Windows 10 Academy: The Stress Free Way To Learning Windows 10 Inside & Out (2016)

Chapter 7. Maximizing the Use of Windows 10

And of course, in order to appreciate Windows 10 more, you should try to maximize the use of it with the help of the instructions mentioned in this chapter!

Real Time Notifications

Since Windows 10 proves to be the Operating System for the new age, you can expect it to give you real time notifications. In short, you’ll get notifications from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,and any other apps you might be using—as long as they’re connected to your Microsoft account.

1. To choose which notifications you’d like to have, go to Action Center > Show Notifications from These Apps. There, you’d see a list of the apps you have. Just choose what notifications you’d like to have and you’re all set!

2. You can also choose which Quick Actions you’d like to have access to. To do this, go to Settings > System > Notifications and Actions > Choose Your Quick Actions.

Open Programs Quickly

1. Go to Start Menu > All Apps.

2. Look for the app you’d want to make a shortcut for and then right click on it. You will then see a dropdown menu. Choose Open File Location, and then skip the next step that will pop up onscreen.

3. Once you’ve found the app, click and drag it from the Start Menu all the way to the desktop. Right-click and then choose Properties.

4. Now, the Propertieswindow will open up onscreen. Look for the Shortcut tab and then choose Shortcut Key. Tap the key you’d want to be associated with the app (i.e., CTRL + ALT + [chosen key]).

5. Click Continue.

6. You can now use your chosen shortcut to open this certain app!

The Quick Access Feature

A lot of people say that Quick Access makes Windows 10 a whole lot more manageable—and there is a lot of truth to that. You can learn more about it below:

1. To add a file to Quick Access, just navigate towards the file you want to add, and then simply click Add to Quick Access.

2. To remove a file from Quick Access, go to the said file and click Unpin from Quick Access.

3. To remove recently used files and frequently used folders from Quick Access, just go to View > Options > General > Privacy. Then, uncheck the boxes that say Show Recently Used Files. Click Clear > Clear File Explorer History. You can also choose Hide or Hide from Recent.

4. To change the way File Explorer opens, just click View > Options > Open File Explorer > This PC.

The Snap Assist

This is a feature that is exclusive for Windows 10! This helps you snap a certain window to a certain side of the screen so you won’t spend lots of time moving it around.

1. To snap a window with the mouse, click on its title and drag it towards the side of the screen. You will then see an outline that will show you where the window would appear once you have dragged it.

2. To snap with the keyboard, just press Windows Key + Left Arrow (or Right Arrow).

3. To snap to one of the quadrants, just press Windows Key + Up Arrow (or Down Arrow), and then move it around by pressing Windows Key and arrow keys together.

Using Multiple Desktops at Once

Yes, you can make use of multiple“desktops” while using Windows 10. To make this happen, just follow the instructions below:

1. Add a desktop by clicking Task View. Press Tab + Windows Key > New Desktop.

2. Now, you have two virtual desktops. To switch between them, just press Windows Key + CTRL + Left Arrow + Windows Key + CTRL + Right Arrow.

3. To move windows between desktops, just right click on the window you’d want to move, then choose where you’d want to move it to.

To close the desktop, just click X or press Windows Key + CTRL + F4.

Shortcuts for the Command Prompt

You can also make use of keyboard shortcuts for the Command Prompt. Here’s how:

Go to Start Menu > All Apps > Windows System > Command Prompt.

Click Properties > Options > Edit Options > Enable CTRL Key Shortcuts.

Now, here’s a list of shortcuts you could use:

Shift + Up/Down (Move cursor up or down one line and then select text)

CTRL + V or Shift + Insert (paste copied text)

CTRL + C or CTRL + Insert (copy selected text to clipboard)

CTRL + A (select all in the current line)

CTRL + Page Up/Down (move screen one page up or down)

CTRL + Up/Down (move one line up or down)

CTRL + M (enter mark mode)

CTRL + F (open Find Window from the Command Prompt)

Alt + F4 (close command prompt)

CTRL + Shift + Home/End (move cursor to the beginning/end of screen buffer, and then select text and beginning/end of output)

Shift + Home/End (move cursor to beginning/end of current line and select text)

Shift + Page Up/Down (move cursor up/down screen and select text)

CTRL + Shift + Left/Right (move cursor left/right and select text)

Shift + Left/Right (move cursor left/right one character and select text)

Up/Down/Left/Right (In mark mode; move cursor up, down, left, or right)

Other Shortcuts

Here are more keyboard shortcuts that will certainly be helpful for you!

1. Windows Key + Left (Snap Window to Left Side of Screen)

2. Windows Key + Right (Snap Window to Right Side of Screen)

3. Windows Key + Up/Down (Snap Window to Quadrant)

4. Windows Key + Tab (Task View)

5. Windows Key + CTRL + Left (Go back to previous virtual desktop)

6. Windows Key + CTRL + Right (Go to next virtual desktop)

7. Windows Key + CTRL + F4 (Close current virtual desktop)

8. Windows Key + CTRL + D (Create new virtual desktop)