Top 10 Windows 11 Tips, Tricks, and Features

This post covers vital Win 11 tips and tricks to help you make a smooth transitionusing Microsoft's Windows operating system.

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Realigning the Start Button and Taskbar

The central position of the taskbar and start menu on Win 11 takes some getting used to. It may even come off as odd or annoying, but you can always change it back with ease. Strike Windows key + I to bring up the settings app. Go to Personalisation and taskbar, then Taskbar behaviours, and choose Left under Taskbar alignment.

This procedure will reset the Start button to the left, where it belonged in previous versions of Windows.

Customising the Start Menu

Unlike Win 10, the 11 iteration does not include the Settings button above the Start button. However, you can add it by going to Settings. Click on Personalisation followed by Start and Folders. You can take this chance to add File Explorer and other standard folders and Network icons to the start menu.

Going Back to the Legacy Right-Click Menu

The new right-click menu only has the basic settings, according to Microsoft. If you want to add more options, such as setting a new background, viewing file locations, and printing, you can select show more options. It will bring up a spill-over menu.

Alternatively, you may click on an item to select it as usual, then press Shift + F10. Doing so will open the legacy right-click menu that has the traditional complete list of options.

Play Xbox Games on xCloud

Microsoft has bragged before, saying Windows 11 is built for gamers. It features Auto HDR and DirectStorage API, among other upgrades to support gaming. You can check out the Xbox app on your Win 11 PC if you have an Xbox game pass.

There is a big CLOUD GAMING button at the bottom of the app that gives you access to a Netflix-like list of over a hundred games. You will only need to be hooked to a reliable internet connection and have a compatible gamepad. Otherwise, you can still enjoy other browser-based entertainments such as casino games.

Snap Layouts and Multitasking

The snap and resize feature that has existed since the days of Windows 7 gets a facelift. For example, hovering over the minimise button shows you a menu of layouts such as a single large window on the left and two others on top of each other to the right, or even three windows in a row.

Dragging windows to the left of the screen snaps them into place. You can also reshape and resize them. Strike Windows key + arrows to reposition and resize. Moreover, you will find that the windows positioned into specific layouts are grouped in the taskbar. You can hover over one of them to see the options in the list or click to put the apps in the foreground using the same arrangement as before.

If the side-by-side snap feature doesn't cut it, you can still go for multiple desktops as in Windows 11, using Win + tab, or better yet, hitting the Task View button on the taskbar. It is possible to have various apps or snap layouts on different desktops.

New Keyboard Shortcuts

Win 11 has retained and added a few more entries to the OS's list of keyboard shortcuts. Here are the combinations that can save you time every day:

1. Win + A: Open quick settings for brightness, Wi-Fi, and more
2. Win + C: Open Teams
3. Win + N: Open Notifications centre
4. Win + W: Open the Widgets Pane
5. Win + Z: Open snap layouts

New Touch Gestures, Voice, and Pen

If your device is touch-enabled, you can turn on the touch keyboard button by right-clicking on the taskbar to access the taskbar settings and going to the tab that says 'taskbar corner icons.' Turning it on pins the touch keyboard icon on the System Tray.

Voice input transcribes your speech input so accurately that it can detect inflexion and punctuate your text. What's more, you can use a digital pen to annotate PDFs, and the Pen menu is customisable for fast access.

Online Convenience and Security with Edge

The new Microsoft Edge may be just what you need to save money shopping online, browse safely, keep things organised, and stay under the radar. How is that? Firstly, it alerts online shoppers (although the feature is only available in the US for now) when there's a better deal before they check out. It will also apply coupons to your order automatically.

As for safety, the browser includes dark web and password monitoring alongside helping you create secure passwords. It will also alert and prompt you to change your passwords when they appear in the list of leaked credentials.

Another key feature to take advantage of on the browser is blocking pop-ups and tracking, which you do under Privacy, Search, and Services on the left panel—selecting the strict option in place of balanced blocks most of the harmful trackers.

Lastly, Microsoft Edge has vertical and sleeping tabs to help you stay organised and focused. They fade away to declutter seemingly endless tabs when you have a lot going on in your browser.

Enable Dark Mode

You can turn transparency on or off on Windows 11. It also allows you to adjust colours and apply Dark Mode to all apps. Access it by right-clicking the desktop and choosing Personalise followed by Colours. Switching to dark mode goes softer on your eyes when reading and is better for sleep at night.

Run Android Apps

One of the most significant eye-catching upgrades for the new Windows is running Android apps directly. However, it is still only available for the Beta version. You'll need to sign up for the Insider program to try it out, then install the Windows Subsystem For Android before downloading Amazon Appstore.

More to Look Forward to

It is not an upgrade if it is not different. Microsoft is doing a great job with Windows 11. It caters to all users, from heavy gamers to work-at-home professionals. We can't wait to try out some of the other features that will be introduced beyond the pre-release build, such as direct support for Android applications.

Samuel Daniel

Update 09 October 2021