Tips to use Windows 10 you may not know

Windows 10 operating system is a great operating system and to have a pleasant experience with it, you will certainly not be able to ignore these extremely useful Windows tips below:

Table of contents

1. Windows Shortcuts

1. Ctrl + T:  Open a new tab in the browser
2. Ctrl + Q:  Close the browser
3. Ctrl + I:  Write italic in Microsoft Word
4. Windows + C:  Start talking to Cortana
5. Ctrl + Alt + D  and any arrow button : Rotate  screen
6. Ctrl + Tab:  Move between the tabs of the browser in order from left to right.
7. Ctrl + Shift + Tab:  Move between browser tabs in order from right to left.
8. Ctrl + F4:  Closes the current number of the currently executing program.
9. Ctrl + Alt + Tab:  Use arrow keys to switch between open applications.
10. Ctrl + Shift + Esc:  Open Task Manager
11. Ctrl + Esc:  Open Start menu
12. Alt + Enter:  Opens the Properties window of the currently selected file/folder.
13. Alt + F4:  Close a program.
14. Alt + Tab:  Switch between running programs
15. Alt + Esc: Orderly  select another active window to work with.
16. Alt + mouse click:  Move quickly to part of the table from the table of contents.
17. Alt + F8:  Show password on login screen.
18. Alt + left arrow key:  Return to the previous page.
19. Alt + right arrow key:  Go to the next page.
20. Alt + spacebar:  Open the shortcut menu for the active window.
21. Backspace:  Return to the previous category, similar to Undo.

You can use some great keyboard tricks to navigate Windows and some other common tricks that work with many of your favorite apps. The mouse is a great and versatile tool, but sometimes these tricks are faster. Give it a try!

Popular Windows Shortcuts

Common application shortcuts

Note:  These are common keyboard shortcuts that work in most cases, but may not work in some apps. Check the manual for your application if you have other questions.

Sometimes you need to enter a character that is not on the keyboard, like a long dash (—) or a copyright symbol (©). If you have the number pad area on your keyboard, you don't have to find and copy and paste it, you can still do it! Here's how:

1. Hold down the  Alt  key on the keyboard.

2. While holding down the  Alt key , enter the four-digit code on the number pad area for the character you want. (Include 0 at the beginning of the sequence if required).

   Note:  This feature only works on the number pad area This feature will not work on the number row at the top of the keyboard.

3. Release the  Alt key .

Here are a few characters that you can type with the Alt key:

2. Clean up your desktop to make your computer faster

Instead of having multiple folders for every little thing on the screen, you can create a shared folder and organize small folders within it. Next, put all your apps in the taskbar and you'll be left with an almost blank screen. This action will instantly maximize  your desktop speed  .

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3. Turn on slide to shutdown

This trick only works on Windows 10, it's a bit complicated. Right-click on the desktop, select New > Shortcut.

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In the next pop-up, paste the following line of code:

%windir%System32SlideToShutDown.exe

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Click Finish to complete. This creates an icon that is clickable on the desktop, which you can feel free to rename to whatever you want.

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To shutdown by sliding down, double click on the newly created icon, you will see a watermark appear. Then use the mouse to drag it to the bottom of the screen. Keep in mind, this is not a machine in Sleep mode but a Shutdown.

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4. Find out how much space apps are taking up

The computer starts to run slower when it runs out of space. A quick way to speed them up is to get rid of apps that take up more space than necessary, especially if you don't use them often. To see how much space apps use, navigate to Settings > System.

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Select Storage to see the capacity of each item.

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5. Turn off background apps

Apps running in the background can receive information, send notifications, and be updated, even when you're not using them – which can be helpful, but can also drain battery and data, if you're connected via  mobile  hotspot.

To control which apps are running in the background, to save some battery and data, go to Settings > Privacy > Background apps.

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To prevent all apps from running in the background, toggle Let apps run in the background to Off. Or, you can choose which apps to run in the background individually by visiting the list on the same page.

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6. Reduce distractions with Focus assist

It's annoying to be constantly interrupted with notifications at work. You can determine how many notifications you get with Focus assist, a Windows 10 tool added in the April 2018 Update.

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Set it up by going to Settings > System > Focus assist. Choose one of three options:

1. Off  (get all notifications from apps and contacts)
2. Priority  (see only the selected notifications from the priority list that you customize and send the rest to the Action Center)
3. Alarms only  (hide all notifications, except alerts).

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You can also choose to automatically enable this feature during certain hours or when you are playing a  game .

7. Advanced Windows Search

If you search too long in Windows, you can narrow things down a bit thanks to the May 2020 Update. In Settings > Search > Searching Windows.

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Set search to Classic, apply only to Libraries and Desktop, or select Enhanced indexing to search the entire computer. A new algorithm also helps Windows adjust when it's active, using fewer resources when gaming, or when disk usage is above 80%.

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8. Smile and the world will smile at you

Emojis aren't just for your phone anymore! The new emoji keyboard in Windows 10 lets you express yourself like never before. To use this app:

1. While entering text,  press Windows logo   + key  . (dot) . The emoji keyboard will appear.

2. Select an emoji with your mouse or keep typing to search for an emoji you like among the available emojis.

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9. Change language

If you type characters that are used more often in other languages, you can always set up keyboards for other languages ​​and switch between them easily. For more details about this feature, see  Manage display and input language settings in Windows 10 .

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Above is  a collection of Windows tips that you may not know . Wish you success and don't forget to share this  computer tips  article to your friends and relatives!

Good luck!

Marvin Fry

Update 08 September 2022