View Apps Side By Side with Windows + Left or Right Arrow Keys
You'll need to re-enter your Windows password to resume your work. Do Now: Press Windows + L to lock your screen. Anyone wanting to use your computer will then need to enter your password, or log in with their own credentials. If you're using a mouse, this requires at least three clicks but you can also lock your screen instantly by hitting Windows + L. Do Now: Press Windows + P to reveal the projector menu.Īre you standing up from your desk to head out to lunch or to help a student in your class? It's good practice to lock your computer when you're not using it. If you need to configure your laptop or connect to a second screen, hitting Windows + P is the quickest way to do this. You can hit the Escape key to leave Task ViewerĬonnect to a Second Screen or Projector with Windows + P Do Now: press Windows + Tab to view all of your open applications. Macs have had this feature for a while (called Expose), but it's a recent addition to Windows. It allows you to see all of your open applications, shrunken down into thumbnail images. In Windows 10, there's a new feature called Task View. See all of your open applications with Windows + Tab Try at your own risk, this will shut down your computer! Win + X, then u, then u again (Shuts down your computer).Win + X, then F (launches Apps and Features).Win + X, then E (launches the File Explorer).Win + X, then T (launches the task manager).Do Now: try using the keyboard combinations below to launch different system apps: It's one of the fastest ways to access commonly-used system apps. If you hit Win + X, then the underlined letter, you'll launch the corresponding application. See how each command has one letter underlined? Even better, you can invoke any of these commands with a single keystroke. The Secret Start Menu has a bunch of quick shortcuts to some of the most useful system tools in Windows.
If you press the Windows key and the letter X (Win + X) at the same time, the Secret Menu is revealed! You can access it using, of course, the Windows key.
It's one of the fastest ways to find and launch an application or find hidden settings and, best of all, you don't need to take your hands off your keyboard.ĭO NOW: Press the Windows key, then try some of the searches below, followed by the Enter keyĪs useful as the regular Start menu is, Windows 10 also has a SECRET Start Menu (its boring name is the 'Quick Link Menu'). I probably use this feature 20 times a day, no lie. After pressing the Windows key and launching the Start Menu, anything you type will trigger a search your computer's files, applications, and settings. Last, but not least, we have the Start Menu's most powerful feature: SEARCH. Do Now: Launch the start menu and click on each of the four icons (if you're a Windows 10 user) and see what each one does. In Windows 10, you also get a few icons on the far-left side of the start menu. In Windows 10, the start menu is customizable, so you can pin your favorite applications for easy access. Hitting the Windows key on its own will launch the Start menu which, you already know, gives you access to a menu of applications and settings on your computer.
All of my examples will be using Windows 10, but most of the tips below will work with Windows 7 or 8. Throughout this article, you'll see "Do Nows" in orange type, which are quick exercises to practice some of the different ways you can use the Windows key. Follow along with the tricks below and try them out as we go. If you're like many people, you might have wondered: "What's the point of this button? I never use it!" Well, dear user, wonder no more.prepare to meet the most useful button on your keyboard. It's usually interspersed with the Ctrl, Alt, or Function keys.
On most keyboards that come with Windows laptops, there's a key near the bottom left-hand corner that's labeled with a Windows logo.