7 Windows 10’s Tips and Tricks

1. Use Custom Install

When you’re setting up Windows 10 on a new PC, make sure you select the Custom install option instead of the default Express install.

It’s more involved but lets you modify important aspects of your installation such as the privacy settings.

2. Remove old files after installing Windows 10

If you have no intentions of reverting to the previous version of Windows, you can save disk space by getting rid of the old OS files. Head over to Control Panel > System and Security > Administrative Tools > Disk Clean-up and toggle the ‘Previous Windows installations’ box in the list.

3. Make Windows 10 touch-friendly

If your computer has a touch screen you can manually enable Windows 10’s touch-friendly Continuum interface to operate Windows in a tablet mode.

Head to Start > Settings > System > Tablet Mode to manually alter its behaviour.

4. Customize Privacy settings

To take charge of general and app-specific privacy options head over to Start > Settings > Privacy. From here you can also individually define which apps can access the connected hardware like cameras and microphones.

5. Make Cortana recognize your voice

Do not want to click on Cortana’s search and type in your question? You can simply ask Cortana a question. To do this, you must first enable it to respond to the sound of your voice by saying “Hey Cortana”. Please note that you may be asked to configure the microphone to use this feature if Windows does not think it is compatible.

Here’s how to set up Hey Cortana:

Open Cortana

Click into Notebook (the icon underneath the Home button in Cortana’s side menu)

Click Settings

Scroll to find the “Hey Cortana” toggle switch and turn it on

 

6. Windows Key shortcuts you HAVE to know

We all know our Ctrl + Alt + Del and Windows Key + D shortcuts, but with Windows 10 Microsoft has included a new set of incredibly useful keyboard shortcuts that you need to commit to memory right away.

Windows Key + A = Open “Action Centre”

Windows Key + S = Open Search

Windows Key + C = Open Cortana in listening mode

Windows Key + Tab = Open “Task View”

Windows Key + Ctrl + D = Opens a new virtual desktop

Windows Key + Ctrl + Right/Left = Cycle between open virtual desktops

Windows Key + Ctrl + F4 = Close current virtual desktop

Windows Key + G = Opens “Game Centre”

7. Stream your Xbox One games straight to your laptop

It is not as good as playing Xbox One directly from the TV, but if someone else has monopolized the big screen, Windows 10 can transmit your console to the desktop. Open the Xbox app on your Windows 10 PC and make sure your console is connected to the same network as your computer. You should see the Xbox One appear, and be able to play directly from it, as if you were in the same room.

Well, no, not really. There is a little delay, depending on the quality of your connection. You can lower the graphics quality if it’s bad, but for slow-paced games it should be ideal.