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. Right-click on the Windows icon in the bottom-left corner to prompt a textual jump menu with a number of familiar destinations, including Apps and Features, Search, and Run. All these options are available through the standard menu interface, but you’ll be able to access them quicker here.
SHAKE AWAY THE MESS
This feature actually debuted in Windows 7, but many people don’t know about it or use it (but they should-it’s cool!). If you have a display full of windows, clear the clutter by grabbing the top of the window you do like and “shaking” it to minimize all the other windows. Suddenly having shaker’s remorse? Shake again and the windows will come back.
ENABLE GOD MODE
Are you a power user who wants access to your PC’s nitty gritty? “God mode” is for you. Right-click on the desktop and select New > Folder. Re- name the new folder with this bit of code: GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C) To enter the “God Mode” window, double-click the folder and go nuts.
SILENCE NOTIFICATIONS WITH FOCUS ASSIST
Formerly known as Quiet Hours, Focus Assist is a redesigned April 2018 Update teature that gives you greater control over the notitications that Pop up on your PC. Head to Settings> System > Focus Assist and then read our full how-to guide for customizing notitications for everything trom contacts and apps to task-specific alarms.
NEARBY SHARING
In an open document or photo, you can share the file directly with nearby devices the same way Apple’s AirDrop works. Click the Share icon atop your doc or photo toolbar to open the panel, and then click Turn On Nearby Sharing to see which nearby recipients are in range. .Control this feature by going into Settings> System > Shared Experiences to turn Nearby Sharing on and oft. You can also set it to share with anyone or only your devices tor easy tile transter.
STOP TYPING. START DICTATING
Speech recognition has always been a strong suit for Microsoft, but recent Windows 10 releases have made it almost second nature. At any time you can use the Windows Key-H hotkey combination to pop up a box that records your voice through your Windows machine’s microphone and dictates the speech in your current text field. .Youll still need to type manual punctuation, but save yourself some typing by dictating emails, messages, and more.
DARK MODE AND LIGHT MODE
Windows 10 gives youa significant amount of control over color themes. Open Settings> Personalization > Colors and you can set the operating system to either dark mode or light mode. .These themes change the color of the Start menu, taskbar, action center, File Explorer, settings menus, and any other programs that are compliant with these palette changes.
CLOUD CLIPBOARD
The Windows clipboard had not changed much until the Windows 10 October 2018 Update, allowing you to save multiple items at once and paste across devices. .Open Settings > System> Clipboard and turn on Clipboard History to start doing more. Check out our full guide for how to use it.
TEST FILES AND APPS IN THE SANDBOX
Windows 10 Pro users have an extra asset to protect them against dangerous apps and files. If you enable Windows Sandbox inside the Control Panel, it will create a virtual instance of Windowsinside Windows. You can then sately open anything you’re not sure about betore introducing it to your actual Windows installation. Once you close out of Sandbox, everything inside it goes away without hurting your computer.
HIDDEN GAME BAR
Using the Windows key +G command, you can pull up the new-and-improved Game Bar. .This lets you switch your Windows PC into gaming mode (which pools system resources to the game, turns off notifications, and lets you record and broadcast your gaming), along with added panels for controlling your audio, monitoring FPS, and tracking achievements.
PRESS PAUSE ON UPDATES
We all know updates are important. They give your OS the latest features, security patches, and more. But sometimes you just want Windows to leave you alone ithout those incessant pop-ups. .With the May 2019 Update, go to Settings > Updates and Security> Windows Update and you can pause upcoming feature updates. Options vary based on which version of Windows 10 you have (Home vs. Pro), but here’s a rundown.
UNLOCK EMOJI AND SYMBOLS
Hit Windows Key-Period(,) to pop up an expanded bottom-right menu of emojis, “Kaimoji” characters built trom unicode characters, and a wide array of miscellaneous symbols.