Whether you upgraded to Windows 10 right after it became available or you are just now making the switch there are some tips & tricks that you may not be aware of that can improve and customize your experience. We’ve round 10 of our favorite tips & tricks for Windows 10 below.
1. Customize your start menu
Unless you’ve been living under a rock you’ve probably come across a Windows Start Menu a time or two in your life. The stylized window icon in the corner of your screen is your key to accessing Windows 10’s version of this iconic menu. You can change the appearance of your start menu by right-clicking on an icon in the menu or by touching and holding the icon for a few seconds if you’re using a touch screen. You can also right click the start icon which will show a quick and clean menu. This puts more options at your fingertips including the Task Manager, Control Panel, Device Manager, and even the Command Prompt.
2. Disk cleanup to add some space
As computers have gotten more sophisticated and had larger RAM, the usefulness of the Disc Cleanup tool has decreased. However, Disc Cleanup still holds value in quickly deleting files and ensuring your recycle bin is cleared out. In Windows 10 just type “disk cleanup” into your taskbar where it says, “Type here to search” >> click on the Disk Cleanup app >> Put a check mark next to each folder you want to be deleted and you’ve cleared up some space.
3. Quickly open the Taskbar
Using new intuitive shortcuts in Windows 10 you can have quick access to some of your most used apps. The taskbar at the bottom of your screen has program icons lined up, most likely some of these include your web browser and the windows files explorer, as well as others. You can quickly open these programs by hitting the Windows key and the number that corresponds to the location of the icon on the bar. For example: if you have Chrome in the first position on the left in your task bar and press the Windows key and the number 1, Chrome will open up.
4. Stream Video
You can steam videos on your TV using Windows 10. Using compatible devices such as Roku and Xbox One S. Just type “media streaming” in the Windows 10 taskbar >> Select media streaming options and follow the instructions
5. Find programs that are slowing you down
What’s more frustrating than trying to work on your computer and your computer moving slow as molasses? Not much! When you run in to this issue you can use the task manager to find out what’s slowing it down. Open the task manager and check out the “Processes” tab. It will show you which apps and background processes are running and how much of your CPU, memory, and disk and network resources they are taking up.
6. Use the updated Task Manager
Not only can the task manager be used for the tried and true purpose to force-quit unresponsive programs, in Windows 10 it got an upgrade making it a much more robust tool. You can quickly access it by hitting control-alt-delete
7. Quickly find your apps
Opening the regular Start Menu lets you see a list of your apps running down the side. The most-used apps are on the top and the rest are laid on in alphabetical order. You can scroll through all of the apps but if you have quite a few this can be cumbersome. By clicking on the main letters (like “A”) when browsing you an alphabet menu appears that lets you click on the first letter of the app you want and taken directly to that part of the start menu.
8. Use the Task Scheduling tool
Here’s a tool that does just what its name implies. You can find it by typing “Task Scheduler” in the taskbar. Use the taskbar to help schedule task on your computer, like turning it off at a specific time each day.
9. Print files as PDF
PDF is a format that is compatible across most operating systems and software programs. You can quickly convert a file to a PDF in Windows 10 by printing as you normally would and selecting “Microsoft Print to PDF” when prompted to select what printer you’d like to use.
10. Record your screen
Here is a quick way to record your screen. Click on the Windows key on your keyboard and the letter G at the same time. Follow the prompts and record.