Windows 10 pushed out yet another update in May 2021. The new upgrades to the popular operating system help users adopt many features that, as of yet, remained cool tricks that few knew about.
With these latest updates installed on your machine, this is a good opportunity to master some of Window 10’s top features.
Keep reading to learn about some of our favorites.
- Minimize all open windows except the active one
When your desktop screen is crowded with open windows, you can minimize all but the active one in a shake.
Navigate to the title bar of the window you want to keep open. Then, hold the mouse down and move the window back and forth quickly. This is called “shaking.” All the other open windows will minimize automatically. - Easy screenshots on Windows 10
There are more than half a dozen ways to take a screenshot on Windows 10. To capture the whole screen, the easiest way is to hold down the Windows key and then press the Print Screen key.
This action even saves the image automatically, not just to your clipboard but also to Pictures > Screenshots on your computer. - Use the “secret” Start menu
Beyond just hitting the Windows key to open the Start menu (or navigating there with your mouse), you can access a “secret” start menu with the Control Panel and Task Manager by pressing the Windows key and “X.” - Taskbar keyboard shortcuts
You don’t even need to click the icons pinned to your Taskbar to open those program shortcuts. Just press the Windows key plus the number corresponding to the position of that program on the Taskbar, and voila! - Eliminate ads from the Start menu
Apps you don’t have sometimes show on the right-hand side of your Start menu. These are actually ads from the Windows Store. To turn this off, go to Settings > Personalization > Start. Find the setting called “Show suggestions occasionally in Start” and tick it to the “off” position. - Use “Focus assist”
A Windows 10 tool called “Focus assist” allows you to determine how many notifications you get and from what apps. This can be especially handy to avoid distractions when you’re in the zone working on something. Just navigate to Settings > System > Focus assist to set it up.
For more tips on Windows 10 tips and productive IT, contact us!