People like to say humans are resilient. But try telling me that the next time something breaks—the Wi-Fi cuts out, a drawer falls off its track, the car makes That Noise. My first instinct is to panic, not problem-solve.
Turns out, though, that in some corners of the internet, people are proving we’re not quite as helpless as many of our meltdowns might suggest. Often armed with little more than duct tape or a paperclip and what can only be described as unshakable confidence, these self-appointed MacGyvers have been solving the kind of small, everyday hiccups that would send most of us into a tailspin (or straight to the dump).
Their fixes look ridiculous. Yet they also somehow work. And together, they’re proof that with a little creative thinking, and maybe a hope and a prayer, we’ll be just fine.
#1 Wife Wanted A Fitbit. Do You Think She’ll Like It?
Image source: 5ilver
Communities like r/techsupportmacgyver and r/Macgyverhacks are built around a simple idea: when everyday life throws you a curveball, you don’t need the right parts, tools, or even the right skills. You just need to be willing to try.
To the moderators of r/techsupportmacgyver, it doesn’t even matter if the repair works; they want to see it all. Because to them, as one of their group rules states, it’s all about “the spirit of the endeavor.”
In other words, it’s more about the “MacGyver” in the sub’s name and less about the “tech support”—a point driven home by their next rule, which explains that “It doesn’t have to be a computer or even electronics. It just has to be MacGyver-y.”
#2 My Remote Control Ain’t Need No Keys
Image source: DestinationVoid
#3 Saved A Students Thesis
Image source: Fatboy125
Those who grew up watching MacGyver in the ’80s will already know exactly what the moderators mean by this. For everyone else, the word traces back to the titular character of the action series.
He became iconic for staying cool under pressure and overcoming any obstacle, no matter how hopeless it looked, by building a solution out of whatever happened to be within reach—think “Someone who can jump-start a truck with a cactus,” as one of the earliest Urban Dictionary entries for the term, added in 2003, puts it.
That might be one of the more playful definitions out there, but the word has since made its way into several major dictionaries, too. Merriam-Webster, for example, defines it as a slang verb that means “to make, form, or repair (something) with what is conveniently on hand.”
#4 My Building’s PA Microphone Was Broken. These Were The Only Supplies I Could Scavenge At The Front Desk
Image source: ItsJustTheSmells
#5 I Built Myself Secret Bluetooth Headphones In My Earmuffs So I Can Listen To Podcasts At Work
Image source: Sebi1324
And while I’d say it’s pretty impressive for a TV show character to inspire an official dictionary entry, there’s actually a decades-old concept in anthropology that helps explain what made MacGyver’s improvisation so satisfying to watch in the first place.
Back in 1962, French anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss coined the term “bricolage” (from the French verb bricoler, “to tinker”) to describe this same instinct: building something functional from whatever happens to be on hand. As Associate Professor Colleen Sharen of Western University puts it, bricolage is essentially “a kind of MacGyver experience.”
Lévi-Strauss drew a distinction between the engineer, who designs a purpose-built solution using the correct materials for the job, and the bricoleur, who instead works within whatever’s already available. That doesn’t make the bricoleur any less capable; they just approach problems differently. Instead of relying on the “right” tool, they understand what’s available and what each piece could become.
#6 Couldn’t Find A Big Enough Flash Drive So I’m Installing Windows From My Drone
Image source: Yooserneam
#7 My 6 Year Old Has A Bright Future Ahead Of Him
Image source: cZyOlk2Hs09
#8 What Do You Mean Be “Hard Coded” In The Program – Me:
Image source: Bastl34
This mindset, that of the bricoleur or MacGyver, is also arguably becoming increasingly important at a time when repairing things is often harder than replacing them.
According to the UN’s Global E-waste Monitor 2024, global e-waste nearly doubled in just 12 years, rising from 34 billion kg (37.5 million tons) in 2010 to a record 62 billion kg (68 million tons) in 2022. It’s expected to reach 82 billion kg (90 million tons) by 2030. Although more e-waste is being formally recycled than ever before, the report says it’s not happening nearly fast enough to keep up with the amount being generated.
Part of the problem, the report says, is that many products have shorter lifespans and are increasingly difficult to repair. Combined with limited repair options and inconsistent recycling systems, it’s often easier (and sometimes more realistic) to replace something rather than fix it.
That’s the challenge the Right to Repair movement is trying to solve. It argues that consumers should have access to the parts, tools, software, and manuals needed to repair the products they own instead of being forced to replace them.
#9 I Slept Through All Of My Phone Alarms Today So I Rigged A Tens Unit To An Alarm Clock. It Hurts A Lot
Image source: second_to_fun
#10 Watch Out For The Earthquake
Image source: Skadoodle69
#11 My PC Was Running Hot So I Replaced The Side Panel With This
Image source: rocher-tmtc
Perhaps it could be said that on some small level, the MacGyvers and bricoleurs of Reddit are doing exactly what governments and environmental groups are now trying to legislate on a global scale: keeping things in use rather than adding to a 68-million-ton pile that’s growing too quickly for anyone to keep up with.
Of course, nobody’s suggesting that adding Velcro to a loose charging port is going to solve the e-waste crisis. But the instinct behind it—repairing, reusing, or adapting what’s already in front of you instead of immediately replacing it—is exactly the mindset today’s repair movement is trying to encourage.
Turns out there may be a little more wisdom in these chaotic “MacGyver-y” fixes than first meets the eye. Now, scroll through the rest of them, upvote your favorites, and let us know which ones you found the most amusing or ingenious!
#12 My Laptop Charger Kept Falling Out. Presenting Velcsafe
Image source: siddv
#13 Gas Station Does Not Have The Option To Pay At The Pump…so They Put Cameras On The Pumps To Know How Much To Charge The Customer After They Pump
Image source: confused_boner
#14 There Was No Air Condition In My Room And I Did This
Image source: theksm
#15 Touch Screen Broken? No Problem!
Image source: SPRX97
#16 No Adapter, No Problem… Vol2
Image source: pierros
#17 Ghetto Rgb: Changed The Colour Of My MacBook Pro Keyboard Backlight To Replicate The Colours From The Old Apple Logo Using Coloured Cellophane
Image source: AwakeOrStillDreaming
#18 When You Need To Charge Your Phone During A Hurricane
Image source: Turttel_
#19 Fixed The Thumbstick Drift On My Controller With Rubber Bands
Image source: [deleted]
#20 I Believe This Fits Here
Image source: skymcgowin
#21 A Teacher Asked If I Could Recover What Was On This Broken Flash Drive. I Said Give Me 20 Minutes And A Soldering Iron. (Worked)
Image source: thomasreddits227
#22 It Grade Night Light
Image source: AL_O0
#23 Cat Kept Stepping On My Power Button So I Installed A “Molly Guard”
Image source: ItsGotToMakeSense
#24 I Have Found The Specific Spot Where I Have To Apply Pressure On Such That The Disc Tray Of My Ps2 Is Counting As „closed“
Image source: [deleted]
#25 My iPad Will Kernel Panic When I Lock It If Nothing’s Running In The Background… Solution: Infinitely Loop A Silent Mp3
Image source: yenwah
#26 LEGO Technic Piece Makes Perfect Nib Replacement For Dell Clitmouse
Image source: braveduckgoose
#27 Used A Heatsink To Replace A Torn Clutch Pedal Pad
Image source: digital_treesloth
#28 Brought The PC On A Work Trip, But Didn’t Bring The WiFi/Bluetooth Antenna. Swiped A Twist Tie From The Back Of The TV, And We’re Back In Business
Image source: WonderWeasel91
#29 A Rig I’ve Made Few Years Ago When My Old iPhone Was Overheating
Image source: henry_potter
#30 I Needed To Sharpen My Craft Knife, So I Made This
Image source: -broke-it-
#31 Perfect Homemade Parabolic Reflector For The Job
Image source: anikkundu1998
#32 Didn’t Have The Necessary Female To Female Adapters But Still Managed Organic Audio
Image source: Boltz999
#33 Should I Be In Jail For This?
Image source: HadesHawk
#34 I Forgot Chip’s Leash So I Walked Him With A Cat
Image source: mikebellman
#35 Turned My Old, Rarely Used Vape Into A Soldering Iron
Image source: McUsername621
#36 Hottest Day Of The Year Hits The UK. Luckily, I Have A Box Of Old PC Parts Lying Around
Image source: Darkfrost
#37 Young Man Showing Off His Home-Made Excavator. 1950s
Image source: snuzet
#38 Flash Drive Was Getting Too Hot So I Installed A Monster Heatsink
Image source: TehSavior
#39 Parents Knocked Over The Router, One Of The Cables Was Missing The Clip And It Fell Out. This Is How They Fixed It Haha
Image source: cyproyt
#40 Door Exit Switch
Image source: Revilingcactus
#41 Articulated Monitor Arms Are Way Too Expensive In My Country, So I Built One
Image source: marcos_marp
#42 Barcode Scanner Broke. So Fixed It. Oh And Rehoused It
Image source: TheSolderking
#43 Does This Count?
Image source: mikkelkpt
#44 My Dad Couldn’t Find A Power Cable For The TV, So He Dremelled His MacBook Power Cable Until It Fit
Image source: iAmAddicted2R_ddit
#45 My Powers Out. 19v Is 19v. Now Killed All 3 Drill Batteries And Down To 12%
Image source: mb300sd
#46 Cheater
Image source: Pirate_Redbeard
#47 Gear Shift Knob Snapped, But Now Its Got A “Turbo” Button
Image source: MinerGateHelp
#48 Half Of The Screen Was Blacked Out, But When I Applied Pressure It Went Back To Normal! So A Clamp Came To The Rescue!
Image source: Ruansonder_R
#49 Don’t Forget To Restart Your Doorbell!
Image source: [deleted]
#50 The Laptop Case Of One Of My Friends Broke, So He Build Him Self A New One
Image source: Schokofabrik
#51 I Love Reshelling Broken Flash Drives With Older Capacitor Shells
Image source: elusive_cure
#52 The Sensor In Our Dishwasher Is Malfunctioning And It Will Only Stay Running If There Is Continuous Pressure On The Door. This Was My Dad’s Solution
Image source: gantzypants
#53 I Didn’t Have An Ethernet Cord Long Enough So I Used The Air Vent As A Shortcut
Image source: atomicdragon136
#54 Using Xone Controller As External Audio Card
Image source: Backdoorek
#55 In My Wife’ Office They Customized The AC
Image source: benpiller
#56 Keeping A 20yo Hdd From Overheating (Yes I Know Hdds Dont Typically Overheat But Im Doing Everything I Can To Keep This Thing Alive)
Image source: ChengliChengbao
#57 I Built A Linux PC Inside An Ibm Keyboard And Attached A Small Screen. The Least Practical Battery Powered Laptop?
Image source: Kirkwood1994
#58 When Your Proprietary Psu Dies
Image source: G4M3B0Y_4DV4NC3
#59 My Calculator Was Overheating So I Added A Fan
Image source: twwyt
#60 Have Fun Dying Now You Big Battery Having Bitch
Image source: TheSolderking
#61 Found On My Facebook Feed. At Least The Tech Painted It To Match The House
Image source: string97bean
#62 This Atrocity
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#63 Raspberrypi Has Really Stepped Up Their Game, My New Pi Was Shipped With A Free, Customizable Case!
Image source: Zciurus
#64 Easy Coffee Maker Made From A Jar
Image source: JohnsonCDN
#65 No Smartphone Bike Mount? Popsocket And Cable Ties… Has Held 30km On Road, Gravel And Cobblestones With 0 Problems
Image source: thefirstdetective
#66 Had To Prevent Coffee Spilling Everywhere While Working And Discovered The Roll Of Duct Tape Is Great For That
Image source: MrDougTape
#67 Before I Finally Made My Own Key For The Paper Towel Dispenser At School (Out Of Two Popsicle Sticks And Duct Tape Of Course), This Worked Far Better Than You’d Imagine
Image source: beardedpeck
#68 Brita Hack
Image source: NoLog527
#69 They Said They Needed 10 Computers In The Middle Of Nowhere And They Wanted An Attractive Drop On No Budget. Yes, That Is A Shower Rod
Image source: puckbeaverton
#70 My Roku Was Overheating
Image source: Similar_Link8510
#71 Lowered The Input Volume To The Amp Chip On My Son’s TV To Solve An Audio Clipping Issue
Image source: 5ilver
#72 Cable Ties
Image source: Moss_Piglet_
#73 User Said I Was The Second Person To Take A Picture Of It This Week
Image source: CasuallyTJ
#74 My Raspberry Pi Heatsink
Image source: samtonatorn
#75 Needed To Mute A TV. Did Not Find The Remote
Image source: beuluis
#76 My Old Pocket Ssd Is Constantly Overheating And Throttling, So I Mounted A Tiny 15mm Fan On Its Metal Casing
Image source: B1N4RY
#77 Clever Workaround To The Buzzer
Image source: mzlange
#78 Working In Digital Signage I Occasionally Have To Deal With Ir Sensors That Are Not Easily Accessible Due To The Fixtures. Last Night I Extended The Ir Diode And Created The Slimjim Of Remote Controls
Image source: cboogie
#79 Wanted To Brake Out The Old Wii But Couldn’t Find The Sensor Bar So I Googled It And Apparently Candles Work As One
Image source: JTech625
#80 Directional Antenna To Provide WiFi To My Office Located In Another Building
Image source: StefanPaulNoack
#81 I Couldn’t Afford A Case, Deskjet Gamer
Image source: rockefellerbr
#82 No Adapter, No Problem!
Image source: pierros
#83 Didn’t Have Enough Batteries For Our Portable Radio
Image source: ThymoNL
#84 It Worked
Image source: minesim22
#85 Connectivity Issues You Say? 🤔 Fixed!
Image source: McFurryTek
#86 I Needed A Webcam
Image source: yonatan8070
#87 Roommates Monitor Stand
Image source: supplex44
#88 Found On Facebook. Does This Count?
Image source: Brino21
#89 We Have Power Outages From Time To Time At Work, But The PC Needs To Stay On, So I Installed A Compooter Rebooter
Image source: Tomble
#90 My Brother Got Tired Of Holding His iPad Up
Image source: projectolivine
#91 When I Moved The Ps4 Out Of The Living Room, I Needed Something Else Rigid And Useless To Take Its Place As The Shelf
Image source: SnodOfficial
#92 Using A Jewellers Setter Arm Rest With My Mouse
Image source: [deleted]
#93 My Friend’s Phone’s Touchscreen Stopped Working So He’s Using A Mouse
Image source: axxenmardok
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