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Microsoft Windows is not one. It is a combined patchwork of tools built on top of features dating back to the beginning of the operating system, which has been tested over time.
With such complex software it makes sense that tricks and UIs thrive that most people don’t know about. After coming from Windows 7, you may not have dealt with Windows 10 too much or you may have recently switched on your Mac. Well, it’s time to understand all the secrets Windows 10 has to offer.
We’ve put together a list of helpful tips to help you get the most out of your Windows 10 experience. Or at least teach me things you didn’t know. Some have been available on Windows for generations, while others are built into Windows 10.
Microsoft’s latest OS update arrived in May and introduced several new features in Windows 10 version 2004 . So, there are many ways to make the most of your constantly evolving Windows environment.
Secret start menu
If you’re a fan of the old-fashioned (i.e. non-tiled) start menu experience, you can still get started (sort of). Right-clicking on the Windows icon in the lower left corner will bring up a text jump menu with several familiar targets including Apps & Features, Search & Launch. All of these options are available through the standard menu interface, but can be accessed faster here.
Similarly, there are a lot of things you can do with the Windows 10 taskbar . Right-clicking on the taskbar has a handy menu that gives you quick access to toolbars, Cortana, and several presets for the window scheme.
Would you like to personalize your start menu tiles? When you right-click, a pop-up menu appears. This menu offers a number of options from the Start menu, including unpinning, resizing windows, and turning off live tiles.
Show desktop button
Dating back to Windows 7, the Show Desktop button is a handy little feature. There is a secret button in the lower right corner of the desktop. Can’t you see it? Beyond the date and time, see both the bottom and the right. There’s a tiny little piece of invisible button there. Click to minimize all open windows at once.
There is also an option to minimize the window when hovering over this button and when clicked. In Settings> Personalization> Taskbar , select Preferences, then flip the switch under “Preview using desktop preview”.
Improved Windows search
If your search is taking too long on Windows, you can narrow it down thanks to the May 2020 update. Under Settings> Search> Windows Search applies only to libraries and desktops, or selects Enhanced Indexing to search the entire computer and set Search as Classic. In addition, the new algorithm helps adjust when Windows is running, using less resources while gaming, or when disk usage is above 80%.
Shake the mess
This feature actually debuted in Windows 7, but many people don’t know or use it (but it should be, that’s cool!). If you have a display full of windows, grab the top of the window you want and “shake” it to minimize all other windows to eliminate clutter. Suddenly Shaker’s regrets? Shake it again and the window will come back.
Screen rotation
Multiple Display Use to use this feature if you can adjust to meet the needs of a particular monitor. The fastest way to do this is to flip the screen while holding Ctrl + Alt at the same time and using the direction arrows. The right and left arrows rotate the screen 90 degrees and the down arrows flip the screen upside down. Use the up arrow to return the screen to its original position.
These key commands only work on certain computers, so if you can’t, you can go faster by going to Settings> System> Display or right-clicking on the desktop and selecting Display Settings. You can turn pages in all sorts of ways by choosing an option from the Display Orientation drop-down menu.
Slide to activate exit
This trick is complicated and may not be worth it, but you can use it to slide your computer to the off position. Right-click on the desktop and New> Shortcut choose to . Paste the following line of code in the next pop-up window.
%windir%\System32\SlideToShutDown.exe
This will create a clickable icon on your desktop and allow you to rename it. Right-click the file and enter Properties to add a shortcut key, or double-click the file to adjust the program. This will give you a pull-down shade and you can drag it to the bottom of the screen with your mouse. This is shutdown, not sleep mode.
Activate’God Mode’
Are you a power user who wants access to the heart of the PC? “God Mode” is for you. Right-click on the desktop and New> Folder selection must . Rename the new folder with the following code.
GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}
To get into the “God Mode” window, double-click on the folder and go crazy.
