Your Windows PC has a hidden emergency restart: Use it when nothing will respond. Hold down Ctrl and click the power icon in the Start menu. You’ll get a dramatic-looking message warning you’ll lose any unsaved data. Click OK to restart immediately.
🪟 Three shortcuts for PCs:
- Windows key + . (period) or ; (semicolon): Opens the emoji picker.
- Windows key + Shift + S: Opens the Snip & Sketch tool for capturing (and editing) screenshots.
- Alt + F6: Allows you to switch between multiple windows of the same application (e.g., different browser windows).
Waiting, waiting, waiting: If your Windows PC takes forever to start up, you’re not alone. Microsoft just released a new support page to help you spot the issue and fix it. Pro tip: The fewer programs that open on startup, the speedier your machine will be.
Try Alt + Shift + arrow keys: This Windows shortcut quickly moves the active window from one monitor to another if you use multiple monitors. Nice!
💻 Don’t throw your computer out the Windows: Resetting your PC to its factory-fresh state for better performance (without losing your files) is possible! Open Settings and choose System > Recovery > Reset PC. Just make sure you choose the Keep my files option (you’ve got everything backed up anyway, right?).
“Hey, how come no one told me that sooner?” Try this if you have a Windows PC. Before you restart, hold down the Shift key. Keep holding until the machine powers up, then click Continue. This will shut down all the processes running for a true reboot.
🖥️ PC slo-o-o-o-wing down? Click Start > Settings > System > Storage. You’ll see how much storage is being used. how much is still free and a breakdown of what’s taking up the space. Bet you don’t need anything under Temporary files.
Be the James Bond of Windows: There’s a secret version of the Start menu. Hold down the Windows key and click the letter X, and you’ll access an advanced menu with Device Manager, Task Manager and Disk Management options. You can also right-click on the Start button to access this menu.
Better than holding the power button: Your Windows PC has a hidden emergency restart when nothing will respond. Hold down Ctrl and click the power icon in the Start menu. You’ll get a dramatic-looking message warning you’ll lose any unsaved data. Click OK to restart immediately.
Secret button in your Windows 10 and 11 taskbar: Clicking it will minimize everything you have open. It’s located in the bottom right corner of your screen, past the time and notification icon — a tiny sliver. Click it again to bring your stuff back. Good one!
Use a Windows PC? Create a folder with your favorite wallpapers or pics. Right-click on your desktop, choose Personalize and set the background to a Slideshow with the folder you created.
Talk it out: On a Windows PC, hit Windows key + H to open a handy-dandy speech recognition tool so you can use your voice with any active program in which you’d normally type. Cool!
Windows upgrade: Setting up multiple desktops means you can keep life, work, vacation and your hobbies separate. To make them easy to navigate, customize each. Now you know blue is work, yellow is home and orange is for DIY projects.
Get a little space: Virtual desktops on Windows let you keep work, play, vacation planning and whatever else separate. Hit Windows key + Ctrl + D to create a new virtual desktop. Use Windows key + Ctrl + the left or right arrows to move between your desktops. When you’re done, hit Windows key + Ctrl + F4 to close your current virtual desktop.
I wonder why: Microsoft brought back its official guide for Windows 10 and 11 users wanting to switch from a cloud account to a local one. They pulled the steps from their site in June, probably to push folks toward the more ad-focused version. Want to go back? Here are the steps (at the bottom).
Windows user? Use “God Mode” to access all your Control Panel settings in one place. Just create a new folder anywhere, like on your desktop, and rename it to this exact string: GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C} Hit “Enter,” and the folder icon will change to a Control Panel icon. Opening this new folder will give you a powerful, centralized view of virtually all settings and configuration options in Windows.
⚙️ Fast access: Find hidden shortcuts from the Start button on Windows 11. Press Windows key + X or right-click the Start button to reveal a list of shortcuts, including Settings, Task Manager and the Run prompt.
Like Photoshop but free: Try Generative Erase in the Windows Photos app. It uses AI to remove something you don’t like in a pic (a rando in the background) and fill it in with something you want (the sunset). Open a pic in Photos, then click the editing icon on the far left. Select Erase, “paint” whatever you want to get rid of, and then click Erase again.
📶 Wi-Fi issues on Windows 11? Forget the network and start fresh. In the taskbar, click the network icon > the network status button (top left). Right-click the network you’re on, then hit Forget. Now, go back to the network icon, click the arrow next to the wireless icon, and re-add your Wi-Fi network. Lovely.