Please, Don't Touch Anything is a game best enjoyed when you able to figure out the various puzzles on your own without the need for a direct walkthrough.

Having said that, you will eventually hit a wall. After an hour or 2 your progress will start to slow down and the harder puzzles will require more and more strategies in order to have breakthrough moments. This guide is an attempt to help people who are stuck but want to solve the game without specific hints.

If this sounds like you, read on.

1.98% of everything you see is required to beat the game.
Most everything you find in this game that looks like a clue or a hint is exactly that. With only a few exceptions (one of them is as devastating as it is funny, you'll know it when you figure it out) almost everything you see is a part of an answer. If you're thinking "does this detail relate to anything or is it a macguffin?" the answer is very likely that you'll need it to solve something. With that in mind:

2. If something looks off, pay attention to it.
There a plenty of small subtle clues. Everything is by design so if something looks a bit strange, make a note of it.

3. Grab a pen and paper and list everything.
Like literally write it down. Categorise the types of clues you've got into specific categories. Number clues, letter clues, pattern clues all sorted by length. When you have to, draw pictures and name diagrams.

4. Ordering is important.
The order in which you do things is important to solve some puzzles. Some clues won't activate if you haven't done something else first. Just because you've entered a code into an interface and had it do nothing, doesn't necessarily mean it won't work on that interface after the state of something else has changed.

5. Use Google.
Certain clues will require some googling. If you're looking at a clue and think "what on earth does this mean?" Try googling it. Several clues will require either prior knowledge of specific subjects or more likely, looking them up on the internet to get the information required to complete something.

6. You're not dumb.
PDTA is not an IQ test. Being "smart" is nice but it won't necessarily speed up your progress in this game. PDTA is a measure of 2 things : Persistence (80%) and Creativity (20%). Having a persistent and systematic approach will take you a lot further in this game than any other qualities will. If you have an idea and it's stupid, try it. You might be surprised.