Surface pro tips and tricks windows 10 free
And don't worry, you can't break anything! Get instant access to discounts, programs, services, and the information you need to benefit every area of your life. Windows Hello is a faster and more secure way to log on to your Windows 10 device and access any password-protected apps or online services.
It uses something unique about you, such as a fingerprint or your face. Or you can use a secure personal identification number PIN if you don't have a camera or fingerprint reader. Go to the Start menu, which looks like an angled four-paned window, at bottom left of your screen.
Under Manage how you sign into your device , select a Windows Hello item to add, change or remove. Not all Windows 10 devices are compatible. See which ones work with Windows Hello here. Windows 10 makes it easy to open multiple windows on your screen, so you can browse the web on one half while playing videos on the other half.
Drag it left or right to one of the edges of your screen. An outline indicates the location and shape of the window once you drop it. Let go and it will be snapped in place. Now click one of the other open windows, which you'll see as thumbnails, and it will fill the other half of the screen.
You also can snap windows into quarters. To get out of that mode, minimize a window by clicking on the minus icon - in the upper right corner of three icons, make it full screen by clicking on the square maximize icon or close the program entirely by clicking on the X.
To snap with a keyboard, select the window you want to snap and press the Windows logo key and left arrow simultaneously or the Windows logo key and right arrow to snap the window to your preferred side of the screen.
Use the slider under Make text bigger to make the text on your screen larger. Or select an option from the drop-down menu under Make everything bigger to change the size of all the elements on your screen. If you don't see enough contrast among the elements on your screen, try using a high contrast theme.
Select the Start button, then Settings Ease of Access High contrast , and click on the toggle under Turn on high contrast.
To make the apps in your Start menu appear larger, right click or tap and hold the app tile you want to resize, select Resize , and choose the size you want. To see the mouse pointer better, select the Start button, then Settings Ease of Access Mouse pointer , and choose the options that work best for you.
Windows 10 also lets you magnify your screen to see words and images better. To close Magnifier, press Windows logo key and Esc. Cortana is Microsoft's digital assistant that helps you with various tasks. You likely were asked if you wanted to enable Cortana when you set up Windows 10 for the first time.
If not, here's how to get started:. Select Use Cortana. Click Yes if you want speech, inking support for a digital pen and typing personalization turned on. This helps Cortana get to know you better and can help her complete various tasks. You also can choose No thanks if you don't want this feature turned on. Cortana now sits on your task bar at the bottom of your screen.
Cortana can help manage your calendar and keep your schedule up to date, join a meeting in Microsoft Teams or find out who your next meeting is with, create and manage lists, set reminders and alarms, and find facts, definitions and other information. Be aware: Cortana asks for permissions to track your activity so it can be useful, and Microsoft makes it difficult to totally disable Cortana once you've enabled it. So be sure you don't mind that tracking.
Instead of jotting down a note or writing a paper, you can talk to your PC. You also can control your computer by speaking to it, such as starting programs, opening menus and clicking buttons. Type Speech in the search window beside the Start icon. Choose the type of microphone you're using, such as a headset, desktop microphone or perhaps one that's built into the computer itself.
Click Next. Walk through the prompts, conduct a short audio test, then make sure the toggle is set to On beside Dictate text and control your device using your voice. Place your cursor in any text field, either directly within Windows 10 or in an app such as Microsoft Word.
Press the Windows logo key and H and start speaking into your computer's microphone. With Windows 10's Timeline, you can quickly go back in time to access files and media you previously worked on. Whether you started writing a document yesterday or you want to call up a video from up to 30 days ago, Timeline makes it easier to find what you're looking for.
Click the Task view icon in the task bar at the bottom of your screen, to the right of the search window, to see all your recent activities. The now-customizable interface packs a performance widget, an audio widget with system-wide and per-app controls, a Discord-like interface for Xbox Live friends, a photo gallery, and even full Spotify integration.
Windows 10 also has a dedicated Gaming section in its Start menu Settings to let you tinker with options, including Xbox networking and parental controls. Timeline helps you pick up where you left off. The fly in the ointment: Only a limited number of apps work with Timeline, though Microsoft offers tools for developers to bake in support.
Want to tie your phone and PC closer together? Check out our Your Phone tutorial for everything you need to know. Nifty stuff. You can even store files within the Linux root file system, then access them via Windows File Explorer inside the Linux virtual hard disk.
Microsoft is building a graphical interface for Linux apps into WSL2, but the feature works best as a command line-style interface for now. Introduced in the Windows 10 May Update, Windows Sandbox makes it easy to test unknown software and websites in a safe environment. The feature basically creates a virtualized second copy of Windows within Windows where you can run untrusted tasks, firewalled from your main installation.
If things go pear-shaped, just nuke the virtual PC and start anew. And if a file checks out, you can move it out of quarantine and copy it over to Windows 10 proper. Our Windows Sandbox guide explains everything you need to know. This tip mostly applies to gamers who buy monitors with above-average refresh rates. Often, high refresh rate monitors auto-configure to render images at a standard 60Hz, rather than the higher, smoother options available with such displays.
If you have an especially fast monitor and worry about power usage, this new Display Settings ability also makes it easy to crank your refresh rate quickly when you want to game, and dial it back down for basic desktop use. Most people will want to run their maximum refresh rate universally.
You may not know it, but Windows 10 matches the capabilities of mobile operating systems via a handy-dandy integrated virtual emoji keyboard, and one-ups phones by including support of ASCII-made kaomoji, too!
The selection is only getting better too, as Microsoft has been adding more emoji and kaomoji with each major Windows 10 feature update. The firmly entrenched Snipping Tool within Windows is finally getting replaced and upgraded. Near Share makes it easy to share files and URLs with local PCs over the air, negating the need for flash drives or chat apps to pass something along. Recipients receive a pop-up notification when something is sent.
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