Windows 10 tips: how to take screenshots, find the secret Start menu and more

Whether you’ve been using Windows 10 for years or recently upgraded, there are many new and old hidden tips, tricks and resources to learn that will make using your laptop faster and easier every day. Learning how to be faster and more productive on your laptop can be especially appealing to many of us yet Working at home due to pandemic, or just spending more time on our laptops in general. Finding the secret Start menu and saving battery with a simple trick are great ways to get more out of your machine.

Microsoft doesn’t typically publicize its hidden features the way Apple does, which can make it more difficult to know how to get the most out of the machine you use day in and day out.

Even learning how to upgrade to Windows 10 for free can be tricky. You’ll want to do this ASAP, by the way, since support for Windows 7 ended last year. So no matter which Microsoft, Dell, HP or other Windows 10 rig you have, these clever tips will help you stay organized and get more done. Plus, here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming spring 2021 update, the most recent Windows 10 October 2020 update, how to use the three best new Windows 10 features and how to troubleshoot any Windows 10 problems.

1. 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 one you 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. Neat, huh?

Read more: 20 pro tips to make Windows 10 work the way you want (free PDF from TechRepublic)

2. Open the ‘secret’ Start menu

You know that to get to the Start menu, you hit the Windows icon at the bottom left of the screen or on your keyboard. But Windows 10 includes a lesser-known second Start menu that makes accessing important features like the Command Prompt, the Control Panel and the Task Manager much easier. You can access it two different ways, either by pressing the Windows key + X, or right click the Windows icon/Start button. 

3. Create an event without opening the Calendar app

Windows 10’s latest update lets you quickly add events to your Microsoft calendar directly from your Taskbar — without actually having to open the calendar at all. Here’s how to do it: 

1. On your Taskbar, click the box with the time and date in it in the right corner. 

2. Click the date when you want to schedule an event. 

3. Enter the event name, time and location. (If you have multiple calendars, click the down arrow next to the event name field to choose the one you want to add it to.) 

4. Click save. The event should appear in your Calendar app across your devices. 

4. Take a screenshot

I know, it’s a basic one — but it’s amazing how easy it is to forget how to take a screenshot on your laptop or desktop when you don’t do it often. 

There are at least eight different ways you can take a screenshot with Windows 10. If you want to capture and save a picture of your entire screen, the easiest way is to hit the Windows key + Print Screen key, and that picture will be saved to the Pictures > Screenshots folder. 

To capture just one part of your screen, hit the Windows key + Shift + S to open a tool called Snip & Sketch, which allows you to click and drag to create a screenshot, which is saved to your Clipboard.

5. Open items on your Taskbar with keyboard shortcuts

If you’ve pinned programs to your Taskbar at the bottom of your screen to create a shortcut, you don’t have to click the icons to open them. Instead, use the keyboard shortcut Windows key + [Number key], with the numeric key corresponding to the position of the program on the taskbar. For example, the Windows key + 2 will open the second item on the taskbar.

This is especially useful if you are typing furiously and don’t want to lift your fingers from the keyboard. It may seem more natural to reach for the Windows key.

6. Find out how much space applications are taking up

Computers start running more slowly as they run out of space. A quick way to speed them up is to get rid of apps that take up more space than they should, especially if you don’t use them regularly.

To see how much space an application uses, navigate to Settings> System> Storage. Click on the drive you want to search (probably the local storage, “This PC”) and click Apps & Games to see a list of applications installed on your machine and how much space they are taking up. You probably won’t get rid of the browser, but you may find that a game you haven’t played in years is a good deadweight to lose.

7. Get rid of ads on your Start menu

When running Windows 10 with default settings, you can sometimes see apps on the right side of the Start menu. Microsoft calls them “suggestions”, but they are actually advertisements for Windows Store apps that you can buy.

For get rid of ads on the Windows 10 Start menu, go to Settings> Personalization> Start. Switch the configuration called Show suggestions occasionally in Start to the off position.

8. Turn off background applications

Applications running in the background can receive information, send notifications and stay up-to-date, even when you are not using them – which can be useful, but can also suck your battery and data if you are connecting via a mobile dot access.

To control which applications are running in the background and save battery power and data, go to Settings> Privacy> Background apps. To stop all applications running in the background, switch Let apps run in the background for Off. Or you can choose which applications to run in the background individually by scrolling through the list on the same page.

9. Use background scrolling

With Windows 10, you can scroll up and down in any window – even if it’s not the one you’re working on directly. This is a useful tool when you have many windows open and want to see the same time – for example, if you want to open new submenu options in new windows to save time by clicking back and forward on the same page.

Try opening two programs – say, an Internet browser page and a notepad or Word document. Arrange both on the screen so that you can see at least part of the text on each one. While you are in a window, hover your mouse or use the touchpad to go to the second window and scroll. Even if you are not active in that window, it should allow you to move up and down on the page.

The feature should be enabled by default, but if not, go to Settings> Devices> Mouse, and switch Scroll inactive windows when I hover over them for In. Then, you can place the mouse over a window that is in the background and use the scroll wheel to scroll.

10. Show file extensions in File Explorer

Microsoft hides file extensions by default, making life difficult for people who need to search for specific types of files, such as JPEGs and JPGs. For see file extensions in File Explorer, do the following:

1. Go to the Search bar at the bottom of the screen and type File Explorer Optionsand click on it. (There are several other ways to get here as well, but this one seems to be the fastest.)

2. In the window that appears, click the button View guide.

3. Uncheck the box that says Hide known file extensions. Click To apply, and OK. You should now see the extensions for all files in the File Explorer.

You can also use the File Explorer Options menu to choose to show empty drives, hidden files and folders, and more.

11. Reduce distractions with the focus assistant

It is frustrating to try to get the job done when you continue to be interrupted by notifications. You can determine how many you will get with the focus assistant, a tool that Windows 10 added to the April 2018 Update.

Configure by going to Settings> System> Focus help. Choose from three options: Off (get all notifications from your apps and contacts), Priority (see only notifications selected from a list of priorities that you customize and send the rest to your action center), and Alarms only (hide all notifications except alarms).

You can also choose to activate this feature automatically during certain hours or when playing.

For more tips and tricks on Windows 10 laptops, check out how to fix a slow PC by yourself, and 6 simple security changes that all Windows 10 users need to make.