Windows 11 smarts: “Quick settings” lets you control Airplane mode, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Battery-saver mode and lots more, all in one place. To open it, left-click on the taskbar where the speaker icon is. To edit what you see, click the pencil icon. Unpin anything you don’t use. Easy-peasy.
This panes me: On Windows 10, you might see full-screen ads for Windows 11 PCs. Reminder: Windows 10 support ends in October 2025; only CPUs from 2018 onward will support Windows 11. If you’re not ready to upgrade to Windows 11, you’ll still be able to pay $30 for an extra year of Windows 10 updates.
Who asked for this? If you don’t like how Microsoft put the Start menu for Windows 11 in the middle of the screen, move it back to its original home on the left. Head to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar behaviors. Crisis averted!
Page rage: You’re on a Windows PC and someone sends you an Apple Pages doc. Yep, you can open it. The easiest way is through iCloud for Windows. Steps here to set that up. If you don’t want to download anything, try a free online document file converter like Zamzar to turn the file into a Word doc.
🤐 Get off my PC: Windows 11 crams ads for apps into the “recommended” section of the Start menu. Yes, it’s on by default. I’ve got the fix: Go into Settings and select Personalization > Start. Then, toggle off “Show recommendations for tips, app promotions and more.”
Windows, quit showing me ads: Microsoft places ads in the Start menu. Go to the Start menu > Settings. Choose Personalization > Start and toggle off Show recommendations for tips, shortcuts, new apps, and more. Magic? Nope — tech smarts!
Broken Windows: The latest Windows 11 24H2 update is crap, so skip it. Think Blue Screens of Death, disappearing mouse pointers, internet connection issues, unresponsive fingerprint sensors and more. Since the update is rolling out to everyone, it’ll pop up on your Windows Update screen. Don’t worry — I’ll let you know when it’s safe to install.
☮️ Peace among us: Windows 11’s Phone Link lets iPhone users send and receive messages via iMessage, make and receive calls, and see any app notifications on a PC or laptop.
Windows key + V: This lets you see and paste from a list of items you’ve copied to your clipboard recently. It’s super handy for pasting multiple things without having to go back and forth to copy them again one by one. To use it, make sure Clipboard history is turned on in your Windows settings.
So fresh and so clean: Windows allows you to create multiple virtual desktops for better organization. Hold down the Windows key + Tab to open Task View, then click New Desktop at the top left. You can switch between your desktops using the Windows key + Ctrl + ← or →.
Go deeper: On Windows, you can get detailed information about your hardware, software and components. Hold down Windows key + R, type msinfo32 and hit Enter to open your System Information panel.
🔐 Smart lock: You can set your Windows PC to lock itself when you walk away. Pair your phone via Bluetooth, then activate Dynamic Lock in your Windows settings. When you step away and your phone loses its Bluetooth connection, your PC locks itself. So cool.
Windows makes it complicated: On Windows, open Settings > Ease of Access > Mouse Pointer or Mouse Pointer & Touch. You’ll see a slider to adjust the size. Voila!
♻️ Hit reset: Get Windows back to a factory-fresh state without losing your personal files. Open Settings > System > Recovery > Reset PC. Just make sure you choose the Keep my files option. (You’ve got everything backed up anyway, right?)
Give your PC a boost: Trim down startup programs that take forever to load. Open Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc, then hit the Startup tab to view all the programs that fire up when Windows starts. Right-click and disable any you don’t need right away when your system reboots.
⚠️ This one’s not for Windows newbies: Disk Cleanup may not clean as much as you’d like. Remove hidden files using Advanced Disk Cleanup. First, make a backup. Then, press Windows key + R, type cleanmgr /sageset:1 and hit OK. Select the file categories you want to zap and click OK again. Start the deep clean by going to either Run or cmd (Command Prompt) and typing cleanmgr /sagerun:1. Optimize this prompt by creating multiple lists; just change the number at the end, like /sageset:2.
💃 Windows users need this: FancyZones lets you create custom grid layouts or use pre-configured options on a PC. To use it, download and install Microsoft’s free PowerToys utility and find FancyZones. Pick a layout you like, then hold down on Shift and drag a window into one of the zones. Voila!
Alt + Tab: A keyboard shortcut pro Windows users know. Use it to cycle through your open programs quickly. On a Mac, it’s Cmd + Tab.
Your Windows PC has a hidden emergency restart: Use it when nothing will respond. Hold down Ctrl and click the power icon in the Start menu. You’ll get a dramatic-looking message warning you’ll lose any unsaved data. Click OK to restart immediately.
🪟 Three shortcuts for PCs:
- Windows key + . (period) or ; (semicolon): Opens the emoji picker.
- Windows key + Shift + S: Opens the Snip & Sketch tool for capturing (and editing) screenshots.
- Alt + F6: Allows you to switch between multiple windows of the same application (e.g., different browser windows).