Windows is a vast operating system with plenty of features you might never stumble upon. Make the most of Windows 10 with these expert tips.
Microsoft’s Windows OS isn’t any one thing; it’s an interwoven patchwork of features built atop other features that trace back to the beginning of the time-tested operating system.
With such a complex piece of software, it makes sense that there are little tricks and UI flourishes most people don’t even know about. Maybe you haven’t poked around Windows 10 too much or perhaps you’ve remained on Windows 7 for all these years. Well, it’s time to make the jump, as Microsoft ends support for Windows 7 this week.
Whatever your situation, we’ve compiled a list of useful tips that will help you get more out of your Windows 10experience. Or, at least, teach you some things you may not have known about.
Some have been available in Windows for a number of generations, while others are native to Windows 10. Microsoft’s most recent update for the OS arrived in November, but the May 2019 update added a bunch of new features and killed a handful of others. So there are plenty of new features and tricks to make the most of a constantly evolving Windows experience.
Secret Start Menu
If you’re a fan of that old-school (i.e. non-tiled) Start menu experience, you can still (sort of) have it. If you right-click on the Windows icon in the bottom-left corner, it will prompt a textual jump menu with a number of familiar popular destinations (Apps and Features, Search, Run). All these options are available through the standard menu interface, but you’ll be able to access them quicker through this textual interface.
Show Desktop Button
This desktop button actually dates back to Windows 7, but is handy nontheless. On the bottom-right corner of the desktop is a secret button. Don’t see it? Look all the way to the bottom and right, beyond the date and time. There you’ll find a small little sliver of an invisible button. Click it to minimize all your open windows.
There’s also the option to have windows minimize when you hover over this button versus clicking. Select your preference in Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Use peek to preview the desktop.
