10 Windows Features You Aren’t Using, But Should

No, this isn't clickbait: These tips will make an contiguous quality successful your day-to-day work.

Windows is afloat of useful features, and caller elements are perpetually coming into nan mix. To beryllium sure, Microsoft’s fixed america plentifulness of features that aren’t particularly useful. Some things moreover blink into beingness for a short while earlier vanishing completely. (Remember Paint 3D, aliases erstwhile Cortana was nan Copilot of its day?)

But don’t fto that springiness you nan incorrect impression. Microsoft has added each sorts of awesome options into Windows successful caller months, and galore apt aren’t yet connected your radar.

Here are nan ones you should beryllium utilizing — and, statistically speaking, astir apt aren’t.

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Windows characteristic #1: Security codification magic

Many websites and online services nonstop you a information codification via SMS erstwhile you log in. You don’t person to prime up your telephone to find it, though — there’s a amended way.

Assuming you’ve set up Phone Link and fixed it entree to your matter messages and notifications, you tin do it each successful a fewer clicks. Simply click nan codification successful nan notification connected your surface and past paste it into immoderate website you need. It’s incredibly convenient and fast.

Just statement that this only useful if you person an Android phone. It won’t activity pinch iPhones. Apple doesn’t springiness Microsoft a measurement to merge pinch iPhones astatine specified a heavy level. For iPhone users, this benignant of magic will require a Mac.

The Phone Link messaging notification offers up a one-click-copy fastener erstwhile a codification is involved.

Chris Hoffman, Foundry

Windows characteristic #2: Voice typing

You tin easy type pinch your voice wrong immoderate Windows matter section utilizing Windows Dictation. To get started, conscionable property Windows+H. The Windows Dictation programme will popular up, and you tin past usage Windows+H to toggle dictation connected and disconnected whenever you want to speak into your computer’s microphone. 

It’s incredibly easy and doesn’t require immoderate analyzable setup.

Windows characteristic #3: Virtual desktop shortcuts

You’ve astir apt seen nan Task View fastener pinned to each Windows PC’s taskbar retired of nan box. That fastener tin thief you negociate aggregate desktops —  but there’s thing astir clicking it aggregate times that makes things clunky.

To usage virtual desktops properly, you request keyboard shortcuts. Try pressing Windows+Ctrl+Left arrow and Windows+Ctrl+Right arrow to quickly move betwixt desktops. This is nan cardinal to decently integrating aggregate desktops into your workflow successful a clean-and-quick way.

Windows characteristic #4: Smarter snipping

Windows 11’s Snipping Tool is peculiarly powerful. It now has built-in optical characteristic recognition, too, truthful you tin usage it to person words successful immoderate exertion into copy-pasteable text. To do so:

• Press Print Screen aliases Windows+Shift+S. Take a screenshot of your full screen, a window, aliases possibly conscionable portion of your screen.
• Click nan image thumbnail erstwhile it appears successful nan notification.
• Click nan “Text actions” fastener connected nan barroom — it whitethorn look astatine nan apical aliases bottommost of nan window, depending connected your window’s size.

You tin now prime immoderate matter you for illustration aliases click nan “Copy All Text” button. Easy.

Windows 11’s Snipping Tool besides lets you record a video of your screen — that’s different useful characteristic galore group whitethorn not cognize about.

The Windows 11 Snipping Tool “Text actions” fastener looks a spot for illustration matter connected a page.

Chris Hoffman, Foundry

(Windows 10 has an older type of nan Snipping Tool, and these features aren’t disposable successful it.)

Windows characteristic #5: Clipboard history

Windows tin support a history of things you transcript to your clipboard — some matter and images. To springiness it a try, and move it connected if it isn’t already, conscionable property Windows+V. The strategy is beautiful self-explanatory, but you tin besides “pin” things you’ve copied to your clipboard history to make them easy accessible successful nan future.

Don’t miss nan emoji picker, either. It’s somewhat integrated pinch nan clipboard history, but you tin property nan Windows cardinal and either nan play aliases semicolon cardinal to unfastened a pop-up emoji paper directly.

From there, conscionable type to hunt for an emoji. Let’s opportunity you want to insert a shade emoji, conscionable property nan Windows cardinal and nan play cardinal and past commencement typing “ghost.”

Windows characteristic #6: File Explorer tab toggling

With nan merchandise of Windows 11, File Explorer gained tabs. But I’ve seen a batch of group who don’t usage them very often.

Here’s a measurement to make it easier: You tin middle-click a files successful File Explorer to unfastened it successful a caller tab. Then, you tin click that tab aliases usage Ctrl+Tab to move to it. 

Want moreover much tricks for File Explorer tabs? No problem. (That middle-click-to-open-a-new-tab trick useful successful web browsers, too!)

Windows 10’s File Explorer still doesn’t person tabs, notably — unless you move to third-party software.

Windows characteristic #7: Nearby sharing

Windows has a built-in “Nearby sharing” feature that lets you wirelessly transportation files betwixt Windows PCs. It’s benignant of for illustration Apple’s AirDrop — but conscionable for Windows computers.

To find it, caput to Settings > System > Nearby sharing. Then, whenever you prime a record successful File Explorer and activate “Share” connected nan toolbar aliases successful nan discourse menu, you’ll person nan action to nonstop files to adjacent PCs.

This only useful betwixt Windows PCs. If you want to transportation files wirelessly betwixt Android phones, too, you tin instal Google’s Quick Share app. (Unfortunately, there’s nary bully measurement to usage AirDrop pinch an iPhone from a Windows PC.)

Windows characteristic #8: Advanced pasting

Microsoft’s free PowerToys package is full of useful devices you should beryllium using. One particularly unappreciated 1 is PowerToys Advanced Paste. After installing PowerToys, you tin transcript matter and past property Windows+Shift+V to unfastened nan PowerToys Advanced Paste window.

One of nan options you’ll find is “Paste arsenic Markdown.” Markdown is simply a formatting connection that galore modern applications use. This makes it a awesome “bridge” — you tin transcript formatted matter successful Microsoft Word and past usage PowerToys Advanced Paste to paste it into an exertion that supports Markdown formatting, keeping each that Word formatting. It’s a awesome trick.

PowerToys lets you paste arsenic plain text, moreover successful apps that don’t support it.

Chris Hoffman, Foundry

Windows characteristic #9: Snappier snapping

Windows lets you snap windows to different areas of your screen by pressing nan Windows cardinal on pinch an arrow key. That’s an aged keyboard shortcut galore group know, but there’s thing caller you might’ve missed.

On Windows 11, things get a small much absorbing pinch Snap Assist. You tin now property Windows+Z to spot a paper of various model positions you tin threat nan existent model to — complete pinch suggested windows to threat alongside. Then, you tin property 1 of nan arrow keys displayed connected nan Snap Assist popup to take really you want to threat nan window.

Try it — it’s powerful.

Windows characteristic #10: Automatic cleanup

Assuming you don’t usage your Recycle Bin for semipermanent record storage, you whitethorn want to person Windows automatically cleanable it. Windows tin get free of aged files for you — for example, you could person it automatically clear files 30 days aft you nonstop them to nan Recycle Bin.

It’s each portion of Windows’ Storage Sense feature. Here’s how to group it up.

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