarism detector, unlike Copyscape is entirely free SEO tool which gives you unlimited numbers of queries per day. You can manually insert a text to run the plagiarism detection tool, upload a document file, or even just simply put the website page URL you want to check. The tool despite being free, has also limitations like any other tools out there. You are only limited to a maximum of 1,000 words per queries and if you need more than that, you’ll have to upgrade to its pro version. What I like about this tool is that similar to Copyscape, the detection rate of the tool is quite impressive despite just being a free tool.

Plagiarism detector tool also summarizes up the reports and highlights plagiarized parts of the text along with the links of the possible source in which it got plagiarized.

PROS:

  • Ability to check document, URL or manually entered text
  • Unlimited usage per day; No Registration needed
  • Free; Ability to also check grammars
  • Good detection capabilities

CONS:

  • Limited to 1,000 words per query
  • ADS Supported site (lots of promotion and ads)
  • Some rephrased/SPUN articles are not detected

You can use this Plagiarism detector by going here.

3. Duplichecker

Duplichecker also deserves a spot in this list of free SEO tools for Plagiarism. This tool is quite similar looking with the Plagiarism detector and also offers identical features. It has the same ability to check using URL, document file or manual text input. Each query is also limited to 1,000 words similar to the Plagiarism detector’s limit.

What makes Duplichecker different is that it has other SEO tools packed along with its free plagiarism checker. Plus, accessing those won’t require you to signup or register for an account. It also has a keyword research tool, backlink tool, long-tail keyword research tool, and so on.

PROS:

  • Check document, URL or manually entered text for Plagiarism
  • Unlimited usage; No registration required
  • Free; Has other useful free SEO tools

CONS:

  • Average detection capability
  • 1,000 words limit per query
  • Unable to detect some plagiarized content
  • ADS Supported site

You can check out Duplichecker along with it’s other tools here.

That’s it so far! That’s the best free SEO tools for Plagiarism which I can recommend and have personally tried. If you have any SEO tool in mind that’s not covered in this article or have any feedbacks or suggestion, feel free to leave a comment below!




How to fix Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 Error “Failed to Start Game (Missing Executable)” in Steam

Steam error “Failed to Start Game (Missing Executable)” is typically an error that can sometimes occur when you are attempting to launch Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 via Steam. This error is not specific to Microsoft Flight Simulator and can also happen with any game. Steam Error Missing executable error comes along with a variety of other messages starting from error occurred while ‘missing executable’, installing, etc. and updating. Despite the variation of messages appearing on your screen, the error is similar and common fixes can solve the error.

Whenever you install a game on Steam, Steam creates an executable file within the Steam installation folder for that particular game. When there is a problem/issue with this executable file, the error shows up. The missing executable error could possibly be due to a number of issues from lack of system privileges, antivirus, corrupted game files, or corrupted Steam cache.

To address the problems mentioned above which is why you are encountering this Steam error, follow through the three possible fix that are commonly known to resolve this error.

Fix 1: Make sure Steam runs with full privilege and administrative permissions

Insufficient permission to the Steam client can hinder it from working properly. Hence, make sure that you must provide it administrative permissions and the error could possibly get fixed. You could try to run Steam with administrative permissions for temporarily or configure Steam to have the permission permanently. Since it’s important and you must always run Steam with administrative permissions we are going to provide the steps to configure permanent permission. Follow the steps:

  1. Go to your Desktop. Locate your Steam shortcut file.
  2. Right-click on the shortcut of Steam and select Properties
  3. Go to the Compatibility tab/options.
  4. Check Run this program as an administrator (this will make sure that Steam runs with full privilege always)
  5. Click on Apply and OK once done.

Now, we’ll provide the Steam installation folder full permission. Follow the steps below:

  1. Locate Steam installation folder (typically installed to path C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam)
  2. Right-click on the Steam Directory and select Properties
  3. Then, Go to the Security tab and click on Edit
  4. Check the Allow for Full control
  5. Click Apply and OK to apply the settings.

Once done, try relaunching the game and see if the Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 Error “Failed to Start Game (Missing Executable)” is already fixed. Otherwise, if the problem still persists follow the other fix below.

Fix 2Perform Repair of the Steam Library

One of the most probable root cause of the Steam Error Failed to Start Game (Missing Executable) is corrupted game files and executables. Since the game file’s corrupted, Steam is unable to launch the game and thus results the error. Luckily, Steam has a very useful function that can check & detect corrupted game files and replace it with a fresh copy. This Steam’s feature is called Verify Integrity of Game. We will also attempt to repair the Steam library in case that the Steam library’s is the culprit. The Steam Library directory is where all the steam games are installed and downloaded on your Desktop/PC. Here are the necessary steps for both actions.

First, to verify the integrity of game files on Steam:

  1. Go ahead and Launch the Steam client
  2. In the LIBRARY, right-click on Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 game and select Properties
  3. Go to LOCAL FILES and click on the VERIFY INTEGRITY OF GAME FILES
  4. Wait for the verification process to finish. If there are any corrupt files, Steam will automatically download & replace them.

Now, we’ll repair the Steam Library directory. Follow these steps:

  1. Launch Steam. Go to Steam > Settings > Downloads
  2. Click on the Steam Library Folders
  3. Right-click the SteamLibrary folder and select the Repair Library Folder option.
  4. You will be asked for permission by Windows and Steam, grant them both.

After performing the above steps, go ahead and see if Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 Error “Failed to Start Game (Missing Executable)” error still occurs.

Fix 3: Add Exclusion to Windows Virus and Threat Protection or Third-party Antivirus

A lot of antivirus software such as the built in Windows Defender Antivirus or third-party antivirus often times detect Steam as a false-positive threat on your system. Sometimes, these antivirus mistake Steam files and processes suspicious and malicious thus prevents Steam to work properly. These often times lead to the Steam Error “Failed to Start Game (Missing Executable)” on your system. You can fix this issue by disabling entirely your system’s security software, however, that can be pose risks and threats to your system as your system becomes undefended to attacks. Hence, you must exclude Steam files and folder from the settings of your antivirus. By excluding Steam, it allows Steam to bypass the layers of the antivirus which often causes this issue. To do so, follow the steps below:

Windows Virus & Threat Protection

  1. Open up the start menu and click the Settings Icon and select Update & Security
  2. Click on Windows Security, select Virus & Threat Protection
  3. Under Virus & threat protection settings, click on Manage settings
  4. Locate Exclusions by scrolling down, click on Add or remove exclusions
  5. Click on Add an exclusion and select Folder
  6. Locate the Steam installation folder at C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam and set the exclusion.

Go ahead and launch the game and see if the Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 Error “Failed to Start Game (Missing Executable)” is already fixed. Hopefully, after doing all those fixes one would sort it out for you. If you have a different solution or feedback feel free to leave it in the comment section below!




How to fix Project Cars 3 Blurry Screen

Are you experiencing a flickering, pixelated, or blurry screen in Project Cars 3? It has happened with the past installation of the game and has carried on to the recent update. Don’t worry, there is no problem with your system or the game, the main culprit is the graphics configuration and the solution for the issue is easy and quick. So, stick around and we will teach you how to fix the Project Cars 3 blurry screen.

Fix Project Cars 3 Blurry Screen

It doesn’t matter if your system is a high-end specs because the problem is not associated with the hardware, but the game configuration. Once you fix that, the blurriness issue of the game will also be fixed. The game’s textures and MSAA play an important role in affecting the clarity of the game. Ideally, it is recommended to have the textures set to the max setting and the MSAA at around medium. This should give you a much smoother gaming performance and experience in Project Cars 3 and the blurriness should disappear.

Another important aspect of the Nvidia configuration settings that plays an important role is the Antialiasing feature. The game appears to have a terribly coded TAA or FXAA. While people on 4K resolution may not noticeably spot any problem with the screen, the problem escalates when you start playing at 1080p.

People who have Nvidia RX or RTX graphics card, it is best to configure the Super Sampling option to max and it should fix Projects Cars 3 blurry screen. But, if for example, you are running a lower-end graphics card, make sure to avoid tinkering with the Super Sampling setting or the game becomes almost unplayable.

However, there are still other ways you can improve and enhance the sharpness of the game without sacrificing much of the game’s performance. To do this, you need to open up the Nvidia Control Panel. You can do so by right-clicking on your desktop and launching the Control Panel.

Once, you have the Nvidia Control Panel launched and opened up, follow the steps below:

  1. First, Go to Manage 3D setting > Program Settings on the Nvidia Control Panel window.
  2. Under Select a program to customize, choose Project Cars 3 (If the game is not listed in the list of programs, browse the installation folder of Project Cars 3 and add then the game executable pCARS3.exe)
  3. From the list of settings in the 3rd option, locate “Image Sharpening” option.
  4. Make sure to turn it on and then set Sharpen to 0.60 and Ignore film grain to 0.17

And that should do the trick! Try relaunching the game and check if Project Cars 3 blurry screen is now fixed.




How to Fix The Sims 4 MSVCP120.dll Error

The Sims 4 is one of the most popular life-simulation games that allows you to control and create people. Despite its popularity, errors and bugs are inevitable especially when installing or playing the game for the first time or even during updates. One of the most common issues is The Sims 4 MSVCP120.dll Error or mscvcp120.dll is missing error message that shows up upon launching the game.

Mscvcp120.dll was not found error in the Sims 4 is not the end of the world! What can you do to fix this error? Stick around and learn the possible solutions that will help you resolve this error.

Fix The Sims 4 MSVCP120.dll Error

The Sims 4 MSVCP120.dll error is one of the common errors encountered when launching the game upon installation. In order to fix The Sims 4 MSVCP120.dll Error, there are various ways and solutions which you can try to fix. This is error is resulted by an issue or missing component in the particular machine or system trying to run the game.

Fix 1: Update Graphics Drivers

This might be way too obvious already, but updating the graphics drivers is a very crucial step which is usually forgotten by many users due to its simplistic solution. Make sure to have your AMD/NVIDIA/Intel graphics drivers updated to ensure that the game is able to run with full functionality and compatibility. If the error still persists, follow the other tips below.

Note: You can opt to download the Automatic Installer / Detection feature for NVIDIA / AMD and INTEL if you’re not sure which graphics card driver to download.

Fix 2: Install Required DLL Component

The next step that you can do is to download the msvcp120 DLL component and put it on your game directory folder. The Sims 4 MSVCP120.dll Error looks for the component particularly the MSVCP120.dll needed to run the game. By downloading the DLL component manually and placing it in the directory of the game, it allows the game to be able to use the missing DLL component thus oftentimes fixes the game itself.

To download the component, click the download button below. Then right click your The Sims 4 shortcut file on your desktop then select the Open File Location option. It’ll take you to the folder/installation directory of the game and make sure to paste the MSVCP120.dll file in that same directory where the Sims 4 is installed. Once done, try re-launching the game and see if the game now works. If it still fails to run, you can follow the remaining solution/s below.

Download MSVCP120.DLL

Fix 3: Reinstall the Game

Lastly, if every fix mentioned above fails to fix MSVCP120.dll error on the Sims 4 game, what you can do is to try reinstalling the game. The game files could possibly got corrupted during the installation, update or even while running the game itself due to various lots of possible reason.

If you happen to have tried the initial two fixes and yet still receive the same MSVCP120.dll is missing error on the Sims 4, a simple reinstall of the game might be the last solution to fix this error on your end.

That’s it! We hope by the end of this article you are now able to fix the sims MSVCP120.dll is missing error and you are now able to play the game properly. If you have a better solution that wasn’t mentioned in this guide feel free to share it on the comment section down below to help others!

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Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 System Requirements

You might be thinking that Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 can only be played on high-end specs machines. However, the latest release of the minimum specifications for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 shows reasonable requirements that might even cater to mid-range desktop build.

Here are the latest Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 system requirements:

MINIMUM SPEC/ SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS RECOMMENDED SPEC/ SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
CPU Intel Core i5-4460 or AMD Ryzen 3 1200 or better Intel Core i5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 5 1500X or better
RAM 8 GB MEMORY 16 GB MEMORY
Operating System (OS) WINDOWS 10 64 Bit (1909) WINDOWS 10 64 Bit (1909)
GPU Radeon RX 570 or GeForce GTX 770 or better Radeon RX 590 or GeForce GTX 970
DEDICATED VIDEO MEMORY 2048 MB / 2 GB 4096 MB / 4 GB
VERTEX SHADER 5.0 5.1
PIXEL SHADER 5.0 5.1
DISK SPACE 150 GB 150 GB
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 Minimum and Recommended SPEC/System Requirements on PC

The Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 requires massive amounts of disk space as the initial installation of the game already reached around 120 GB of download (STEAM).

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 Ideal Specs / System Requirements

IDEAL SPEC/ SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
CPU Ryzen 7 Pro 2700X / Intel i7-9800X
RAM 32 GB
Operating System (OS) WINDOWS 10 64 Bit (1909)
GPU Radeon VII / Nvidia RTX 2080
DEDICATED VIDEO MEMORY 8,192 MB / 8 GB
VERTEX SHADER 5.1
PIXEL SHADER 5.1
DISK SPACE 150 GB (SOLID-STATE DRIVE RECOMMENDED)
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 IDEAL System Requirements on PC

If Microsoft updates its minimum hardware requirements, we will update the information on this page. The game is now available for purchase in the Microsoft Store. The Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 Standard retails for $59.99 while the Deluxe costs $89.99 and for the Premium Deluxe edition costs $119.99. (Based from the listing on Microsoft Store; as of August 22, 2020)




How to Setup your Google Cloud for FREE

Setting up a google cloud account is easy. It has a lot of features which is in high demand in the IT industry today. Google is also handing out $300 in credit if you sign up for a free trial. Starting with logging in your google account we’ll now head on to setting up your google cloud.


Google Cloud Setup

After logging in your google account, head on over to cloud.google.com/freetrial. With your google account you’ll see this on your screen:

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After choosing your country and checking the checkbox, click continue and you’ll be directed to the next step:

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Fill out all the required fields along with the card details then click “Start My Free Trial”. Don’t worry about the requirement of a payment, that is to only ensure that the person is legitimate. Everything from this guide is free.

Congratulations! You now have a Google Cloud account with $300 worth of credit which can be used to run your servers or any features of Google Cloud.




How to Host a Dedicated Killing Floor 2 Server on Google Cloud (Linux/Ubuntu)

With the recent release of Killing Floor 2 on the Epic Games Store, players are having a hard time on setting up their servers especially since one can’t just create a lobby and start a game with their friends. Want to have a personal dedicated server running 24 / 7 without using your personal computer? Then this guide’s for you. Buckle up — this is a long one

Google Cloud Setup

If you already have an existing Google Cloud account directly follow the next step. If you don’t have one, you can create one for free by following this tutorial.

Creating a VM Instance

Once you’re at the home page of Google Cloud click the navigation menu at the upper left portion and click Compute Engine under the Compute section.

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The next step would be clicking create an instance on the upper portion of the web-page.

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You’ll be directed to the create an instance page where you will be filling out some forms. Change the name to whatever you want while following it’s requirements. Change the region to that which is closest to yours and pick whatever zone you want (there’s no impact to the latency). Have the machine configuration to follow that of the picture. This is the most optimal and low cost in order to run a Killing Floor server.

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Change the boot disk by clicking on change and change the operating system to Ubuntu, the version to Ubuntu 18.04 LTS the boot disk type to SSD persistent disk and the size to 50.

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With all the other fields set as default you can now create the instance. You’ll be directed back to the VM instances and you’ll now see your created instance.

Firewall Settings

After creating your first instance you would need to port forward the ports udp:7777, udp:27015, udp:20560, and tcp:8080. We can do this by clicking the navigation menu and find vpc network and clicking on firewall.

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Once you’re at the firewall page, create a firewall rule by clicking the Create a Firewall Rule at the top.

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Fill in the name with your desired name. Leave the other fields as default except for targets which should be set to all instances of the network and source IP ranges as 0.0.0.0/0. Under protocol and ports is where we’ll be putting the ports. Check specified protocols and ports and also check udp and put into the field 7777. Click create when finished.

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You would need to repeat this step three times each for ports: 7777, 27015, and 20560 on udp and 8080 on tcp.

Killing Floor 2 Server Setup

Once the steps above are completed we can now start on running our Killing Floor 2 server!

Launching VM Instance

Go back to compute engine and locate your created instance. Click on SSH and a new window would open.

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With the window open, type the following text (without the quotation): “sudo -s” and press enter, this would make you a root user in Ubuntu. Then, type the words “useradd -m steam” and press enter.

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Installing SteamCMD

The next step is to install steamcmd. Your machine would need to install some stuff first. Do it by copy-pasting these lines of text into the instance: 

sudo add-apt-repository multiverse

sudo dpkg –add-architecture i386

sudo apt update

sudo apt install lib32gcc1 steamcmd

After the process of installing is finished type “sudo apt install steamcmd” and press enter. Type “Y” after and press enter.This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is image-89-1024x597.png

It would install some more stuff then the package configuration would appear. Just press tab in your keyboard then press enter. On the steam license agreement press the down key on your keyboard then press enter.

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Installing KF2 Server Files

Now that steamcmd is installed, we now need to download the Killing Floor Server files. First is to make a folder by typing “mkdir /kf2” and pressing enter. Next would be to give ownership of the directory to the user steam by typing “chown steam:steam /kf2” and pressing enter. 

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Next is to be the user steam by typing “su – steam” and pressing enter. Next is to type “mkdir ~/Steam && cd ~/Steam” which is to create a folder named Steam and going to that folder. Once inside the folder type “steamcmd” and press enter.

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Next is to type “login anonymous” and press enter. This would connect you anonymously to Steam. Next would be to type “force_install_dir /kf2” and press enter. Next is to type “app_update 232130 validate” and press enter. This would download the Killing Floor 2 servers into the /kf2 directory.

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After the installation exit Steam by typing “exit” and press enter. We need to launch the server in order to create the config files. Do this by typing “/cd kf2” and pressing enter. In order to launch the server type “./Binaries/Win64/KFGameSteamServer.bin.x86_64 kf-bioticslab” and pressing enter. This would make the server run and initialize the config files. At this point we already know that the server is running but we still have to do a couple of additional steps.

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Changing the Config Files

Terminate the server by pressing ctrl + c on your keyboard. Type “ls” in order to see all the folders inside /kf2. Type “cd KFGame/Config” and press enter to go to the config folder. If you were to type “ls” again you’ll see all the config files for the server. The important ones are KFWeb.ini and LinuxServer-KFGame.ini. I’ll only open KFWeb.ini in this tutorial as the contents of LinuxServer-KFGame.ini can be changed in the web portal.

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In order to open KFWeb.ini type “nano KFWeb.ini“. Nano is the built in text editor in Ubuntu and it is very useful. Change the value of bEnabled to true and save by pressing ctrl + x, followed by pressing Y and pressing enter.

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To go back to the /kf2 directory just type “cd /kf2“. Then we want to delete the file KF2Server.bat. We can do this by typing “rm -r KF2Server.bat“. Afterwards we would want to create a file in order to run the Killing Floor server easily. We can do this by typing “nano“. This will take you to the text editor.

Type “./Binaries/Win64/KFGameSteamServer.bin.x86_64 kf-bioticslab” and in order to save press ctrl+x then press Y then type the filename “KF2Server.sh” then press enter. You now have a new file to launch the server.

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Launching the Server

Congratulations you now have your very own KF2 Server! In order to launch it type “./KF2Server.sh“. The server will now launch and you can connect to it in the game in two ways:

  • Going to the server browser
  • Press “~” on your keyboard and type “open youripaddress

Now you might ask where do I find my ip address? You can find it at compute engine on your google cloud.

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Configuring the Server

Now that you have your server open you can now edit the settings using the web portal. In your browser type “youripaddress:8080/ServerAdmin/“. This will lead you to the Killing Floor 2 web portal. The default username would be “admin” and the default password would be “123“. You can change all the settings of the game here.

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Make your Server Run 24/7

Now that the server has launched you may think, how can I run this 24/7 and without having to open the console? Well the answer is to use the screen feature of Ubuntu. First if your server is running stop it by pressing ctrl + c. Then exit being the steam user, by typing “exit“. Once you’re at the root user, type “screen“. Now, you’re running a seperate instance. Then type the following (which is just the summary of the steps above):

  • su – steam
  • cd /kf2
  • ./KF2Server.sh

Now that the server is running you can exit the screen by pressing ctrl + a + d. You can now close the console and the server will still be up and running.




How to Improve Your Google Meet Video Quality

In this article, I’ll be showing you the ultimate guide that you’ll ever need to improve Google Meet video quality.

I will be giving you practical and useful tips to improve, diagnose and provide a solution when experiencing bad video quality when using Google Meet.

Video Tutorial

1. Change Send & Receive Quality to improve Google Meet Video Quality

If you are seeing blurry pixels, choppy audio even if you have a good internet connection, one possible cause for this terrible Google Meet video quality is that you or the people connected on your Google Meet session might have set their send and receive quality to 360p.

To change this video quality setting, it is very simple. If you’re not yet inside a Google Meet room, click on the option on the right bottom-portion of your window that says “More Options”.

Change Google Meet Video Options

Once opened click on Settings > Go to the Video Tab where you will be able to see the send resolution and receive resolution which refers to the video quality that you are uploading and video quality you are receiving from users connected on your Google Meet room.

To improve Google Meet video quality make sure that the setting is set to the highest supported resolution (eg. 720p, 1080p, etc.) depending on your hardware.

Change Google Meet Video Quality

Additional note, you must also ask the people inside your Google Meet room to change their corresponding setting (send quality) to improve the video quality that you are receiving for example from your professor.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The Google Meet video quality settings as of this writing automatically resets itself back to the lowest quality (360p) so in each room / meeting you’d have to reconfigure the Google Meet video quality settings to make sure that you are receiving and sending the best video quality.

2. Update Camera/Webcam Drivers

Another practical method that you can try to address Google Meet bad video quality is to update your camera drivers.

Go to your Start Menu and search for Device Manager and then open it up.

Expand the Cameras and then right click your webcam or camera connected on your laptop/desktop then click on the Update driver.

Device Manager Update Webcam

Wait for it to finish updating, the time depends on the size of the update / driver and your internet speed.

3. Configure your Webcam Settings

After making sure that you have the updated driver for your Camera device, next thing that you can do is to configure your webcam settings.

Out of the box, webcams and low-mid range stock cameras tend to have a pretty generic configuration hence manually adjusting them could improve Google Meet video quality.

Go ahead and download OBS Studio and install the app. Open the OBS Studio once launched click on the + icon under the Sources and select “Video capture device”

OBS Studio Preview

Then give it any name and hit ok once you’ve decided what to name your webcam/camera device.

OBS Studio Setup Source

Under the Device select your webcam / camera device, click on the configure video and you’ll be shown a window to change Brightness, Contrast, Hue, Saturation, Sharpness, Gamma, and White balance. You can play around with these settings to have the best picture quality depending on your setup and lighting environment.

OBS Studio Configure Camera

Recommendation for the Video Proc Amp: If you are using a laptop webcam turning up the sharpness could improve clarity of your webcam.

After adjusting the image settings, go to the Camera Control tab. You’ll be able to see “Low Light Compensation”. If you have this option available, you can turn this one off to improve the webcam / camera frames per second (FPS) to avoid stuttering or motion blurring when moving.

Camera Control Disable Low Light Compensation

Disabling the Low Light Compensation reduces the amount of work put into your camera device. Although this might cause some darker image quality, it is better to just compensate this by getting a lamp or a small source of light facing towards your window (eg. natural light from windows).

After adjusting the camera properties, hit the apply and ok button and change the following settings:

Set the resolution / fps type -> Custom, Resolution -> Highest Resolution supported by your camera (eg. 720p or 1280×720), FPS -> Highest frame rate supported by your camera (eg. 30), Video Format -> MJPEG.

This will further improve the fps and reduce the “webcammy” feels where your picture creates massive amounts of motion blur when moving due to the lack of FPS.

4. Pause Windows Updates or System Updates

Additionally, you can also try pausing Windows Updates or System Updates on your computer / device to improve google meet bad video quality.

Updates can sometimes hog your speed and bandwidth on your home network.

Disabling these updates temporarily will assure you that this is not the cause of terrible video quality when attending an important meeting on Google Meet.

To disable Windows Updates, go to the Start Menu and search for Windows Update Settings, scroll down and you’ll be able to see the option “Pause updates for 7 days

Pause Windows Updates for 7 Days

To confirm that your windows updates have been successfully paused, scroll up and you’ll be able to see a notification that the updates has been paused.

Paused Windows Updates

Alternatively, you can also set your active hours to make sure that Windows will not conduct any updates during these period or time of the day.

To change the active hours, click on the Change Active Hours and set your preferred time.

Change Active Hours

5. Change your DNS Server to Cloudflare / Google DNS

Although it is uncommon for your DNS server to be the cause of the issue with regards to bad video quality on Google meet, however it is not impossible.

To change your dns server to a more reliable DNS server such as Cloudflare, Google DNS, OpenDNs, etc. look for your network icon on your task bar and right click on it and click on Open Network & Internet Settings.

Network Icon on Taskbar

Click on the Change Adapter Options under the Change Network Settings.

Change Adapter Options Setting

Locate your network adapter (WiFi / Ethernet Adapter) and right click on it and click on Properties.

Network Adapter Panel

Look for the Internet Protocol Version 4 (IPv4) entry and click on it and then click the Properties button. Select the Use the following DNS Server addresses option and enter the following.

Change Network Adapter IPV4 DNS

Once done, go ahead and restart your computer to apply all the recent DNS changes you’ve made.

6. Try to use modern web browsers

Consider also using modern web browsers if you haven’t just yet. Google Meet mostly runs through web browsers thus having a modern and up-to-date browser will improve video and audio clarity of calls or meetings inside Google Meet.

Some examples of modern web browsers are Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge (Chromium), Firefox, Opera, and many more! Here are the their respective download pages.

If you’re already using one of the many modern web browsers, you can try checking if you have the latest version / updated version of the browser.

For Microsoft Edge go the top-right portion of your screen and you’ll be able to see a Settings Menu icon expand that one go Help and Feedback and click on About Microsoft Edge.

About Microsoft Edge

Typically, it will automatically check for updates that says “Checking for updates” when opening this window.

Check for Updates Microsoft Edge

If you’re browser is up=to=date it will show you a message that your browser is up-to-date.

7. Check your internet speed / connection

After doing all the optimization possible, yet you still experience terrible video quality on Google Meet, I suggest you to check your internet connection.

To check your internet speed, you can run a download and upload speed tests that will show you the current speed of your network as well as it’s latency.

Go to speedtest.net, then click on the Go button. Once the tests are finished (typically 1-3 minutes) it will show you three things. Ping (Latency), Download Speed and Upload Speed.

Speed Test Preview

To interpret this, a good quality internet connection must have low Ping or latency and have both high download and upload speeds.

In the snapshot of my speed test, the ping / latency is 361ms which is higher than normal hence it will cause delays / lags / stuttering when receiving and sending video during a Google Meet conference.

Typically a Fiber connection must only have 10-60 ms, a wired DSL/Cable internet must have only less than 100ms and wireless LTE networks are typically at around 120ms and below.

The download speed will affect the quality that you RECEIVE from the people talking / broadcasting their video inside a Google Meeting.

The upload speed will affect the quality of your video and audio being sent to the people connecting inside your Google Meeting.

The photo / snapshot above shows you a slow network since the ping is higher than normal (should only be around 10-40ms) and the upload speed is lower than normal (fibr must have symmetrical upload and download speeds).

8. Upgrade your internet connection

So you’ve reached the end of this list, and yet still you haven’t improved your Google Meet video quality, my last suggestion is to find a better internet service provider or upgrade from your existing plan.

If you are offered between Fiber, DSL/Cable, and Wireless LTE plans always choose Fiber plan over any other as it is the latest technology that offers high quality internet connection.

An emerging technology called 5G service is also another possible option however due to the fact that it is not yet widely available, your best option is to choose Fiber internet or if no facilities can accommodate you try Cable internet, or LTE Wireless internet and least recommended is the DSL internet.

You can check the 5G coverage in this OOKLA 5G Map if you’re area is already 5G ready then you can start inquiring for this newest technology that allows you to connect at fiber fast speeds wirelessly.

OOKLA 5G Map

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