9 Useful Windows Features You Might Not Know

Microsoft has confirmed that there are a total of 1.4 billion monthly active devices that installed Windows 10 and Windows 11. Though there are many Windows users, a big number of these users might not be aware of some of the Windows features that can help them use the software more efficiently.  If you are one of the Windows users, we have listed 10 features that are not known by many other users but can help you use Windows more effectively.

9 Useful Windows Features You Might Not Know

1. Mouse Hover Activation Feature

This feature is part of the accessibility tools. Through the use of this Windows feature, you can automatically activate a window by hovering your mouse cursor over it without needing to click it. This might not make a huge difference but it can be helpful especially if you are working on your laptop trackpad.

To activate this feature, press the Windows key on your keyboard or click the start menu then type Control Panel then click on “Open” on the left side menu.

Click on the “Ease of Access Center”.

Click on the “Make the mouse easier to use” option.

Tick the box beside “Activate a window by hovering over it with the mouse”, click on “Apply” then click press “OK” to save the changes that you have made.

2. Window Arrangement Feature

Suppose you are working with the newer versions of Windows and you keep on opening different windows from time to time, or you keep on clicking on the minimize and maximize button to arrange your windows. In that case, you can follow the following keyboard shortcut instead.

To put the window that you are currently on to the right-half side of the monitor, click on the Windows button and the left-arrow keys on your keyboard.

Similarly, you can also press the windows button plus the right arrow key on your keyboard to put the windows on the right half side of the monitor.

On the other hand, pressing the windows key and the up or down arrow keys will alternate the Windows in the upper or lower portion of the screen or maximize it and minimize it to the toolbar.

3. Launching Quick Toolbar Feature

One of the ways to easily access most of your useful applications and tools is by pinning them to your taskbar. To pin an application or tools into the taskbar, follow the steps below:

Probably one of the most used applications in Windows is Microsoft Word because it is where you open, make, and edit documents. If you are tired of searching for the application from time to time every time you need it, you can just pin it to your taskbar. Press the Windows key on your keyboard then type “word”. On the right hand-pane of the Windows, there are options you can choose from. Click on the “Pin to taskbar” to pin the Microsoft Word in your taskbar. You can do the same steps to pin your other most-used program into your taskbar.

If you have pinned all of your most used programs into your taskbar, instead of clicking on them every time you need to open them, you can just press the windows logo on your keyboard and press the corresponding number of the pinned application or tools on your taskbar. 

In our example below, there are a total of 6 applications pinned on our taskbar and if you want to open Microsoft Word without double clicking on it, you can press the Windows button and the number 3 key on your keyboard. The number corresponds to the number that the application is pinned on the taskbar. In this example, number 1 corresponds to the “This PC” window, number 2 corresponds to the “Settings” app, number 3corresponds to “Microsoft Word”, and so on.

4. System Tray Arrangement Feature

The Windows System Tray also known as the notification area can be managed on the right side of your taskbar. The system tray contains some shortcuts to important settings and system notifications. If you are using a lot of software and you have a lot of startup programs, your system tray might get crowded. If you want to manage and organize your system tray, you can simply drag and arrange them the way you want and put them in the drop-down menu to hide them.

5. Night Light Display Feature

If you usually use your PC overnight or during the night, using the night display feature can help you protect your eyes from the blue light on the screen. Lowering the blue light through the use of night light can reduce eye strain and improve sleep quality. To turn on the night light on your PC, press the startup menu then click settings or the gear-like icon.

Once you opened the settings, click on the “System” option then click on “Display”.

You can turn on the night light by clicking on the button. However, if you want to further manage the night light feature, click on the “Night light settings”. Under the night light settings, you can adjust the strength of the night light settings and schedule when the night light will be activated.

6. Taskbar Manager Feature

Task Manager is a tool in Windows that shows you the ongoing processes, programs, and running on your computer. By using the Task Manager, you can forcefully close a program that is causing your PC to lag or crash or a program that is not responding. In the newer version of Windows which are Windows 10 and 11, you can instantly bring up your task manager by just clicking the “Ctrl + Shift + Esc” button.

If you want to close an ongoing process, click on that process, and then the “End task” will be activated so you just click on it.

7. Snipping Tool Feature

Windows tool is very helpful especially if you are making any documentation and need to screenshot from time to time. Snipping Tool is used to taking a screenshot on a certain part of your screen or the whole screen itself. It works like a print screen but in the snipping tool, you are given the ability to just capture some certain area in your screen. To open your snipping tool, press the Windows button on your keyboard or click on the Start menu then type “Snipping”. When you see the “Snipping Tool” app, double-click on it or click the “Open” option on the right-side pane.

Under the mode option, you are given four different modes of how you will snip your screen. To help you choose the mode that you need we have listed what the different modes can do for you.

Free-form Snip – This mode allows you to screenshot a specific area on your monitor by dragging your mouse around the area that you want to screenshot.

Rectangular Snip – In this mode, it allows you to take a screenshot of a specific area of your computer using a rectangular shape to capture the area that you want. To use this mode, press and hold the left button of your mouse then drag it.

Window Snip and Full-screen Snip almost work the same. Window Snip allows you to capture a whole window by clicking on the window that you want to capture. Full-screen snip allows you to capture your current screen just like PrintScreen.

Free-form Snip
Rectangular Snip

To open your snipping tools using the shortcut, Press the “Windows key + Shift Key + S” on your keyboard.

8. Adjusting Icon Sizes

If you want to adjust the sizes of icons and folders in your file explorer, you can do the following shortcut. Open the explorer where you want to adjust its icon then simply press the control button on your keyboard then scroll your mouse up and down. If you are scrolling up, the icons or thumbnails will enlarge and if you scroll down, the icons will get smaller. This trick can also work on your desktop.

9. Text Adjustment Feature

If you want to make your text size bigger so that it would be easier for you to read, click on the magnifying glass icon or the search icon, type “text” then double-click on the “Make text size bigger”.

Adjust the text the way you want by dragging the slider then check for the sample text to make sure you get the scale that you want then click on the “Apply” button.

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