Tips Tricks Features of Windows 10 - Explore WIndows 10

Windows 10 is officially here, and frankly, there's a ton of new features in Microsoft's latest operating system. From the return of the Start menu to the new Edge browser, Windows 10 can take some getting used to.

Luckily, we've done a lot of the leg work for you, and what follows are all the tips and tricks, big and small, that you need to know to get you quickly up and running with Windows 10 on your laptop, desktop, or Surface.


1: Install Windows 10 for Free
If you haven't yet upgraded, what the heck are you waiting for?! Windows 10 is not only the best version of the operating system since Windows 7, it's also totally free.

Customize the Start Menu
The return of the Start menu has to be the most anticipated addition to Windows 10, at least for those of you using Windows 8.

2: Resize the Start Menu
You can resize the Start menu, making it so that it only takes up a small corner of your screen, or as large as your entire desktop. Just drag from the corners.


3: Live Tiles in the Start Menu
If you're coming from Windows 8, you know about Live Tiles, the interactive and updated "icons" used to display information like weather, news, and more. Luckily, they're now contained within the Start menu.

4: Remove Live Tiles from the Start Menu
If you're coming from Windows 7, not only are Live Tiles new, but they may not be all that useful. Luckily, it's a simple process to not only remove them, but to slim up the Start menu so it more closely resembles the view you're used to.

5: Move & Resize Tiles in the Start Menu
Live Tiles can easily to be moved and resized to your liking so that the information you want is just where you want it. To move a Tile, simply click, hold, and drag it. To resize a Tile, right-click on it, then choose a size from the "Resize" option.

6: Reboot & Shut Down Options in the Start Menu
Options for shutting down, rebooting, and sleeping your PC are now located in the Start menu. Simply click on the "Power" entry in the Start menu to access these options.

7: Access All Your Apps in the Start Menu
Possibly the best thing about having the Start menu back is the ability to access all your apps from it—just click the "All apps" option to see them in an alphabetical list.

8: Pin Items to the Start Menu
While having a full app list is great, it can be a pain to scroll through if you find yourself constantly opening the same few apps over and over. To make them easier to access, simply right-click on them, then choose the "Pin to Start" option to have placed as a Tile. This can also be done with folders and documents from File Explorer.

9: Search from the Start Menu
Another great way to quickly get to an app or file is to open the Start menu, either by clicking on it or using the Windows key, then simply typing is the name of the app, file, or folder you're looking for.

10: Customize the Start Menu Even More
You can change the overall appearance of the Start menu by choosing Settings, then going to Personalization. From there, select the Colors option to change the background color of your Start menu. Head to the Start tab to adjust even more options, like hiding most used and recently added apps, as well as the folders that appear and more.1: Access the Quick Actions Menu
To access the quick actions menu, simply click the Action Center icon in your notification area, which looks a lot like a chat bubble icon. From there, just click any icon to quickly adjust any of its settings.

12: Customize the Quick Actions Menu
Head to the Settings entry in your Start menu, then choose the System entry. Now go to the "Notifications & actions" tab where you'll see your top four quick action toggles listed at the top of the screen. From there, you'll see a drop-down menu with all of the possible quick actions that you can assign to that spot.

Cortana Voice Assistant
Microsoft's long-awaited voice assistant—Cortana—has finally debuted officially with Windows 10, but there is a bit of setup involved.

13: Enable Cortana & Voice Search
Start by clicking the search box right next to the Start button in your taskbar, then click the Cortana icon in the bottom-left corner of the popup, which looks like a circle just above the Windows logo. Accept the agreement and Cortana will be ready to go, but you'll still need to activate the Voice Search hotword.

To set up "Hey Cortana" hotword detection on your computer, click the Notebook icon in Cortana's sidebar menu (which looks like a book with a small circle on the cover), then head to Settings. Now scroll down to the Hey Cortana option, enable it, and click the "Learn my voice" button to begin setup.

14: Save Locations for Cortana
Like other voice assistants, Cortana works best when she has some information about you. A good place to start would be to set up common locations so that you get better directions and traffic info.

To add addresses such as home, work, and your other favorite places, head to the Notebook menu and click "About Me" again. From here, select "Edit favorites," then click the + button near the bottom-right corner, add an address, label it, and repeat for additional locations.

15: Set Reminders with Cortana
Saying or typing "Remind me to (blank)" will prompt you to enter a time or location for your reminder, or you can skip the second part by saying it all at once—"Remind me to take my vitamins every morning at 8," or "Remind me to buy dish soap the next time I'm at Target," for instance.

16: Get Directions with Cortana
This is where having set locations will come into play. You can ask conversational questions like "Get me to the nearest coffee shop," or "How far is it to Chicago," so location-based searching is rather easy.

17: Get at-a-Glance Information with Cortana
Of course, you don't have to pro-actively search for information—Cortana aims to get you the info you want before you want it.

As soon as you click the Cortana search box—even before you actually perform a search—you'll see a series of cards that display relevant information, which are ordered by what Cortana thinks is most relevant to you at this exact moment.

18: Have Fun with Voice Commands
Being a voice assistant means you can literally talk to Cortana, and ask her some funny and useful things. Have her set reminders, control music, open an app, or tell you a joke. We have a great list of commands to get you going right here.

Desktop Control
Windows 10 handles multiple desktops beautifully, once you know how to set them up and switch between them. More info here.

19: Create Multiple Desktops
Start by clicking the task view button next to the search bar (or icon) in your taskbar, which will bring up a button in the bottom-right corner of your screen labeled "+ New desktop." Just click this button to create a second desktop, then click it again to create a third, and so on.

20: Switch Between Desktops
Just click the task view button, then click any of the thumbnails at the bottom of the screen to switch to an open desktop.

Look At The Top 10 Useful Tips For Every Computer User

Regardless of how tech savvy you are, there are specific things all of us has to deal with when using a computer and we don't always answer them in the best ways. Here are 10 things that everybody can (and should) learn how to keep their computer fast, safe, and easier to make use of.

We take a lot of the simpler stuff for granted: how you can avoid viruses, use keyboard short cuts, or even remain your data backed up. Whether or not you've mastered the majority of tricks (and there's a pretty good chance you haven't), you may desire to send this along to a number of your less computer-savvy buddies. In any case, the more they have the ability to do, the less they'll call you for assistance.

10. Setup a Simple Back-up System

We all know we must always back up our computers, but it is often one of those items that you'll arrange "one day". Setting up a back-up just takes moments to do, however, so that you could do it right now and don't touch it until you need it and once you do need it, you'll be happy you choose it up. If you are truly just backing up to a much-needed external drive, you are able to just use the simple gadgets built in to your laptop, like Windows Backup or Apple's Time Machine. However, that'll only keep individuals safe if your laptop fails. If you shed your home within a fire, get all your gear stolen, or skills any other kind of disaster (God forbid), you'll have obtained lost all those significant documents, family photos, along with other files forever. So, we suggest using a help like CrashPlan to back up your pc online. That way, it can make a copy no matter in which you are, and that data will be secure whatever happens to your hardware.

Do Everything Quicker by using Shortcuts

The beauty of computers is that they can perform a lot of things more efficiently than a human. Say you want a specific word on a web page. In contrast to scanning it yourself, what you have to do is press Ctrl F and type the term you're looking for. You will find mountains of shortcut of this nature, from pressing Ctrl S to instantly use file you're working on, Ctrl P for printing it out, or Ctrl T to open a new tab within your web browser. Generally it may seem like more trouble than it’s worth to start with, but when you finally use a shortcut a couple of times, you'll question why you ever did anything with the mouse. Examine our list of six short cuts everyone should know, in addition to our shortcut of the day series for only more tricks.

Safeguard against Viruses

Windows users have long known your pain of viruses along with other malware, however the good news is it's quite easy to stay clear of. First, we suggest learning the difference between viruses, trojans, along with other kinds of assaults, as well as the fables adjacent them. Then, set up some good anti-virus software to guard one’s self (Microsoft Security Essentials is our favorite you won't even be aware of it's there). You can also get antivirus specifically for your Android phone, in case you so choose. In the end though, the easiest way to avoid a virus is to use logic: don't open links that look wary, don't install packages from untrusted sources, and if a glass pops up saying your pc's infected, make sure it's actually your antivirus program proclaiming that and not artificial web page.

Set Up Your System (and Fix Wi-Fi Problems)

Grasping routers, modems, and the other things that comprise your network can seem overwhelming, but there are a few basics that may fix most problems that cross your path. Does your router continually need resetting? Ensure it isn't overheating or blocked with traffic. Have you noticed your Wi-Fi speed and range less than ideal? Use one of those tricks to handle it a boost. If you skills more serious issues, probably you could fix them yourself also. Check out our complete tips for knowing your community for more info it's got all the facts, from buying a router to establishing your community and a lot more.

Keep a Batteries Long time as Long as Possible

Having no of battery on your telephone or laptop can be fairly irritating, but luckily, you are able to do a multitude of things to keep it lasting longer. Your regular laptop offers quite a bit of built-in power settings that may come in really handy, and it's possible there are a few tricks on both Android as well as the iPhone that will eke additional time out of your battery. And, if you would like your battery to retain that by the way life, ensure you know how often to charge it to keep it alive in the time ahead.

Access Your own home Computer From Anywhere

Ever exit with your laptop computer and realize you left one thing important on your laptop at home? A technique to solve this problem is to use a help like Dropbox, so that your files are with you all around you. However, it's also handy to understand how to use your home laptop from anywhere. With a straightforward app, you can once you have logged into your home laptop from another system and use it as if you were sitting down right at your desk whether you simply need to grab a fast file or access a plan you do not have elsewhere.

Keep Your Laptop in Tip Top Shape along with Steady Preservation

Laptop maintenance dives really confusing through the years. Between defragging, cleaning up transitorily files, and other tasks, it's like trying to keep a car. Luckily, it's gotten a lot much easier in recent times: you only need to do a couple of things to keep a computer running fast and smooth. Examine our guides to Windows preservation and Mac maintenance for more information and keep your PC operating like new. If your phone's feeling a bit sluggish, we have manuals for iOS and Android, too.

Instantly Share a File Between Two Computers

So you're going to have some files you would like to give to your friend sitting beside you, but your flash force has mysteriously gone absent. Well you know what? You don't require it! It's very easy to move information between two computer systems over your wi-fi (or wired) network, be it between you and a companion or between a number of computers you own. Listed here are our favorite ways to share files by using a nearby computer, however if you want to share them between multiple computer systems in the home, Home windows 7's Home group feature is a superb option. Of course, this is where the aforesaid Drop box app are available in handy, too. If you're sharing bigger files over the internet, you will find great methods to do just that too.

Easily Seek Your Lost or Impacted Gadgets

It's impossible to know when you might misplace your telephone, laptop, or other tech, so set up a few safeguards now. iPhones contain an easy-to-use function called Find My iPhone that'll assist you track it if it goes absent, but we're big fans of an app known as Prey. With it, you are able to track nearly any laptop or handset that's gone missing, and not to mention get a photo of who may be using it. If you're omitted a camera, the Camera Trace service can assist you find it, too. Without a doubt, the best option is making sure it doesn't get carjacked in the first place, and ensuring all your personal data is fixed down. This gives us to our last tip...

Keep a Personal Data Safe and Secure

Sadly, the internet isn't always a secure place, which means everyone must make sure they're preserving their personal information safe. Ensure you use strong passcodes, remove individual information from photos along with other files, and never employ open public Wi-Fi networks without ever protection. Keeping your personal data safe is easier than it sounds, and if you aren't sure what to do, examines our checklist for remaining safe online. You'd be amazed how unsafe that you were being before.