Microsoft's latest operating system, Windows 10, is full of new features and applications, many of which are uninteresting to most people. I am thinking, for example, of Cortana or Microsoft Edge, things that few really use and that is of very little interest in knowing how well they can do.
Speaking instead of how Windows 10 really behaves in everyday life, here we see a series of 20 tricks to be able to configure it in the best way so that you can enjoy it at least as much as Windows XP or Windows 7 liked, to make things easier and bring to light the most important features.
We will not go here to talk about special changes made through programs or with hidden options, but only Windows 10 tricks immediately applicable and accessible to anyone, which for the most part translate into settings to change and important functions to use
The article is based on Windows 10 version 1611, after the anniversary update.
For those who have not yet remember the best trick in the meantime: how to download Windows 10 for free .
1) Dark mode
Windows 10, compared to previous versions, has a settings menu that makes it easier to make those changes that were previously made via Control Panel.
Changing color in this menu is not only an aesthetic fact, but it makes the various settings screens more readable and, consequently, also easier to use.
To make this change, go to the Start menu, then press the Settings button (the toothed wheel) and go to the Personalization section.
On the left, go to Colors and then change the option mode of the app to Dark .
2) Trick the Start menu
The Windows 10 Start menu can be customized in different ways through three options that can make it much more complete.
From the Settings> Personalization -> Start menu, we can change the following three options, as appropriate:
- Activate Show multiple panes, useful if you have a wide monitor.
- Disable " Occasionally show suggestions on Start " to prevent the appearance of advertising suggestions from apps promoted by Microsoft.
- Configure the setting Choose which folders appear on Start ", to decide to have a quick access to folders such as Videos, images, Documents, Music, Settings and others.
Nostalgics of the old Start menu can always install a program like Classic Shell to have the Windows 7 Start menu in Windows 10.
3) Disable automatic updates
As already mentioned, if you are using Windows 10 with a pay-as-you-go connection, you can block automatic updates of Windows Update by setting this connection as "pay-as-you-go".
The same article explains how to block any driver updates.
In addition, you can also limit Windows Update network traffic and optimize update delivery
4) Check the Privacy settings
Probably, regarding Windows 10, you could have read discouraging or alarming news about the fact that Microsoft has made it possible to monitor what use is made of computers with Windows 10, collecting anonymous data.
Even though Microsoft has denied spying on users, you may prefer to disable any data collection possibilities in Windows 10 as explained in two different articles:
- One on privacy settings to be disabled in Windows 10
- One on how to prevent the collection of personal data in Windows 10.
5) Deactivate Cortana
I believe that few use Cortana, the Windows 10 voice assistant similar to Apple's Siri, which allows you to manage your computer by voice.
Although Microsoft hasn't made it easy, after the last August 2016 anniversary update, you can still disable Cortana in Windows 10 as explained in another article.
6) Activate File History
One of the first things to do after a new installation of Windows 10 or after buying a new PC is to activate the File History function, which not only backs up important files in the User folder (Photos, Videos, Documents etc.), it also makes it possible to retrieve the most recent and most previous versions of a modified document.
To use File History, Windows requires that you have an external hard drive or a second local drive or even a drive connected to the network.
To activate it, go to Start -> Settings -> Update and security -> Backup and click on " Add a drive ".
If Windows cannot find any drives, you can then add a network location by going to More options .
7) Activate the recovery points
The recovery points are really very important to be able to recover from a random error or from a wrong configuration or installation, to cancel the changes made to the computer and return to how it was yesterday.
As already explained, it is convenient to activate the restore points in Windows 10 since, by default, they are deactivated.
8) Keep the default printer
Windows 10 has a curious feature that allows the computer to automatically recognize which is the default printer, to be able to set it based on the last use.
This feature, however, can create problems and change by yourself that manual default printer setting that you thought you did.
Then go to Settings> Devices> Printers and scanners and, on the right side, turn off the Allow Windows to manage the default printer option.
9) Customize Windows Explorer
In Windows 10 you can change the appearance of the folders and menus that appear at the top.
In particular, open a folder and then go to the top to click on the View menu to:
- Hide the left navigation column called the navigation pane
- Activate the details pane or the file preview pane
- See file extensions and hidden files.
The folder ribbon menu can then be hidden by pressing on the up arrow located on the right, under the red X.
In addition, from the View menu, you can open the folder options to choose to make the folder This PC as initial instead of Quick Access .
READ ALSO: Customize the folder view in Windows 10
10) Simplify access to the computer
In Windows 10 you can set a fast PIN for logging on to the computer which is faster to enter than the user account password.
To set the PIN, go to Start -> Settings -> Accounts and in the Access settings, press on Add under the PIN section.
You can also decide to skip the login screen with a password .
To do this, from the same menu, change the " Request access " option to Never .
If desired, you can also disable the Windows 10 lock screen.
11) Switch to a local account
There are some advantages to using a Microsoft account on Windows 10, but for those who prefer more traditional PC use, perhaps an old-fashioned local account is better instead.
We have therefore written a special guide on how to switch from a Microsoft account to a local account in Windows 10.
Note that it is also possible to create a guest account for friends to use our PC.
12) Clean up old Windows installation files
Whenever Windows 10 updates to a new version, it keeps the files in memory, that is, on the disk, to go back to the previous version.
If everything went well after an update and if it has never been done, it is worth checking how much space these recovery and undo files take up and canceling them.
As already explained, in some cases, up to 20 GB can be recovered in Windows 10.
13) Refresh Windows Tool and Reset the PC
Windows 10 has two tools to format your computer without losing your personal data and files.
This is the Refresh Windows Tool to clean up Windows 10 from all programs and apps and the Reset PC tool to reset Windows 10 without losing personal files.
14) Open every video in Windows 10
For licensing reasons and perhaps a questionable choice, Microsoft has not renewed its Windows Media Player program and has not added support for many common video formats.
To view MP4 videos, DVDs and movies in Windows 10 you must therefore install an external program such as VLC Media Player.
15) Windows Defender is a real antivirus
With Windows 10, really, there is no need to install any antivirus since Microsoft has greatly improved the one integrated into the system.
To activate Windows Defender, go to Settings> Update and Security> Windows Defender and activate all the options on the right.
Also note that you can use Windows Defender Offline to remove any malware manually.
16) Tablet mode
If you have a touchscreen laptop or a Windows 10 tablet, you can activate tablet mode, which makes the interface easier to use using your finger on the screen.
17) Manage the history
In Windows 10, both on the Start menu and on the folder menu, you may notice that recently used files and apps are visible.
Whatever the reason, you can choose to delete or hide recent files, most used apps and history in Windows 10
18) Install Linux on Windows 10
Although for many this will not help, it is really interesting to find out how you can activate and use the Linux bash in Windows 10.
19) Change the default programs to open the files
In Windows 10 it's really simple to see which program is assigned when opening a certain type of file.
Just go to Start> Settings> System> Default apps .
In addition to the ones listed, you can click on the link below, on the screen on the right, Choose default apps by file type .
20) Set the network as private in Windows 10
When you set up the connection used to connect to the internet as a private network, you can activate sharing of folder or printer resources with other PCs or even with your smartphone.
READ ALSO: Advanced changes to Windows 10 from registry keys
