Windows 10 tips.
Take a screenshot
There are several ways to take a screenshot but there are a few ways that make it quick and easy. If you want to take a screen shot of all of your screens, press the windows key + Print screen key. This will snip all of your screens and save the screenshots under the folder “screenshots” under the Pictures folder. You can also open the tool Snip & Sketch by pressing Windows Key + Shift + S. This will allow you to take a snip of any part of your screen and save it where you would like.
Minimize all windows except the active one
If your desktop screen has gotten too crowded with open windows, you can quickly minimize them all except the on your are currently working in.
Just click the title bar of the window you want to remain open to select it. Then, hold the mouse down and move the window back and forth quickly -- shaking it, essentially. After a couple of quick shakes, all other open windows will minimize, leaving only the one you've shaken open. To minimize all windows, you can press Windows Key + D, you can also press it again to restore all windows.
Background scrolling
With Windows 10, you can scroll up and down on any window, including the one you're directly working in. This is a useful tool when you have a lot of windows open that you want to look through at the same time -- for example, if you want to open new sub-menu options in new windows to save you time clicking back and forward on the same page.
If you have two programs open, a work document and browser page, arrange both on the screen where you can see them both. Hover your mouse over the inactive window and you can scroll though without selecting it.
The feature should be on by default, but if it isn't, go to Settings > Devices > Mouse, and toggle Scroll inactive windows when I hover over them to On. Then you can place your mouse over a window that's in the background and use the scroll wheel to scroll.
Focus assistant
With Windows 10, you can cut down on distractions by using Focus assistant. You can set it up by going to Settings > System > Focus Assist. There are three options to choose from: Off (get all notifications from your apps and contacts), Priority (see only selected notifications from a priority list that you customize), and Alarms only (hide all notifications, except for alarms).
You can also choose to automatically turn this feature on during certain hours, or when you're playing a game.
Pin file explorer searches
This is one of the more powerful features of the Windows 10 File Explorer is the ability to save searches. When you have many .doc files, this is a handy search to have around. What makes this convenient is that the search is pinned to the Start Menu, where you can get to it even faster. Open File Explorer and navigate to your Users folder and then to your Searches subfolder. Right-click the saved search and pin it to your Start Menu for easy access.
Near share
Near share makes it easy to share files and URLs with local PCs without using flash drives or email. If you open the share interface in Microsoft Edge or File Explorer, you’ll see PC’s with nearby sharing enabled as an option. Recipients will receive a popup notification when something is sent.
To use Near Share, your computer needs both Bluetooth and Wi -Fi on and you’ll have to enable the Nearby sharing option in settings.
Snap assist
Window-snapping, which was first introduced in Windows 7, is a pretty convenient feature for quickly maximizing your screen's real estate. The feature lets you "snap" a window to one side of your screen without having to move it around and resize it manually.
To snap a window, click its title bar and drag it to the edge of your screen. An outline will appear to show you where the window will snap to once you drop it. Drag it to the left or right side of your screen to snap it to the left or right half of the screen. You can also drag it to a corner to snap it to the corresponding quadrant, or drag it to the top of your screen to get a full-size window.
Windows timeline
Windows Timeline helps you pick up where you left off. Click the Task View button in the taskbar or press Windows Key + Tab. This displays a timeline of your activity in supported apps. Also, Microsoft lets you group related apps together into “Activities” in the time line. For example, if you open a document, the websites and other apps referenced at that time can be opened as well. This can also sync across devices, so it is helpful if you are using multiple PC’s.
Dynamic lock
Dynamic lock is a useful security feature that pairs your PC with your phone over Bluetooth. It will automatically lock your computer when you walk away with your from it with your phone. To start using this feature, connect the two devices in Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Devices and Printers, then activate Dynamic Lock at Settings > Account > Sign-in options.
