Windows 11 | Computer Windows Tips & Tricks | Desktop or Laptop Lifehacks for Windows
Main Points to Cover:
- Open Windows Explorer on "This PC" instead of Quick Access
- Set GodMode
- Make Google your default search on Windows 11
- Enable Hey Cortana
- Change default app settings
- Disable the login screen in Windows 11
- Now print the document as PDF
- Command Prompt Tweaks
- Make the active window more visible
- Align windows with the push of a button
- OneDrive integration
- Running Windows in a Virtual Machine
- Download maps for offline use
- Control Windows 11 Updates
Open Windows Explorer on "This PC" instead of Quick Access
Quick Access is great for finding recent or frequently used files or folders. Those who just want to find things quickly on their computer might appreciate the This PC view on Windows 7 and Windows 8. If you want to open the usual "This PC" with links to the drive and library folders, follow the steps below.How to Change Windows Explorer to Open This PC
Press Windows + E to open the Quick Access window.Click View in the Ribbon and select Options
This will open the Folder Options window.
Under the General tab, next to Open File Explorer:, select This PC.
Now when you start a new explorer window, it will start on this PC.
You may be used to the previous version.
Set GodMode
GodMode for Windows 11 gives you access to 262 new god-like powers. Although it doesn't give you infinite life or get you out of the blue screen. It does offer some additional features and tools. The awesome GodMode brings a special menu that brings together many settings in one place.To enable it, create a new folder anywhere on the root drive and rename it GodMode. {ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}. It will create a special icon and when you click it, it will bring up a nice advanced control panel.
Make Google the default search on Windows 11
Bing is the default search engine for Microsoft Edge and the Windows 11 search bar. And it's hard to get rid of Microsoft's search engine. But despite the improvements, and Microsoft's best efforts to force Bing on Windows users, Google will always reign supreme. While it's impossible to completely remove Bing from Windows 11, you can kick it out of Edge and replace it awkwardly in the Windows 11 search bar.How to remove Bing from Microsoft Edge
Open Edge and select the ellipsis on the right,Go to settings and select advanced settings
Under "Search in the address bar," change the default option to "Add."
Here, you'll see a list of available search engines.
If the list is empty (usually it is), navigate to the browser of your choice and repeat the process. ÿ
You should now see it listed as an available provider
Remove Bing from Windows 11 search bar:
Open Chrome and download "Bing2Google" from the Chrome App Store. Install it now, and when you do a Windows 11 search, Chrome will launch and take you to Google Search. Thankfully, you don't lose any of the standard Cortana or device search features by doing soAlso, read How to Set Google as Default Search Engine on Windows 11
Enable Cortana
Now you can simply ask Cortana questions. To do this, you first have to enable it to say "Hey Cortana" in response to your voice. Keep in mind that you may be asked to set up your microphone to use this feature.Here's how to set up Hey Cortana:
Click the search box to the right of the Start button. The Cortana dialog box appears Click the menu icon in the upper right corner of the Cortana window. It has three stripes. Select Menu - Select Notebook - Select Settings. Now, toggle "Let Cortana respond to 'Hey Cortana.'" to "On".Now next time you say Hey Cortana into the mic. You can follow it with commands like "What's the weather?" and get some results. If you just say Hey Cortana, the assistant will ask you what you want me to do.
Change default app settings
An annoying change is Microsoft's replacement of the annoying Internet Explorer browser. But it's eager to open everything because the default app isn't open. However, you can stop using Windows 11 as the default and set the default for all other apps. Open Settings and go to System Now, click on Default Apps. Here you can reassign defaults for entire services and applications, and even assign them by the type of files they open.Disable the login screen in Windows 11
Starting in Windows 8 and continuing in Windows 11, users must enter a password to log into their account. By default, any user account associated with a password will show this Windows 11 password login screen.Now Windows 11 knows more about you than ever before. It makes sense to put personal data behind a passcode or biometric lock. But it's endless annoyance to boot up your desktop or laptop, walk away to do something, and come back to find it still hasn't booted to the desktop and loaded the startup app due to the lock screen. Let's disable or bypass the Windows 11 login screen and automatically log directly into their account on startup.
Press the keyboard shortcut Windows + R, type netplwiz and press Enter.
A "User Accounts" popup will appear.
Uncheck the box at the top that says "Users must enter a username and password to use this computer"
You will be prompted to enter and confirm your password to change the settings.
Once done, you no longer need to log into your computer
Now print the document as PDF
You can finally print the document (or rather save it as a PDF) without using a third-party utility. Windows 11 finally lets you "print" documents to PDF. Save web pages or documents for offline use without having to install third-party apps. You can now choose PDF as your print output option to have Windows 11 export documents to Adobe's essential file format.
Command Prompt Tweaks
Many Windows 11 utilities under the service still look the same as in Windows 7 and Windows 8. But one of the hidden tweaks is in the command prompt. Go to Properties and you'll suddenly find that you can enable a number of custom settings, including transparent backgrounds, window resizing, and word wrapping.Make the active window more visible
Windows 11 looks stylish, but when you have multiple windows open, its design sucks. Since the active window is never really highlighted. Microsoft is aware of this issue and is working on a fix. In the meantime, however, you can make things easier by adding subtle borders to the active window.Right-click on your desktop and choose Personalize – then choose a color now, turn off "Automatically choose an accent color from my background"
Choose the most recognizable accent color for your Windows 11 background; both your window and the highlighted point will change
Align windows at the push of a button
Windows 7 brought us the miracle that Aero Snap can snap windows. Apple has only introduced the feature in OS X El Capitan. After Windows 8 perfected that feature, Windows 11 goes beyond it entirely by allowing you to combine four windows and apps together. You can do it all with just two keystrokes.Windows + up arrow key = align active window to top
Press Windows key + down = align active window to bottom
Or you can press Windows key + left = align active window to the left
Press and hold Windows key + right arrow key = align active window to the right
OneDrive integration
Microsoft's cloud storage service OneDrive is highly integrated into Windows 11. Windows 11 Explorer is occupied by the OneDrive folder, which is below the Quick Access section.
Free cloud storage is a godsend these days, and Microsoft has made it super easy in Windows 11 with OneDrive. You can use it to store files for accessing mobile devices from iOS or Android. You can even set it up so that you can remotely access any file on your PC, not just those you drag and drop into your OneDrive folder.
Run Windows in a virtual machine
If you want to give Windows 11 a try, but don't want to bother with a computer that's working fine right now, you can. Here's how to install Windows 11 in a virtual machine first. Note that this is not the same as the virtual desktop I mentioned above. It virtualizes the entire OS into another OS (your existing OS). Read how to install Windows 11 on HyperV.Download and use maps offline
If you don't have reliable internet, download an area map that you can use to navigate in Windows 11's Maps app. The new Maps app lets you work offline. Click Settings - System - Click Offline Maps - Download or Update Maps and select the desired continent and country.Control Windows 11 Updates
Although Windows 11 may have saved a lot of update work. There's also a horrible habit of resetting your computer at the worst possible time. If you're running Windows 11 Pro, you can delay some updates. But home users have no choice but to bow to Microsoft's willingness to update.Fortunately, there is a way to make this process more palatable. By saving your internet bandwidth as well as open documents.
Here's how to set up Windows 11 to reduce update downloads over Wi-Fi and warn about resets
Open "Settings" and now go to "Network & Internet". In WiFi, click Advanced Options. Under Metered Connections, turn on the Set as Metered Connections switch.
Go back to settings and select "Update & Security"
Select "Advanced Options" and use the drop-down menu to select "Notify to schedule restart" instead of "Automatic".
Now, when Windows 11 is about to restart, you will get a notification and you can stop it.
These are some of the best features of Windows 11 that you can tweak right away. Any query suggestions, please feel free to comment below.
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