People share 25 hilarious stories of individuals who don't understand how to use a computer

Computer literacy has become an essential part of modern life. Despite computers being widely available for decades, many people still struggle with basic operations. Their inexperience can lead to amusing and sometimes embarrassing situations, like typing with a single finger or treating a mouse like a toy. These examples highlight the importance of basic computer skills. In today's job market, almost every position requires some level of computer proficiency, whether in an office, creative field, or even construction. Having this fundamental knowledge can significantly enhance one's efficiency and effectiveness in the workplace.

The struggles some people face with computers can often be both humorous and enlightening. Their awkward attempts at using technology not only provide amusement but also highlight the challenges many face when learning to operate computers, emphasizing the importance of widespread digital education. In response to a question posed by Reddit user u/ThatLasagnaGuy, "What's the worst case of computer illiteracy you've seen?", the online community shared a wealth of anecdotes. These stories range from laugh-out-loud funny to downright astonishing, revealing the surprising gaps in computer knowledge that still exist today.

1. International calls

"My mother refused to believe that calling her granddaughter in Ireland, using Whatsapp, over their home W-Fi, was not the same as placing an international phone call and that it would cost 'an arm and a leg' if she did that and 'we aren't made out of money, you know!'" - u/mildOrWILD65

2. The struggle is real!

"My mom was trying to move 200 pictures from one folder to another. Her approach was to open one picture, do Save As, save it to the other folder and then delete the original. One by one. When I tried to explain that she could click and drag the whole thing over in two seconds, she said, 'That wouldn't be any faster than the way I do it!' She would also 'save' pictures she found online by copying them, opening Microsoft Word, pasting them and saving them as a .docx file. And she would try to 'open' jpegs by right-clicking on them, choosing 'Open With' and selecting Microsoft Word."- u/MrWaffles42

3. Folder fundamentals

"I was once trying to teach someone how Windows Explorer worked. For whatever reason, they could not grasp the concept of using folders to store documents. I had to get an actual folder and piece of paper out to demonstrate putting paper into the folder before she could grasp the concept." - u/psychkp

4. Everything on paper obsession

"I started my job in 2018. My predecessor did that and showed me the multiple filing cabinets that stored all the emails he's received over the last 27 years!! Everything was on paper and ALL tasks were printed and managed on paper. For some tasks, he explained that I should put aside 2-3 WEEKS to complete. I can do it with a simple sort and search function in Excel and be done. The funny thing is he logged everything in Excel or Access but then printed it off and searched through the paper files when he needed the info. And there are times when we need to find 400-500 data points from the files. It now takes me a few minutes of work to identify this information." -u/discostud1515

5. Email or mailbox?

"When I was a kid in the mid-90s, my parents signed up for AOL and when it said, 'You've got mail!' I excitedly ran out to the street to check the mailbox." - u/derKonigsten

6. Put a mouse on it

 
"I was helping someone with a website for their small business. I told them I put an 'alt' tag on some of the photos that would show text when they put their mouse over it and to try it out. He literally picked up his mouse and placed it on the screen. I fell on the floor and almost pissed myself." - u/ VictoriaEuphoria99.

7. Training someone who has never touched a computer

"I was tasked to train an older woman in customer service for a print shop. On her first day, she whispered to me that she had never touched a computer. Our entire process was online. The company was spiraling into bankruptcy and this did not help." - u/raisinghellwithtrees.

8. The use of a mouse

"A middle aged lady got frightened after being told she needs a mouse to operate a computer. (This was early 2000s)."  - u/launderingpileofcash

9. Computer basics

"I work in a call center and one of my jobs is helping call center clients with basic computer troubleshooting. It is...an interesting task trying to explain to a man who makes more than I do and has been working the same job for longer than I've been alive where and what the start button is." u/Silent_Ad_8672

10. Printed over digital

"In 2012, I had a 60-year-old boss who insisted on printing and filing every email because it was easier to find than files on the computer. I tried explaining to him that folders work the same on a computer, except there's also a search function and he wouldn't have it." - u/poo_fart_lord

11. Tech trials

"My employer hired someone to work for me doing tech support. In the first few days, I had to show her how to open Outlook, create a new email, where to put the recipient address, etc. I had to show her multiple times how to open Excel, let alone use it. She never did get the hang of email. Eventually, we concluded she couldn't read and we had to let her go. It was in the early 2000s and she was probably in her 30s at the time." -u/outcastspice

12. Struggling to shutdown

"It just happened last Friday. I am a new legal secretary in a small law firm, where the partners have been in business for 50 years. Part of my job is to print every email that comes in and of course, people always send big fat attachments. Friday at 4:55, I had some emails queued up to print and since it was already 10 minutes after I was supposed to be gone, I asked the managing partner if he would shut down the computer after it finished printing. He did not know how to shut down a computer." -u/BeepBopARebop 

13. Forwarding emails

"I had a coworker printing out emails and then photocopying them and then putting the photocopy on my desk (she wanted to keep the original). I got to teach her how to forward emails. It took a couple of weeks for her to break the habit, but we're good now." -u/Jermine1269

14. Commands on a computer screen

"Growing up in the 90s, I remember seeing multiple adults try to yell commands at a computer screen. They didn't understand about standard I/O like keyboards and mice because their only concept of computers was from watching Star Trek." - u/40_degree_rain

15. Mystery of the mouse

"I worked at the head office of a major UK company. They hired a woman as a website administrator and, on her first day of training, asked her to click on something. She just stared blankly and they repeated, 'Click on it with the mouse.' The what? Was her reply? They had interviewed her for the job and it turned out that in 2004 she had somehow never used a computer with a mouse. I don't think she made it past lunchtime." -u/MrSpindles

16. Computers need rest too

"We got my grandma a computer to get emails with pictures of her grandkids. It had a sleep mode button and a cover for the monitor. She diligently would put it to sleep every night and place the cover over it. Sincerely, she thought it needed rest and the lights out." - u/tristanjones 

17. Power button puzzle

"I sold a computer on Craigslist about 10 years ago. Keyboard, mouse, LCD monitor and cables. He took it home and said it didn't work. The screen would stay blank when he powered it on. When he brought it back, he was pressing the power button on the LCD monitor, not the computer." -u/Skarth

18. Ethernet

"It was 10+ years ago. Anytime the house Wi-Fi wasn't working well, my roommate would unplug the Ethernet cable from the modem and the router and hold it up and down (like you would hold a hose to drain the water out) to 'let the electrons drain out' so the internet wouldn't be clogged. I tried to explain this wasn't how Ethernet worked, but he said the cable technician told him to do this and that was the end of the matter. The thing is, it usually worked because it reset the internet connection, just not for the reason he thought it did." -u/SmiteIke

19. Screenshot slip-up

"A user was attempting to connect to the Wi-Fi network by following the documentation. Upon reaching the step requiring credential entry, the instructions said something like, 'Enter your username and password in this window,' accompanied by a screenshot of the login window. The user contacted the help desk, unable to write anything into the window. Eventually, it was discovered that the user was trying to type their credentials into the screenshot itself." - u/ssiws

20. Adobe confusion

"Where I work, most of the non-graphics office people say 'Adobe' when they really mean Acrobat. Since I use Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, After Effects, etc, it took me a minute to process what they meant, but now my brain sort of translates it automatically depending on who's talking."  - u/Pablo_is_on_Reddit

21. RAM issues

"I was working on a laptop for a new hire with IT in his title. I told him we did all his updates and increased the amount of RAM from 8 gig to 16 gig. He asked, 'What's that?' I replied 'RAM, you know memory.' He looked at me confused and said. 'Do you mean C drive?' so I ask him what department he was in and he told me he was the new IT Analyst. I handed him his laptop and told him to have a nice day." -u/Impossible_Contact_7

22. Digital deficit

"There's this new guy at work who has admitted to never wanting anything to do with computers. Unfortunately for him, he's now working in a data center and we use computers all day. Well, he doesn't know how to send an email, didn't know how to add me as a contact in his phone, couldn't figure out how to change his password. He was completely confused when we said to open Google Chrome. There's so many small things that it just blew me away." - u/RustyNK

23. Panic loading

"I don't know if this counts, but my mom had trouble learning at first. I was a kid and this would've been early 2000s and I helped her get on our computer and walked away. As soon as I started to leave she panicked and started yelling my name. I run over thinking the computer is about to blow up. She points at the screen, panicked and says, 'The thingy! The thingy, it... it changed!' Took me a second to realize the little arrow had turned into an hourglass. I said, 'That's okay, mom, it just means something is loading and you need to wait.' Still in a panic she dramatically asks, 'FOR HOW LONG?!'" -u/Willowed-Wisp

24. Tech revelations

"When I was a kid, my grandma was visiting our house and I was showing her how to look up recipes online. She didn't know how to click on a link and when I told her just to move the mouse and click it she was like, 'Oh, you move this.'  Another time, more recently, my grandpa called me to come over to his house to see if I could fix his computer because it wasn't working. So I went over there and turned on the monitor." - u/jxrst9
 

25.  Mouse mishap

"I have so many from the late 90s. 'Hey, man, my mouse sucks. Hardly tracks my movements at all.' She had the mousepad upside down… slick part on the desk. She had her wrist resting on the upside down pad and the pad was moving right along with her mouse the whole time. It was all I had not to shame her. I had to explain it with a neutral facial expression and vocal tone."-u/expressly_ephemeral