Posted by: TAZ Networks on February 1, 2019 at 8:00 am
Humans are creatures of habit. While software upgrades and other technology changes occasionally force us into doing things a new way, sometimes we forget our spirit of discovery. When we take a few moments to look around our new environment, however, we often find new and better ways of doing things!
That said, here are 6 powerful Windows features that you may have missed. All of these work in Windows 10. Some of them also work in Windows 8, although they may be under a slightly different name. The best part of this list is that they are all quick and easy to try out. So give them a try, and let us know which is your favorite!
Window Shake and Shrink — If you’ve ever worked within multiple Microsoft® windows, you know that bouncing back and forth between them can be a pain. To fix this, click on and hold the title bar of a program and give it a little shake with your mouse. All other windows will minimize, but the one that you shook like a Polaroid picture will remain in the foreground. Go on and try it!
Did you know Calculator can do all these functions and more? Try this and 5 other Windows features today!
Steps Recorder — Use this tool to document the steps taken for a specific task. With this feature, you can easily document a process for you or someone else to refer to later. Once you’ve found and opened this from the Search Menu, all you have to do is click Record. From there, start working through your task, and this application will record all the steps taken. When you end the recording, Steps Recorder generates a document with text instructions and screen images. This is a true hidden gem for Windows!
Calculator — Many people underestimate the functionality of the calculator tool. Sure, you can use it for simple operations, but what about scientific or programming calculations? Need to convert temperatures from Fahrenheit to Celsius, or area from square meters to square feet? Open the Calculator, click the menu lines to find your options, and go from there.
Pin to Taskbar — This is a simple one, but it really comes in handy. At the bottom part of your screen, to the right of the Start Menu, is called the taskbar. You can place or pin commonly used programs to it to easily launch when needed. If the program is already open, simply right click on the logo in the taskbar and choose “Pin to Taskbar.” You can also do this from the Start Menu by right clicking on the program name and choosing the same option.
Windows+T — Now that you have your taskbar customized, hold down the Windows button on your keyboard and press T. This will navigate you through all open and unopened programs on the taskbar. Once the one that you want is highlighted, open or display it by simply pressing Enter.
Snipping Tool — You might know that the Print Screen (or PrtScn) button is one way to grab an image of all the information on your monitor. You can paste into Paint 3D (or regular Paint if you still have it) to crop. But, there is an easier way! Snipping Tool is a great little tool to easily grab an image of a section of your monitor. In fact, we used Snipping Tool to get our calculator image for this post!
So, were any of these Windows features new to you? Did you try them? Which is your favorite?
If you don’t have these features, you should soon. Microsoft is ending support for Windows 7 in less than a year, which means companies need to develop an upgrade plan soon. Give us a call today if you need any help!