Add extra clocks in Windows 11: Have folks in other time zones? Add more clocks to your taskbar. Right-click the date and time in the bottom right, select Adjust date and time > Additional clocks. Tick Show this clock, choose a time zone, name it, then hit Apply and OK.
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Switch between browser tabs fast. Ctrl + 1–9 (Windows) or Cmd + 1–9 (Mac). Goes directly to the tab number you pick. Whoa!
❌ Delete bloatware on Windows 11: Your PC comes preloaded with apps you’ll never use. They waste space and can slow performance by running in the background. Go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps. Scroll the list, click the three-dot menu on an app (like Xbox Live) and hit Uninstall. Just be careful not to touch system apps.
💻 Boost your laptop battery: On Windows 11, turn on Dynamic Refresh Rate to adjust your screen based on what you’re doing. It ramps up for smooth performance during intense tasks, but drops on static pages to save power. Go to Settings > System > Display > Advanced Display > Choose a refresh rate > Dynamic refresh rate.
Microsoft 365 update: The Microsoft 365 app on iPhone is now Microsoft 365 Copilot. You can use AI to summarize docs and answer questions about them. The catch? You won’t be able to edit Word, Excel or PowerPoint files in the app anymore. Rollout starts Monday.
Control app volumes on Windows: Not everything needs to play at the same level. Right-click the volume icon in the task bar and select Open volume mixer. You can lower system sounds while cranking up Spotify. Just remember the Device slider moves everything at once, so the mix stays the same.
Screenshot and record on Windows 11: For quick screenshots, press Windows key + Shift + S to open the Snipping Tool, then drag to capture the area you want. For recording, press Windows key + Shift + R, select the area you want again, and hit Start.
Turn off Game Mode in Windows 11: It’s meant to optimize gaming, but if you’re not playing, it can hurt performance by limiting background processes. Go to Settings > Gaming > Game Mode and toggle it off. If you have a low to mid-range PC, you’ll see a little boost in multitasking and video editing.
⚙️ Chrome has its own Task manager: Just like Windows, Chrome lets you check which tabs are hogging system resources. Go to the three-dot menu (top right) > More Tools > Task manager. You’ll see Memory and CPU use for each tab. If one’s eating up too much, select it and hit End task.
🗂️ Show hidden files: By default, Windows 11 hides certain system files and app data. But sometimes you need to see them to clean up old folders or fix an issue. Open This PC or any folder, click the three dots at the top and choose Options. In the new window, go to View and toggle on Show hidden files, folders, and drives.
⌨️ Type faster on Windows 11: Cut down on typos with built-in autocorrect. Go to Settings > Time & language > Typing and toggle on Show text suggestions when typing on the physical keyboard and Autocorrect misspelled words. Works in Word documents, Microsoft Teams and most third-party apps.
🌍 Fly in Google Earth: Did you know Google Earth has a free built-in flight simulator? Download Google Earth Pro on desktop and launch it with Ctrl + Alt + A (Windows) or ⌘ + Option + A (Mac). Pick your aircraft and starting point (or an airport), then take off. You can fly using either a mouse/keyboard or a joystick.
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🖥️ Hide Taskbar extras on Windows 11: Widgets and the Task view button can’t be unpinned like regular apps, but you can still remove them. Right-click an empty spot on the Taskbar, select Taskbar settings, and under Taskbar items, toggle off Task view and Widgets. FYI: You can also hide the Search box from here.
🛠️ Troubleshooting on Windows 11: Running into issues like no sound, no internet or a printer that won’t connect? Go to Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters. You’ll see options like Audio, Network & Internet, Printer and more. Click Run next to the one giving you problems, then follow the prompts to diagnose and fix it.
🗂️ Show file extensions in Windows: By default, Windows hides the suffixes at the end of file names (like .jpeg, .mp4 or .exe). You’ll want these visible, so you don’t accidentally open a malicious file that looks like a photo but is actually an executable. To turn them on, open File Explorer > View > Show > File name extensions.
⌨️ Add a touch keyboard in Windows 11: Go to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > System tray icons and set Touch keyboard to Always. A keyboard icon will appear on your Taskbar. Click it to type with your mouse, or hit the settings icon inside the pop-up to switch to Handwriting with your finger or stylus.
🌐 Find tabs fast in Chrome: Got too many websites open? Use Search tabs instead of clicking around. Hit the downward arrow in the top-left corner of your toolbar to see all your current tabs (plus recently closed ones). Or use the shortcut Ctrl + Shift + A (Windows) or ⌘ + Shift + A (Mac).
💻 Get detailed system info on Windows: Before installing drivers, you might need your specs. In the search bar, type “cmd,” right-click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator. Then type “systeminfo.” After a few seconds, you’ll see a report with your Windows version, build number, BIOS, memory and if your PC is 64 or 32 bit.
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: On Windows, you can hide your desktop icons for privacy. Just right-click the desktop, go to View and uncheck Show desktop icons. On Mac, click Finder > Settings > General, and uncheck what you don’t want on the desktop. Wish I could clean my closet this fast.
Update apps on Windows fast: No need to check each one manually. In the Search bar, open Command Prompt, right-click it, and choose Run as administrator. Then type “winget upgrade” and hit Enter. You’ll see apps with updates and maybe a few you can delete.