1030741 TRDL14 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps [Unlock the Full Potential of Windows 10]

NEW

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps Unlock the full potential of Windows 10 Boost your PC’s speed and performance

Over

400

hints and tips inside

Extend Microsoft Edge’s functionality

Defragment files and manage your storage

Expand your capabilities with third-party apps

Master the Task Manager

 Personalise Windows

Stay secure

Download apps

100% unofficial

Welcome to

Windows 10 Though in many ways Windows 8 was an extremely forwardthinking operating system, many users found it too much of a radical departure from the Windows experience they knew and loved. Thankfully Microsoft was listening, and with Windows 10 it has created an OS that feels both familiar and futuristic. From the return of the Start menu to the introduction of the new Edge web browser, Windows 10 is packed with brilliant features, abilities and apps that aim to make your computing experience as compelling as possible. But while Windows 10 is absolutely accessible to newcomers and veterans alike, some of its more powerful settings and features may not be immediately apparent. That’s where Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps comes in. In this bookazine we’ll talk you through how to get the most out of Microsoft’s built-in apps, how to tweak the OS to fit your needs and which of the thousands of apps available from the Windows Store are really worth your time.

Windows10 Imagine Publishing Ltd Richmond House 33 Richmond Hill Bournemouth Dorset BH2 6EZ  +44 (0) 1202 586200 Website: www.imagine-publishing.co.uk Twitter: @Books_Imagine Facebook: www.facebook.com/ImagineBookazines

Publishing Director Aaron Asadi Head of Design Ross Andrews Production Editor Ross Hamilton Senior Art Editor Greg Whitaker Designer Phil Martin Photographer James Sheppard Printed by William Gibbons, 26 Planetary Road, Willenhall, West Midlands, WV13 3XT Distributed in the UK, Eire & the Rest of the World by: Marketforce, 5 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, London, E14 5HU Tel 0203 787 9060, www.marketforce.co.uk Distributed in Australia by: Network Services (a division of Bauer Media Group), Level 21 Civic Tower, 66-68 Goulburn Street, Sydney, New South Wales 2000, Australia Tel +61 2 8667 528 Disclaimer The publisher cannot accept responsibility for any unsolicited material lost or damaged in the post. All text and layout is the copyright of Imagine Publishing Ltd. Nothing in this bookazine may be reproduced in whole or part without the written permission of the publisher. All copyrights are recognised and used specifically for the purpose of criticism and review. Although the bookazine has endeavoured to ensure all information is correct at time of print, prices and availability may change. This bookazine is fully independent and not affiliated in any way with the companies mentioned herein. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Windows © 2015 Microsoft Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps © 2015 Imagine Publishing Ltd

Contents Everything you need to know about Windows 10

Complete guide 8 10 11 12 14

Introducing Windows 10 Welcome back to the desktop Windows 10 FAQs What's new in Windows 10? Install or upgrade to Windows 10

50 essential 16 Windows 10 tips 18

t
(FU
UIF
PME
4UBSU
TDSFFO t
6TF
B
NFUFSFE
JOUFSOFU
DPOOFDUJPO t
6TF
'JMF
)JTUPSZ

20

t
4IBSF
FWFSZUIJOH
XJUI
ZPVS
GSJFOET t
$SFBUF
1%'
ö
MFT
UP
TFOE
UP
PUIFST t
4DSPMM
JOBDUJWF
XJOEPXT

22

t
"EE
GPMEFST
BT
4UBSU
UJMFT t
.BLF
VTF
PG
KVNQ
MJTUT t
1JO
ZPVS
%BUB
VTBHF

24

t
$VTUPNJTF
'JMF
&YQMPSFS t
4FU
UIF
EFGBVMU
BQQT t
4IPX
ö
MF
FYUFOTJPOT

26

t
"VUPTBWF
ö
MFT
UP
0OF%SJWF t
3FDPSE
HBNF
NPWJFT t
4FBSDI
GPS
BOZUIJOH
PO
ZPVS
1$

6 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

Tips 30 36 40 46 50 54

Customise Windows 10 Secure your PC Increase productivity Get more from Cortana Manage OneDrive Browse with Edge

58 62 68 72 76

Keep informed Stay entertained Download new apps Activate Tablet mode Troubleshooting

Tricks 82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98 100 102 104 106 108 110 112

Customise the Start menu in Windows 10 Use dictation and speech commands Control apps with Task Manager Manage your printers and other devices Share over a homegroup network Protect your PC with security software Keep on top of your PC’s health Configure Ease of Access in Settings Personalise Mail to suit your needs Customise and improve Skype Take great photos with the Camera app Use Photos to create great image edits Work with Microsoft Office web apps Make the most of the versatile OneNote Make your Calendar easier to read Compress your files and documents

114 116 118 120

Master the advanced power settings Learn to defragment your hard disk Manage Windows 10’s Storage Spaces Boost Windows speed and get a better PC

Apps 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143

Games Social Entertainment Photography Music & Video Sport Books & Reference News & Weather Health & Fitness Food & Dining Lifestyle Shopping Travel Finance Productivity Tools Security Business Education Government

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 7

INTRODUCING WINDOWS 10

8 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

INTRODUCING WINDOWS 10

0U[YVK\JPUN Windows 10 Get to know the latest and greatest version of Windows that Microsoft has ever produced

W

indows 10 is the brand new and most exciting version of Microsoft’s operating system yet. It is designed for multiple devices, including desktop computers, laptops, tablets, mobile phones and hybrid devices, such as the Surface. It is an impressive blend of old and familiar features, and new and interesting ones, and this means that you will instantly feel at home whether you have used Windows 7 or 8, but there are also lots of great new features to discover and use. An example of this can be seen when browsing the internet. There is the old and familiar Internet Explorer, but also a new browser called Edge that is fast and packed with innovative and useful features that take it beyond the capabilities of the previous browser. Edge is the future of web browsing, but if you are not quite ready to embrace it, there is still Internet Explorer. The Start screen that you may have used in Windows 8 is still available, but there is also the new Start menu that combines the best

of Windows 7’s Start menu with the tiles of Windows 8’s Start screen. If you like working with desktop applications then that’s fine, and you can continue to do so, but you can also use apps from the Windows Store. They run full screen like Windows 8 or in a window like Windows 7. It’s your choice and you can stick with what you are most comfortable with. Apps are better than ever, and many have been updated to take advantage of Windows 10, including the Windows Store itself. This is now a one-stop shop for everything you need for your computer, tablet and phone, including software, music, movies and television shows. It is a brilliant resource. If you have an Xbox, you can sign in to your account on a Windows 10 PC, but if you don’t, you can still join in the fun and take photos and videos of games, follow friends, and so on. Another nice feature of Windows 10 is that it can keep all of your computers and devices in sync, so you can access your files from anywhere. It’s Microsoft’s best operating system yet.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 9

INTRODUCING WINDOWS 10

Welcome back to the desktop It is the best place for running both modern apps and desktop software Settings app The new Settings app enables you to customise Windows and configure a range of options. It has a powerful search facility too

Desktop apps Apps no longer run full screen and are in resizeable windows like regular desktop software. Bundled apps must be redesigned

Start menu The Start screen has been replaced by the Start menu, which has menus and tiles. Both its size and content are easily customised

Action Centre This icon in the taskbar opens the new Action Centre, which has buttons to access common functions, notifications and messages

T

he Windows desktop has been a feature of the operating system since the earliest days, and everyone loved it because there was so much great software for it. It was familiar and easy to use, and whether you wanted to work on your computer or just use it for entertainment, there was a desktop application that enabled you to do it. Everything changed with Windows 8; the Start menu was removed and the Start screen replaced it. Start was the first thing Windows users saw when the computer was switched on. It introduced the Windows Store and the concept of apps, which are a special type of software that is more like the

10 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

apps found on tablets and mobile phones. Apps are small, easy-to-use, lightweight programs that can be fun, serious, entertaining or business-like. They ran full screen in Windows 8; the desktop was still

“Windows 10 starts faster than ever and it goes straight to the new desktop” there lurking behind a tile on the Start screen, but it was pushed into the background.

The Windows Store is a fantastic place to find and install apps, but the desktop is great too, and there are some superb applications for it. Windows 10 blends the best of both worlds, and it makes it just as easy to install and run apps from the Windows Store as it does desktop software. Equal priority is given to both and you can run apps side by side with desktop software in a way that was not possible with previous versions. You are now able to run your favourite apps and regular software on the desktop. The Start menu is back too, but it is new and different to the old one that Windows 7 users are used to. In some ways it is similar, and there is an

INTRODUCING WINDOWS 10

WINDOWS 10 FAQs Get answers to the most commonly asked questions about Windows

© Toshiba Europe GmbH

Is Windows 10 really free or do I have to pay for it? If you are running a fully registered, legal copy of Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 then Windows 10 is indeed free of charge. It is possible to use Windows Update to download and install Windows 10, and it will remain free until 29 July 2016. After that date has passed, you may be required to pay for a full copy or upgrade. If you are running an older version of Windows, such as XP or Vista, you cannot upgrade and you must buy a full copy of Windows 10.

What do I have to do to my computer before I can upgrade to Windows 10?

‘All apps’ listing that is like the ‘All programs’ list, but it also features tiles like those in Windows 8. Once again, Microsoft has taken top features from previous versions of Windows and combined the best of them in this new version. The desktop is back and it is better than ever. Windows 10 starts faster than ever and goes straight to the new desktop. There’s the old taskbar, but it has new features, such as the search box and Cortana; the Action Centre, where notifications are stored; virtual desktops, which provide extra work spaces; a new Settings app and much more. The return to the desktop is a change from the last version of Windows, but it is a welcome one.

It is a good idea to back up your files before you start. An external USB disk drive or USB flash memory drive (thumb drive) is good for this. Copy all the files in the Documents, Music, Pictures and Videos folders, plus any other files that you want to keep. A fresh install will wipe the disk drive and erase everything, but your files can be copied back afterwards. An upgrade keeps all of your files, but a backup is still useful.

Can I keep the software that is already installed on my computer? If you are running Windows XP or Vista then the disk drive will be erased and all of your software will be removed. It is not possible to keep the old software on the computer,

so be prepared to install fresh copies of your favourite programs afterwards. If you are running Windows 7 or 8.1 and upgrade to Windows 10, your software will be kept. Most software is compatible with the latest version of Windows and should work just fine.

Can I change my mind after upgrading, and return to the old version of Windows? It is not possible to return to Windows Vista or XP, unless you have created a full backup of the disk drive in a system image. Manufacturers’ restore discs could be used to restore the original factory state. If you upgraded from Windows 7 or 8.1 then it is possible to uninstall Windows 10. Go to Start>Settings>Update & security>Recovery. An option to return to the previous version of Windows will be available for about a month after upgrading.

What is missing from Windows 10? Does it have everything that I will need? Several features have been removed from Windows 10, but either they were not used very much and you will not miss them, or there are alternatives that you can use instead. For example, Windows Media Centre is no longer in Windows. Movies and TV shows can be played in the new Films & TV app, and music can be played in Groove. Windows 7 supported desktop gadgets, but they were never very popular, so they have been left out of Windows 10.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 11

INTRODUCING WINDOWS 10

What’s new in Windows 10? A quick guide to the new features to explore after upgrading to Windows 10 Use virtual desktops The desktop is back and there is not just one of them, but as many as you want! Windows 10 has made virtual desktops, previously only available with third-party software, a feature that everyone can use. With a keypress, you can easily create new desktops or switch between existing ones. Now you can spread out your apps, and each one can be on a different desktop.

The return of the Start menu The screen that welcomes you when the computer is switched on is the desktop, and in the corner of the screen is the Start menu. This is not the one that Windows XP, Vista and 7 users had, but a new one with lots of great features. If you have used an old version of Windows you will find familiar features, like the ‘All apps’ menu and recently used applications. If you have just switched from Windows 8 then the tiles will be familiar. The Start menu has something for everyone and is customisable. For example, you can expand it and fill it with tiles for your favourite apps, or you can shrink it and remove tiles, leaving the menu. Most users will find a blend of the two is the best option, with the menus for occasionally used applications and a collection of tiles for their favourite apps.

Talk to Cortana The personal digital assistant is now in Windows 10, so you are able to issue commands to your computer using Cortana. It can be manually activated when needed, or it will cleverly listen for

the wake-up call “Hey, Cortana!” You can then ask it for information about pretty much anything, or ask for actions to be carried out. Cortana can make appointments and place them in your calendar using voice commands, and it can even move an appointment to a different time altogether. It can remind you of events taking place so you don’t forget, and alarms can be set by stating when you want to be reminded or the alarm to be triggered. Notes can be created by telling Cortana to take a note. You can even ask what music is playing in the background, or ask Cortana to play specific music.

“Cortana can make appointments and place them in your calendar using voice commands”

12 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

Browse with Edge Edge is a brand new web browser that is exclusive to Windows 10 and it has some exciting features. For example, it enables you to highlight text on a page and use Cortana to find further information. It enables you to mark up web pages by drawing on them, perhaps to highlight parts and then to share them with friends. Pages can be added to a reading list and then read later. It’s great!

INTRODUCING WINDOWS 10

New and improved apps Apps that were in Windows 8 have been improved for Windows 10, and some brand new ones have been introduced. The biggest change is that modern apps no longer occupy the whole screen. Although it was possible to tile two apps before Windows 10, there are now no restrictions on apps, and they run in a window that can be placed anywhere on the desktop and dragged to whatever size is most convenient. Two, three or more apps can be running at the same time on the desktop in windows, just like regular programs. The Mail app has had a makeover and is now cleaner, simpler and easier to use. It is a great tool for reading, sending and managing your emails. Films & TV is a new app that enables you to watch movies, television shows and series. The News app has been improved; the Xbox app enables you to keep in touch with Xbox playing friends; and the Weather app is better than ever. The Windows Store has also been enhanced and looks great.

“Although it was possible to tile two apps before Windows 10, there are now no restrictions on apps” Action Centre notifications The new Action Centre is where notifications and messages are stored. Click the notification icon at the right of the taskbar to open the panel and view them, including email messages waiting to be read in your Mail inbox. Security and maintenance messages are displayed, for example when Windows Defender needs to perform a scan of the disk to check for malware. If you have Twitter installed, you’ll see messages when people follow you or send messages. Games can show status updates, and the Xbox app can show updates and status messages. Action Centre also provides access to quick actions, a collection of buttons that enable you to quickly turn features on or off.

Groove music app Groove is a new music app for Windows 10 that enables you to play your own music and subscribe to Microsoft’s online streamingmusic service. It’s not limited to Windows 10; apps are available for iOS, Android and Windows phones. To listen to unlimited ad-free streaming music with millions of tracks to choose from, you can buy a Groove Music pass for £9.99/$9.99 a month (there’s a free 30-day trial). Music can be purchased in the Store app, and albums and individual tracks are on offer. Purchased music is played in Groove, and music on OneDrive can also be played in it.

The Settings app There’s a new way to change Windows settings. Many of the most common and used ones are now in a simple app that is logically organised and easy to use. Nearly all of the settings that you need on a daily basis are in Settings. Control Panel is still in Windows 10, but you’ll use Settings more. It has sections like Personalisation, Update & security, Devices, Accounts and so on. In each section are a number of subsections that organise the settings. Changing the desktop background, tweaking mouse settings, adding printers, can all be carried out with the Settings app. There is also a useful search facility to find settings.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 13

INTRODUCING WINDOWS 10

How to install Windows 10 See just how straightforward it is to install Windows 10

M

ost PCs running older versions of Windows can run Windows 10. Some can be upgraded, but others require a clean install. So, should you upgrade or clean install Windows 10? Windows XP and Vista users cannot upgrade; a clean install is the only option. Many Windows 7 and 8 users can upgrade, but it depends on several factors. For some, a clean install is a must. A clean install erases everything on the disk before installing Windows 10. This clears out junk files that have accumulated, and afterwards the computer will run better than before. The disadvantage is that your files are erased. Before starting, plug in a USB drive and copy your Documents, Pictures, Videos and Music folders to it. After installing Windows 10 they can be copied back. All software is deleted and new software must be installed. Installing Windows 10 involves downloading it from Microsoft’s website and then copying it to a DVD or USB flash drive (thumb drive). The PC is then restarted from this media and it installs.

Install Windows 10

Download and install the latest version

1: Download the installer

2: Select the media type

3: Burn the disc

Go to www.microsoft.com/software-download/ windows10 and click the Download tool. Choose the Run option or save it and run it afterwards from the Downloads folder.

Windows 10 can be installed from a USB flash drive of 8GB or larger, or DVD. Choose an option. If your PC has a DVD/CD writer, put a blank DVD-R in the drive to create an install disc and select ISO file.

You are prompted to save the ISO file, and it is saved to the Documents folder. Afterwards, click the option to open the DVD burner and copy it to a DVD-R disc.

14 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

INTRODUCING WINDOWS 10

“Some PCs can be upgraded, but others require a clean install”

Upgrade Upgrade to Windows 10 and keep all your files

U

pgrading to Windows 10 is often an automatic process. You’ll see a message on the screen saying that Windows 10 is ready to install, or that it is available to download and install. If you do not see this message, try running Windows Update in the Control Panel until you do. Modern PCs run 64-bit Windows and it is the best choice when there is 4GB or more of memory, but the 32-bit version is commonly used in older PCs and those with less than 4GB. Windows Upgrade installs the same

Upgrade to Windows 10

version that you have. To switch from 32-bit to 64-bit, use the install method outlined earlier and make a boot DVD or USB flash drive. If there are problems with Windows Update or you don’t see an upgrade message, follow the guide below to download and install Windows 10. It uses the download tool on the Microsoft website and handles the upgrade process. Your files and software are kept and nothing is deleted, but we still recommend backing up before starting. Plug in a USB disk drive or flash memory drive and copy across.

Enhance your system

1: Get the upgrade

2: Select the upgrade

If you don’t see an upgrade prompt, go to www.microsoft.com/software-download/ windows10. Click the download button and run the tool afterwards.

When the download tool is running, it checks and prepares the PC for the upgrade. This can take a minute or two. When ready, it displays two options. Select ‘Upgrade this PC now’.

4: Restart and install

3: Download and install

4: Use Express settings

Restart the computer and look for an option to boot from the DVD or USB flash drive (sometimes you must press an F-key like F9). The installer starts and the rest is easy.

There is little to do once the process starts and the tool first downloads Windows, which could take an hour or two depending on the internet speed. Take a break and come back.

Near the end when Windows 10 has almost finished installing, you might see a screen like this, which asks if you want to use Express settings or not. Click the button to finish.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 15

50 ESSENTIAL TIPS

50 Essential tips to get more from Windows 10 Use these top tips to work smarter and more easily with Windows. You’ll find they will save you both time and effort

16 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

50 ESSENTIAL TIPS

W

indows 10 has more features and settings than ever, and this is great because it means that you can customise it in a variety of ways to make it work the way you want it to. There are many settings and configuration options that change the way Windows 10 works, and we explore some of these in our collection of top tips.

For example, you can choose what is displayed when the computer starts, and either the new Start menu or the old Start screen can be used. You can change File Explorer’s view and how it responds to clicks; Cortana can be customised and trained to provide a better understanding of your needs; and there is much more. The tips explore new and better ways to work with your computer, and show how to

share websites, apps and other content. You can create clutter-free desktops with just a key press, remove unused software, swap mouse buttons (for left-handed people), change the mouse wheel effects and so on. The tips are diverse and range from showing you how to back up files to finding out what music is playing in the background. That’s just a little trick Cortana can do, and there are more. Read on to see for yourself.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 17

50 ESSENTIAL TIPS

Quick access to Settings

Get the old Start screen

There are several ways to access Settings, and clicking Start>Settings is just one of the ways. Click Start then simply right-click the Settings menu option. Select ‘Pin to Start’ and a Settings tile is created. You might find that this easier to click, because it is a bigger target. Click Start, right-click Settings and select More>Pin to taskbar. This adds an icon to the taskbar that is much easier than going to the Start menu. The fastest way to get to Settings is to hold down the Windows key and press I. You will find that the Settings window appears almost instantaneously.

If you were a Windows 8 user and became familiar and comfortable with the Start screen, you will find Windows 10’s Start menu quite strange in the way that it mixes tiles and menus. It is a sort of hybrid of Windows 7 and 8. If you really liked Windows 8’s interface and miss it, there is an option to return to it. Click Start>Settings then click the Personalisation section. Select Start on the left then turn on the switch beneath ‘Use Start full screen’. To see the Start screen, just press the Windows key.

Tile new apps When new apps from the Windows Store or software downloaded from the internet is installed, they are added to the All apps alphabetical list of items on the Start menu. Tiles may or may not appear on the Start menu. Find the app in Start>All apps, right-click it and select ‘Pin to Start’ to add a tile. The tile is added to the bottom of the tiles grid, and this might not be convenient. Find it, then click and drag it to wherever you want to put it. Rightclick it and choose whether to make it larger, smaller or live.

Use a metered internet connection Windows 10 requires an internet connection for many tasks, and these include downloading operating-system updates, refreshing the content in apps like News and Weather, syncing OneDrive files and so on. If you need to minimise the amount of internet activity your device is recording, such as when you are out with a laptop or even at home with a limited internet service, go to Start>Settings>Network & internet. Select WiFi and click Advanced options at the bottom. Turn on Set as a metered connection. Windows will then use the internet, but it will use as little as possible, putting off updates and several other tasks.

18 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

Use File History Although it is rare, sometimes disk drives develop faults, and files are corrupted or lost. Consider yourself lucky if you have never experienced a drive fault. Sometimes we accidentally delete files we need without realising, and then to make matters worse, empty the Recycle Bin, too. Sometimes deleted files are not placed in the Recycle Bin. We all lose files from time to time, but if you have a backup then this is not a problem. Lost files can easily be recovered from the backup. The trouble is that few of us actually bother to back up our files, and many of us don’t even have backup software on their computers. For this reason, Microsoft has included a feature in Windows 10 called File History. It is a simple form of backup that is intended to enable you to recover lost, corrupt and accidentally deleted files. The only drawback is that it is turned off by default and it must be turned on before it can be used. An external USB disk drive is a requirement of File History because this is where the backups are stored. Let’s assume there is a suitable drive plugged in to the computer and switched on. Rightclick the Start button and select Control Panel. In small icons view, click File History. There is a button on the right to turn it on or off, and there is a link on the left to select the disk drive to use. Click ‘Select drive’ and choose the external USB disk drive. Then turn on File History. It is now protecting your files by making copies of them on the USB disk, and File History will continue to work automatically without needing any attention. If a file is ever lost or corrupted, all you need to do is open File Explorer, select This PC on the left and double-click the USB disk drive. Go to the File History folder>[your folder]>[the computer name]>Data>C>Users folder. It takes a lot of clicking through folders, but your files are there. To restore them, just drag them from the USB disk to the PC’s internal disk, which is the C drive.

50 ESSENTIAL TIPS

Say “Hey, Cortana!” If you make heavy use of Cortana to search for things and perform actions using voice commands, you can get the digital assistant to constantly listen. This saves having to click the microphone button at the right of the search box. Click in Cortana’s search box, click the Notebook icon on the left, click Settings, and set the switch under Hey Cortana to On. Now you can just say “Hey, Cortana!” to wake Cortana and issue commands and searches.

Get Cortana to sing to you Cortana can do some surprising things that you might not expect. For example, did you know that Cortana can sing? Click the microphone button in the Cortana box or say “Hey, Cortana!” Then say “Sing me a song!” Cortana will proceed to sing to you. Also try “What does the fox say?” For more fun, say “Tell me a joke,” and “Knock, knock.” Try asking Cortana to divide a number by zero, and the answer includes a comment about vacuum cleaning!

Learn what song is playing Sometimes when a great song is playing on the radio you might wonder what it is. Who is the artist? What album is that? Cortana can listen and then tell you exactly what it is. Just click the microphone button in the Cortana box in the taskbar or say “Hey, Cortana!” Then say “What is this song?” Cortana listens for about 20 seconds and then tells you the artist, album and track.

Use Cortana in Edge Cortana is a personal assistant that can find the answer to many questions, even when those questions are on a web page. This feature, which works only with the Edge web browser, is a great way to look up unfamiliar words, phrases, definitions and so on. Click and drag over a word or phrase on a web page in Edge to select it. Right click it and choose Ask Cortana. A panel opens on the right-hand side with results from Cortana’s search.

Train Cortana Cortana is designed to respond to voice commands, but if there are multiple people talking in the same room, or even if you have the television turned on in the background, you don’t want Cortana responding to things that others might be saying. There’s also the possibility that a mischievous person might shout “Delete all files!” Would Cortana do it? It’s best not to try it, just in case! It is best if Cortana ignores what everyone else in the room is saying and responds only to your specific voice commands. To set this up, click in the Cortana search box on the taskbar, then click the Notebook icon on the left. Click Settings and turn on the switch next to ‘Let Cortana respond to “Hey Cortana!”’ Underneath is ‘Respond best’ and the choice is ‘Anyone’ or ‘To me’. First you must click the ‘Learn my voice’ button. After doing this, you will be asked to read out loud a few sentences of text and Cortana will listen and learn your voice. Afterwards you can select ‘To me’ and Cortana will be able to differentiate between your voice and others.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 19

50 ESSENTIAL TIPS

Check the storage With growing photo, movie and music collections, and large applications, the disk might eventually run short of space, Keep an eye on the space that is remaining by clicking File Explorer in the taskbar and selecting This PC on the left. Each disk drive or partition is shown as a bar with the used part in blue. Below is the amount of free space and total capacity. The question is: what is using up all the space? There is an easy way to find out. Click Start>Settings>System>Storage. The disks and partitions are shown in a similar manner to Explorer. However, in Settings the disk or partition can be clicked and this shows the space used by apps and games, photos, music, videos, emails and so on. This makes it easy to see what’s using the most space and, once you know this, you can do something about it. Each of the categories can be clicked to get more information. Click Other for instance, to see what is included in this category.

Create PDF files to send to others

20 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

Share everything with your friends No matter what app or desktop program you are using, you can share the content with other people through social networking, email and messaging. You can also save it for later with the Reading List app or OneNote. To see the sharing options, hold down the Windows key and press H. This opens the sharing panel on the right side of the screen. It lists all the ways that content on your computer can be shared, and the options depend on the apps that are installed. Add Facebook and Twitter from the Windows Store, for example, and you can then share items on those two social networks. If you are viewing a web page in Edge then the address of the page can be shared as a link, to which you can also add a comment. If you are using an app or desktop application, the option might be to share a screenshot. It depends on what you are sharing. Just press Windows+H and click one of the options, then follow the prompts, Sharing stuff is very straightforward.

PDF files are a very useful way to distribute documents, and they can be created from almost anything, including an ebook, a manual, a report or even your CV. The main advantage of a PDF file over an ordinary file saved from an application is that when the PDF is viewed, it looks exactly as the author intended, even if the person viewing it does not have the original software – the layout, colours and fonts are preserved. You can create PDF files on your Windows 10 computer in a similar way to using a printer. In any application that can print, go to the File menu and select Print. What appears next depends on the program, but there is usually an option somewhere to choose the printer. Use it to select Microsoft Print to PDF. Print the document and instead of it printing out on paper via your printer, you are prompted to save it to the disk as a PDF file. Doubleclick PDFs to view them.

Cut, copy, paste, undo There are many keyboard shortcuts, and the most common ones are cut, copy, paste and undo. They work in almost all apps and desktop programs that support these functions. It is easy to see how these might work in a word processor, but they work elsewhere, even in File Explorer. Press Ctrl+X to cut (text, files, images and so on), Ctrl+C to copy, Ctrl+V to paste, and Ctrl+Z to undo.

Scroll inactive windows Suppose you have two windows open on the desktop. The one you are currently using is the active one and the other (usually tucked away in the background) is inactive. Move the mouse over the inactive one and spin the mouse wheel. Does the window scroll? If it doesn’t but you’d like it to, then press Windows+I to open Settings, go to Devices>Mouse & touchpad. Turn on the switch under ‘Scroll inactive windows when I hover over them’. It is a useful feature that can save you a bunch of time if you’re consistently managing multiple windows across various apps.

50 ESSENTIAL TIPS

© Toshiba Europe GmbH

Monitor OneDrive storage Microsoft provides online storage space to store your files in. Any files placed in the OneDrive folder on the disk are automatically copied and stored online, which makes them available on other computers and devices you may use. The amount of space available is currently 15GB, but this will be reduced to 5GB in 2016. Keep an eye on the space used by right-clicking the OneDrive folder in File Explorer and selecting Properties on the menu. The total size of all the files it contains is displayed in gigabytes. If more than 5GB is being used, move files to another folder.

Uninstall software Clean up the desktop Is the desktop cluttered with lots of windows and apps? Instantly declutter it by press three keys together: Windows+Ctrl+D. Everything instantly disappears and leaves a completely empty desktop. Don’t worry, no windows or apps have been closed; what has happened is that a new virtual desktop has been created. Press Windows+Ctrl+Left arrow to go back to the original desktop and Windows+Ctrl+Right arrow for the new desktop. New apps and windows can be opened on the new desktop without the distraction of all the old windows and apps. More virtual desktops can be created in the same way using the same keys.

Manage security and maintenance Is the computer secure from hackers, viruses and malware? Are there any essential maintenance tasks that need to be performed? Find out by right-clicking the search box in the taskbar and entering ‘security’. The top result is Security and Maintenance in the Control Panel. Click it. All sorts of messages appear here, such as Windows defender needing to scan the disk, or applications that are slowing down the computer. Read the messages and see what they say. If actions need to be carried out then there are buttons to do them. Click the buttons to fix any problems.

Use quick actions

Click the notifications icon at the right side of the taskbar and the Action Center panel opens at the side of the screen. Action Center enables you to perform various actions, and there are buttons at the bottom of the panel to do this. Click Expand if only one row of buttons is visible. There are 12 in total. These buttons are quick actions that change various system settings, such as Bluetooth, Location tracking, Battery saver, Quiet hours (to stop showing notifications) and so on. To open Action Center quickly, press Windows+A, then it’s just one mouse click to use quick actions.

There are thousands of apps in the Windows Store and tens of thousands elsewhere on the internet, and it can be fun to try them. Any software you no longer use should be uninstalled; this recovers the disk space it is using and helps to maintain the performance of the PC. Having too many programs installed can slow it down, so keep it clean and fast. Many applications can be uninstalled from the Start menu and it is the first place to visit when you want to get rid of software. Right-click any tile on the Start menu or go to All apps and right-click any items that you find there. Usually there is an Uninstall option on the menu. Click it and follow the instructions in order to remove the software. Not all software can be uninstalled, because some apps are part of Windows itself. These apps include Maps, Calendar, Mail, Photos and several others. Don’t worry about these ones, but if you really don’t want them, just right-click the tiles and select Unpin from Start. It does not delete them from the disk, but it does hide them from the Start menu (they are still on the All apps list though). Another rather useful way to uninstall software is through the Control Panel. Simply right-click the Start button and select Control Panel. Set the view to Small icons in the top right-hand corner of the window, then click Programs and Features. Double-click any program in order to uninstall it. There is another useful feature in Programs and Features, and this is the Size column. Click the Size header and the programs are sorted according to size (click again if the largest is not at the top). This is very useful if you want to see which programs are the biggest and taking up the most disk space.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 21

50 ESSENTIAL TIPS

Pin settings to Start

Pin Data usage

All sorts of things can be pinned to the new Start menu, and this can make them easier to access. For example, settings can be pinned to the Start menu as tiles. Click Start and right-click Settings. There is an option to pin/unpin it to the Start menu and to pin it to the taskbar. Pinning it to the taskbar next to Explorer, Edge and other icons makes it quicker to access. Open Settings and there are categories, such as System, Devices, Personalisation and so on. Rightclick them and select Pin to Start. Enter a category, such as Personalisation, and any item on the left, such as Background or Colours, can be right-clicked and pinned.

If your internet service has a data limit, you will need to keep an eye on the amount that you are using. Windows can do that and you can see the amount used in the last 30 days by going to Start>Settings> Network & internet>Data usage. Windows tracks which applications use the internet and the amount of data they transfer. Click Usage details to see a list of apps sorted by their data. Right-click Data usage in Settings and select Pin to Start. This adds a tile that not only goes straight to this section in Settings, but it is also live. The live tile displays the data used in the last 30 days, plus your IP address.

Add/remove Start tiles

As you download apps from the Windows Store and install software from the internet, the number of tiles on the Start menu will gradually increase. Eventually there might be so many it is hard to find the one you want. Removing tiles that are rarely used reduces the clutter and leaves the most used apps where they are easy to access. Right-click a tile on the Start menu and select Unpin from Start. If you change your mind and want to add it again, click Start>All apps and find it among the list of apps. Right-click it and select Pin to Start.

Make use of jump lists Add folders as Start tiles It is possible to add folders to the Start menu as tiles and you might find this a convenient way to access your favourites. It has to be done in an odd way, but it is an easy process. Open a File Explorer window and go to the folder that contains the one that is to be added as a tile. You need to be able to see the folder as an icon in Explorer. Right-click it and select Pin to Quick Access. This adds it to the Quick Access panel on the left side of the Explorer window. Rightclick the folder in Quick Access and select Pin to Start. Open the Start menu and find the tile – it is probably near the bottom. Click the tile and drag it to wherever you want it if the current position is not convenient. More folders can be added to the Start menu in the same way. Right-click the tile if you want to to remove it, and right-click the folder from Quick Access in Explorer to remove it.

22 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

Some functions of programs are very basic and frequently used, like going to a website in a web browser or opening a new tab; opening a document in Notepad or WordPad; opening an image in Paint, and so on. These actions can be compiled into a list called a jump list that is associated with the program. To see an example of a jump list, rightclick the Explorer icon in the taskbar and a list of common folders is displayed in a pop-up menu. Instead of opening Explorer and navigating to the folder on the disk drive, right-click the icon, then select the folder you want in the jump list. Explorer opens and goes straight there for you, which saves time and effort. A word processor like WordPad or Word has a list of documents that have been recently opened. Just right-click the icon to show the jump list, then click the document to open it. It is a useful, time-saving trick. The Start menu can also show jump lists. In the Most used list of applications in the top-left corner of Start, some items have an arrow (>) on the right. Left-click it to view the jump list,then select an item to open the file, go to the web

page or whatever actions are available. In addition to this, desktop programs that have tiles on the Start menu also display jump lists when they are right-clicked. Windows Store apps do not have jump lists and only desktop software has them. If you cannot see any jump lists, click Start> Settings>Personalisation>Start. There is an on/off switch under ‘Show recently opened items’ in Jump Lists on Start or the taskbar. Make sure it is switched on.

50 ESSENTIAL TIPS

Help with your PC Settings contains an Ease of Access section that contains many settings that are able to make the PC easier to use for some people. For example, go to the Narrator section and turn on Narrator. When the mouse hovers over a window, button, menu and so on, the text is read out loud and this is helpful for people with difficulty reading the screen. Choose the voice to use and set the speed and pitch to whatever suits you best. There is a comprehensive list of options that enable you to choose what Narrator speaks out loud. Select Other options in the Ease of Access section and there are a couple of useful settings. One is to turn off animations in Windows. Animations look good on a powerful PC, but turning them off can help an old PC to run more smoothly because it has less work to do. As you use your PC, notifications appear in the bottom-right corner of the screen. There is an option in Ease of Access to choose how long or short a time notifications stay on the screen. If you don’t like interruptions, set a short duration of five seconds, but if you need more time to read the notifications, choose longer times. Notifications can remain on the screen for up to five minutes. Choose whatever suits you best.

Change File Explorer views File Explorer shows the files and folders on the disk drive and there are several different view options. These enable the disk contents to be displayed in different ways. Open File Explorer by clicking the icon on the taskbar and click the View menu. There are options to display small icons, medium icons, large icons, extra large icons, list and details. If you cannot decide which is the best view for a folder’s contents, hold down Ctrl and spin the scroll wheel on the mouse to cycle through all the options. It depends on the trackpad you have, but with some laptops you also can hold down Ctrl and slide up or down with two fingers to switch Explorer views.

Change the mouse

Pin folders in Explorer

The mouse pointer can easily be changed, and this can be helpful if you sometimes have problems seeing it. Sometimes it seems to disappear among the windows, icons and other screen objects. Go to Settings>Ease of access>Mouse. On the right are three different pointer sizes and three different colour schemes. Try each of the options by clicking them, and choose whichever suits you best.

Click File Explorer in the taskbar to open the window. On the left at the top is the Quick access list of commonly used folders. Add your own by finding them on the disk drive, then dragging them to the Quick access area. A thick, black, horizontal line shows the position a folder will be inserted. Drop it and now the folder can be accessed with one click without having to search for it on the disk.

Customise the trackpad

Laptop computers have a touchpad or ClickPad that is used to control the mouse by dragging your finger, tapping, clicking and other gestures. The touchpad can often be customised, and it is possible to choose which gestures to use and how they work. The right settings make the computer and pointer easier to use. The features available depend on the type of touchpad and software, so explore the options. The Synaptics ClickPad is a common touchpad and can be customised by rightclicking the Start button and selecting Control Panel. In small icons view, click Mouse and select the ClickPad Settings tab. Click the ClickPad Settings button. A new window opens with the properties for the ClickPad. Expand each of the sections and tick the items you want to use. For example, a three-finger tap opens Cortana, a fourfinger tap opens Action Centre, swiping with two fingers scrolls windows vertically or horizontally. Select each of the settings and an animated demonstration of the item is played.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 23

50 ESSENTIAL TIPS

Set the default apps

Customise File Explorer

There are different types of files on the disk drive. When a file is double clicked in File Explorer or on the desktop, Windows looks for an application associated with that file. If there is one, the file is opened in the application. So, double click a .jpg file in Explorer, and it will open in the Photos app. Suppose you want to open a file in a different app. By changing the default app associated with a file type, it can be opened in whatever app you want. For instance, it is possible to view photos in Windows Photo Viewer instead of Photos. To change file associations, press Windows+I to open Settings. Click System>Default apps. It shows Email, Maps, Music Player, Video Player, Photo viewer and Web browser. Any of these can be changed if there is a suitable alternative. Click Photo viewer, for example, and choose from Photos, Paint, Windows Photos Viewer and any other installed photo app. There are more ways to set the defaults. At the bottom is a link; choose default applications by file type. This lists all file types and the association application. Click an app and a different one can be selected as the default. You could, for example, change the association for .jpg images so they open in Windows Photo Viewer instead of photos.

File Explorer is one of the most used programs on the computer, and when it is started it always shows the same view. It shows the Quick access items in the top half of the window and a list of recently used files and folders in the bottom half. This view is not fixed; it can be customised in several ways. You might find a view that is more useful and provides faster access to your files with a few tweaks. Click the File Explorer icon in the taskbar to open the window. Click the View tab to select it, then click Options. On the General tab at the top is Open File Explorer to, and there is a choice of Quick access or This PC. Try them both and choose the one that suits you best. Down towards the bottom of the window is a Privacy sections. The options are to show or hide recently used files and folders. Choose your favourite. Another option in this window is to single or double-click files and folders. If you find it difficult to double-click the mouse, or if you just want to reduce the clicking required to open files and folders, select Single-click to open an item.

Use Open with In a previous tip we saw how to permanently change the application associated with a file. To open a file in a different application to the default, but without changing the default association, right-click the file in Explorer and select Open with, then choose an application to open it with. No settings are changed, and double-clicking the file still opens it with the default application.

Show file extensions Open File Explorer. Click Options and select the View tab. Clear the tick box for ‘Hide extensions for known file types’. Tweak the tick box next to ‘Show status bar’ to show the number of files or folders selected and their size, and to switch between details and thumbnail views. Tick ‘Use check boxes to select items’. Each file and folder in Explorer has a box, which makes selecting multiple items simpler.

24 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

Control Panel settings The Settings app is the obvious place to find Windows settings and it has most of what you need in the majority of circumstances. However, it contains only the most used settings and it does not have every Windows configuration option. There are many settings that are not in the app and, as you will discover, if you explore the features in Settings, sometimes the Control Panel appears when an item is clicked. The Control Panel has been around for decades and it has always been the place where Windows settings are stored. A lot of them are still stored there and it is useful to get to know it. Click Start>All apps and scroll down to the bottom of the list. Expand the Windows System section and Control Panel is there on a menu. Add it as a tile to the Start menu where it is easier to access by right-clicking it and selecting Pin to Start. Left-click the Control Panel to open it. The Control Panel contains many sections, and the best way to see them is to select Small icons in the View menu in the top right-hand corner. This displays the various components, such as Date and Time, Power Options, Sound, Keyboard, Mouse and so on. When clicking items in Control Panel you might occasionally see the Settings app appear, but most of the time you will discover settings that are not in the Setting app. The best way to find anything in the Control Panel is to click in the search box in the top-right corner and enter a keyword. For example, enter a word like ‘keyboard’ and all the settings that include keyboard are listed. To see all the mouse settings or printer settings, enter ‘mouse’ or ‘printer’. Some of the settings in Control Panel are for expert users, but there are plenty of straightforward settings too. When the Control Panel is open, rightclick the icon in the taskbar and select Pin to taskbar. This makes the icon permanent and it is then easy to open with a mouse click. There is another advantage, and rightclicking the taskbar icon displays a menu with links to the most commonly used Control Panel sections.

50 ESSENTIAL TIPS

Swap mouse buttons The mouse is designed for right-handed people and the left button is conveniently positioned underneath the index finger, with the right button under the middle finger. This can be awkward for left-handed people and you might find it better to switch the mouse buttons around so the index finger is a primary click and the middle finger is a secondary click. Right-click the Start button and select Control Panel. Click in the search box and enter ‘mouse’. Click Change mouse click settings. This opens the Mouse properties window with the Buttons tab selected. At the top is an option to switch the primary and secondary buttons. Tick the box and then click the Apply button. After changing the buttons around, remember that whenever you are told to left-click on something, what is really meant is to click the primary button, which is now on the right-hand side. Unfortunately, everyone assumes people are right handed or that left-handed people use the mouse in the same configuration as righthanded people.

Change mouse pointer The mouse pointer is probably not something you have thought about, but like many parts of Windows, it can be customised. Right-click the Start button and select Control Panel. In small icons view, click Mouse and then select the Pointers tab. In the Scheme section is a list of different mouse schemes and these are alternative pointers. For example, there are small and large ones, white and black ones, and several more. Select your favourite pointer scheme.

Faster scrolling

Rate and review

Spin the mouse wheel, and web pages and documents scroll up and down the screen. You can choose the speed at which they scroll and they can be made to go faster or more slowly as you prefer. Right-click the Start menu and select Control Panel. In small icons view, click Mouse and then select the Wheel tab. Use the control to set the number of lines to scroll at a time.

Microsoft wants you to rate apps and post reviews in the Windows Store because it is useful for other users. You can do this by going to an app’s page in the Windows Store, but a quick way is to right-click an app’s tile on the Start menu and select Rate and Review. Click the stars to add a rating and type in a comment to add to the reviews section.

Choose a power plan Right-click on the power/battery icon at the right-hand side of the taskbar and then select Power Options from the menu that is displayed. Doing this will open the Control Panel’s Power Options window. There are usually three default power plans available on a Windows computer. High performance runs the computer at maximum speed all the time. Power saver reduces the performance in order to maximise the time a laptop can run on its battery. Balanced (which is sometimes renamed by the manufacturer) offers a little bit of both. The computer saves battery power when it can, but if it needs to, such as when running a particularly demanding application, it can provide extra performance. Select the High performance plan when the computer is running on mains power or you want to play fast action games. Choose the Power saver plan when you use a laptop on battery power. It also enables the computer to run cooler and the fan does not blow out as much hot air. Click Change plan settings and use the controls to determine when to turn off the screen or put the computer to sleep when it is idle and not being used. Use the slider to set the default screen brightness, making it dimmer to save power on the battery.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 25

50 ESSENTIAL TIPS

Search for anything The best way to find something on your computer or on the internet is to search for it. No matter whether you are working within an application or simply idling at the desktop, hold down the Windows key and press S, then type in whatever you want to find. It could be an app, a document, a photo, a setting and so on. The results are displayed in categories. Mouse over the search panel and drag the scroll bar on the right up and down to see all the results. What you see is just a very small selection of the search results that are available and the initial results show just two or three matching items in each of the categories. It is not obvious, but the category titles in the search results are links that perform useful actions for obtaining additional results. Click the Web category title for example, and a web browser window opens and shows the first page of thousands of internet search results from Bing.

Click the Store category title in the initial search results and the Windows Store app opens and performs the search. It then shows search results organised by categories including apps, games, songs, films and so on. There are a handful of examples in each Store category, and there is a Show all link to view the rest of the search results. This means that you can easily find songs or games to play just by pressing Windows+S and typing in a keyword. Click the Documents category and the search panel enlarges to double its width, and displays a much larger list of matching or closely matching files, along with controls to sort the search results by relevance and filtering to limit the results to a particular type of file, such as photos, videos, music and so on. After pressing Windows+S and entering a word or two to search for, click My Stuff right down at the bottom of the search results. The search panel widens to display more results. Use the mouse wheel to scroll up and down the results and they are organised by category, such as documents, photos and so on. The photos section even shows thumbnails of the images and clicking them opens them in the Photos app. The more you explore the search facilities, the more features you will find. Master searching for things and you will never lose anything.

Auto-save files to OneDrive When files are saved, they can be stored on the PC’s disk drive or in the OneDrive folder, so they are copied to your online storage and made available on other computers, phones and tablets. Click the up arrow at the right side of the taskbar, then right click the

26 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

OneDrive icon. Select Settings on the menu then select the Auto-save tab in the window. There are options to save files to This PC only or OneDrive for both documents and pictures. Choose the option that suits you best, but remember that OneDrive has a 5GB limit for files with a free account (more storage can be purchased though). When a camera, phone or other device is connected to the computer, Windows can automatically copy the photos and videos off it and store them on the disk drive. Tick the option to store them in the OneDrive folder if you want to also store them online. There is one more option and this is to store screenshots in the OneDrive folder instead of the Pictures folder on the disk. The choice is yours, but bear in mind the space limitations. Photos, screenshots and videos take up a lot of storage space and sooner or later you could reach the limit of a free account. When this happens, no more files will be uploaded automatically to OneDrive online. Microsoft Office users get a massive 1TB of space online, so the size of files is not a problem at all.

Save the screen

Capturing the image on the screen can be useful for certain purposes, such as when you want to save a web page to disk, or if you need to save a program window. To save the current screen to disk in the C:\Users\YourName\Pictures\Screenshots folder, hold down the Windows key and press Prt Sc. This is how all the screenshots in this guide were created. Each one is numbered.

Take game snapshots

Although pressing Windows+Prt Sc saves the current screen, there is an alternative method that is available when playing games. When you achieve your highest score ever, or you reach some other goal, you might want to save the screen. Press Windows+G to open the Game Bar and click the camera icon. Open the Xbox app afterwards and select Game DVR on the left-hand side. It then shows the screenshots.

Record game movies

It is possible to not only save screenshots of achievements in games, but also record your activities as a movie. This enables guides to be produced or just to show off your gaming skills. While playing the game, press Windows+G to open the Game Bar and click the red button to start recording. Click again to stop. Go to the Game DVR section in the Xbox app to view them.

50 ESSENTIAL TIPS

Advanced searching

Change sound schemes

Searching for files, settings and other things is easy enough, but sometimes it does not produce the desired results. Try using AND, OR and NOT. For example, open Settings, click in the search box and enter ‘battery’. Many more results are displayed if you enter ‘battery OR power’ and results can contain one or the other keyword, or both. It improves search results.

When certain actions are performed or events occur, like a notification message, Windows plays a sound. It can be useful, but it can also spoil music or movies that are playing, and distract you when you are concentrating on something. One option is to turn the sound down, which is fine if you are writing a document in Word, but not if you are watching a movie or listening to music. Windows lets you customise the sounds that it makes when events occur and actions are taken. You can choose which events make sounds and silence them if you prefer, and you can choose what sounds each event makes. Right-click the Start button and select Control Panel. In Small icons view, click Sound and then select the Sounds tab. There is a Sound Scheme menu at the top and clicking this enables you to select Windows Default or No Sounds if you prefer silence. If extra themes are installed (a collection of desktop wallpaper, icons and so on), additional sound schemes may be added to this list. Let’s assume that you want sounds and either Windows Default or some other sound scheme is selected. The Program Events list below shows all the different events that can occur, for example, a calendar reminder, low battery alarm, open

Create Explorer jump lists Right-click the File Explorer icon in the taskbar and a jump list is displayed. This has commonly used folders that you can view with a click. It simplifies opening Explorer and navigating the disk drive to get to the folder you want. The list is not fixed and it can be customised. Open File Explorer and find a folder on the disk drive that you frequently access. Click it, drag it down to the taskbar and drop it on the File Explorer icon. The folder is added to the items on the jump list. To remove an item from the jump list, right-click the File Explorer icon, let the mouse hover over the item to remove, and then click the icon on the right to delete it. It does not delete the folder on disk and only the item on the jump list menu is removed.

View Edge tab previews

a program, close a program and so on. Those events that have a speaker icon next to them have a sound associated with them. Select an event and use the Sounds list to choose the sound you want or None, which is right at the top. Click the Test button to hear a sound. After customising the sounds, click the OK button to apply them.

Get better backups

Tabs in web browsers are a fantastic invention because they enable multiple websites and web pages to be open simultaneously. They can get rather out of hand, though, and when there are a lot open it is quite easy to forget what is on each one. In Edge, let the mouse hover over a tab and a thumbnail image of the web page is displayed below. Click a tab to switch to it.

Earlier we looked at File History and showed how to set it up to make copies of your files on an external USB disk drive. It works automatically, but settings can be customised to improve the backup. Rightclick the Start button and select Control Panel. In Small icons view, click File History. Click Advanced settings on the left. There are two options and you can choose how often to save copies of files, from every 10 minutes to once a day. You can also choose how long to keep the backups for.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 27

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Tips Get to know Windows 10 with our expert guides – browse the web, be more productive and solve any issues

40

Increase productivity

46

Get more from Cortana


Customise Windows

t
$IBOHF
UIF
EFTLUPQ
CBDLHSPVOE t
"EE
B
TMJEFTIPX t
5BLF
DPOUSPM
PG
UIF
DPMPVST t
1FSTPOBMJTF
UIF
-PDL
TDSFFO t

"EKVTU
UIF
TPVOET
PG
8JOEPXT t
.BOBHF
EFTLUPQ
JDPOT t
0SHBOJTF
UIF
UBTLCBS
BOE
EJTQMBZ t
$IBOHF
UIF
TJ[F
PG
EFTLUPQ
JDPOT t
4FU
B
UIFNF

t
(FU
XFBUIFS
GPSFDBTUT t

7JFX
NBQT
XJUI
$PSUBOB t

6TF
$PSUBOB
UP
TFU
BMBSNT t

4QFBL
UP
DSFBUF
$BMFOEBS
FWFOUT t
/FWFS
GPSHFU
XJUI
SFNJOEFST t
6TF
ZPVS
WPJDF
UP
XSJUF
OPUFT

50 30 36

t
1SPWJEF
NPSF
TDSFFO
SFBM
FTUBUF t

4OBQQJOH
XJOEPXT t

,FZ
JO
B
XFC
BEESFTT
GSPN UIF
UBTLCBS t

.BTUFS
UIF
5BTL
7JFX
GVODUJPO t

4QFFE
UIJOHT
VQ
XJUI
TIPSUDVUT t

4XJUDI
VQ
ZPVS
EFGBVMU
BQQT t

(FU
UIJOHT
EPOF
XJUI 4UJDLZ
/PUFT t

.BLF
VTF
PG
$PSUBOB t

1MBO
ZPVS
TDIFEVMF

Manage OneDrive t
"DDFTT
0OF%SJWF
GBTUFS t
4IBSF
ö
MFT
XJUI
PUIFST t

&NBJM
B
MJOL
UISPVHI
0OF%SJWF t
*ODSFBTF
ZPVS
0OF%SJWF
TUPSBHF t

4IBSF
ZPVS
GPMEFST t
4ZOD
TQFDJö
D
GPMEFST

Secure your PC t
$IFDL
UIF
QSPUFDUJPO
TUBUVT t

4DBO
GPS
QSPCMFNT t
4FU
VQ
.JDSPTPGU
&EHF
PQUJPOT t
*ODSFBTF
TFDVSJUZ
UISPVHI
1SJWBDZ t
#MPDL
IBDLFST
BOE
NBMXBSF t
4FDVSJUZ
BOE
.BJOUFOBODF

28 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

46

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

54

Browse with Edge t
(FU
TUBSUFE
XJUI
&EHF t
6TF
3FBEJOH
WJFX t
"TL
$PSUBOB
GPS
JOGPSNBUJPO t
4BWF
TJUFT
UP
ZPVS
'BWPVSJUFT t
%SBX
PO
XFC
QBHFT t
#VJME
B
3FBEJOH
MJTU

68

Download new apps

72

Activate Tablet mode

t

#SPXTF
UIF
CFTU
BQQT t

$IFDL
PVU
DBUFHPSJFT t

-FBSO
IPX
UP
JOTUBMM
BO
BQQ t

%JTDPWFS
IPX
UP
WJFX ZPVS
BDDPVOU t

4FBSDI
UIF
8JOEPXT
4UPSF t

3BUF
BOE
SFWJFX

t

(FU
UIF
UBCMFU
FYQFSJFODF t

&YQMPSF
UIF
4UBSU
TDSFFO t

#SJOH
CBDL
QFSTPOBM
UPVDIFT t

.VMUJUBTLJOH
XJUI
5BCMFU
NPEF t

5BQ
BXBZ
BU
UIF
UPVDI
LFZCPBSE t

1PXFS
VQ
UIF
UBTLCBS

62 58

Keep informed

62

Stay entertained

t
4FF
XIBUhT
USFOEJOH
PO
5XJUUFS t

(FU
TQPSUJOH
VQEBUFT t

5SBDL
ZPVS
UPQ
NBSLFU t

$VTUPNJTF
ZPVS
OFXT
GFFET t

.POJUPS
UIF
XFBUIFS t

.BOBHF
ZPVS
OPUJö
DBUJPOT

t
-JTUFO
UP
EJHJUBM
SBEJP
TUBUJPOT t

%PXOMPBE
GSPN
:PV5VCF t
1JO
BO
BMCVN
UP
UIF
4UBSU
NFOV t

"EEJOH
NVTJD
UP
(SPPWF t

4USFBNJOH
GSPN
9CPY
0OF t

1MBZ
ZPVS
UVOFT
UISPVHI
(SPPWF t

8BUDI
NPWJFT
PO
ZPVS
1$ t

$IFDL
PVU
UIF
,JOEMF
BQQ t

5SBDL
ZPVS
HBNJOH
BDIJFWFNFOUT

68 76

Troubleshooting t
6QHSBEF
UP
8JOEPXT

GPS
GSFF t

6QEBUF
ZPVS
04 t

%POhU
GPSHFU
UP
VQEBUF
BQQT t
$SFBUF
B
TZTUFN
SFTUPSF
QPJOU t

*OTUBMM
BO
PMEFS
OFUXPSL
QSJOUFS t

"WPJE
$PSUBOB
NJTVOEFSTUBOEJOHT

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 29

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Customise Windows 10 Personalise your copy of Windows 10 to make sure it suits your needs

I

f you are upgrading from an older operating system or starting from scratch, Windows 10 offers plenty of ways to personalise your experience. You may be wondering why you would want to do such a thing. Well, think of Windows 10 as a new house: you move in and want to add your own touch, such as new wallpaper in the form of a background image, or new furniture in the form of managing desktop icons. The personalisation side of Windows 10 is simply setting the operating system to how you want it to look. In the series of tutorials below we will cover the basics, such as setting new wallpaper, and expand upon this by showing you how to adjust your Lockscreen image (where you sign in), add a slideshow (with multiple images) and set themes. We also dabble with more advanced options, such as adjusting the Windows 10 sound effects. For Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 users who are making the change to Windows 10, we will even showcase how you can adjust the look of the taskbar, which has a few new additions, such as Cortana. Dotted around the rest of the book are plenty of tricks that expand on a few of these options, such as how to customise the Start menu.

Desktop

Change the desktop background

1: Head to Settings

2: Choose an image

3: Choose a fit

Click on the Windows Start icon and choose Settings>Personalisation. Alternatively, right-click on the desktop and, using the left button, click Personalise to jump straight to this screen.

Ensure Background>Picture is selected, then click on the Browse icon (under ‘Choose your picture’). Navigate to the image you want, click on it and select ‘Choose picture’ to finish.

With the image in place, click on the drop-down box and choose Fit. Experiment with the options. The preview window above will adapt to show the changes. To finish, press and hold the Win+M key.

30 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Add a slideshow Allow the OS to switch between pages at a pre-set time

I

n this part of the tutorial, we will expand on the desktop background idea by looking at slideshows. A slideshow will simply switch between images at pre-set intervals; thus transforming your desktop into a digital photoframe, which is great for looking back on events to give you a boost during the day. It also saves you from changing the background manually. By default in Windows 10, slideshow images are sourced from your Pictures. This naming convention is taken from the default Photos app, which is covered elsewhere in the book, and is

Photos

useful for knowing how to manage images on your computer. To avoid confusion for previous Windows users, this location is simply a folder on your computer called Pictures. However, in this tutorial we will showcase how to choose images from a different folder. The only thing you need to remember when using an alternative folder is to make sure the OS can access this at all times. For example, if you choose a folder on an external USB drive, then you remove it shortly afterwards, the OS won’t be able to access those images. In that case, the slideshow function will be useless.

Take control of the colours It is also possible to personalise the Start menu, taskbar and action centre by tweaking the colours

Turn Windows 10 into a digital slideshow

In Settings>Personalisation, click Colours. Choose an accent colour or toggle to use your background. Click Start to see how this changes your default Start icons.

1: Switch over to Slideshow

2: Pick your images

Go to Start>Settings>Personalisation, or use the right-click desktop method you saw in the first tutorial. Under the Background header, click on the drop-down menu and choose Slideshow.

Another icon will appear called Browse. Select this option with your mouse, then navigate to the image folder you want to include (preferably one with multiple images). Select ‘Choose this folder’.

3: Choose the duration

4: View the slideshow

With the folder chosen, it will now display the name in the box above. Next, select the drop-down box ‘Change picture every’ to adjust the time it takes for Windows to switch between the images.

Adjust the ‘Choose a fit’ option to taste. On the desktop, right-click the background and choose ‘Next desktop background’ if you want to take back control of the slideshow.

Take the personalisation further by toggling the option ‘Show colour on Start, taskbar and action centre’ to On. Click the Start icon to see the effects.

Toggle the transparency option beneath. With this enabled, more of the background image will appear through the Start menu, taskbar and action centre.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 31

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Personalise the Lock screen Get more from your Lock screen

T

he Lock screen should be familiar to any previous Windows user, as it’s one of the primary methods of securing or moving away from the desktop when the PC/laptop is not in use. In Windows 10, the Lock screen taps into a lot of the features we covered earlier, such as the ability to use a custom image or slideshow (in this context a screen saver) to effectively turn the device into a digital picture frame and prevent screen burn. However, the Locks screen’s real-estate can be put to better use with a series of detailed and quick status updates for a range of apps that are included with Windows 10. We showcase how to enable these features in our tutorial below.

Lock screen

Unlock its best features

1: Access Lock screen settings

2: Change the background

3: Get app status updates

Click on the Start icon and choose Settings> Personalisation. Alternatively, right-click on the desktop and choose Personalise. Select ‘Lock screen’ from the left-hand menu.

Click the drop-down menu under the Background header and pick ‘Windows spotlight’. This will use your internet connection to pull over a random image from the Microsoft cloud.

Where it says ‘Choose an app to show detailed status/quick status’ pick which app(s) you want to include. In this example, we decided to select the Weather and Calendar apps.

4: Activate a screen saver

5: Save the screen saver

6: Activate the Lock screen

Click on Screen Saver Settings at the base. From the pop-up window select Photos via the Screen Saver drop-down box. Click Settings>Browse to choose the location of the images.

Once you have saved it, you can adjust the screen saver’s ‘wait’ time and optionally toggle the ‘On resume, display log-on screen’. This is useful for added security. To finish, click OK.

The screen saver will kick in automatically at the pre-set interval. Alternatively, you can get a glimpse of the Lock screen in action by using the ‘Ctrl+Alt+Del’ key combination and choosing Lock.

32 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Adjust the sounds of Windows Personalise the way Windows sounds to make it more pleasing on the ear

W

hen your PC or laptop starts up, it can be customised with a pre-set Windows sound effect. This sound also kicks in by default when an error occurs, or if you get an email or notification. However, not all of the sound effects could be classed as suitable for a given event. Thankfully, similar to mobile phones, you do have

Sound Editor

a level of personalisation in the sense that you can adjust what sound effects are assigned to the aforementioned events. Once again, there is a fairly lengthy list of choices that are open to you (you’ll get a glimpse of these in the tutorial later), but if you are a touch more tech savvy, you can also add your own custom

sound effect(s), as long as the sound you are trying to import has the file extension .wav. You’ll be pleased to know that we showcase how to create a custom .wav sound effect in the tutorial (using a microphone and the Windows Store’s app ‘Sound Editor’ by mccalla) and then assign it to a Windows core sound event.

Customise a sound to use in Windows

1: Install Sound Editor

2: Record a Wav file

3: Test the sound

4: Add the sound

Launch the Windows Store from the bottom taskbar and use the search box to find Sound Editor. After locating the app, install it to your computer, then launch it by clicking on Open or via the Start menu’s ‘Recently added’ list.

Select ‘New Sample CD Quality’. From the editor, click the top-right mic icon to create a sound effect with your voice. Click the stop icon and use the save icon to save the file to a folder on your PC. Make sure the ‘Save as type’ is set to ‘Wav PCM’.

Close the app. In the Start menu go to Settings>Personalisation>Themes and choose ‘Advanced sound settings’. From the list of events, select one and use the Sounds dropdown box to adjust, or the Test icon to hear what it sounds like.

Assign the custom sound effect by selecting an event and using the Browse icon at the bottom-right corner. Navigate to the file you downloaded earlier and click Open. Use the Test icon to hear it played. Click Cancel or OK to save and close.

Manage desktop icons Get organised by making your desktop icons look more appealing

1: Add icons

2: Change the look of the icon

3: View the desktop

In Settings>Personalisation>Themes, click Desktop Icon Settings. Click on the top-left check boxes to add additional icons to the desktop, such as Computer (originally known as My Computer).

Now click on the icon ‘This PC’, then choose the Change Icon option directly beneath. From here, pick a new icon from the list, then click OK. Now choose Apply to save the changes.

Click on OK then use the Windows shortcut ‘Win key+M’ to return to the desktop to view the icon. If you right-click the ‘This PC’ icon you can perform similar tasks found on the older operating systems.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 33

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Organise the taskbar and display Learn how to personalise the taskbar and display irst we are going to look at how to personalise the taskbar in Windows 10. By this we mean the small icons that appear next to the main clock and action centre. You’ll find that some of these icons will be hidden in the ‘Hidden icon’ section, which you can access via the upward arrow symbol on the taskbar, while others can be

F

customised once a new app has been installed. You might want to do this to gain faster access to features. Alternatively, we will look at how to personalise Cortana’s search bar from making it smaller to turning it off. You might notice larger app icons also sit on the taskbar, so we will also showcase how to remove these. Finally, we will

take a quick look at some of the display options for personalising your resolution or on-screen text. The two options do go hand-in-hand, as with a higher resolution this can sometimes reduce the size of the text, so to make it more manageable you can personalise the system to enlarge it. We will quickly showcase all of these options in the tutorial below.

Personalise these much-used features

Taskbar and display

1: View your icons

2: Toggle your icons

3: Manage large icons

4: Change the display

Click on the Start icon, then Settings> System. Choose ‘Notifications and actions’. To the right of this menu you will need to click the ‘Select which icons appear on the taskbar’ option. A list of all your small taskbar icons will now appear.

Next to each icon is a toggle switch. Select these to turn the icon On/ Off. Click and hold on the taskbar icon with the left mouse button and, while holding down the button, drag the icon across and release to change its position.

For larger app icons, right-click the icon and choose ‘Unpin this program from taskbar’. Re-add the icon later via the Start menu by right-clicking the icon. Or right-click the taskbar and choose Cortana. You can change the search bar to an icon or remove it.

Go to Start>Settings>System then click on Display. Here you can adjust the size of text and the brightness of the display via intuitive sliders. Alternatively, head to ‘Advanced display settings’ where you can adjust your monitor’s resolution.

Change the size of desktop icons Don’t just accept the default icon size – make it work for you

1: Right click Context Menu

2: Adjust icon size

3: Sort out the icons

From the desktop view, which you can get back to by pressing Win key+M, you first need to right-click on an empty space, and from the resulting menu hover your mouse over View.

A bullet point will appear next to the default icon size. You can now select an alternative like ‘Large icons’ and watch how the desktop icons change in real time. Now adjust these options to taste.

Right-click the desktop and go back to View. From the options, adjust how the icons are aligned on the screen. For example, if you want them to automatically line up, choose ‘Auto arrange icons’.

34 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Set a theme Learn how to make life even easier for yourself with themes o far in our range of tutorials we have tapped into a lot of the Settings>Personalisation options that are built in to Windows 10. Most of these are relatively straightforward to use, however there is still a lot of customisation involved, and going back and forth between things such as background, colours and so on. Thankfully, Windows 10 offers one more method of personalisation, and it is a system that will be familiar to many Windows 7 and 8 users, because it simply involves themes! A theme will include a whole range of changes, such as a new background, taskbar and Start menu customisation all rolled into one! It is a quick and easy process to implement a theme, so let’s take a quick look at this in the tutorial below.

S

Themes

Add a Windows 10 theme

1: Navigate to Themes

2: Save your theme

3: Choose a default theme

Click on the Start icon and from the menu choose Settings>Personalisation. Now select the sub-menu Themes, and to the right of the interface you will need to select the ‘Theme settings option.

If you have followed our previous tutorials it will contain all of the changes in a theme called Unsaved Theme. Back this up by first clicking on ‘Save theme’ and then choosing Save.

With the theme saved, now experiment. Activating a theme is simply a case of selecting it. For example, if you click on a theme from the Windows Default Themes section, it will enable this automatically.

4: View the theme

5: Download new themes

6: Select your new theme

To view effects of a theme, click the Windows 10 Start menu or switch to the desktop view, so press Win key+M. A new colour scheme will be in place alongside a new background.

Return to the main theme interface and select ‘Get more themes online’. Choose Download next to a theme, then install the theme to your computer (click Open from the Edge Browser).

Your newly installed theme will appear in the list next to your saved theme. To activate it simply click on this and use step 4 to view it. You can also delete themes by right-clicking on them.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 35

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Secure your PC Up your Windows 10 security and avoid hackers and malware

E

ach new release of Windows is more secure than the previous one and if you have upgraded from a very old version like Windows XP then the difference is huge. Windows 10 is the most secure yet, but that does not mean that you can forget security issues. Security features like Windows Defender and Windows Firewall must be enabled to boost the PCs protection. The question is, are they turned on? Our guides show how to check that everything is safe. Windows Defender is used to scan the disk for malware like viruses and spyware. Windows will remind you when you need to scan and reminder messages appear in Action Centre. Windows Firewall is a feature that prevents unauthorised access to your computer through the internet by hackers and malicious programs. It should be enabled and you will see a reminder if it isn’t, but it is a good idea to check. We will show where the settings are located. Third party security software such as Avast, AVG, Panda and Avira is recommended because it is more powerful than Windows Defender and Windows Firewall. As soon as you can you should consider buying a internet security suite from one of these or another vendor. In the meantime, here is how to secure your PC.

Settings

Check the protection status

1: Search the settings

2: Turn on Defender

3: Additional Defender settings

Hold down the Windows key and press ‘I’ to open the Settings app. Type ‘defender’ into the search box and three Windows Defender results are found. Click the first one, Windows Defender settings.

If there is third party security software running on the computer, these settings can safely be turned off, but in the absence of anything else, turn on realtime protection and cloud-based protection.

Scroll down the settings and there is an option to add exclusions. Normally there are none, but you can click the link and check. Down at the bottom is a link to open Windows Defender.

36 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Scan for problems Is your PC clean? Use Defender to find out

T

he internet is a fantastic resource and there are some great websites and lots of superb software, but lurking among the sites and programs are viruses and spyware. Malware is quite rare if you only use trusted websites and sources of software, but there is still a small chance that it could get onto your computer. Windows Defender does two things and the first is to try to prevent malware from installing and the second is to scan for anything that might have slipped through and to remove it before it can do any harm to your computer.

Windows Defender

It’s a good idea to scan the disk for viruses and spyware using Windows Defender at least once a week. If you don’t, then Windows will remind you to carry out this task with a message in Action Centre. Windows Defender can be found on the Start>All apps menu, you can type the name into the taskbar search box and it can be accessed through the Control Panel. It is simple and effective, but not perfect (buy a security suite for more protection). Windows Update will occasionally scan the disk for viruses when updates are delivered to ensure the computer is as protected as possible.

Set up Microsoft Edge options Configure Internet Options and reset Edge to solve problems

Check the disk for malware

Click the search box in the taskbar, enter ‘internet options’ and click the result. Malware changes the home page, but it can be reset by entering a URL here.

1: Action Center messages

2: Update Windows Defender

Action Center is opened by clicking the icon at the right side of the taskbar and if your computer has not been scanned by Windows Defender for some time, a message appears there.

Open Windows Defender and select the Update tab. If it says the virus and spyware definitions are not up to date, click the Update definitions button and updates are downloaded from the internet.

3: Check and scan

4: The scan results

Select the Home tab to see the program status. Although protection is turned on, you must run Windows Defender every week and click the Scan now button. Usually just a quick scan will do.

Scanning can take 20 minutes or more, but you can carry on using your computer will it runs. Afterwards it displays the results and it will clean up any suspected spyware or viruses.

Select the Security tab and then tick Enable Protected Mode. If the security level is not set to Medium-high for the Internet, click the Default level button.

If you have security problems with Microsoft Edge, select the Advanced tab and there are two buttons. Click Restore Advanced Settings, and Reset.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 37

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Increase security through Privacy Configure the Privacy options in Settings

I

n the Settings app is a privacy section that enables you to determine what information is revealed about you to Microsoft and the apps you run. These settings affect your security and they can be configured to prevent apps knowing where you are located, from accessing account information like your photo and name, from taking pictures using a built in webcam, listening to what you say with the microphone, and so on. Spend a few minutes going through the Privacy settings and make sure you are happy with the amount of information you are sharing. The default settings are applied as new apps are installed and they can gain access to information.

Settings

Increase privacy and security

1: Open the Settings app

2: Hide your location

3: View apps using your location

Press Windows+I to open the Settings app and click the Privacy section. Select General and there are four options. All the settings are useful, but only the second one is essential.

Your location is tracked by Windows and it is possible to determine where in the world you live, work and travel. Turn off the Location switch if you prefer to hide this information.

Scroll down the section to see the apps are able to access your location. Instead of turning off location services completely, block or allow access to your location for each app with the switches.

4: Set the camera options

5: Set the microphone options

6: Hide your account

Laptop computers and some desktops have a webcam, which is useful for apps like Skype, but do you want other apps to have access? Use the switches in the camera section to allow/block them.

A malicious app could in theory listen to what is being said in the room. Go to the Microphone section and turn off access for apps that have no business accessing this component.

Your Microsoft account contains some personal information, such as your photo and your name. If you prefer not to let apps access this, go to the Account info section and turn off the switch.

38 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Block hackers and malware Use Windows Firewall to stay safe

W

hen a computer connects to the internet it becomes accessible to anyone anywhere in the world. Malicious people or software could potentially connect to the computer in order to control it, steal information and access files. A firewall is a bit like the locks on the doors to your home and it keeps

Windows Firewall

out people that have no business entering and accessing your personal information. Windows has a firewall built in, predictably called Windows Firewall. It can be used on many levels and there is a very simple interface with on and off settings, but experts can dig deeper and configure it in advanced ways. We won’t look at advanced

uses here and all you need to know is whether it is working or not and how to block or allow a program when it wants to access the internet When software is installed and run for the first time you might see a message on the screen asking if it should be allowed through the firewall. Allow it if you know the software, but block unknown apps.

Check the firewall settings and block or allow programs

1: Search for it

2: Firewall status

3: Turn it on

4: Allow/block apps

The easiest way to find Windows Firewall, and many other features, is to search for it. Enter ‘windows firewall’ and in the results list, click the one labelled Control Panel and ignore the one labelled with Advanced Security. That is only useful for experts.

Here you can see several items highlighted in red and the colour is used to highlight a problem with Windows Firewall. In this case it is switched off and this means that it’s not protecting the computer. (Third party security might have its own.)

A quick way to ensure the PC is protected is to click ‘Use recommended settings’. Alternatively, click Turn Windows Firewall On or Off. This provides the option of turning off the firewall at home, but turning it on when using public wi-fi hotspots.

Back at the first screen, click ‘Allow apps to communicte through Windows Firewall’. This lists all the apps and other software that accesses the internet. It is possible to prevent or allow an app access to the internet by setting or clearing the tick.

Security and Maintenance Check that the security status of the computer is OK

1: Security and Maintenance

2: User Account Control settings

3: SmartScreen settings

Click the search box in the taskbar, enter ‘security and maintenance’ and click it in the results. The Control Panel opens and you can see the current security status of the computer.

Click Change User Account Control settings on the left and the slider is one notch down from the top by default. Drag it to the top if you want to set the security even higher.

Click ‘Change Windows SmartScreen settings’. This feature checks programs downloaded from the internet and blocks any unrecognised ones. The top setting is the best one to use.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 39

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Increase productivity Discover how to get the most out of Windows 10 with our series of tutorials

I

n business being more productive will allow you to get work done faster and more efficiently! Windows 10 was released to tap into this ethos as it brings to the table a lot of productivity tools that are built directly into the OS. In particular, one of its standout features is its universal appeal, which means that whatever platform you run Windows 10 on, if it’s the desktop, tablet or Windows Mobile, the core experience will be the same. This also translates to its app support, but sadly the number of universal apps is still thin on the ground at the time of writing. However, the new Windows store is still a useful place to visit if you want to install third-party productivity tools. In this series of tutorials we will be focusing on ways in which you can utilise Windows 10 to improve your productivity. This includes the use of the excellent Multitasking Task View function as well as the Snap Assistant. For tech-savvy users we will even let you in on the ultimate shortcut secret – a shortcut that provides access to all of your PC’s core features directly under one roof. Keep reading to find out about this! Note: both Microsoft Edge and Cortana are also great tools to aid in your productivity, so read on to find out more.

Taskbar

Provide more screen real estate

1: Auto-hide the taskbar

2: View the taskbar

3: Move the taskbar’s position

In Windows 10 the taskbar takes up plenty of screen space. You can, however, hide this. First right-click the taskbar and choose Properties. Now under the Taskbar option choose Auto-hide The Taskbar.

Press Apply. The taskbar will hide automatically if no apps are vying for your attention, freeing up space. You can bring back the taskbar by simply hovering your mouse at the base of the screen.

Alternatively you can adjust the position of the taskbar. Within the Properties field, click on the dropdown box titled Taskbar Location Onscreen and pick a new position for the Taskbar. Click Apply.

40 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Snapping windows View your windows side by side for ultimate productivity

A

nother sure fire way of increasing productivity is to maximise the screen space with Windows 10’s Snap Assistant function. For Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 users, you may already be familiar with this feature (known as Aero Snap in Windows 7), but with Snap Assistant you can have up to four Windows open at once and have these snapped into all four corners of the screen. Alternatively you can have two windows snapped side by side or even three screens. If you work with two monitors you can theoretically double this amount. Snapping Windows is great

Snap Assistant

if you want to work on a document in say one window, while viewing your latest emails or Twitter posts in another. It does take a bit of practise to perfect the snapping aspect and while we will be showcasing the process in our tutorial below its hard to explain the visual effect in writing. However, if you get stuck snapping windows using the mouse method and don’t mind dabbling with some Shortcut keys, we recommend taking a look at our Windows Shortcut Tutorial (the third step) for a heads up on making life a lot easier! Tip: to get out of a snapped window just maximise it!

Key in a web address from the taskbar An alternative to Cortana for keying in web addresses

Snap screens into place

From the desktop, right-click on the taskbar and go to Toolbars>Address. This will now display a web address bar towards the right of the taskbar.

1: Prep for snap

2: Snap your app

For this to work, you’ll need to open four separate programs on your screen. If one of the windows open is maximised, click on the top-right-middle ‘Restore down’ icon.

With the left mouse button, click and hold the top title bar of the app and drag this to the right side of the screen. Hold the app until you see a circle appear with a transparent highlight surrounding it.

3: Snapped app

4: Multiple snapped screens

Release the mouse button and a list of all your opened apps will appear. Select an app and watch as it snaps automatically to the side. After this is done, pick Microsoft Edge from the taskbar.

Drag this to the top-right corner and release. Notice how it asks for another app. Pick another window and it will adjust the positioned windows. Keep dragging apps until your screen is ready.

With the address bar in place, select the field box and type in a URL as you normally would. Now press enter and the website should load in your default browser.

After a while the Address bar will start to build up history, so if you want to go straight to a previously viewed site, click on the dropdown bar next to the Address bar.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 41

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Master the Task View function Learn to use the ultimate multitasking tool

I

f you have used Windows in the past, you’re probably familiar with the way you can switch between running programs. But the introduction of Windows 10 has taken multitasking to a new level in the form of its Task View feature, allowing you to create virtual desktops, each with their own set of running programs. For example, in one desktop you could have three apps running and then create another desktop with a different set. The only snag appears to be standard Windows 10 apps, such as Edge, as these can only exist on the primary desktop. Even so, it’s still a superb way of maximising your productivity!

Task View

Create a new desktop

1: Prep the first desktop

2: Task View screen

3: Select the new desktop

Prep the first desktop by launching programs that you want to use. For example open Word, Microsoft Edge and Twitter App. Now locate the Task View icon at the bottom-left corner of the taskbar.

Click the icon and you will be taken to the main Task View interface. However, we now want to create a new desktop so click the ‘+ New desktop’ icon to the right.

Now select the newly created Desktop 2 thumbnail and you will then be taken to your new desktop. Next, launch other apps that you want to use. Once this is done, click the Task View icon again.

4: Switch between desktops

5: Drag and drop

6: Close apps

You can hover your mouse over Desktop 1 and click on a thumbnail to switch over to that desktop. Alternatively, use the Ctrl+Win key+cursor key combo to quickly switch between desktops.

Back at Desktop 1 click the Task View Icon again and then click/drag one of the Desktop 1 thumbnails over to the small Desktop 2 thumbnail at the base and release the button.

This will move the program over to the other desktop. You can also close desktops within the Task view using the top-right ‘X’. Closing a desktop will send the apps to the remaining desktop.

42 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Speed things up with shortcuts Access your features or programs quickly

W

indows Shortcuts have always offered a staple diet of boosting productivity. In their basic form they can simply be used to launch an app quickly from the desktop. However, in Windows 10 there are plenty of additional methods of creating shortcuts. We cover several of these programs in this guide. To recap, you can literally

Shortcuts

pin music and web pages from Groove Music/Edge to your Start Menu for fast retrieval. You can also right-click icons from the latter and pin these to your taskbar. Another shortcut method is in the use of keyboard shortcuts, which can perform many a task without the need of a mouse. We will cover a few of these below, which will also tie-in nicely

with previous tutorials, such as the Snap Assistant. However one shortcut that we will showcase is how to implement a hidden feature in Windows 10. With this folder shortcut created you can access a host of Windows features and customisation options all from the one location! Thus it’s a powerful tool to have for administration tasks.

Access essential tools and locations quickly

1: Add a shortcut folder

2: See the folder

3: Keyboard Shortcuts

4: Jump List shortcuts

Right-click your desktop and go to New>Folder. Select the folder and rename it to ‘Productivity.{ED7BA4708E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}’ and press enter. If you are successful, once renamed the icon will change to look like the old control panel icon.

With the hidden folder created you can then double click on this to view the contents. Scroll through the staggering array of options that you can adjust all from the one location! Everything from adding printers to viewing the Event logs is all possible!

You can perform plenty of tasks using keyboard shortcuts. Win Key+the cursor key is useful for snapping windows – that we talked about in our Snap Assistant Tutorial earlier – quicker. With each window open, press Win Key+the cursor to snap it.

Adding desktop shortcuts is easy as you simply use the right-click ‘Send to’ option. However, Windows 10 also has built-in Jump lists. If Word was on the taskbar, you right-click the icon and this will bring up a list of all the recent documents you can access!

Switch up your default apps Change the default app association

1: Default apps

2: Change association

3: Switch on the fly

Click on the Windows Start icon and then head to Settings. From here click System>Default apps, which can be found on the left context menu. You’ll then see a list of all your default apps.

Now click on a particular app and from the list you can then choose a suitable replacement. One that you actually want to use as opposed to Windows forced recommendation!

If you want to view a particular document or photo in a different app, you can right-click a file from ‘File Explorer’ and then choose Open With to pick an alternative app from the list.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 43

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Get things done with Sticky Notes Keep track of your to-do lists and memos with this handy app

T

he acronym KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) most certainly comes to mind when we refer to one of Windows 10’s default apps. While you have Cortana, Microsoft Edge and the excellent multi-tasking Task View option, it’s Sticky Notes that needs a mention here as well. As the name suggests, the small app is all about taking

Sticky Notes

notes, more specifically these notes can be used as quick reminders to do something during the busy working day, such as call back Bob or make sure you finish off an invoice. While this does not sound like much and we do cover the equally as intuitive Calendar app later on, believe us – its power comes from its simplicity! Like a sticky note in real-life it

stays put unless its removed. Incredibly, even if you power down your computer and reboot it, the note will re-appear on your desktop when it reopens. In this tutorial we will showcase how to access the app and configure its core options; changing the appearance, moving the note around, plus deleting it of course.

Add notes quickly with Sticky Notes

1: Launch Sticky Notes

2: Add your note

3: Create and move

4: Tweak your note

You can launch the Sticky Notes app in several ways. You can either go through the Start Menu >All Apps or use the method we prefer which is to type in ‘Sticky Notes’ into the Cortana search bar and from the results select the app to launch the program.

You can right-click the file from the search bar results to pin the app to your Taskbar for future use, but for now with the app loaded you can simply type in your message, such as ‘Collect the petty cash tomorrow!’ or ‘Call Bob when you get 5 minutes’.

To create more notes click on the top left ‘+’ icon. This will simply place the note to the side of the previous one. To move the notes, click and hold the left mouse button down on the top of the note and then drag this to a new position before releasing.

You can also customise the look of Sticky Notes. Right-click on a note and choose an alternative colour from the list. Additionally you can remove notes by either clicking on the top right ‘x’ icon or using the keyboard Shortcut combo Ctrl+D.

Make use of Cortana Locate your computer’s content quickly with a simple search

1: Bring up the search bar

2: My Stuff!

3: Locate and run

First, either click on the left most Search bar (next to the Start Icon) or activate this using the Win key+Q keyboard shortcut. Now type the name of the file you want to find.

Due to the universal nature of the Search bar Windows will now display a list of any related content to the inputted request. However ignore this and click on ‘My Stuff’.

A long list - broken down into sections - will now appear in front of you. Simply use the mouse to scroll through these to find the file you want. Once found, select this to open/run it.

44 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Plan your schedule Get more out of your Calendar app

Y

ou may have noticed that we’ve skimped on a lot of the apps in this section and instead concentrated on core Windows 10 features we felt would benefit you from a productivity point of view. However, alongside Sticky Notes, one app that most certainly needs to be mentioned is the Calendar app. In this tutorial we are not going to showcase simply how to add events to your calendar – rather, we’ll look at how to add third-party accounts to it, such as iCloud and Google Calendar. This will allow you to pull over and sync changes between different platforms you may own, which is a great productivity tool. It’s worth bearing in mind that a side effect of this process is the Mail and People app will also be updated with the new accounts. On a positive note, at least you won’t need to perform any additional setup on these apps to pull over your contacts and so on.

Calendar

Add third-party accounts

1: Calendar settings

2: Add an account

3: Set up the account

Launch the Calendar app - from the Windows Start Menu - and when it boots to the standard Calendar screen click on the bottom left settings cog icon to bring up a separate context menu.

From the right-hand context menu select ‘Accounts’ followed by the sub-option ‘Add account’. A list will now appear showcasing the supported Account types (such as Exchange, Google and iCloud).

Depending on which account you chose, it will now prompt you to key in your account details. So enter these and then follow the on-screen prompts. Press Done when you’re ready to confirm.

4: View your account

5: Change the colour

6: Add an event

Click on the Settings Icon to remove the context menu. Your newly imported account will then appear on the left. Next to each entry there is a box, which you can click on to view/hide events.

By default the Calendar app will associate with a particular colour. Change this by right-clicking on the calendar listing and choosing a different. This will separate your calendar from others!

Click the top left ‘+ New event’ icon and from the resulting screen select the box to the right of ‘Event name’ to pick your newly imported account. Add the remaining details and press Save and close.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 45

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Get more from Cortana Use Cortana to find out information or to carry out commands and actions

C

ortana is one of the major new features in Windows 10 and it is an exciting new digital personal assistant that can carry out your commands, perform a variety of actions, and generally save you from tedious typing at the keyboard. You just say what you want and Cortana does it, whether it is setting an alarm, looking up information on the internet, or getting driving directions from one place to another. Try talking to Cortana and say things like “Tell me a joke”. There are often very entertaining responses to questions like these and you can have a lot of fun. Cortana can also perform serious tasks as we will show in the tutorials. For example, it can create calendar appointments, show you your schedule for the next day or week, and even move calendar appointments for you. Using Cortana saves tedious typing and instead of entering notes using the keyboard, just tell Cortana to take a note and then speak it. Instead of searching for the Alarms app and manually creating alarms, tell Cortana to set it. Cortana is available on Windows phones now and Android and iPhone soon. This means alarms, calendars and reminders created on your PC are available even when your computer is switched off.

Cortana

Get weather forecasts

1: Wake up Cortana

2: Get next week’s weather

3: Get the weather anywhere

Click the microphone icon at the right side of the search box in the taskbar to make Cortana listen. Anything you now say will be analysed and Cortana will respond appropriately.

Say “What is the forecast for next week?” and Cortana responds with next week’s forecast. It shows that Cortana understands concepts like ‘next week’ and that forecast is associated with weather.

Say “What is the weather in New York?” and the weather and forecasts for the next few days are displayed. Cortana clearly understands place names like major cities and countries around the world.

46 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

View maps with Cortana Use Cortana’s knowledge of maps to get directions

C

ortana has a detailed knowledge of maps and can show you them within the Cortana panel. It can also open the Maps app to view larger maps and to get more information. Suppose you want to know where a city or town is located, you can simply ask Cortana to show a map of the place. It might not know every little village, but most towns are recognised. This feature can be used to look up places before you go there, such as on a holiday. If you are planning a trip to Rome, Italy then just ask Cortana to show you a map. There is a Maps app in

Cortana

Windows 10 of course, and Cortana will sometimes open it to display map results. If a map is shown in the Cortana panel, clicking it opens Maps. Try asking for distances, routes from one place to another, and so on. To make it easier to issue commands to Cortana, such as when requesting maps, click the search box in the taskbar and then click the Notebook icon on the left. Click Settings and turn on the switch under Let Cortana respond to “Hey, Cortana”. This will make communicating with Cortana much quicker and easier for you.

Use Cortana to set alarms Never oversleep or miss an appointment again with Cortana’s alarms!

Explore the world with Cortana’s maps

Activate Cortana and say something like “Set and alarm for 7 am”. Cortana understands times and recognises AM and PM. It confirms that the alarm has been set.

1: View any map

2: Get traffic information

Click the Cortana microphone icon and say “Show me a map of...” followed by any country, region, town or city. It even understands places like the Yorkshire Dales. Just ask for the map you want.

Cortana can get traffic information, which is very useful if you are about to set off on a journey soon. Say “Show me the traffic to...” followed by a place name, such as Manchester.

3: Get travel directions

4: Use Maps travel directions

If you need directions to get somewhere, just ask Cortana, “Get directions to...” and a place. Cortana reports that it is starting Maps and there is an option to cancel, but let it run.

When the Maps app opens, it shows detailed travel directions from your current location to the place told to Cortana. The two apps work together to get directions and Cortana closes when Maps opens.

If you fancy a nap or don’t want to miss something, say something like “Wake me up in 30 minutes”. Cortana sets an alarm to sound 30 minutes from now.

Cortana not only sets alarms, it can also show you all the alarms that are currently active. Simply say “Show my alarms”. It is simple and obvious, and Cortana responds appropriately every time.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 47

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Speak to create Calendar events Add appointments and events to Calendar

T

he Calendar app in Windows 10 is a useful tool for organising your time. You can not only look up dates, you can also add events and appointments so you never miss another one again. Just as with the Maps app, Cortana can interact with the Calendar app and the two work together. This enables you to create events in Calendar without having to open the app and go through the tedious process of creating them. You just speak to Cortana. Cortana understands times and dates, words like ‘tomorrow’ and phrases like ‘all day event’. It can even move events from one time slot to another, which is handy for when you need to re-organise your schedule to fit something in.

Cortana

Add events to your calendar

1: Create an appointment

2: Name the event

3: Check your schedule

To create an event, say “Create an appointment for 3 PM tomorrow”. Cortana understands the time, PM, AM, the days of the week, and words like ‘tomorrow’. The appointment is displayed.

The one piece of information missing is the name of the event, and Cortana asks what it should be called. We added a dentist appointment, but you should speak your own event name.

A calendar appointment is displayed after it has been created. After adding some more, you might want to check your schedule. Just say “What is on my calendar for tomorrow”.

4: Move calendar events

5: Create all-day events

6: Add the title

Suppose you have an appointment that needs to be rescheduled. Say something like “Make my 3 PM event tomorrow 4 PM.” The new appointment time is shown and you say “Yes” to confirm it.

Some events do not have a specific time and for these you can use all day events. Say “Create an all day event on Friday going to London.” Cortana begins a new all day calendar event.

You might be prompted for the title of the event, so speak it when Cortana asks. Notice the tick against All day event. Say Yes to confirm that you want to create this event.

48 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Never forget with reminders Create reminders so you never forget anything

C

ortana can create reminders that remember things for you and then reminds you to do them when they are due. In some ways a reminder is similar to an appointment, but there are some important differences too. A simple reminder might be to call someone or to perform some task tomorrow or on a specific date.

Cortana

It could have a time associated with it and this would make it similar to an appointment on your Calander app. A different type of reminder can be created and you could set one that is triggered when you are in a specific location, regardless of what time of the day it is, or even what day. A reminder could

be set that is activated when you arrive at work, return home, or visit some other place. Although you are not likely to take a desktop PC with you, you might carry a laptop. With Cortana on your phone, your reminders can be carried in your pocket and triggered when arriving or leaving places, too. That is a powerful feature.

Create a reminder when you need to remember things

1: Start a reminder

2: Add the time

3: Remind locations

4: Add the subject

Cortana understands language and you do not need to use special words or phrases. Just say what you want, such as “Remind me to call Janice tomorrow”. Cortana responds by displaying the details and then asking what time you want to be reminded.

Cortana has part of the reminder, but needs the time. Speak it, such as 2 PM and the whole reminder is displayed for you to check. If it is OK then finish off by saying “Yes”. Alternatively, say “No” or “Cancel” if it is incorrect or you change your mind.

Do you want to be reminded when you visit a location? Say “Remind me when I get home”. Cortana needs to know where home and work are and if this information has not yet been entered, you will be asked to set it by entering the address or post code.

A subject was not stated in the location reminder, so Cortana asked for it. Say it and the completed reminder is displayed on the screen for you to check. If it is correct, say “Yes”, otherwise say “No” or “Cancel”. Add more reminders using Cortana.

Use your voice to write notes Create notes and store them using Cortana’s speech recognition

1: Start a new note

2: Record your note

3: Make and view notes

Notes can be created and stored by Cortana and it saves you having to type them into an app. Say “Take a note,” and Cortana responds with “Tell me your note.” Speak it.

Cortana translates your spoken note into text and it can be as long or short as required. The result is displayed on the the screen and you can click the note to edit it.

Another way to create notes is to say “Note,” and then follow it with the note you want to create spoken out loud. To view your notes, open the OneNote app on the Start menu.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 49

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Manage OneDrive Use OneDrive to store and access files both online and offline

O

neDrive is a special folder on the PC’s disk that can be used to store documents, pictures, music and videos. Anything you put in the OneDrive folder on the PC’s disk is also stored online and Microsoft provides private and secure storage space. Online is an exact copy of everything in the PC’s OneDrive folder. What’s more, every Windows computer you own has a OneDrive folder and the contents are kept in sync. Save a file in the OneDrive folder on one PC and it appears in the OneDrive folders of your other PCs. Desktop and laptop computers for example, are kept in sync, and all have the same files. Files can also be accessed from any computer through a web browser, even if it does not use Windows, like an Apple Mac. This is fantastic when you are at work and you need to access files on your home computer, for example. Simply head online to www.onedrive.com in a browser and all your files are there. We show how OneDrive enables you to share files and folders with other people, and how it can be used to send large files to people instead of using email attachments. There is a limit to the size of files that OneDrive can hold, but we show how to get more space if you need it.

OneDrive

Access OneDrive faster

1: Show the OneDrive menu

2: Pin to File Explorer

3: OneDrive on the jump list

Click the File Manager icon in the taskbar to open it. Right-click OneDrive to display the context menu and select Pin to Start to add a tile to the Start menu for fast access.

Another way to create a shortcut for quick and easy access to OneDrive is to click and drag the OneDrive folder to the File Explorer icon on the taskbar. Drop it to pin it.

When many of the icons in the taskbar are rightclicked, they display a menu containing jump lists, which are shortcuts to common functions. Rightclick Explorer to open the OneDrive folder.

50 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Share files with others Give other people access to your files

I

t is hard to pick the best feature of OneDrive, but file sharing is undeniably one of the strongest contending features available. It has several uses and you can share files with other people to enable collaboration and team working. For example, you can co-author a document or even an ebook with someone else. This is a powerful feature and you can choose whether other people can read files or read and write files through permissions. As well as this, OneDrive can be incredibly useful when you need to send someone one or more

File Explorer

large files by email. You don’t want to fill their inbox with a file that is several or even tens of megabytes, so instead the file can be put in OneDrive. Using the sharing facilities in OneDrive, you can then just send the person a link to it in an email. The recipient can download the file to their computer or access it online by clicking the link. It is easier and quicker than sending it as an email attachment. There are several different ways to share the files in your OneDrive storage and we will look at some of them here. It is a useful feature to master and should benefit you in more ways than one.

Email a link Share files online instead of sending them as email attachments

Invite others to share your files Suppose you want to send a file using email. If the file is in OneDrive, open File Explorer, locate the file, right-click it and select Share a OneDrive link.

1: Open OneDrive in Explorer

2: Choose who to share with

Click File Explorer in the taskbar and select OneDrive on the left. Find a file that you would like to share with other people, go to the Share tab and click Specific people.

There is a large box with an Add button on the right. Click the arrow and select people to share the file with from the list or click Create A New User for someone new.

3: Set the permissions

4: Changing folder permissions

After adding another person or even Everyone, which is the whole world, set the permission level, such as Read for Everyone and Read/Write for friends or work colleagues that you trust.

This notice appears, stating that giving someone read/write permission allows them to add files to the folder. For this reason it is best to give Read/ Write access only to trusted people. Click Next.

Nothing seems to happen at first, but a second or two later a notification appears in the bottom-right corner to say the link is now on the clipboard.

Open the Mail app and create a new email message. From here, click in the body of the message and press Ctrl+V to paste in the link to the file.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 51

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Increase your OneDrive storage Subscribe to boost your OneDrive space

A

lthough you may have hundreds of gigabytes of disk space on your computer, the files in the OneDrive folder are limited by your storage plan. This is currently 15GB for free, but from 2016 it will be 5GB. If you are short of OneDrive online storage space your plan can be upgraded to get more. If you subscribe to Microsoft Office then OneDrive can hold up to 1TB of files, but there are cheaper alternatives starting at just £1.99 a month. In this tutorial we show how to see what plan you have, how much online storage space is being used, and the amount of free space available. In fact, sometimes extra space is given with mobile phones or tablets.

OneDrive

Buy more storage

1: Find the icon

2: Show the menu

3: View your usage

There is more than one way to access OneDrive and you could go to the icon in the taskbar. Click the up arrow to show the hidden icons and mouse over the OneDrive cloud icon.

Many of the icons in this part of the taskbar can be right-clicked to display a useful menu of options. The OneDrive menu has a Manage storage option. Left-click it.

The OneDrive app on the computer opens a web browser window to show your account on the OneDrive website. If there is little space left, click the Buy More Storage button.

4: Select a plan

5: Sign in to OneDrive

6: Add payment information

Three options are available and you can subscribe to Office 365, which provides 1TB of storage, 100GB or 200GB of storage without Office. Click Select to choose the plan you want.

For security reasons and to prevent anyone else using your computer from buying things, you must sign in to your Microsoft account again. Enter the password and then click Sign In.

The final step is to select the payment information and there is a choice between PayPal or a credit card. Select the method you want and fill in the form to finish the transaction.

52 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Share your folders Invite other people to your folders

W

e looked at sharing files earlier, which was fairly straightforward and easy to get to grips with. There are, however, plenty more sharing options that are worth exploring and here we’re going to take a quick look at them. For example, you might have a folder on OneDrive that you would like to share with someone. This could

File Explorer

be a shared work folder for a project that you and other people are working on together. Sharing folders can be very useful, but you do need to be careful who you share them with. Only share a folder with someone you trust if you allow them to write files to it. It is not a good idea to open a folder to the general public unless you want to

share everything in it. Never give the public Read/ Write access; they should be able to only read files. Read access allows people to download files to their computer and they don’t need to view them online. Create a new folder on OneDrive, such as MyFiles or Public, instead of sharing important ones like Documents, Pictures and so on.

Share selected folders with others on OneDrive

1: Sharing options

2: Share folders online

3: Shared list

4: Invitation receipt

One a File Explorer window by clicking the icon in the taskbar. Go to the OneDrive folder by clicking OneDrive in the left panel. Right-click the folder you would like to share with others and click More OneDrive Sharing Options.

A web browser window opens and goes to the OneDrive website. The folder is selected and you are prompted to invite people. This is an email form, so enter the addresses of people you want to share the folder with and add the body of the email.

Before the email was sent, the Shared with list said Only Me. After sending the invitation, the Shared With list now contains all the names of the people the invitation was sent to. You can email multiple people at once. Select a person to see the details.

This is how the email invitation looks to the people you chose to share the folder with. The name of the folder is displayed and there is a View in OneDrive button. When the person clicks the button, OneDrive opens in their browser to access the files.

Sync specific folders Use OneDrive settings to select the folders to sync

1: Go to Settings

2: Auto-save options

3: Sync selected folders

Go to the right side of the taskbar and click the up arrow to show hidden icons. Find the OneDrive cloud icon and right click it. Select Settings in the menu that is displayed.

Choose whether to save documents and pictures to OneDrive or the PC. Tick the option to save photos and videos to OneDrive if you prefer to save them online, but only if there is space.

Select the Account tab and click Choose Folders. Tick the folders you want to keep the same online and offline, but clear ticks against folders that you prefer to be ignored.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 53

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Browse with Edge Use a brand new browser for Windows 10 with exciting new features

E

dge is the name of Microsoft’s new web browser and it is the best way to access the web. Anyone that has used Windows before will be familiar with Internet Explorer because it has been around for decades. The most recent version is IE11 and it is still in Windows 10 if you want to search for it on the Start menu. However, it is based on old technology and Edge is a brand new start for Windows 10. It has features that are not in Internet Explorer 11, for example, there is a reading mode available that makes web pages easier on the eye by removing distracting content like adverts. Edge and Cortana work together and text can be highlighted on the page and then Cortana can find answers or related content. You can even draw on web pages with a pencil and highlighter, and add sticky notes to them. This is great for research purposes and the marked up pages can be stored and viewed later. Web browsers are frequently updated with new features and Edge has already seen a few tweaks, such as the thumbnail image of web pages when the mouse hovers over tabs. Edge is already a very good web browser, but no doubt there will be more changes and enhancements.

Microsoft Edge

Get started with Edge

1: Open the browser

2: Show the address box

3: Use the suggestions

Click the tile on the Start menu or the icon in the taskbar to open Edge. Click one of the frequently accessed websites or ‘Show my news feed‘ to read the latest news stories.

When Edge starts, it looks odd because it does not have an address box. Type a website address into the Search box or click at the top to reveal the hidden Address box.

As you type into the address or search boxes, Edge displays suggestions from the pages recently visited and from Bing. When you see what you want, click it with the mouse.

54 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Use Reading view Clear the clutter from web pages for reading and printing

S

ome web pages look very smart and are expertly designed to make them easy to read and navigate. This is not true of all web pages though and some sites seem to be overloaded pages with an excessive amount of distracting clutter. There can be many adverts in banner, skyscraper and pop-up formats, and when the mouse moves around the screen it can trigger even more popups and animations. It isn’t much fun and it makes the content of some web pages hard to read. The solution is to use Reading view and this strips away

Microsoft Edge

all the distracting items that clutter up web pages. What’s left is the page content and this is beautifully presented in a very clean and simple format. The difference is amazing and it makes web pages much easier to read. It is especially useful for long articles and pages look fantastic. They look great when they are printed, too, because all the clutter is stripped away and you will not waste ink and paper on adverts and other undesirable items on the page. Get used to switching to reader view. It is the best way to view web pages.

Ask Cortana Use Cortana to get explanations and additional information

Simplify pages with Reading view Click and drag over any text on the page and then right-click it to display a menu. Here we highlighted ‘exoplanet’. Click Ask Cortana on the menu that appears.

1: Go to a web page

2: Switch to Reader view

Go to a web page and notice how it includes lots of extra items like a banner advert, menus, various sharing buttons, links and ads to other items and so on. It is distracting.

Click the Book icon in the Toolbar at the top of the window and the web page is transformed into a very simple design that makes it much easier to read the article.

3: Open the menu

4: Print the page

Click the three dots icon in the top right corner to display the menu. Among the options is Print and this can be used when you want to save a hard copy of a page.

The print window opens and the preview shows how the page will look on paper. This is the clean and simple reading view without the distracting ads, menus and links. Print it.

Cortana opens in a panel on the right and this contains extra information about the text that was highlighted. There are links to get more information on the web.

Click a link to open it in a new tab. Here we clicked the Wikipedia link and it has lots of information about the highlighted word. Close the tab afterwards.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 55

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Save sites to your Favourites Build a list of favourite websites

W

e can all recall the addresses of our favourite websites and type them into a web browser, but the number probably does not exceed half a dozen. There are millions of websites and there are many excellent ones that you will want to regularly revisit. To overcome our limited memory, Edge enables you to store your favourite websites in a Favourites list, Edge Favourites are just a click away and they enable you to browse your most liked websites and visit them with a mouse click instead of having to remember and type in long and sometimes complicated addresses. In this tutorial we show how to add to the Favourites list and the favourites bar.

Microsoft Edge Build up your Favourites

1: Go to a favourite site

2: Add the site

3: Select the save location

When you are browsing the web using Edge and find a great website that you would like to save, go to the Toolbar in the top right corner of the window and click the Star.

Select the Favourites tab in the panel that is displayed and if the name is very long, which is quite common, click in the box and shorten it. Don’t click Add just yet.

There are two places the website can be saved and the choice is either Favourites or Favourites bar. Select Favourites for now, but remember the choice. We will look at Favourites bar shortly.

4: Show the Favourites

5: The Favourites menu

6: Show the Favourites bar

When you want to revisit a website that was added to Favourites, click the Hub icon (three horizontal lines) and select the Favourites tab (Star icon). Left click a Favourite to go there.

Right-click a favourite in the list to display a menu. There is an option to open it in a new tab, rename it or delete it. Folders can be created for organising the favourites.

Click the Favourites settings link and turn on Show the favourites bar. Favourites that are saved here (in Step 3) are conveniently displayed on a bar underneath the tabs and address box.

56 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Draw on web pages Annotate web pages and save them for later

E

dge has a fascinating feature that enables you to draw on web pages. This is unusual among web browsers and none of the others, such as Chrome or Firefox, enables you to do this. You might find this feature very useful when you are using the web to research a topic for a work, personal or educational project. As you browse

Microsoft Edge

the web looking for reference material, you can annotate the pages you find and then save them for later. This makes use of two features, one is the annotation and the other is the Reading list. You may have noticed earlier when saving Favourites that there is an option to save a page in the

Reading list instead of the Favourites. The reading list is very similar to favourites, but it is used in a different way. Often when you are browsing the web, you discover interesting pages, but you don’t have the time to read them. Add them to the Reading list and read them later. It’s a very useful and convenient feature.

Doodle on web pages and save the result

1: Make a note

2: Draw and highlight

3: Add a text note

4: Save the page

Go to a web page you would like to annotate and Save. Click the ‘Create a web note’ icon in the Toolbar, the pen in a square, and a Toolbar appears at the top. Edge has temporarily exited browsing mode and you can annotate the page.

The first icon in the Toolbar is for drawing and clicking it displays a palette of colours to choose from and three types of Pen. Click a colour and pen, then click and drag to draw on the page. Click the Highlighter tool, pick a colour and drag over text.

The third icon in the Toolbar is an eraser for removing your drawing and the fourth icon is used to add a note to the page. Click the Note icon, click in the page and a Text box appears. Type in notes you would like to associate with this page.

Click the Save icon (the old style floppy disk) in the Toolbar when you have finished annotating the web page. There is an option to save it to OneNote, which is useful, but it can also be saved to the Reading list. Edit the name to make it descriptive.

Build a Reading list Save web pages to a Reading list for later

1: Save a page

2: View the Reading list

3: View, pin and remove

To save a web page so you can read it later, click the Favourites Star in the Toolbar. In the panel that appears, click Reading list, edit the name and click the Add button.

Click the Hub icon in the Toolbar (three lines) and then select the Reading list tab in the panel (second icon). These are the web pages that have been saved for reading later.

To keep the reading list on the screen, click the pin icon in the top right corner. Click an item to read the saved page. Right-click an item to remove it from the list.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 57

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Keep informed Stay on top of current events with default and third-party applications

T

imes have certainly changed when it comes to keeping up to date with current events. In the past, we tended to rely on the television and newspapers to learn about breakingnews stories. Now, with the boom of social media, a news piece can start to trend within seconds of a story happening! However, social media is just one of the many ways to find out about the latest goings on. Similar to previous versions, Windows 10 has plenty of default apps or third-party apps that you can tap into from the Windows Store to give that instant current-event fix. In the following tutorials, we will look at a few of these apps. For example, the Sport app will enable you to add and track a favourite sport or team. Alternatively, the Weather app can provide weather forecasts for not only your local area but also any remote locations you wish to travel to. Of course, all of these apps would be useless unless you were notified about any breaking news. Thankfully, Windows 10 has a comprehensive ‘Notifications & actions’ system to ensure you never miss an event, and we will look at this too. Also, while we don’t cover the process in this section, Cortana’s Notebook function can also help you stay abreast of the latest goings on.

Twitter

See what’s trending

1: Log in to Twitter

2: Look at what’s happening

3: View trending topics

First, launch the Windows Store, then select the search bar at the top of the screen to find and install Twitter. Once installed click Open, then use the Login box to key in your security details.

Once logged in to Twitter, click on the Happening Now menu to the left of the screen. Here you can view all the current events that Twitter picks out for you. Click on a Tweet to read the contents.

Click on the Search menu option. Here you’ll see a list of hashtags that provide you with trending events. Click on a #tag to view its contents, or use the search-field box to find your own topics.

58 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Get sporting updates Use the Sport app to keep on top of your favourite sports

L

ove it or loath it, sport is one of the world’s most popular pastimes, and if we are not participating in a sport of some description, many of us are almost certainly watching one! Of course, this trend is magnified when global sporting events are happening, such as the Rugby World Cup or Wimbledon tennis, for example. The only problem with keeping on top of the latest events is that there is so much choice, and if you like several sports or teams, it can be time consuming to look on the internet or piece together separate apps in order to get your fix.

However, thanks to Windows 10’s Sport app, you won’t have to worry for long, as the app provides a nest bed for adding your favourite sports and teams. In other words, it converges everything under one roof. When you first launch the app, it will usually piece together the most popular sports, so you are able to gain instant access to these from the left-hand menu. However, in the below tutorial we will showcase how to add new sports to your Favourites list, and also how to keep track of your favourite teams.

Track your top market Tap into the Money app to add your favourite markets to a Watch list

Sport View favourite sports and teams Launch the Money app and, if prompted, say ‘Yes’ to receiving notifications. Next, click on the World Markets menu option on the left-hand side. Now choose EMEA from the top list.

1: View existing topics

2: Add more sports

When you launch the Sports app, you can select from the left-hand menu from the most popular sports. In this example, click on F1. From here you can then select news articles to read.

To add more choices, select the More Sports menu icon. Use the Search facility or browse through additional sports. Once you find one, select to view its contents, then tap on the star icon at the top.

3: View your favourites

4: Add your favourite team

You can continue adding more sports to your list, but once you want to access the sport at a later date, click on the My Favourites menu option. From here, select a thumbnail to read the topic.

Within the My Favourite menu, select the ‘+’ icon under the header Favourite Teams. In the search box, type your team’s name and select it from the list. View your team’s activities via the thumbnail.

Next, choose ‘FTSE 100’, then click on the top star icon in order to add it to your Watchlist. You are then able to access the market via the left-hand Watchlist icon or from the Home screen.

From the Watchlist menu, you can also click on the ‘Pin to Start’ icon at the top of the screen. This will allow you to track your market from the Windows Start menu.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 59

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Customise your news feeds Get access to a wealth of tailored news

O

ne of Windows 10’s redeeming features is that a lot of its core apps share a common interface/theme, so the News app will be instantly familiar if you have followed other tutorials in this book. As the name suggests, the News app offers a platform for accessing a range of topics, such as Entertainment and Technology, taken from multiple news sources from around the world. The beauty of this app is that you have control over what interests you the most. For example, if you want to read about the Xbox One or remove some of the pre-installed topics, then you can. In the tutorial here, we showcase this process in action, so you can keep on top of events that matter the most to you.

News

Read news that interests you

1: Customise My News

2: Edit existing topics

3: Add new topics

Launch the News app and, if prompted, say ‘Yes’ to the ‘Breaking News Alerts’ notification. Click on the Edit icon (pencil symbol) at the top to reveal topics currently listed on your ‘My News’ home screen.

From the next screen, you’ll see the aforementioned topics with green ticks incorporated within the large thumbnails. Select the tick to remove a current topic. The symbol will then change back to a ‘+’.

Now click on the ‘All Interests’ topic or at least one of the other sub-categories. From here it will list more topics. Simply click on the ‘+’ icon within a thumbnail to add the topic(s) of interest.

4: Add custom topics

5: Rearrange topics

6: View your topics

Alternatively, click on the ‘+’ icon at the top of the screen. Now input ‘Xbox One’ into the search engine (for the sake of this example) and select the latter from the search results beneath.

Now head back to the ‘My Interests’ topic and, using your mouse, left-click and hold on the bottom-right corner of a thumbnail. Next, move this to a new position before releasing the mouse button.

Finally, click on the Home icon via the left menu, and you’ll notice all of your topics listed at the top of the screen. Simply click on the ‘Xbox One’ topic to read the articles within.

60 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Monitor the weather Utilise the Weather app to view local or remote forecasts

K

eeping track of current weather forecasts for your local area or a destination that you want to travel to, will certainly give you a better chance to prepare for better or for worse! So, if you were hoping for sun but the forecast suggests rain, will be able to plan accordingly by taking some waterproof clothing alongside your shorts!

Weather

Windows 10’s Weather app can be a very useful addition, as it will provide a 10-day weather forecast for a chosen destination. This includes statistical information, such as temperature, percentage of rain and even wind speed. It will also provide a more graphical representation of the weather with a dynamically changing background, and small

symbol icons to reflect whether or not it is raining. In the tutorial below, we are going to take a look at how to add places to the app and adjust your Weather app’s home location. Although not covered here, Cortana can also tap into the Weather app to display weather forecasts directly within its Search bar.

Add places to the Weather app

1: Set a home location

2: Change the location

3: Add more places

4: View your weather

Launch the Weather app. It should tap in to your Location Services to gleam the forecast. If not, click on the Places menu option to the left. Right click on the thumbnail icon under the header Launch Location and choose Change Launch Location.

From the resulting screen, click on ‘Default location’ and type a location via the search bar. Pick the location from the results. You can also toggle whether to display the forecast in Fahrenheit or Celsius. Click on the top-left ‘back’ icon (next to Settings).

In the Places menu, click on the ‘+’ icon under Favourite Places. From here, an ‘Add to Favourites’ box will appear, allowing you to input your town, city or postcode and select from the list. Repeat the process for other locations.

Select a thumbnail and scroll down for additional info, tap into the Pin option to view a weather snapshot from the Start menu, or experiment with the Historical Weather menu to see how temperature or rainfall faired within a given month.

Manage your notifications Adjust third-party notifications for a given app

1: Customise notifications

2: Change the notifications

3: Action the notifications

If you have third-party News apps, adjust how notifications are handled. Click on the Start icon, then head to Settings>System>Notifications & actions. A list of apps will now appear.

In this example, we have a listed app called ‘Appy Gamer’, which displays gaming news. Simply click the app’s title and from here you can adjust how notifications are handled by the system.

Once a notification kicks in, you’ll get an alert. Click on the notification (if you’re fast) or use the Action Centre (bottom-right of the taskbar). Click the relevant notification to launch/read the article.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 61

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Stay entertained Windows 10 offers plenty of entertainment options, we showcase the best

M

icrosoft’s plan with Windows 10 was to develop an evolving platform that will support both consumers and businesses alike. From a consumer point of view we are talking about entertainment. Now, Microsoft Edge is one default example that can keep you entertained by allowing you to find web content and then tap into a Reading viewer to strip away the ads to concentrate on the article. Likewise you can use the browser to enjoy TV and Movie streaming services from the BBC, Amazon and Netflix. However this is just a standard way of keeping yourself entertained and Windows 10 offers a lot more variety thanks to its core apps and services. One in particular is the integration of Xbox Live and its accompanying Xbox app, which provides a useful platform for entertainment, not only from a games point of view, but also from a social aspect. We’ll be covering the Xbox app in our tutorials below. We’re also going to tap into Groove Music and the Films & TV app to give you some pointers on optimising the way you listen and watch content. We’re going to showcase some useful third party apps that you can download from the store too. The entertainment side is covered, so keep reading to find out what’s possible!

TuneInRadio

Listen to digital radio stations

1: Listen to local radio

2: Listen to your station

3: Add Favourites or pin to Start

First download and install TuneIn Radio from the Windows Store. Then launch the app and from the main interface click on Local Radio. Now select the area you want to listen from i.e. Birmingham.

Once the location has been selected, all of the radio stations will appear in a thumbnail format. Simply select the station you want and it will start to stream the content to your device.

Additionally you can click on the Add icon beneath to send the station to your Favourites, which is accessible from the main interface. Or click Pin. You can then access TuneIn Radio from the Start Menu!

62 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Download from YouTube Use Tube Box to view or download your favourite videos

O

ne of the best forms of entertainment is to tap into the wealth of video content from YouTube! There are literally millions- uponmillions of videos to watch, ranging from gameplay commentary to fan made films! By default in Windows 10 you are limited to a web browser in order to tap into this content; as the Windows store does not have a dedicated app available (at the time of writing). However even with an app you are still tied down to an internet connection in order to view the videos. Thankfully there is a useful app

Tube Box

alternative available from the Windows Store called Tube Box. In its basic format it allows you to search and play videos like you would from YouTube directly or you can add videos to playlists, view comments and so forth. However its main benefit is that it also allows you to download the videos for offline viewing! In this tutorial we will showcase how to do this, but the offline viewing part will come in handy for when we take a look at the Film & TV app side later on; as this will give you the heads up on how to view them!

Pin an album to the Start Menu Learn how to showcase and pin your favourite album to the Start Menu!

Download YouTube videos to view offline

Launch Groove Music, then from the side menu click on Albums; albums sourced from your PC will appear on the right. Right-click on one and choose ‘Pin to start’.

1: Download Tube Box

2: Search for content

From the Windows Store click on the search box at the top of the screen and input ‘Tube Box’. Now click on the resulting link beneath the search and download and install the Free app.

After launching the app the best way to look for content is to click on the internal search box. As you type a series of results will appear beneath that you can then select to view the available videos.

3: Preview your video

4: Downloading a video

Now select a video and from the main player you can tap the 1080P drop-down box to adjust the quality or hover your mouse over the window to bring up the player controls.

Once you are happy with the choice you need to click on the Download icon. Now pick the quality of the video you want to download. This will start the download process. Click OK when finished.

Alternatively you can pin an individual song. First select a song from your album or click on the Songs menu. Right-click the song and choose ‘Pin to start’.

Next click the Start icon and scroll to the base to view your Pins. To play the album or song tap the thumbnail. To remove a Pin right-click and choose ‘Unpin from Start’.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 63

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Adding music to Groove Listen to your music anywhere with Groove

G

roove Music is the default music app on Windows 10 and it provides all the tools you need to play your favourite music tracks; including a Spotify-style subscription service, which allows access to millions of songs! By default Groove Music scans your Music folder, which is handy, because most third party apps store music in there too – so don’t be surprised if you find your library is populated already! The focus of this tutorial is to showcase how to add tracks to your online OneDrive storage. This enables other devices you own to play the same music library. We showcase how to upload music to your OneDrive folder using File Explorer, but you can also upload to www.onedrive.com.

Groove Music

Add tracks to OneDrive

1: File Explorer location

2: Copying your music

3: Pasting into Music

First click on the File Explorer icon at the bottom of the taskbar. You then need to navigate to OneDrive>Music. If the folder is not there, simply create one – right-click on OneDrive.

Now right-click the File Explorer taskbar icon again to open another instant of File Explorer and then navigate to the source where you want to copy your music from. Right-click a track and click Copy.

Next, switch back to your OneDrive Music folder and then right-click the window and choose Paste. After the music is copied close both File Explorer Windows via the top right ‘x’.

4: Change location

5: Adding your OneDrive folder

6: Filtering your music

Now launch Groove Music and when you are logged in click the cog settings icon at the bottom left of the screen select ‘Choose where we look for music’. From the resulting option click the ‘+’ icon.

Now, navigate to the following folder location ‘C:\ Users\yourname\OneDrive\Music ‘ and choose ‘Add this folder to Music’. It will now list the newly added location. To finish click Done.

Next select Albums from the left menu and via the Filter: drop-down tab click on the option ‘On OneDrive’. Your OneDrive Music folder contents will now appear; but only when the upload finishes.

64 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Streaming from Xbox One A look at the Xbox One to Windows 10 streaming

T

here is no denying the Xbox app will benefit those who own a Microsoft’s Xbox One console, as it has the ability to stream content straight to your Windows 10 PC or Tablet. This has two benefits; one it frees up the TV so your partner can get some screen space of their own and also it enables you to tap into the

Xbox app

full multimedia range that the Xbox One has to offer; in order to boost your entertainment quota. For example you can gain access to apps that are not available yet (at the time of writing) on the Windows 10 platform such as BBC iPlayer. Of course the primary benefit is you can stream your Xbox One Games.

The only perquisite for this tutorial is you need to have your Xbox One and PC/Tablet connected to the same network (attached to the same router – wired or wireless). You also need to plug in the Xbox One controller to your device’s USB port. Once this is done the tutorial will get you up and running with the rest!

Stream content from your Xbox One

1: Connecting

2: Connect to console

3: Stream time!

4: Adjust stream quality

Head to your Xbox One and with the controller double tap the Xbox button and move down to the settings cog. Next navigate to All Settings>Preferences>‘Game DVR & streaming’ and toggle the ‘Allow Play To streaming option’ to on.

Now head over to your Windows 10 PC or tablet and launch the Xbox App. Ensure that you are logged in with the same Microsoft account. Click Connect. The ‘Add a device’ setup window will appear. Once your console is found select Connect.

You will now be presented with several connect options. Make sure your Xbox One controller is connected to your PC and then click on the Stream tab at the top. After a few moments the screen will turn green and you will be connected.

With the Xbox One Controller navigate to and select your app or game to play. If you find the quality or the stream is too choppy, select the top right corner to adjust the stream quality. You can also stop the stream and return to Windows.

Play your tunes through Groove Controlling your music playback

1: Standard controls

2: Taskbar controls

3: Volume control

Launch Groove Music and select either Albums or Songs from the main context menu. Now doubleclick a track and then use the Play-back options at the base of the album or song to control the music.

Now minimise the Groove Music App and then hover your mouse over the app’s taskbar icon; a small thumbnail pop-up will now appear. From here you can then pause, play or skip your music tracks.

Alternatively keep playing a track and then increase or decrease the volume with your keyboard. This will bring up a playback control panel in the top left corner from which you can manipulate the music!

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 65

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Watch movies on your PC Buy, rent or play your personal videos with Films & TV nother sure fire way of entertaining yourself with Windows 10 is to watch a film. These days you have plenty of choice, such as streaming services from Netflix and Amazon Prime. However we are more interested in the app that comes pre-loaded with Windows 10 and this is the Films & TV App or outside the UK this is possibly

A

Films & TV

known as Movies & TV. This app offers a simple platform for managing the compatible films that are held on your local computer, as well as those films purchased or rented from the Windows Store. In this tutorial we will take a look at firstly the process of downloading a free film from the store and then we will also showcase how to play films that

are on your PC. Now if you remember earlier we showcased a tutorial that allowed you to download YouTube videos, what we didn’t show you is how to play the downloaded content, so this section will be useful here. The process of renting and buying films is similar, but the only perquisite is you need to have a Microsoft Account with a payment card.

Watching films and video content with Films & TV

1: Choose a folder

2: Play your videos

3: Search for content

4: Download and Play

Launch the Films & TV App and click on the Settings cog icon at the base. Now select the option ‘Choose where we look for videos’. If there is no folder in here click on the ‘+’ icon and navigate to your Videos folder and choose ‘Add this folder to Videos’.

With the folder listed now click on Done. Any videos found in this folder can then be accessed by selecting the Videos context menu to the side. From here you can navigate to your videos by clicking on the folders or thumbnails. Then hit Play!

Alternatively click on the ‘Shop for more’ icon, which will take you to the Windows Store. From the Store use the search box at the top right of the screen and look for Star Wars: The Force Awakens Trailer 2. Once found select the small thumbnail.

Click on the HD drop-down box to choose SD quality. Now choose Buy Free, then select Download. When the Film’s been downloaded either click Play or return to the Films & TV App and use the Films menu option to locate the newly downloaded film!

Check out the Kindle app Read existing books with Amazon’s Kindle app

1: Download and sign in

2: Continue reading

3: Pin to Start

Download the Amazon Kindle app from the Windows Store and once this is installed Open the app and choose Sign In. A prompt will now appear asking for your security credentials.

If you have signed in with an existing account all your books will appear on-screen. You can select a thumbnail cover to read your book – it should allow you to continue from where you left off!

A useful tip is if you select the top right bookmark icon and then right click the page you can select ‘Pin to Start’. Now you can jump straight to a bookmarked page from the Start Menu!

66 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Track your gaming achievements Playing games does have its rewards! he Xbox app enables you to play multiplayer games, chat with others in parties, seamlessly record gameplay clips and additionally keep track of your achievements! Granted achievements can be earned with games from the Xbox One, but they can also be earned from playing games downloaded from the Windows Store; as long as they sport the Xbox wording at the top of their thumbnail image. When you get an achievement for completing a given task or challenge within a game, you can view this in the Xbox app and even compare your success against a friend for a more social and competitive interaction.

T

Xbox app

Play games and track your achievements

1: Play your game

2: First time signing in

3: Choose a game type

Launch the Xbox app and from the left-hand menu choose My Games. It will list all of your installed Windows compatible Games. For now select Microsoft Solitaire Collection and click Play.

When you first launch the game it will ask if you have played Solitaire on the device before. It’s best to click on Yes here so it will backup any saved data to your Microsoft Account.

Now pick a game type; in this example click on Spider. Once launched start to play a game and just flip your first card over. Hopefully if it’s your first game it will pop-up an achievement!

4: View your achievement

5: Achievements to earn

6: Compare with friends

If you are quick you can select your Achievement notification; which will take you to the Xbox app. Or, just launch the app from the taskbar and choose the Achievements menu and Game thumbnail.

When you view the achievement it will list in a table below how you earned it. It will also showcase what else you need to do in order to earn more! Think of it as setting yourself new challenges!

Earn more achievements and head back to the Xbox app. Now click on the Activity Feed and select one of your friends. Choose Achievements from their profile to see how you compare!

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 67

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Download new apps Find great apps for leisure, education or work on the Windows Store

T

here are countless sources of software on the internet and tens of thousands of applications, utilities and games that can be downloaded. Although there are some great programs around, there are also viruses, spyware, and types of malware. In contrast, the Windows Store is a safe place to find and download software. There are many fantastic apps and it is very easy to navigate, find apps and install them. It takes the hassle and risk out of getting software for your computer. There are lots of free apps in the store, but if you choose to buy some, payments are safe and secure. The Windows Store is recommended because of its ease of use and safety compared to the wild west frontier of the open internet where many dangers lurk. The store contains more than just apps and there is music, films and TV shows too. The best content in each section is highlighted in the store and you can view top lists that show what everyone else is buying and downloading. These features allow you to easily find the best apps, music and movies for your computer. There are search facilities that enable you to find content and the results can be filtered by category. Apps can be updated and you can view your purchase history.

Windows Store

Browse the best apps

1: Open the Store

2: Browse recommended apps

3: Browse featured apps

Click the Store app tile on the Start menu or click the icon in the taskbar. The large area at the top shows several highlighted apps. Click the right and left edge to browse them.

Just below the highlighted apps is Picks for you. Click ‘Show all’ on the right to view a collection of apps recommended by the Store based on your interests and previous app downloads.

Back at the home screen, click Featured below the highlighted apps. This shows a collection of apps that are currently being promoted. There are often great ones here, so check them out.

68 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Browse categories Navigate the store sections and find the best content

T

he Windows Store is divided into sections, these include Apps, Games, Music, and Film & TV. Each section is quite similar and whether you are purchasing a movie or downloading a free app, the store experience is pretty much the same. Our tutorial will focus on apps, but the other store sections are similar, so if you are looking for music or even movies you can apply the techniques we outline and browse, search and purchase items in the same way. The store opens with highlighted items that show promoted apps, moves or music, and it

Windows Store

provides links to see the top items within each of the sections. You can view charts that show the best selling items in each store section, the top free content, what’s new and rising. These are great places to visit when you have a new computer and a fresh copy of Windows 10. A few apps, music and movies will make your Windows PC much more entertaining. You can also narrow the view in each section to specific sub categories and this means you can easily find the content you are interested in. Let’s see how to browse the store.

Learn how to install an app Get information about an app and download it to your device

Browse the Store categories Now you know how to browse and find apps, click one to view the details. There is a brief description on the left, a screenshot on the right and a Free button or a price.

1: Pick a category

2: Top of the charts

There are separate store sections for apps, games, music, films and TV. Click one of the sections at the top, such as Apps. The store shows content specific to the selected section.

In each store section is a link to show the top content. Here in the Apps section, click ‘App top charts & categories’. Click an item on the left, such as Top free to see a list.

3: Add a filter

4: Find new apps

There is a category list on the left that organises apps according to their content and type. Click ‘Food & dining’ for example, and you can now see the top free food-based apps.

The Top free, Top paid and Best rated charts do not change very often and the best way to find new apps is to click ‘New and rising’. Narrow the list by selecting a category.

Just below the two-line description is More. Click it and the text is expanded to provide a comprehensive explanation of what the app can do and the benefits of installing it.

Scroll down the page and there is information about in-app purchases. Many free apps have optional extras. Check the score and if you want the app, click the Free or Price button to install it.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 69

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Discover how to view your account Explore and tweak your settings

I

n this section we take a look at the account menu and its various subsections. There is a lot to explore here and it enables the Windows Store app settings to be customised, such as enabling automatic updates, checking for new updates and viewing downloads, viewing all of the devices that access your Microsoft account, viewing recent transactions and payments, and more. There are some important topics on the account menu and you should visit each section as soon as you can. If you have used Windows 8, much of the information will be familiar to you, but it is presented in a different way because the Windows Store app has a new design for the new operating system.

Windows Store

View account settings

1: Show the account menu

2: Update your apps

3: Customise the settings

Open the Windows Store app and at the top on the right is your Microsoft account image. It isn’t obvious, but clicking it displays a menu of useful items. Click ‘Downloads and updates’.

Click the Check for updates button to see if any of the apps on the PC have been updated since they were installed. Click the Update buttons next to each one or Update all.

Return to the account menu (step 1) and select Settings. Turn on app updates, but the Live Tile option is up to you. Turn off Purchase sign-in for extra security and require a password.

4: Manage your devices

5: View purchased items

6: Change payment options

Click ‘Manage your devices’ at the bottom of the Settings screen and Edge displays your account. Up to 10 PCs and devices can be used, so remove unused ones when the limit is reached.

Return to the account menu (step 1) and select Purchased. This opens Edge again and this time it displays a list of everything you have bought. Free items are included and are priced £0.00.

Return to the account menu and select Payment options. Edge opens and shows the methods you use for paying for items. Click the ‘Add or Remove’ links if you need to change these.

70 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Search the Windows Store Use the search facility to find items

C

ategories and featured lists are both excellent tools for discovering new and popular apps on the Windows Store, but if you know what you’re after and want to locate it quickly then search is the way to go. Most of the time you’ll be using the Windows Store’s search function to track down specific apps by typing in

Windows Store

their names and clicking on the results, but its uses go far beyond just that. Intelligent suggestions will pop up as soon as you start typing into the search bar, pointing you in the direction of apps you might want to check out and saving you even more time. And when viewing your list of search results, the options to filter and

refine what you see are really extensive. From excluding types of content that you don’t want to see, to selecting a custom range of categories that you want to collect results from, the Windows Store has all the tools you need to find and download exactly the games and apps that you want in a matter of minutes.

Explore the Windows Store content through search

1: Search suggestions

2: Refine the results

3: Filter search results

4: Refine the search

Using the links and browsing the various sections and categories will only show a limited range of store content. Click in the search box and start typing. The store will suggest items that may be of interest. Click one or click the magnifying glass.

After entering a search phrase, content from across the store is displayed – this includes apps, games, movies, music and TV shows. A few results from each section are shown and there is a ‘Show all link’. Click it or a store section on the left.

Selecting one of the store sections on the left, such as Apps, produces a more detailed list of search results that focus on that section. Here we have apps and a list of subcategories of apps. You can just as easily search for music or movies in the same way.

It’s possible to refine the search further and this produces an even better list of results that focus on just the subject you are interested in. Click a category like Entertainment for example and all the apps matching the search term are displayed.

Rate and review Add your scores and opinions to the Windows Store

1: Start menu options

2: Add a comment

3: View your review

Ratings and opinions are important in the Windows Store and have probably guided your purchases, so add your own. Right-click an app on the Start menu, select More, Rate and review.

The Windows Store app opens, goes to the selected app’s page, and a window appears with options to rate the app and add a comment. Keep it short, but make it helpful to others.

Click the Submit button and your rating and comment is added to the page. To see it, go to ‘Ratings and reviews’ and click the ‘Show all’ link. Select Most recent under Sort by.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 71

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Activate Tablet mode Simulate the look and feel of a tablet on your desktop PC with Tablet mode

M

icrosoft has always been keen on tapping into the tablet market by providing an OS that could blend the desktop with a tablet experience. Unfortunately, for a lot of people, their last attempts with Windows 8 and 8.1 were not that popular, primarily because they tried to add a Metro-style Start interface with a desktop experience tagged on at the back. However, with Windows 10 the OS has been built around its continuum feature where the entire operating system can intelligently switch from a tablet to desktop experience when you plug the latter into a docking station and switch back afterwards. On top of this you have a lot of universal apps, which are designed to scale depending on your screen-size. From a desktop point of view you can still enable a Tablet mode, which will mimic a tablet’s functionality. All apps are also maximised by default – albeit some third party apps won’t be – and some may find this minimalistic approach better to work with than the desktop experience. In our tutorial we will showcase how to switch to Tablet mode and also show how it functions by switching apps, utilising the Start screen and customising the taskbar with desktop functionality!

Tablet mode

Get the tablet experience

1: Enabling Tablet mode

2: Settings mode

3: Turn on at Login

There are two ways in which Tablet mode can be enabled, the quickest method is to click on the Action centre icon at the bottom right corner of the screen. Select the Tablet mode thumbnail.

Alternatively you can enable Tablet mode via the main settings. First click on the Action centre icon and then choose ‘All settings’. Now navigate to System>Tablet mode and toggle the option to On.

While on the previous screen you can also toggle the devices behaviour. For example click on the drop down under ‘When I sign in’ and toggle this to ‘Automatically switch to tablet mode’.

72 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Explore the Start screen All the attention will be on the Start screen in Tablet mode

B

y now you should have discovered what happens when the Tablet mode is initialised. Essentially it will transform the standard desktop experience to one that is similar to Windows 8 and 8.1. Thus the Start icon appears at the base still, but the Menu that you are used to effectively becomes a Start screen (all of the tiles are displayed across the entire width of the screen). Additionally the bottom Taskbar will also change to a solid black colour and most of your taskbar icons will have disappeared; including the large Cortana search bar.

Start screen

On top of this you will find the placement of a back button, which most Android and Windows Phone users will be familiar with and a Task View icon; but both of these options will become more apparent in a later tutorial. Primarily in this tutorial we will be focusing on how to work with the Start screen, how to access all your programs, get to the Programs>File Explorer quickly and add more tile icons. In some ways you should be used to the latter process already, but you can gain additional help by following our dedicated Start menu tricks tutorial.

Personalisation Bring back some personal touches from the desktop to the Tablet mode

Get to know your way around Click on the top left icon and then choose Settings>Personalisation. From here navigate to Background and then click Browse to look for a new image. Select ‘Choose picture’ to finish.

1: Navigate the Start screen

2: Manipulate the tiles

All your tile icons will be slightly scaled now so they spread out across the screen horizontally. However with your mouse or finger (touch screen monitors) you can also pan vertically down to reveal more.

The Start screen works the same as the Start menu, if you hover the mouse above a group of thumbnails you can add a title. You can click on a thumbnail to re-arrange or Right-click to re-size it!

3: Access files and apps

4: View all programs

Next click on the top left icon to access your ‘Most used’ apps and the File Explorer option at the base. Additionally you can click the side icon next to an app to bring up its ‘Jump List’ for quick access!

Now click the bottom icon (above the Start) and this will reveal all of your apps which you can scroll vertically up/down to access. Additionally you can Right click an app to pin it to your Start screen.

Next select the Colours menu option to the left and then scroll to the base to toggle ‘Show colour on Start, taskbar, and action centre’ to On. Finally you can pick a colour of your choice above.

Click on the left Start menu and select ‘Choose which folders appear on Start’. Now Toggle the Music and Videos icons to on. Next press the Start button>top left icon, to view the changes!

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 73

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Multitasking with Tablet mode A look at how to switch between apps!

U

nlike the desktop, Windows 10 handles the tablet mode’s multitasking slightly differently. In fact it works in a similar way to the Android or Windows Phone experience. For example when you click on the Start icon it will now switch back to the Start screen from whatever app you were in and a further press of the Start icon will switch you instantly back to the app you were using. The back button can be used to switch between running programs in a set order. The main benefit of Tablet mode is certainly the speed in which you can move between programs.

Multitasking

Switch between apps

1: Switch between a single app

2: Switch programs via icons

3: Utilise the Back button

From the main Start screen launch Microsoft Edge or access this via the bottom left ‘All apps’ icon. Click the Start icon and press it again. Note it switches instantly between the running program.

Press the Start icon again, but leave Microsoft Edge running. Choose another program, such as Groove Music. Press the Start icon again and then click on Microsoft Edge; it will now switch programs.

Now run a third program from the Start screen, for example the News app and this time click the Back icon. Keep clicking on this to scroll through all your previously open apps in sequence.

4: Alt+tab shortcut

5: Close programs quickly

6: Use the Task View

Press and hold down Alt and then the tab key. Now press the combination to switch between your running programs. Release the keys on a thumbnail to change to that app.

Using the Alt+tab key combination, keeping the keys pressed down, use your mouse hover over a thumbnail and click the top right ‘x’ icon to quickly shut down the running app.

For a more static look at your running programs click on the Task View icon at the base of the taskbar. You can select a thumbnail to quickly switch between running programs or close them.

74 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Tap away at the touch keyboard If you want to tap rather than type then here’s your chance

I

t seems like a strange choice to want to bring up the on-screen virtual keyboard, but for monitors equipped with touch capabilities it will provide some additional benefits. For the most part the touch keyboard will provide the same QWERTY layout that you would find on a physical keyboard. However the beauty

Touch keyboard

of the touch keyboard is you are not limited to physical restraints. By this we mean you can move the keyboard to different positions on the screen or split the virtual board in half; so one side has a set number of keys and vice versa. Additionally the keyboard can also be adapted to handle multiple languages, so if you are in

another country you can change your keyboard’s layout, which will make life a lot easier. We will be showcasing how to bring up the keyboard and tap into these features in the tutorial below. Additionally, the keyboard will be handy for those who like to Skype chat as you can quickly tap into the emoji icons for smilie faces and so forth!

Utilising the touch keyboard’s advanced features

1: Enable the keyboard

2: How to type

3: Find more features

4: Move and Language

From the main Start screen Right-click the taskbar and then choose ‘Show touch keyboard button’. This will then display a keyboard icon symbol to the right of the screen next to the system clock. Next, launch a typing based app such as Skype.

Start a conversation with a friend and then click on the bottom right Keyboard icon. This will bring up the touch keyboard. Type using your finger or click each letter with your mouse. You can click on the ‘&123’ icon to change to special characters.

Additionally you can click on the keyboard’s smiley face icon to switch between various emoji. For now click on the keyboard icon to the bottom right of the board. Now click on the second icon from the left and watch as the board is split into two.

Click and hold the board with your left mouse to move it. Then click the keyboard icon again and choose Language preferences. Click on ‘Add a language’ and then choose a language. Click on the keyboard icon to switch to the alternative layout.

Power up the taskbar Activate the taskbar icons for improved functionality

1: Bringing back the taskbar

2: Multitasking functionality

3: Show all notification icons

From the main Start screen Right-click on the taskbar and then from the resulting context menu choose ‘Show app icons’. Once enabled this will bring back the icons you had from your desktop!

With the taskbar icons showing you will also get a coloured underline on those apps that are currently open. You can then click on one to switch between them. Or right-click an icon for additional options.

Right-click the taskbar on an empty space and choose the option ‘Show all notification icons’. This will now bring back the small notification icons, including the hidden icons upward arrow.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 75

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Troubleshooting We tackle some of the common issues faced when moving to Windows 10

W

ith an active user-base of over 110 million, Windows 10 is certainly a popular operating system, given that it had only been available for a few months at the time of writing. Mind you this is partially due to the free upgrade – available on Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 machines – that Microsoft is running from 29 July 2015 until the following year. However, we can hazard a guess that there are still a lot of people who are unaware that an upgrade even exists! So in one of the tutorials we will take a quick look at how watch out for the freeupgrade and start the ball rolling; plus more importantly showcase how to roll back to your previous copy of Windows if you can’t get on with Windows 10. Uninstalling it is only possible for a short period of time after upgrading though. For the most part we are going to help pinpoint some of the common problems you are likely to face when using Windows 10, this will range from basic printer related issues, to how to restore your PC to a previous state in case of a corrupted app or driver. Before we begin a useful tip would be for you to tap into the Get Started app, as it offers plenty of advice for first-time users. But remember, if all else fails, do the oldest fix of all – turn it off and on!

Windows

Upgrade to Windows 10 for free

1: Reserve your copy

2: Upgrading to Windows 10

3: Rolling back

On Windows 7 or 8 and 8.1 machines click on the Windows logo at the bottom right of the taskbar. Here you can view a report to see if your machine is upgradeable. Click on ‘Reserve your free upgrade’.

Keep an eye on the small Windows logo icon as it will inform you of when the upgrade is ready. When it is ready, click on it and then choose Upgrade Now to follow the on-screen instructions.

If you don’t like Windows 10 you can roll back to your previous version! On Windows 10 head to Start>Settings>Update & security>Recovery and select Get started under ‘Go back to Windows x’.

76 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Update your OS Most problems can be cured by Windows updates

W

indows 10 has a newly revised update section, which is there to provide vital security and general fixes for the Windows 10 operating system and its first party apps such as Microsoft Office. In this tutorial we will take a look at how this option works because nine times out of ten downloading an update can cure most problems; such as system crashes! Of course this is in an ideal world and yet there is always the one time where an update can have the opposite effect, turning a perfectly functional

Windows Update

computer into a glorified door stop! So again we will showcase how to remove the updates once they are installed – usually it will be the last update added to the system that will have caused the issue. It’s interesting to note at this juncture that by default Windows 10 updates are installed automatically and the moment you know an update is going live is when you do a restart. As a result part of the tutorial will focus on how to enable the schedule option; so you can take back control on when you want updates to be installed and your computer restarted!

Don’t forget to update your apps Keep apps in fine working order with the Windows Store

Keep your computer up-to-date

Launch the Windows Store and click on the small Account icon at the top of the page and then choose Settings. From here toggle the automatic app updates to off.

1: Check for updates

2: Get more details

From your desktop select the Start icon and then head to Settings>Update & security. Now select Windows Update and to the right click on ‘Check for updates’. Note this can take a few moments.

If an update is found it will start to download automatically with a progress bar showing on-screen. At this point you can click the Details option for more info about what the update does.

3: Schedule a restart

4: Removing updates

Click on Advanced options and choose ‘Notify to schedule restart’. Next click the top left back button. Once the download has finished you can manually install the update and choose when it will restart.

Head back to Windows Update and choose Advanced options>View your update history, then select Uninstall updates. Select your update from the list and click Uninstall at the top.

Now click on the Account icon again and choose ‘Downloads and updates’. Click on the ‘Check for updates’ icon. It will display any updates that are available.

You can now decide on which update you want to install. To do this click on either Update all or select the download icon – next to an app – to start the process.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 77

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Create a system restore point Prevention is sometimes better than cure

T

he old analogy of prevention is sometimes better than cure certainly holds true when dealing with a lot of Windows 10 problems. So far we have shown that a good starting point is to keep your Windows System and app updates current so you get all the latest fixes. However sometimes the inevitable can happen – an update is installed that makes your computer sluggish. In this tutorial we are going to showcase how to create a system restore point, so that in the event of the above happening you can go back to a previous working state. Alongside this we will also take a quick look at how to run a scan disk on your hard drive to automatically fix problems.

System Properties Restore your system

1: Accessing the system restore

2: Configure your hard drive

3: Create a manual restore point

From the Cortana search bar type in ‘System restore’. Now select the top result, which should be ‘Create a restore point’. This will open System Properties. Select a drive that you want to protect.

Now click Configure and toggle the protection to on and then use the slider beneath to adjust how much of your hard drive space should be allocated to the system restore partition. Usually 1%.

Next click OK and then select Create. Type in a name for the restore point – ‘IPRestoreNov112015’. Click Create and the system will then start to store your computers state to the hard drive.

4: Restoring system state

5: Scan and fix your hard drive

6: Scan your drive for errors

Once this has finished click on Close. Now if you want to restore your computer’s state head back to the System Properties and choose System Restore. Select your previous restore point and click Next.

Head to File Explorer via the taskbar (or via the Start Menu) and from here scroll down to This PC. Now click this header and then select the offending hard drive. Now right-click it and choose Properties.

From the properties window click on the Tools tab and then select Check under Error checking. If prompted choose Scan drive, the system will now check for any issues and repair them.

78 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Install an older network printer Fix a common problem with installing printers

I

f you are installing an older printer to Windows 10, more specially a network printer, then you may find the common problems you will come across is communication with the printer driver itself. By communication we mean its IP address. Without going too technical this IP number needs to be

in a similar range to what your router uses and it also needs to be unique; so when the driver sends something to the printer it sends it to the correct IP address. Problems can occur if the IP address used by the printer suddenly changes. This can happen for a number of reasons, but an incorrect IP will usually result in no printing.

In this tutorial we will showcase how to install an older network printer from scratch and also how to troubleshoot an incorrect printer port. For tech savvy users the best option is to assign a port to the printer’s host name. This way, if the IP changes it won’t stop it from printing. See Step 4 for how to get to this option.

Settings Add an older network printer to your devices

1: Head to Settings

2: Find your printer

3: Install the driver

4: More troubleshooting

You could go to Start>Settings>Devices to add a new printer. First type in the Cortana search bar ‘printers’. Now select ‘Devices and Printers’ from the resulting search. At the top of the window click on ‘Add a Printer’.

Ensure that the Printer is on and connected to your network and then choose ‘The printer that I want isn’t listed’. From the ‘Add Printer’ wizard that appears choose ‘My printer is a little older. Help me find it’ and then select Next.

The screen will now display a list of all the available printer drivers. Click Windows Update to pull down a more up-to-date and comprehensive list. Select your printer model and continuously click on Next. To complete the installation click Finish.

With your printer listed right-click the thumbnail and choose Printer properties>Ports>Configure Port. Print out a Status/Settings page and make a note of its IP/Host name. If the driver’s IP differs from the status page you can then choose Add Port.

Avoid Cortana misunderstandings Get Cortana to recognise “Hey Cortana” a little easier with a boost to your microphone

1: Sound properties

2: Adjust your levels

3: ‘Hey Cortana’

From the Cortana’s search bar type in ‘manage audio’ and from the top click on the option ‘Manage audio devices’. From the Sound window click on Recording and then your microphone.

With the microphone selected choose Properties at the base of the window. From here click on the tab Levels and then using your mouse adjust both sliders to their max settings to boost the pickup.

Once this has been adjusted click OK twice to close both windows and then say “Hey Cortana” (assuming you have followed our guide to turn it on). Cortana will now be more responsive.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 79

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Tricks

Windows 10 is full of hidden features that can transform your PC. You just need to know where to find them

82

Customise the Start menu in Windows 10

84

Use dictation and speech commands

104

82 86

Control apps with the Task Manager

88

Manage your printers and other devices

84 80 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

90

Share over a homegroup network

92 94

Protect your PC with security software

96

Configure Ease of Access in Settings

98 98

Personalise Mail to suit your needs

100

Keep on top of your PC’s health

Customise and improve Skype

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

110 102 104

114

Master the advanced power settings

116

Learn to defragment your hard disk

108 118

Manage Windows 10’s Storage Spaces

120

Boost Windows speed and get a better PC

Take great photos with the Camera app

Use Photos to create great image edits

100 106

Work with Microsoft Office web apps

108 110

Make the most of the versatile OneNote Make your Calendar easier to read

112

Compress your files and documents

92 90 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 81

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Customise the Start menu in Windows 10 You can make the Start menu in Windows 10 work and look any way you like in a matter of seconds

T

he Windows 10 Start menu looks and feels familiar to anyone who used Windows 7 and strips away the full-screen tiled effect that Windows 8 brought in to varying degrees of success. In actual fact, it does a lot more than that because you can now set it up to fit the way you work, whether that will look more like Windows 8 or 10, and you can then change other aspects until you are happy with the end result. It feels as though Microsoft has finally got the design of the Start menu right in Windows 10 by making it all things to all people and the end result is a flexible feature which can be tailored to look completely unique. Even better, it is not difficult at all to change the way the Start menu works and we will cover all of the main customisation options in this tutorial. Over the next couple of pages you’ll discover how you can make your Start menu truly your own, from advice on finding a familiar look, to customising colours and other visual elements. By tailoring the Start menu to yourself, your Windows 10 experience will be much more enjoyable.

In Settings> Personalistion>Start, you will see an option at the bottom called ‘Choose which folders appear on Start’. When clicked, you can then select which folders will display whenever the Windows button is clicked. Try to limit to a reasonable number to enable easier navigation, otherwise your experience might get a bit cluttered.

82 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

© Toshiba Europe GmbH

Default folders

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Start menu

Customise your Start menu and build a unique system

1: A familiar look

2: Right-click a tile

3: Drag and drop

When you first click the Windows icon, you’ll see a familiar set of tiles. These are not static at all and can be manipulated in every way through dragging the edges and right-clicking with a mouse.

Right-click on any tile to see what options are available. These will usually include unpinning it from the Start menu, turning the live tile off and resizing it. You can resize a tile from small to large.

To move a tile, simply left-click on it and then move it anywhere within the Start menu. The surrounding tiles will move accordingly and you can then spend time ensuring that the order of the tiles is correct.

4: More visual changes

5: Change the colours

6: Make it consistent

The majority of the visual changes you can make to the Start menu are shown in Settings> Personalisation. Within this folder, they are spread out a little, but they will not take long to learn.

Go to Settings>Personalisation>Colours and you will see a canvas where you can choose from a selection of different colours. Click any one and bring up the Start menu to preview the new look.

Enable the ‘Show colour on Start, task bar…’ option to make the task bar and other aspects of the interface match your new Start menu colour. It adds a nice touch of consistency to the overall look.

7: Automatic colour choices

8: Back to Windows 8

9: A taller Start menu

If you enable ‘Automatically pick an accent colour…’ from the Colors menu, the entire interface will change to blend all aspects together. It takes one click to remove any colourful clutter in Windows 10.

Enabling ‘Show Start full screen’ in Settings> Personalisation>Start will make the Start menu dominate the screen when activated. Reminiscent of Windows 8, you’ll either love it or hate it.

If you want to make the Start menu to show more icons, but do not want to use full screen mode, simply position the mouse pointer at the top of the Start menu and drag it upwards to any position.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 83

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Use dictation and speech commands Speak to your apps rather than typing commands on your keyboard

I

n recent times, we have reached a point where speech recognition is now useable to a point that you can talk at a natural pace and have almost every word recognised perfectly. It used to be the case that a keyboard was by far the quickest data-input method, but with Windows 10, there is enough intelligent software running in the background to make this feature feel completely natural every single time you use it.

Input data using speech

We will show you how to set it up, which is a very quick and logical process, and also some of the benefits that can be gained if you use it in every app that it is compatible with. Over time, you may find that it becomes your preferred way of inputting data in most of your apps, and the speeds at which you can write will easily outpace typing on keys in front of a screen.

Forget the keyboard

1: Locate the app

2: Set it up

Click the Windows button and then ‘All apps’. Scroll down to ‘Windows Ease of Access’, then click the arrow. Now select ‘Windows Speech Recognition’ and you are ready to start setting it up.

A series of steps will need to be followed to complete the setup process. Make sure you complete the tests to ensure that your microphone is working and able to hear you properly.

3: Decide on an activation method

4: Learn common commands

The final step involves choosing whether to manually activate speech recognition via a key command, or set it to listen all of the time. When you are confident using it, try the voice-activation method.

A link will appear that will pop up a list of the most common voice commands. Speech recognition can be used to control your Windows 10 computer as well as for dictation.

84 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Gradual improvements

© Toshiba Eu rope GmbH

When you first start using speech recognition don’t be too surprised if it struggles to understand everything that you are saying. It will improve quite quickly as it learns your voice, but you should also check your microphone to make sure that it is working as it should.

5: A tiny interface

6: Start speaking

With speech recognition activated, you will see a small panel appear that lets you know the current status. Tuck this away in the corner and you will soon forget that it is there.

You are now able to start speaking when you are in a text area of a compatible app. It will listen to what you are saying then, after a small delay, print the translated text.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 85

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Control apps with Task Manager View and manage what’s going on behind the scenes with the Windows 10 Task Manager

W

indows is a pretty complex operating system, and can handle an awful lot of tasks going on in the background at the same time. You don’t need to know anything about what’s happening behind the scenes, as Windows just works. But sometimes, you need to take control. Windows has had a Task Manager for a long time now, and in Windows 10 it has had a spruce up and been made more user friendly, so that when you do need to spend some time with it, the process isn’t too daunting or difficult. Task Manager can help you boost your computer’s performance by controlling what runs automatically when you switch your computer on. You can use it to force applications that are hogging space to shut down and free up resources. It can show you what’s hungry for resources and what’s not. And you can even see how hard your CPU, built-in memory, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or Ethernet connections are working.

Manage your apps

© Toshiba Europe GmbH

When closing apps, be aware that apps from the Windows Store are saved in the background when they’re not in use, so you don’t need to close them down to save system resources. If you really want to close them, though, just drag them off the bottom of the screen.

86 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Task Manager

Control your apps

1: Open Task Manager

2: Close an app

To find the Task Master app quickly and easily, click on the search field in the lower-left corner of your Windows 10 interface, then type in Task Manager. The first search result should point you straight at the app.

When you first run Task Manager you’ll see a list of the apps that are running at present. If you want to close an app just select it with a click or a screen tap, then tap ‘End task’.

3: View more details

4: Close apps in Detailed View

Tap or click ‘More details’ and you can see significantly more information about the apps and other things that are using system resources. Right-click or tap and hold any column to see more options.

In Detailed View, to close an app you think is consuming lots of system resources but that you don’t need to have running, click or tap it to select, then click or tap ‘End task’.

5: Start up apps

6: Check system performance

If you want to take control of the apps that start up automatically on your PC, all you need to do is hit the Start-up tab, then right-click or long-press an app in order to disable it.

Tap the Performance tab to see more information about how your system is handling everything you are asking it to do. You can check CPU loading, memory usage and even Wi-Fi usage.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 87

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Manage your printers and other devices Manage any connected device on a Windows 10 computer with ease

I

t used to be the case that setting up and managing devices within Windows took forever and the process was also fraught with unreliability and random errors, but this has all changed now. Once the setup process has been completed for each of your devices, you can leave them alone to perform the tasks they need to and not worry about anything else. Drivers are still needed for some devices, but it is fast becoming the

Settings

norm for devices to work via a plug-and-play setup, which means that you have to tweak no settings at all. We will guide you through the process of troubleshooting devices that are not behaving as they should and also show you how to access every setting you could possibly need. The real surprise is that we are fast approaching a time where the need to access these settings will almost never be required.

Maintain your connected devices

1: The main settings

2: More advanced options

Open Settings and then click ‘Devices’ to access a screen which will show all of the devices that are currently connected to your computer. The options on the left break the settings down.

On most of the screens in the Windows 10 Devices section, you will see a link called ‘Additional ... options’, which, when clicked, will pop up a more traditional panel for you to work with.

3: Manage your connected devices

4: Access the device manager

In the ‘Connected devices’ tab, click ‘Devices and printers’ to see a visual list of what is currently connected. Right-click on any icon to troubleshoot, remove or see the device properties.

When you see ‘Device manager’ listed in a Devices screen, you can click it to access the main device options for your Windows 10 computer. It is a bewildering window at first, but will soon make sense.

88 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Removing devices

© Toshiba Eu rope GmbH

If you have a device set up and connected a device to your computer, we would advise to always remove it using the ‘Remove device’ option in Device settings when you decide to disconect the device. This will ensure that the drivers and any other related settings are fully deleted which could stop problems in the future.

5: Update your drivers

6: View device events

If a device is not working properly, find it in the Device manager and then click ‘Action’ at the top. Click ‘Properties’ followed by ‘Driver’ to update or uninstall it. Hopefully this will fix the problem.

If a problem is proving difficult to fix, click ‘Properties’ followed by ‘Events’ to see what has happened recently. Now copy the description and search for it on the web for more advice.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 89

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Share over a homegroup network Create a secure homegroup on your home network for sharing media and devices across computers

S

et up a homegroup on your home network to enable files and devices connected to one PC to be accessed from another PC. It only takes a minute and then everyone can share their photos, videos, music and other files over a wireless connection. Windows has had networking capabilities built in since its early days and sharing files and printers has always been possible. However, it was often difficult to set up, so recent editions of Windows have included a super-easy sharing feature called homegroup. This provides simple controls for connecting computers over a network and choosing exactly what you share with other people. One computer creates the homegroup, and it does not matter which one it is, then all the other computers can join it. Once a homegroup has been joined, open an Explorer window and select HomeGroup in the left panel. The shared folder can then be opened and files can be copied, viewed and so on.

Lost the password? It is inevitable that sooner or later you will lose the original password used to add a computer to the homegroup network. Don’t worry, Return to HomeGroup in the Control Panel and click View or print the homegroup password. There is also an option to change it to a more memorable one.

90 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

HomeGroup

Share content over your home network

1: Open HomeGroup

2: Set sharing options

Click in the search box in the taskbar, enter ‘homergroup’ and then click it in the search results. It opens the HomeGroup section in the Control Panel. Click Create a homegroup.

Use the menu next to each of the items, Pictures, Videos and so on, to choose whether to share the files or not. Documents is not shared by default because it may have private files.

3: Get the password

4: Join a homegroup

A homegroup has a password and this is displayed on the screen. Write it down because other computers will need it in order to join the homegroup. Click Finish and the homegroup is set up.

Go to another computer on your home network and open HomeGroup as before. This time it says that a homegroup has been created and there is a Join now button at the bottom. Click it.

5: Set sharing options

6: Enter the password

Each computer that joins the homegroup network can choose what to share and they don’t all have to be the same. If a computer has no printer, for example, there is no need to share it.

To join the homegroup created on the other computer, enter the password that was displayed on the screen. Afterwards, open Explorer and select HomeGroup on the left.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 91

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Protect your PC with security software Improve the security of your Windows 10 computer and protect against viruses by installing third-party anti-virus software

E

ach new version of Windows has increased the level of its built-in security. But even with the extra improvements, it isn’t completely safe to use without additional security software. To ensure that your machine is safe and sound, it is best to download and install a third-party program. There are many to choose from and AVG, explored in this tutorial, is just one example. AVG protects the computer as you use it, but it is a good idea to perform a full system scan once a week to make sure nothing has slipped through. Full scans take a long time to complete, but right-clicking a folder enables you to perform a quick scan of the contents and can be performed at any time, and it is a good idea to get into the habit to protect your computer. Archives, such as zip files, are not checked by default, but this can be turned on in the advanced settings if you need it. It’s also useful to enable reporting of potentially unwanted programs in the settings for an extra security measure. Be safe!

Protect your email accounts Email protection is applied to the email software that you use on the computer, such as the Mail app on the Start screen or good old Microsoft Outlook. However, if you use Google Mail or a similar web-based email service, you might as well turn off email protection in AVG because it does not scan your webmail.

92 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

AVG AntiVirus

Boost a PC’s security with AVG AntiVirus Free 2015

1: Download AVG

2: Install AVG

Go to the Windows desktop and click Internet Explorer in the taskbar. Enter the web address avg.com into the address box and from the home page follow the links for AVG AntiVirus Free 2015. Download the file.

After downloading the program, click File Explorer in the taskbar and open the Downloads folder. Run the AVG installer. You have a choice of the free version or the more powerful Internet Security.

3: The main screen

4: Scan the computer

AVG AntiVirus Free automatically starts after it is installed. There is also a desktop shortcut to open it. Each tile shows the status of the protection (except Firewall, which isn’t in the free version).

It is a good idea to perform a full system scan after installation, so click Scan Now on the main screen to start it. Tip: Drag the slider at the bottom to speed up the scanning process.

5: Perform quick scans

6: Customise the settings

Open File Explorer to view the disk. Right-clicking a file or folder displays a menu and there is an option to scan it with AVG. This is quick and it’s a good idea to scan Downloads.

On the main AVG screen (Step 3), click Options>Advanced Settings. Select ‘Whole Computer Scan’ on the left to customise the scanning, for example, to scan archives like zip files.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 93

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Keep on top of your PC’s health Use the Security and Maintenance settings to check and fix any issues with Windows

I

s your computer protected from malware on the internet? Is it protected from hackers that might try to gain access through a wireless or wired network? Are you receiving important updates to Windows that contain patches and new features? The answer to these questions and many more can be found in the Security and Maintenance settings screen – where Windows collates all sorts of useful and important information to ensure that your computer is running smoothly. When you switch to the desktop you might occasionally see various messages pop up at the right-hand side of the screen. If the message appears above a small white flag, then that is your Security and Maintenance settings notifying you of a potential problem with the computer. Don’t panic because many of the

Security and Maintenance

Be warned: it can be wrong!

problems reported are actually quite straightforward to fix. For example, these settings can tell you when Windows Update is turned off and it enables you to turn it back on. If Windows Firewall has been turned off, this screen will notify you and provide a simple button to click which turns it back on. It is a great feature and it is there to help you to monitor your PC’s health. It’s worth getting to know.

There are sometimes rare occasions when these settings wrongly display a notification that there is a problem. This can occur, for example, when using third-party software like a firewall that Windows doesn’t recognise. Your PC sees that Windows Firewall is off, but doesn’t realise you have an alternative program installed instead.

“Windows collates information to ensure your computer runs smoothly”

Find your way around the settings screen

Fix problems

What sort of things do you want these settings to notify you about? Click this link and you can turn various notifications on and off

When problems are highlighted there is often a simple fix. All you need to do is click on the button that relates to the fix to eradicate the problem

© Toshiba Europe GmbH

Customise the notifications

Spot the problems Problems reported are easy to spot and they are highlighted with a thick red line. The highlighted items require your immediate attention

94 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

Expand the sections There is a lot of information and many settings in on this screen, but they may be hidden. Click the arrow buttons to expand each section

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Security and Maintenance

Check the status and understand the information

1: Go to Action Center

2: Is everything OK?

There is more than one way to get to your Security & Maintenance settings and the simplest is to type ‘security’ into the Start screen. This displays the Search panel and the settings option is highlighted below. Click to open it.

This is how this screen should ideally look, with very little to see. It means that the PC is running properly and Windows has not detected any problems. It is worth opening occasionally to check the PC’s status.

3: Expand the sections

4: Perform maintenance tasks

There are two main sections in these settings and these are Security and Maintenance. Normally they are hidden with just the title showing, but they can be expanded by clicking the arrows at the right-hand side.

The Security section mostly contains information showing the status of the firewall, malware protection and so on, but the Maintenance section has useful tools. You can start maintenance, turn on File History, and so on.

5: Change the notifications

6: Troubleshooting

Click the link on the left, ‘Change Security and Maintenance settings’. You can be notified when a wide range of problems or situations arise and here you can choose the ones you want to see. Clear the tick boxes to disable notifications.

If you have a problem with your computer that you don’t see listed, click on the ‘Troubleshooting’ link at the bottom of the screen. This will list common problems and solutions on how to eradicate them.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 95

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Configure Ease of Access in Settings The Ease of Access options can make a huge difference to the Windows 10 experience for every single user

A

ccessibility settings have historically been considered only to be useful for those who have specific requirements. While it is true that they can make all of the difference in some cases for certain users, they are actually very useful for anyone who is irked by the way a particular Windows feature works. They enable you to make changes so that your personal experience is improved. We will show you how to make changes and the benefits that they offer, as well as talk you through the most useful alterations that you can make to ensure that you can immediately start experimenting with them and see which ones work best for you. Much care has been put into the way these settings work and they will remain hidden until such time as you enable them to give you the best of both worlds in Windows 10. Choose what you want to use and forget the rest and then enjoy the Windows 10 experience exactly how you want it to be.

In Ease of Access you can also change the cursor thickness, turn off all of the animations if balance is an issue and even hide the Windows background to make things clearer for you. Every possible need and requirement is covered and are obviously and easily accessible in the ‘Ease of Access’ settings section. You’ll be able to adapt the computer to your needs in no time.

96 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

© Toshiba Europe GmbH

Other options

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Tweak Ease of Access

Manage the accessibility settings

1: The main settings

2: Activate the Narrator

3: Choose a voice

As soon as you enter the main Settings screen, you will see ‘Ease of Access’ listed as one of the nine available options. It’s impressive that Microsoft has made it so obvious, so simply click it to explore.

Click the Narrator option in the left-hand column to see what features are available. Now click the top icon on the screen to enable it and open up the other options.

In the Voice section with Narrator you get to choose between two voices. Experiment with both to see which you prefer and then adjust the pitch and the speed to fit your requirements.

4: A blue box

5: Magnify everything

6: Invert the colours

As screen areas are narrated, you will see a blue box surround the current selection. This means that you can visually see what is being narrated at any time to ensure full understanding.

In the Magnifier section you can enable it with one click of the top icon. The change is immediate and striking, with further options available to further increase magnification. It’s a very important feature.

You can invert the colours in the same section, which will be beneficial for certain eyesight conditions. A quick jump to the High Contrast section then lets you change the theme to suit you.

7: Customise closed captions

8: The On-Screen keyboard

9: Find the mouse pointer

You no longer have to live with the closed captions a computer offers because you can tweak them in a variety of ways in Ease of Access/Closed Captions. There’ll certainly be a setting that’s perfect for you.

The ability to enable an On-Screen keyboard in the Keyboard is ideal if you find a physical keyboard difficult to use. You can also set up sticky keys and enable audible tones for specific key presses.

The mouse pointer can get lost momentarily even for those with perfect eyesight and so the Ease of Access>Mouse section is ideal for making it more visible no matter what you’re doing in Windows 10.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 97

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Personalise Mail to suit your needs You can make Mail work for you in order to maximise efficiency, understanding and every day communication

M

ail is a very straightforward app from an aesthetic point of view, and this is certainly an advantage, because the main task here is to create and respond to emails in the most efficient way possible. Once you have set up your account, or accounts if you would rather have everything in one place, you will be able to deal with all of your communications in real time, and make sure that what you are saying is considered. It is not often talked about, but the presentation of Mail is so professional and simple that it actually makes organisation much easier, and you are therefore far more likely to send clearer emails that have not simply been rushed out of your inbox. We will highlight the changes that you are able to make to your email experience in this tutorial, and also show you how to customise the interface to best suit your needs. However, since the design is so good to begin with, it’s more than likely that you will not need to change many aspects at all.

In Options there is a feature called ‘External content’, which allows you to disable images and style formats in emails from external sources. It is good for security and offers some benefits, but many emails will not look right with it disabled in Mail.

98 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

© Toshiba Europe GmbH

External content

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Mail

Manage emails in style

1: Set up your account(s)

2: View the format

3: Find the settings

Follow the process when you first open the app to connect your main email account to Mail. You can add other accounts if you want to manage all of your emails in one place.

You will notice when the email account is first synchronising that there are some visual elements present in Mail. All of these can be customised to suit the way you want to work.

All of the settings for Mail are available to you once you click the small cog icon at the bottom of the left-hand column. You will mainly need to deal with Personalisation, Reading and Options.

4: Check out the options

5: Deal with notifications

6: Tweak the reading settings

Click Options where you can enable Quick Actions. Look at what is available, but they will greatly speed up your email actions if you choose wisely. You can also add a new email signature here.

Scroll down to the bottom of the Options panel and you will see the Notifications section. You can now choose how you want to be notified of new emails or if you want none at all.

The Reading section can be used to open the next email after you have dismissed the one you are reading, and you can also choose how and when items are marked as read.

7: Add some formatting

8: Personalise the look

9: View your folders

When composing a new email, click the Format tab at the top to adjust the text to how you want it. You can also use Insert to add images or files, and Options to check the spelling.

Click Personalisation to bring up a palette of colours that you can use to change the entire look of Mail. You can also select a dark or light theme and choose a new background image for blank spaces.

Click the More option in the left-hand column to see all of the folders you have set up for your email account. This will make managing your inbox much easier, and keep everything organised.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 99

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Customise and improve Skype Discover how to make some basic changes to Skype in Windows 10 to improve the quality of your calls

S

kype is understandably hugely popular, and with very good reason. Video and audio calls can be made anywhere in the world for free and so can sending messages, but with a few simple tweaks you can make the experience even more productive and enjoyable. A lot of what you can change will depend on the type of camera your computer uses and with some you really can tweak every part to make your video calls look like you are in the room with the other party. Even if you cannot do this on your computer, you can still manage audio quality with ease and change a variety of smaller settings to speed up all of your communications in Skype. It won’t take long to find the settings that work best for you and it also will not take long for Skype to become an important part of your daily computer usage. Read on to discover how you can customise your Skype to ensure that you’re getting the best possible experience out of the program.

Unique settings There is no set of settings that will work best for everyone because of the factors involved in creating good quality calls, especially video ones. Lighting, camera quality and the speed of your connection will all make a difference so take some time to see what works best for you.

100 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Skype

Customise settings and improve your communication

1: Get the app

2: The initial setup

The ‘Get Skype’ app is built in to Windows 10. Open it and follow the instructions to install the full Skype app. You will need your Microsoft account details to complete the installation.

You will be immediately presented with a screen where you can do an initial setup of the audio and visuals. You can also choose which devices to use with Skype by default.

3: Deal with general settings

4: Customise the sounds

Go to Tools>Options>General settings, where you can choose how to initiate new calls, decide if Skype starts with Windows, choose your ‘away’ time and show message previews in the sidebar.

In Options>Sounds you can selectively choose which events will have an associated sound and also choose which sounds will play. Try to use non-obtrusive sounds if possible to avoid constant interruptions.

5: Control the camera

6: Keep Skype integrated

In Options>Video settings you can, if your connected camera supports it, manage zoom, exposure, low light and all sorts of other settings that can greatly improve the video call experience.

Go to Options>Advanced settings to keep Skype in the task bar for quick access and to use Skype to make calls from links on the web. It can be deeply integrated into many other apps.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 101

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Take great photos with the Camera app You can capture superb quality snaps from your Windows 10 computer if you take your time and consider all of the options

T

he Camera app in Windows 10 is designed to let you capture photos whenever the time is right and to work as a basic tool for this process. Most computer setups nowadays involve a camera of some sort, Microsoft understands though that most computers do not come with great quality cameras built in and are used most often for menial tasks where quality isn’t an issue. The Camera app provides options that will help you improve any photos that you do take. You can change the aspect ratio, deal with flickering and also decide what resolution you want videos to be captured in. Once you have captured the images, you can then jump over to the Photos app to add fine adjustments in order to make them look exactly as you want them to. The Camera app may not be something that you use all of the time, but it will come in handy on occasion and does offer many benefits for specific tasks such as capturing business cards, documents and even office-related scenes. We’ll explore what exactly it can do.

Be realistic Most webcams that are included in PCs are not of the best quality so you will need to be realistic in terms of what you expect to capture with the Camera app. Add to this the static nature of the device and your options are further limited, but using a external third party camera will help you capture better quality as well as give you even more flexibility.

102 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Camera

Improve your photos and take perfect pictures

1: Locate the app

2: Explore some simple controls

The Camera app is included with Windows 10 and may appear to be a strange inclusion at first. If, however, you have a good quality camera in your computer, the results can be spectacular.

When you open Camera you will see a capture button to the right of the main screen. All you need to do is click it to take your first picture. Make the screen bigger to see more detail.

3: Find the settings

4: Change the aspect ration

Click the three dots to the right of the main panel to bring up two further options to explore. Click Settings to start customising how the camera will work when taking photos.

At the top of the column you can change the aspect ratio between 16:10, 4:3 and 16:9. Try to choose an option that looks similar to photos taken with a real external camera.

5: Get some help

6: Change the video resolution

Click the ‘Framing grid’ option to add guides to the capture screen. ‘The Rule of Thirds’ feature is particularly useful for framing your shots in the most effective way possible.

Click Videos to change the resolution of captured clips. We would advise to choose the best possible resolution because you should have more than enough space available to capture good quality videos.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 103

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Use Photos to create great image edits Your photographs can be greatly improved with just a few simple tweaks, just fire up the built-in Photos app

I

t’s very rare that a photo should turn out just as you want it. There are so many factors to consider, and sometimes it’s impossible to ensure that they’re all working in your favour. However, it is possible to edit a photo so that it re-creates a memory more accurately, and so that it is more visually pleasing. You could spend a lot of money on an expensive photo-editing app for this purpose, or you could use the free Photos app that is bundled with Windows 10. The good news is that the Photos app is fully featured and, as such, offers all of the features that you will need to make minor and wide-ranging adjustments with just a few clicks. What’s more is that it does not take long to understand how everything works and to start experimenting with what is on offer. We will walk you through the various editing features and also offer some tips on how to make adjustments that are truly effective, and we are sure that once you start using it, you will benefit from it time and time again.

The Photos app in Windows 10 works in such a way that it enables you to make any change you like without having to worry that it will be permanent. At any point, you are able to undo a change, and all of your tweaks will only become permanent when you save the photo. This is handy, as it means you can experiment to get the desired effect.

104 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

© Toshiba Europe GmbH

Undo anything

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Photos

Improve your favourite snaps

1: View your photo collection

2: Select a photo

3: Make quick enhancements

If you are signed in to your Microsoft account and have photos stored online, they will display in the Photos app as thumbnails as soon as you open it for the first time.

When you click on a photo it will display full screen. Notice the small icons at the top, which include a pencil. This is used to enter the main editing menu. Click it to proceed.

New icons will appear and you can now click the ‘Enhance’ icon to try a one-click makeover. It will not always come up with the look you want, but at times it will completely change a photo.

4: Try some filters

5: Deal with light

6: Manage colours

Click the ‘Filters’ icon on the left to bring up a selection of filters to try out on the right of the main photo. The selection is quite limited, but if you are after a particular look, they will suffice.

When you click the ‘Light’ icon, you can adjust the contrast, highlights and shadows. Click on any option and then move the small white circle around the larger circle to adjust each.

The ‘Colours’ menu works in the same way as lighting; you can adjust tints and saturation, and boost colours. Take care with these options though – it is very easy to make a photo look unrealistic.

7: Use selective focus

8: Crop an image

9: Straighten photos

The selective focus option will pop up a circle on the image, which you can resize and move just by dragging the mouse pointer. With some care, it can make a photo look like a true DSLR shot.

With ‘Basic fixes’ selected from the left-land column of icons, you can now click ‘Crop’ to cut out any part of the image that you do not need. The aspect ratio will remain valid throughout this process.

You can also straighten any image in the Basic fixes section. Simply move the white circle in the icon to adjust the angle of the photo, but be careful not to overdo the adjustments.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 105

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Work with Microsoft Office web apps Save the cost of buying Microsoft Office and use the free web-based version in Edge instead

M

icrosoft Office is the standard productivity package on the PC, used by businesses and individuals everywhere. It is a powerful suite of applications, but if you do not need to create complex documents, presentations or spreadsheets, the webbased version could be all you require. When using Office web apps, there is no need to buy a subscription and the apps themselves run in a web browser. Just go to onedrive.com in Edge. You might need to sign in with your Microsoft account the first time you access the website, but from then on you will be able to dive straight in. A list of your OneDrive files and folders will be displayed, and this is a direct mirror of OneDrive on the disk drive. Click the menu button in the top left corner and you’ll find there are lots of web apps available. We take a look at Word, Excel and PowerPoint here, but there are many more. All files are saved to OneDrive and so they appear on the PC’s disk drive, too.

Spreadsheets look complicated, but are easier with practise. The rows are numbered and the columns have letters. Cells are referred to by the column and row, so B3 is column B row 3. To add two cells together, such as B3 and D4, enter =B3+D4 (always start with an ‘=’).

106 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

© Toshiba Europe GmbH

Spreadsheet basics

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Microsoft Office

Use Word, Excel and PowerPoint

1: Start Word

2: Replace the images

3: Replace the text

To create a document, go to onedrive.com in Edge, click the button in the top left corner for the menu and click the Word tile. Select the template you want to use for your document.

Some templates have dummy text and images that need to be replaced. Click an image, select the Insert tab and click Picture in the toolbar. Select an image from the disk drive or Bing.

The document templates, apart from the blank one, contain dummy headings, body text and so on. Click in the text, delete it and then type in your own. Style it using the features in the toolbar.

4: Save the document

5: Create a spreadsheet

6: Add functions

There is no need to save the Word document because it is saved automatically and downloaded to the PC. If you want to save it as a PDF document, click the File menu and select Download as PDF.

At onedrive.com, click the menu button, then Excel. Select a template or a blank document. Click in the cells and enter text or numbers to create a spreadsheet like this simple monthly budget.

To perform calculations on numbers, click the arrow next to Autosum in the toolbar and select More Functions. Select a function in the list, such as SUM, to insert it into the spreadsheet cell.

7: Complete the function

8: Create a chart

9: Create a presentation

The function selected is inserted, but it is not completed. You must finish it off by selecting the cells. With the SUM function for example, you specify the start and end cells, such as SUM(C4:C5).

Spreadsheets look better with charts. Click and drag over two columns of cells and click a chart type on the CHART tab of the toolbar. Drag the chart to position it and drag the corners to resize it.

PowerPoint creates slide shows and using it is similar to Word and Excel. Open the onedrive.com menu and click PowerPoint. Select a template and then replace the dummy text with your own.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 107

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Make the most of the versatile OneNote OneNote can keep all of your notes up to date on multiple devices and take care of your important data

O

neNote is by no means a new piece of software, but it is one that has been gradually improved over time to the point that we now have a solution that is not only reliable, but also fast and incredibly flexible. It is capable of dealing with simple text notes, as well as complex pages with images and tables embedded, and it is also accessible from many other apps within Windows 10. Indeed, if you are looking for one place to store every piece of information that is important to you, there are very few rivals to OneNote. It can be used on smartphones, tablets and multiple computers. What’s more is that the notes will always be kept in sync and backed up online, so you need not worry about ever losing your data. We will highlight the most useful features and also show you how you can get up and running with one of the best note takers in the business. We’re confident that once you start using it, you’ll wonder how you ever managed your data before.

Useful formatting Notes tend to be text based when created in a hurry or in situations when a lot of information is to be included, and OneNote includes many of the basic formatting features that you will need. Simply select some text, and then click ‘Home’ in order to see what is available. It couldn’t really be any simpler.

108 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

OneNote

Understand the powerful features of OneNote

1: Find the app

2: Choose an account

3: Make your first note

You should find OneNote installed from the moment you start using Windows 10. Simply go to ‘All apps’ via the Windows button, then click it to begin the setup process.

Input the account details that you want to use. This will normally be your Microsoft account, which will give you the opportunity to use your allocated online space to store your OneNote content.

You will now see a blank page with a column over to the left-hand side. Click anywhere in the blank area and start typing to begin creating your first OneNote content.

4: Insert an image

5: Experiment with the features

6: Draw in your notes

Click the ‘Insert’ tab and then select ‘Image’ to browse for a new picture to insert within the note. When selected you can resize it by grabbing the edges or move it anywhere.

You should now spend some time experimenting with all of the included features, which can mean inserting and adding data to tables, adding multiple images, and attaching files to notes.

It may not be the easiest thing to do with a mouse, but you can even draw in a note and add handwritten text at any time. This is ideal on a phone, but also has a place on computers.

7: Deal with extra settings

8: Share content to OneNote

9: Create a new notebook

Click the top left-hand icon, then choose ‘Settings’ followed by ‘Options’ to access new settings. Deal with your online account, manage the sync process and choose where quick notes go in the future.

In many Windows 10 apps, such as Microsoft Edge, you can share the content you are viewing to OneNote. This means that a web page can be stored with a brief description and link in seconds.

Click the top left-hand icon, then the ‘+’ icon in the column to create a new notebook. Notebooks are ideal for managing large amounts of data. Try not to create too many, as that will just add complexity.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 109

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Make your Calendar easier to read Set up multiple calendars and colour-code deadlines and other reminders

T

he Calendar app in Windows 10 is pretty basic, but armed with the right tools you can make it easier to read and more useful to boot. The Calendar app syncs in with your online Microsoft calendar – since the release of Windows 8.1, support for all other calendar services has been discontinued. The trick to making the calendar easier to use is to take advantage of how it works: rather than provide a single catch-all calendar, you’re expected

Calendar

to set up and use multiple calendars, each one dedicated to serving a specific purpose. Managing these calendars can’t be done from within the Calendar app, so first you need to log on to your Microsoft account through your web browser. In this tutorial we’ll reveal everything you need to know about setting up and managing your calendars online, then using the Calendar app to show only what you want to see.

Filter and colour-code calendars

1: Log on to calendar

2: Manage calendars

Open your web browser and type calendar.live.com – you should automatically log into the Microsoft account you’ve logged on to Windows with. If not, enter your username and password to do so.

Click the ‘Settings’ icon next to your username to see which calendars have already been set up. Add a new calendar by clicking the down arrow button next to New and choosing Calendar.

3: Name new calendar

4: Return to app

Give your calendar a suitable name, such as ‘Work meeting’, ‘Voluntary’ or ‘Deadlines’. You can assign a colour and charm to it, then you can enter a description if necessary. Click Save.

Repeat as necessary until you’ve set up all the calendars you need. You can now close your browser and switch back to the Calendar app itself. To change what’s shown, click on the calendar icon in the left column and tick/untick the boxes.

110 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Desktop access If you want to access your Microsoft account calendars from the desktop, the best tool for the job is Windows Live Mail, which you can install as part of the Windows Live Essentials pack (essentials.live. com). You can even add events directly from the emails you receive to your calendar.

5: Filter calendars

6: Change calendar colours

The first thing to decide is which calendars to show in the app. By default all are shown, but you can hide specific calendars from view simply by unticking the box next to a specific calendar.

You can also change the colours associated with calendars to better match the calendars themselves. Simply right-click on a calendar and a colour picker will appear. Try to avoid clashing with another calendar.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 111

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Compress your files and documents By compressing your files you can make them smaller and much easier to handle

W

e keep so much information on our computers these days that it can sometimes get a bit out of hand. Files can be really large, and that can mean we can run out of space to store them. Some email accounts have a ceiling on the size of file attachments which can make sharing difficult. A lot of us also use cloud-based storage such as Dropbox, and again there are limits. Zipping files is one way to overcome file size limitations, because zipping can reduce file sizes considerably. You could zip a large file or group of files to email to someone, or to cram them onto a memory stick or memory card for sharing. Zipping can be useful in other ways too. If you like to archive old data, for example onto an external hard drive, zipping can save on space. The ability to zip and unzip is built into older versions of Windows too, so you should be able to get to your original files in the future, and anyone you share zipped files with should be able to unzip them easily.

Unzipping It is just as easy to unzip folders as it is to zip them up. Just doubletap or double-click on any zipped file and you will be able to see its contents. You can copy individual files out of the zipped folder by dragging them out of it to another destination – for example, to the desktop – or right clicking on them.

112 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

File Explorer

Compress your files to make them smaller

1: Find the files

2: Select the files

Open up File Explorer by either tapping or clicking on its icon on the taskbar that’s situated at the bottom of the screen – the icon should resemble a yellow folder.

When you’ve found the folder with the files you want to compress, select them either one by one or by selecting the first then holding down Shift and tapping the last to select them all.

3: Call up the menu

4: Select zip

When all the files you want to compress are selected, right click in where the files are to open a menu box with various options available, such as Rotation, Copy and Rename.

Next pass the cursor over or tap on ‘Send to’ to open up a submenu. Right at the top of this submenu is ‘Compressed (zipped) folder’. Click on that option.

5: Make the zip

6: Move and share

Wait while the files compress, then a new folder appears. It’s been given the name of one of the files, but you can type a new name for it. Make this something you’ll recognise and within Windows’ accepted file names.

The zipped file can be shared as easily as you would share any other file – by email for example. Or, it can be moved into a new folder and used as an archive file.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 113

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Master the advanced power settings Power management in Windows 10 is particularly important, especially if you are using a laptop

O

n the whole you should not need to mess around with power settings too much, because Windows 10 does a very good job of working efficiently even when pushed, but there will always be times when your own usage will require the need for a personal profile which may better suit your needs There are a couple of simple options that you can manage within the standard Settings screens, but if you delve a little deeper you will find a lot more, all of which will let you tailor the power management of your machine in a variety of ways. As is standard, you will see the traditional presentation for the advanced power management settings. Windows 10 does an excellent job of reassuring however, because it immediately lets you know that you are making non-standard changes and so may want to take a little more care than normal. If you get these settings right however, your Windows 10 experience will be greatly improved, and you’ll find yourself using much less power.

It’s safe Microsoft has ensured that the power settings you can change are safe to adjust and should not cause any undue harm to your Windows computer. You should be aware, however, that being too aggressive with turning off features may also cause frequent and very annoying usability interruptions.

114 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Settings

Tweak the power settings to your liking

1: The simple power settings

2: Additional power settings

Open Settings and then look for the ‘System’ option. Click it and you will see a list of options in the left-hand column. Now click ‘Power & sleep’ to see all of the available options.

You will see a link called ‘Addition power settings’ with the main power screen and when you click this, a traditional screen will appear showing the various power plan configurations.

3: Create a power plan

4: Advanced power plans

Click ‘Create a power plan’ in the left-hand column and then give it a name. Choose from one of the existing plans and then tweak the display and sleep timings in the next screen.

Click ‘Change plan settings’ and then ‘Change advanced power settings’ to pop up a new window. Here you will see a long and complex list of options which offer full control over power.

5: Manage software and hardware

6: Change every plan

Some options in this list can be changed safely, such as ‘Javascript Timer Frequency’ under the Internet Explore option, but others should ideally only be touched if you are sure that you know what you are doing.

You can jump between plans by clicking the small grey square above the list. Take some time to consider what each option does and you will be able to create a customised plan that fits your exact needs.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 115

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Learn to defragment your hard disk Without defragmentation your PC would slow down, but running the process regularly maintains peak performance

A

t one time PCs used to suffer from performance issues as they grew older, and this was partly due to fragmented files on the disk. Files literally become broken into small pieces, and when they need to be accessed it takes time to find all the pieces. The solution was to manually defragment them by running Disk Defragmenter. This finds files split into several pieces and puts them back together, making them faster to access the next time you need them. With most modern computers disk defragmentation is automatic, but there may still be occasions where it is beneficial to run it manually. We will show you how to accomplish this in the following tutorial. Defragmentation occurs according to a schedule and this can be changed to make it more or less frequent, depending on how often you use the PC. A computer that is used heavily ideally needs defragmenting daily, but an infrequently used computer might only need monthly defragmentation.

Automatic import Windows provides a basic tool to optimise the disk drive and it is okay, but some people prefer third-party tools like O&O Defrag (oosoftware.com) or Smart Defrag 2 (iobit.com). They have additional options that can speed up the disk even more and are definitely worth considering.

116 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Disk Defragmenter

Regain lost PC performance

1: Find the app

2: Optimise drives

There are a couple of ways to find the disk defragmenter app you need, and one of these is to click the search field at the bottom of the Start menu and then click ‘Defragment and optimise drives’.

Windows switches to the desktop and then displays the Optimise Drives window. This shows the drives attached to the computer, when they were last optimised and their current status.

3: Analyse the disk

4: Defragment the disk

The current status showing the fragmentation of each disk is not always up to date. Select the C: Drive and then click Analyse. The updated figure for Drive C: is actually six per cent rather than one per cent.

Make sure Drive C: is selected and then click the Optimise button to start defragmenting it. There are multiple passes and it can take quite a long time. You can use the computer while it’s working.

5: Change the schedule

6: Choose the drives

After defragmenting, click ‘Change settings’ in the ‘Scheduled optimization’ section at the bottom of the window. The automatic optimisation frequency can be set to daily, weekly or monthly.

Click ‘Choose drives’ in the previous window and the disks attached to the PC are listed. Some people may have USB disk drives that they want to optimise, and they can be selected here.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 117

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Manage Windows 10’s Storage Spaces Use extra disk drives to protect files from being lost or damaged

I

f you want to increase the amount of space available for storing videos, photos, music and documents, a simple way to do this is to add an extra disk drive. Although drives can be added internally to desktop PCs, the easiest option is to plug in a USB drive. Windows 10 offers a different way to use extra disk drives through a feature called Storage Spaces. A virtual disk drive of any size can be created, then you can add physical

Storage Spaces

drives to provide the space. Normally each drive appears as a different drive and letter, E, F and so on, but when used as a storage space, there is just one virtual drive with one letter. Extra drives can be added at any time. This is a simple and easy way to use extra disk drives and it is the subject of the tutorial. Other ways to use storage space are available in the ‘disk mirroring’ boxout on the opposite page.

Extend the storage space on your disk drive

1: Manage Storage Spaces

2: Select a disk

Press WinKey+X for the menu, then click Control Panel. In either small or large icons view, find and click Storage Spaces to open this window. There is just one item.

Click ‘Create a new pool and storage space’. The computer is scanned for suitable disk drives and they are presented in a list. Use the tick box next to each one to select it for the storage space.

3: Set the resiliency

4: Set the size

The resiliency type is the way Storage Spaces uses the disk drive. If there are two disks available then a two-way mirror could be selected and this protects files by saving them to both disks.

Select ‘Simple’ (no resiliency) if, like us, you have one disk drive. In the size box below, enter the size of virtual disk you want. Enter a large number and more disks can be added later.

118 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Disk mirroring Suppose that you had two disk drives and every time a file was saved, a copy was written to both of them. If one drive failed you would still have a copy of the aforementioned file on the second drive. This is how the simple mirroring feature works in Storage Spaces.

5: Finishing off

6: View the space

Click the ‘Create a storage space’ button and it’s soon finished. The storage space is listed and the details are displayed. Click ‘Physical drives’ to see the drives used to create the storage space.

A storage space appears to be a disk drive. You can either click ‘View files’ next to the storage space in the window or just open an Explorer window. It will be listed under your other devices.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 119

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Boost Windows speed and get a better PC Use these system tweaks to improve the performance of your computer and make Windows faster and smoother

A

new computer is fast and responsive, and works brilliantly, but after it has been used for some time it will inevitably begin to slow down. What can you do to solve this perpetual problem? As a matter of fact there are a number of things! Here is a collection of speed tweaks that will restore lost performance for your PC. They can rejuvenate an old computer and they keep new computers running smoothly – all of which prevents them from slowing down. For example, there are lots of special effects used by the Windows 10 interface, such as animations in the taskbar, fading or sliding tooltips into view, and so on. They look great, but turning these effects off enables the computer to run faster. The files on the disk drive can become fragmented and slow to access, so once a week Windows optimises the disk. Changing the schedule to daily can boost the speed even further. These tips and more are included here and they keep your PC running at peak performance.

Keeping the system free of junk helps to maintain the performance and Windows has a built in junk cleaner. Click Start, All apps, Windows Administrative Tools, Disk Clean-up. It scans the disk drive and finds all the junk files. Tick the boxes to select everything and click OK.

120 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

© Toshiba Europe GmbH

Disk Clean-up

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Windows 10

Use speed tweaks to get a faster PC

1: Adjust the appearance

2: Optimise for programs

3: Defrag the disk

Enter ‘performance’ in the search box and click Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows. Select Adjust for best performance to turn off graphical effects and boost speed.

Next, select Advanced and choose Programs or Background services. Programs provides the best performance for most people, but PCs used to share files might find Background services best.

Search for ‘defragment’ and click Defragment and Optimise drives. Click Change settings and set it to run daily to keep the disk drive optimised and prevent fragmented files from slowing it down.

4: Use maximum power

5: Stop programs starting

6: Uninstall unused programs

Right-click the battery or power icon at the right side of the taskbar and select Power options. Select High performance for maximum speed. You might need to click Show hidden options to select it.

Right-click the taskbar and select Task Manager. Click the Start-up tab and disable any obviously unnecessary programs that auto-start with Windows to allow your PC to start faster.

Open Control Panel and click Programs and features. Double click programs you no longer use to remove them. Browser toolbars and search tools should be removed to keep the PC clean.

7: Perform maintenance tasks

8: Turn off live tiles

9: Start Windows faster

Open Settings and enter ‘perform’ in the search box. Click Perform recommended maintenance tasks automatically. Click Next and the tool will clean up junk files and fixes problems for you.

Preventing live tiles on the Start menu refreshing can help speed things up a little. Right-click tiles and select More, Turn live tile off. Use the Uninstall menu option to remove apps you no longer use.

Right click the battery/power icon in the taskbar and select Power options. Click Choose what the power button does, then click Change settings that are currently unavailable. Tick Turn on fast start-up.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 121

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Apps We've featured the must-have apps in 20 different categories to keep you informed, educated and entertained

124 Games

Angry Birds Star Wars Flow FIFA 15: UT Jetpack Joyride Modern Combat 5: Blackout

125 Social

Facebook Twitter Line Skype IM+ Instant Messenger

126 Entertainment 127 Photography 128

Music & Video

Perfect – Piano Fresh Paint Netflix Now TV StumbleUpon Perfect365 Resize Your Image Adobe Photoshop CS6 Extended Adobe Photoshop Express Fotor VEVO Recording Studio Pro Multimedia 8 Shazam Plex

122 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

127 129 Sports 130

Books & Reference

131 News & Weather

132

Health & Fitness

133 Food & Dining

Onefootball ESPN Cricinfo Golf Scores + Stats NFL on Windows CoachPro Wikipedia ComicBookReader Kindle Audiobooks from Audible Periodic Table Engadget CNN Sky News The Weather Channel WeatherPro Heart Decide First Aid Guide Sleep Bug Increase Brain Power Gym Guide HP Recipe Box BBC Good Food Recipe, Menu & Cooking Planner Great British Chefs Epicurious

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

134 Lifestyle

TED CPlus for Craigslist Burning Fireplace Rightmove Property Search Wowcher

135 Shopping

CBAZAAR eBay Amazon Wish – Shopping Made Fun Orchid

136 Travel

FourSquare XE Currency National Rail Enquiries Skyscanner TripAdvisor

138

Productivity

139 Tools 140

Security

141

128 137 Finance

136

Business StockMap Smart Money Ribbon Calculator Money Watcher Currency Converter mSecure Evernote Dropbox Wunderlist Art Text

142

Education

143

Government

Calculator2 Google Network Speed Test Microsoft Phone Companion Alarm Clock Super Password Generator VPN Unlimited Network Port Scanner LastPass LockIt I Love Calculator Easy Invoice Creator Box Splashtop Personal World Academy Online Mars Rover: Curiosity Star Chart Dictionary 8 My Study Life About Countries Election Essential The White House World Statistics Top American Speeches UK Monarchs

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 123

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Games Time to relax, have fun and play a great game

U

nlike other recent app-based platforms, the PC has a rich history of creating games that reaches back towards the dawn of computing. There are millions of the games available to play, with new titles being created all the time. Similarly, the type of games available for the user is quite staggering. From the shoot-’em-up, mindless action-type apps to the role-playing games that often combine action with a measure of puzzle solving. There are also the puzzle-based titles that require serious thought. The PC has a wealth of examples on offer that will appeal to all ages and all interests. The following list of titles doesn’t even scratch the surface of what’s available, but it does provide a flavour of the sort of games that you can download – often for free – and a sense of where the PC is at in terms of gaming development.

Angry Birds Star Wars

Flow

Price: £2.69/$3.59 Developer: Rovio Entertainment Ltd Angry Birds is a phenomenon of mobile and desktop computing but now it has joined forces with another – Star Wars. Using preview cut scenes reminiscent of the Star Wars universe, the game utilises worlds and characters from the Star Wars stories. The price is a little high but the app retains the high degree of playability that is inherent within all of the Angry Birds variants.

Price: Free Developer: Big Duck Games LLC This is one of those annoying puzzle games that you just can’t rip your attention away from. The aim is to connect the various coloured dots together to create pipes, but the tricky part is that every part of the screen has to be covered, meaning that you have to snake your pipes far and wide to cover every pixel. Extra care must also be taken to avoid blocking off other pipes. Fiendishly addictive.

FIFA 15: UT

“There are millions of things available… the PC has a wealth of examples that will appeal to all ages"

Price: Free Developer: Electronic Arts The world’s most popular football game looks brilliant and plays a blinder on your Windows machine. You can assemble your dream team from over 10,000 real players from over 500 fully-licensed teams and compete in over 30 different leagues from around the world. You can also choose your own play style and put your players through their paces on the training pitch.

Jetpack Joyride Price: Free Developer: Halfbrick Studios Pty Ltd This sideways-scrolling shoot-’em-up game features your jetpack-toting character breaking into a secret laboratory to grab experimental jetpacks from the baddies. As you progress, you can collect coins to earn points that allow you to upgrade your inventory and your character. You can even change his attire. There are plenty of alternative weapons, a wide variety of jetpacks and power-ups, plus special abilities and new missions.

124 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

Modern Combat 5: Blackout Price: £3.09/$3.99 Developer: Gameloft This series has steadily grown in quality to be a worthwhile alternative to the Call Of Duty games in the first-person-shooter field. For good reason, too, because the graphics are crisp and the online multiplayer action relentless. It boasts a decent single-player mode comprising intense action spread over varied locations, but it is best played by building your own squad of friends and then taking the battle to the masses online.

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Social Keep in contact with friends and family

O

ne of the great things about recent software and hardware developments is the ever-increasing progress in the field of communication. The computer has become a force for good in communications, in terms of keeping you in touch with people you love, making friends, forging links with like-minded individuals and hobbies and bringing down the costs of telecommunications. Technologies like Skype have forced phone companies to look again at their tariffs, which have produced far more competitive and enlightened price points, especially when communicating abroad. Add immensely popular services such as Facebook and Twitter and you can see how complex our communications are today and, with the continuing ‘Arab Spring’ movement, for example, how much it has changed the entire world.

Facebook Price: Free Developer: Facebook, Inc What is there to say about the most popular social networking app in the world? The Windows app features a cool and accessible interface that's in keeping with just about every other version you will have experienced and navigating your way through the various sections and posting your own thoughts, comments and media is a quick and easy process. If you want to stay in the social loop, this should be one of your first downloads.

“The computer has become a force for good, keeping you in touch with people you love" Twitter

Line

Price: Free Developer: Twitter, Inc This official Twitter app sits nicely on your Home page and provides a clean and accessible interface for viewing your Twitter timeline easily. You can also discover what’s currently trending and connect with interesting new people. Once installed, Twitter can also be used a sharing option from Microsoft Edge, making it effortless to tweet spectacular content that you find online.

Price: Free Developer: LINE Corporation In the market for a sleek and intuitive messaging app that lets you ping messages between computer and mobile devices? Line lets you send simple text messages, photos and emoticons and also features a wide range of fun stickers that you can use to punctuate your messages and help convey your emotions. In an ever-expanding pool of me-too messenger apps, Line is better than most.

Skype Price: Free Developer: Skype One of the world’s most popular communications programs. You can contact friends, family and colleagues for free via either voice or video as well as utilising the app's superb Instant Messaging feature. It doesn’t matter what platform you want to communicate with, either. You, on your PC, can talk to a friend running a MacBook or a colleague running an Android phone. It’s an ideal method for reducing communication costs.

IM+ Instant Messenger Price: Free Developer: SHAPE GmbH Already popular across mobile devices, IM+ is a handy service that allows you to send unlimited free text messages to all of your friends. Through the simple interface that lets you connect your other social networks, you can group chat, send photos and set personal status messages so that other people know if you are available to chat.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 125

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Entertainment Make computing a fun experience

Y

our computer is made for productivity. From word processors to databases, it has helped businesses become more efficient and industrious. Furthering business, after all, was one of the main reasons for creating the personal computer in the first place. Yet, as technology has

progressed, PC productivity is also doing a terrific job of delivering an unwelcome by-product: stress. Therefore, entertainment on that same platform has been recognised as a salve to the user’s sanity. More than a counter for over-working, though, the PC has now been welcomed into the living room,

becoming more widely accessible and is now offering a realistic way to integrate entertainment within the home. From movies to music, the PC has become an essential friend of the family to not only escape a hard day’s work but to inform, expand choice and broaden everyone’s horizons.

Perfect – Piano Price: Free Developer: JetSoft Studio Quite simply, this app transforms your Windows 10 PC into a piano featuring 31 simultaneous notes and stereo HQ sounds for real music production. Simple to use, you can choose your octave using the arrows at the top of the interface and then tinkle the virtual ivories to your heart’s content. There is precious little to this app beyond the ability to play piano, but we can’t emphasise how good it sounds – so if you need something to practise on, look no further.

Fresh Paint Price: Free Developer: Microsoft Corporation A simple paint program that can be used by the entire family, Fresh Paint even allows you to turn your own photographs into great artistic paintings. All you have to do is import the photo and browse through the simple options to explore what you can do to unleash your creativity. The program will allow you to brush over an image or even blend the colours of the photo into the program’s colours. There's also a zoom function included.

Netflix Price: Free Developer: Netflix, Inc A TV and movie subscription service, with Netflix, you can watch thousands of TV episodes and movies upon signing up and paying a regular monthly fee. You can watch the media on your PC, of course, but also via a game console, tablet, phone and Blu-ray player. The choice is yours. After you have watched your fill, you can also rate and review the broadcasts.

Now TV Price: Free Developer: Sky UK Limited Now TV is Sky’s on-demand service that enables you to watch movies, shows and live sports events on your PC. Through this app you can browse through the many Sky TV channels and their wealth of content, purchase a special pass to watch your preferred channel for a certain amount of time and then sit back as the content is streamed to your PC.

126 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

StumbleUpon Price: Free Developer: StumbleUpon, Inc As it says in the title, this app helps you come across new things that interest you. Simply select your areas of interest (from a list of around 500), whether you're crazy about history or music or food or whatever it might be and then the app will present information to you connected with those subjects. This is in the form of a live tile that links you to the media itself, whether that be text, images or video.

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Photography Record your precious memories in a flash

P

hotography is one of the most vibrant sections of the app store. There is a gamut of impressive cameras and technology out there: from specialist digital cameras or the increasingly complex phone-based affairs. Along with digital technology, modern photography also takes advantage of cloud technology (like OneDrive), syncing photos snapped on a phone, for example, to virtual storage, as well as to a Mac or PC, streamlining the process of backing up photos or sharing them with friends. It’s another convenience that makes the new breed of smart cameras a killer type of technology. Using this kit, users often build some wildly inventive images. Whether you’re a professional photographer or a just complete beginner, you can’t help but appreciate the variety and quality of photography apps that are on offer here.

Perfect365 Price: Free Developer: ArcSoft, Inc This amazing make-over app allows you to place a portrait image on the screen and then alter it with make-up-derived tones and applications that affect different parts of the face. You can alter the complexion, eye shadow, lipstick and more, as well as face shape and eye colour. Great for experimenting, you can make gentle, subtle enhancements to your shots, or you can create obvious or even outrageous and daring edits, it's up to you!

“Modern photography takes advantage of cloud technology, syncing photos to virtual storage” Resize Your Image

Adobe Photoshop CS6 Extended

Price: Free Developer: MikasasaPL Using this simple image-manipulation app you can load up an image and then easily resize it. You can also crop the same image or compress it by zipping the file and then sharing it with other people. It’s also possible to batch-process a series of files and folders at once and output those files as a JPEG image or compressed into ZIP. Other formats supported include PNG, GIF, TIFF and BMP.

Price: Free Developer: Adobe Systems Incorporated The free trial version of this app has to be downloaded off-site, so when you access its details, it will be at the Adobe site where you will need to download it. You'll find that this app will take a fair while to transfer to your PC. But once installed, you will be able to create 3D graphics, 2D images, plus movies, using an array of top-quality tools. The sky is the limit here, so set your creativity free and create some masterpieces!

Adobe Photoshop Express Price: Free Developer: Adobe Systems Incorporated For over 20 years Adobe has offered cutting edge picture editing facilities through its Photoshop range and this app allows you to enjoy some of Photoshop’s most popular photo editing features for free. You can crop, straighten and flip your photos, auto-fix the brightness, exposure and shadows, adjust the colours and apply a wide range of filters to really make your images stand out. It’s easy to use and perfect for pimping up your pictures.

Fotor Price: Free Developer: Chengdu Everimaging This app provides cutting-edge tools to making photo-editing on your Windows 10 PC a intuitive experience. Included in the package are tools to resize images, tweak the colour levels, add frames, one-touch enhancement, tilt shift and more – so you can really go to town taking your images to a whole new level of brilliance in minutes.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 127

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Music & Video You can watch, play and listen

B

oth of these app genres ask you to search for downloadable files or provide the option to load up and play such content. Some of them allow you to handle both data types from one app. Hence both variants being bundled together into one

section. Both music and video have, like much of the other data content types, been evolving at a tremendous pace, becoming more sophisticated with new features hanging off them like fruit from a tree. Some offer official video or music from major record labels or broadcasters, others give

independent content creators a look-in. Some ask for money to experience the full experience while others give away their files free. Whatever the deal, be sure that, no matter what genre of music or video you enjoy, there is bound to be a wide selection on offer in the Windows 10 Store.

VEVO Price: Free Developer: VEVO LLC Already popular across all of the major mobile devices, VEVO provides access to music videos from all of your favourite music stars. As well as watching videos, the app also streams live concerts and features a bulging database of over 75,000 music videos from more than 21,000 artists. So if you’re into music then this is a great way to keep track of all of the exciting new releases and get them beamed straight to your personal computer. What’s not to like?

Recording Studio Pro Price: £6.19/$8.99 Developer: Glauco This app turns your PC into a multi-touch music making and editing suite in which you can record up to 24 audio and virtual instrument tracks and piece them all together expertly. Through the console you can split or loop tracks after recording them and have fun experimenting with a range of sonic effects to get the sound you crave. There are 11 virtual instruments included and you can also plug in real ones with the right connection leads.

Multimedia 8 Price: Free Developer: Marcelo Garcia With this app, you can access network media, load subtitles, convert media files, play 3D video and capture from all of your external devices. When installed, the app searches through your PC and posts what it finds within graphic folders, showing a flavour of the content within. With this app, you have the ability to ‘Play To’ other devices, such as a smartphone, too.

Shazam Price: Free Developer: Shazam Entertainment Ltd Have you ever heard a snippet of song on an advert that you like the sound of but have never managed to track down exactly what it was? Shazam is the quickest and easiest way to discover more about music, TV and ads. This app will handily identify what you are listening to surprisingly quickly and allow you to buy it, share it, watch the video and get the lyrics.

128 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

Plex Price: Free Developer: Plex This app is universally available across pretty much any device, and for good reason. It neatly organises all of your personal media and allows you to access it through one sleek interface. With Plex you can easily stream your videos, music, photos and home movies to your Windows device from other home computers (even Macs), set up playing queues and more. It’s on the pricey side, but worth it.

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Sport Keep in touch with your favourite event or team

T

he crack of the cricket bat, the roar of the rugby crowd, the heckling of the football referee… Sport – you can’t beat it. No matter which sports or team you follow, there is bound to be an app that covers it. What role can your Windows 10 device play in a professional sports setting? The possibilities are limitless. Whether you’re tracking the statistics on your favourite players or lining up the bet that will make your fortune, download a few of the best sports apps onto your Windows 10 PC, laptop or tablet and you’re sure to have an edge on the competition. The apps themselves range from batting-average calculators to statistics databases and up-to-the-minute news trackers. Sports apps can definitely add a new dimension to a favourite pastime or introduce you to the triumphs and sorrows of a new sport entirely.

Onefootball

ESPN Cricinfo

Price: Free Developer: motain GmbH If you’re into your soccer then this simple app delivers all of the latest news from planet football. Covering all of the major leagues (over 1,000 in all) and cup competitions, this app provides live scores and text commentaries, breaking news, videos, league tables, squad lists and detailed player information. It’s a great way to keep abreast of what’s happening and really comes into its own on transfer deadline day.

Price: Free Developer: ESPN Ltd This app features coverage of cricket from around the world with a varied staff that reflects that news. It includes ball-by-ball scoring from a range of matches plus news, breaking news, features and additional editorial. There are a range of match reports and in-depth analyses of games such as wagon wheel, scoring charts, manhattans, etc. Also included are profiles of all current and former cricketers.

Golf Scores + Stats

“Download a few of the best sports apps and you’re sure to have an edge on the competition”

Price: Free Developer: Apptonium This simple app lets you keep track of your golf scores and other key statistics to help you analyse and improve your game. An unofficial handicap is calculated after your first round and progress is easily observed over time. Through this app you can also track putts, fairways hit, greens in regulation and sand saves. A must for golfers who like track and improve their game.

NFL on Windows Price: Free Developer: Microsoft Studios If you’re into American football then this app is the ultimate companion. Take your support for your team to a whole new level by analysing the biggest plays on a virtual field, seeing who the top playmakers are and tracking the fastest players with real-time distance and speed stats as the plays unfold. It’s all fabulously presented in a neat interface and you can also enable notifications to keep you fully in the picture as to your team’s performance.

CoachPro Price: £3.89/$4.99 Developer: JPlusCorporation If you coach sport then this app turns your Windows device into a virtual clipboard onto which you can draw diagrams to illustrate a particular play or tactic to your team. You can also animate your plays so that your players can see the full outcome of the sequence. A wide range sports are supported and the app provides seamless switching between court and pitch templates onto which you can plan your notes and tactics.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 129

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Books & Reference Wealth of knowledge at your fingertips

T

he benefit of blending Windows 10 with the vast resources of the internet is that if you want to read a book or research information within a reference section, then you are more than likely to find what you are looking for. Books can range from the literary

classics such as the likes of Jane Austen and Charles Dickens to more modern fare. There are also both paid-for and free titles – these are either out of copyright or are tomes that are privately pressed and have been issued freely to gain publicity. Research can be done at sites that provide a wide,

catch-all service bringing you information from all areas of interest. More specialist research areas can provide information from science to history and from astronomy to gastronomy. Whatever your needs, the internet, controlled by the easy-to-use Windows 10 interface, will see you right.

Wikipedia Price: Free Developer: Wikimedia Foundation A free encyclopaedia, this service includes a whopping 20 million articles that are ready to examine in a similarly whopping 280 languages. This is a staggering achievement in itself. Using open source, the app features full sharing capabilities and search options while you can also pin your article to read later on. The app includes features, pictures and articles with an interesting ‘On this day’ facility and a useful ‘recent changes’ section to help with your research.

ComicBookReader Price: Free Developer: Appbyfex This app provides a platform with which you can read your favourite comics as either .cbr or .cbz files (electronic comics or other JPEG compressed files). However, it's worth bearing in mind that this app is just a shell – a mere reader that gives you the space to view your comics. It doesn’t arrive with a host of files to load up and view so be aware that you will have to have a ready archive. Once up and running though, it is simple to use.

Kindle Price: Free Developer: AMZN Mobile LLC The Kindle app allows you to purchase books with a couple of mouse clicks on the Amazon website, and then send them to your Windows 10 Kindle app. There are currently around one million Kindle books to choose from including many free titles. You can also sync your Kindle purchases across other platforms, from Windows 10 to Android, for example.

Audiobooks from Audible Price: Free Developer: Audible, Inc If you enjoy reading but seldom find the time, then you can consider an audiobook. Through the Audible app you can listen to books on the go and immerse yourself in gripping stories anywhere. What’s more, the app provides a gateway to over 100,000 audio books – from best-sellers to classics and everything in between – so you’re never stuck for a good read.

130 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

Periodic Table Price: Free Developer: Revolution Software This app presents detailed chemical and physical information for all of the chemical elements and provides a customisable view, images and links and even allows you to pin elements to your Start screen for easy access. So whether you have a professional use for the periodic table or you are just a quizzer looking to expand your knowledge, this app has all of the symbols and atomic numbers you need.

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

News & Weather Always stay dry, warm and informed ombine the best in fast computing technology with an internet connection via a sprightly broadband link and you have a wealth of information at your fingertips. There are two distinct categories of information, however, that depend on speed to remain relevant:

C

news and weather. Maintaining the latter can mean that you can successfully plan your day. Friends and family may or may not have to make journeys to meet up depending on weather-based information, while the threat of extreme weather conditions has made such reports less a figure of amusement

and fun and more of a serious matter. Similarly, keeping in touch with the news via computer and the internet means that you can follow breaking stories on a minute-by-minute basis, monitoring a changing situation which, again, might have repercussions for you and those closest to you.

Engadget

CNN

Sky News

Price: Free Developer: AOL The popular, USA-based technology and consumer electronics blog comes to Windows 10. You can find news on the latest smartphones, HDTVs, gaming updates plus computers and much more. When you've downloaded the app, you can view and listen to media via text, videos and podcasts. Grouped into a number of tiles, you just click on a tile to be taken to a new screen to read the story.

Price: Free Developer: CNN Interactive Group, Inc This application allows you to read news features and top stories with a live tile option that features the latest news along with breaking news. This includes everything from world events to sport. The design is functional rather than technically astounding but it places the top stories within easy reach. You can also change the font size to personalise the reading experience.

Price: Free Developer: British Sky Broadcasting This app is a flashy and eye-catching as you would expect from Sky. It delivers all of the latest breaking news and top stories together with live Sky News TV so that you can stream moving images as well as read the headlines. Packed with videos and pictures, as well as constantly-updated news content, this is a convenient app for staying up-to-date with all the latest news, weather and entertainment news.

The Weather Channel Price: Free Developer: The Weather Channel This is a great app for up-to-the-minute weather reports for your local area. It includes hourly updates, a ten-day forecast, details of the sun rise and set times, maps to illustrate temperature and wind speed and even a selection of videos. Everything is impeccably presented, making this the perfect app for at-aglance updates to more specific facets of our weather. There is certainly plenty here to keep you enthralled beyond mere weather reports.

WeatherPro Price: £2.29/$3.49 Developer: MeteoGroup Deutschland This app includes seven-day forecasts featuring three hourly intervals for over two million locations around the world. Features include global satellite plus radar for the USA, UK and most of Europe, plus animated screens. Weather news can also be found on a live tile on the Start screen, while the weather includes a ‘feels like’ facility to gauge the realworld temperature, as you experience it.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 131

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Health & Fitness Use your PC to stay in top condition eed a nutritionist to answer questions at the supermarket? Perhaps a personal trainer for running a first-time 5K? Often, we need an added push to go the extra mile with exercise. For some, that extra push comes in the form of an overzealous spin instructor or passionate

N

personal trainer. If your Windows 10 device isn’t already your best workout buddy, it could be. Tracking your progress on an app makes it easier to eat right, sleep well and push a workout harder. The availability of health apps is climbing fast and the industry expects the number of health and fitness

apps to quadruple between 2010 to 2016. For those who like exercising solo or individuals who prefer being outside the gym – whether you’re a runner or need help tracking your food intake or sleep – we’ve rounded up the best apps that offer a good general introduction to health and fitness.

Heart Decide

First Aid Guide

Sleep Bug

Price: Free Developer: Orca Health This app is a multisensory learning tool designed to help healthcare specialists teach their patients more effectively. It features interactive 3D animations that let you explore the anatomy in an intensive and fascinating way by spinning and zooming in on a model of a beating heart. The app also features videos on Angioplasty and Stent Placement, among many other heart-related topics.

Price: Free Developer: Younix Accidents and mishaps occur all the time and you never know when the chance to save someone’s life may presents itself. This app helps you understand the basics of first aid and what to do in an emergency, all presented through a simple and accessible interface. It also provides the causes and treatments for a wide range of ailments to help you be prepared in the event of a crisis.

Price: Free Developer: Panzertax Sleep Bug is an ambient sound mixer that produces a variety of scenes and music with random sound effects. The built-in sound generator creates a realistic listening experience to help calm a busy mind and is perfect for adults, children and babies who are having trouble sleeping. You can also use it in the office to mask out distracting noises and improve your concentration at work.

Increase Brain Power Price: Free Developer: Chaithanyaa The name of this app is a little misleading as it doesn’t actually help you improve your brain power – not directly anyway. What it does do is provide a comprehensive rundown of the best foods to eat in order to maximise the power output of your grey matter. It comes with detailed descriptions on how eating a particular food can enhance your intelligence, and accompanying images that manage to make even soy look interesting.

132 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

Gym Guide Price: Free Developer: gregorysl This guide to exercise presents you with an introductory menu that spans the range of the body muscle, dividing them into tiled areas. When you click on a tile, a new screen appears listing the exercises for that body area. Click on a particular exercise and a pictorial guide will appear along with textual instructions on how to complete the activity. There are 804 activities on offer.

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Food & Dining Feast your eyes on mouth-watering apps

A

re you the type to spice up your gastronomical experience by trying out new food recipes every now and then? Do you enjoy a little bit of adventure, trying new tastes, new techniques and venturing forth into an unknown world of cultural delicacies? There

are food magazines all over newsagents with a gamut of food channels splintering all over your TV. The internet is similarly awash with foodie ideas and suggestions bursting with recommendations, but you can also check for recipes right from the comfort of your Windows 10 device. Take a look at

the Windows Store and you’ll find lots of downloads that can help you out with your food adventure, whether you like to cook things on your own or try new restaurants. We have listed a selection of apps that you can try out to help you broaden your eating horizons.

HP Recipe Box Price: Free Developer: Hewlett-Packard Company This app eradicates the hassle of finding all of your stored recipes in times of need. When you find a recipe that you would like to store for later, you simply extract it to your own personal recipe box and then find it easily through categorisation. This app also enables you to create a shopping list directly from your recipes and have it available on your mobile device just as you’re heading out to the shops. A sure-fire way to making cooking more convenient.

BBC Good Food Price: Free Developer: BBC Worldwide Ltd Featuring a large selection of delicious recipes (you get around 20 free but many more are available as in-app purchases), this app includes a well-designed, very colourful interface that inspires you to get in the kitchen and rustle up a healthy meal for your family. Each recipe includes nutritional information, all are very easy to follow and they’re also available offline. A health-conscious app to help make you a more accomplished cook.

Recipe, Menu & Cooking Planner Price: Free Developer: Pepperplate This is a real admin tool for cooks as it allows you to manage your recipes, create menus, cook with multiple timers, view recipes, edit and prepare them while browsing the web and sharing recipes with friends via email, Twitter and Facebook. You can also import recipes into the app and add to your shopping list on the website, which automatically syncs.

Great British Chefs

Epicurious

Price: Free Developer: Great British Chefs This app brings together over 300 recipes from some of Britain’s best culinary masters. With photography so stunning it’ll make your mouth water, plus expert hints, tips and demonstrative videos, Great British Chefs has all the key ingredients to help transform you into a skilful cook. You can mark your favourite recipes for easy referral and share your best dishes.

Price: Free Developer: Conde Nast This app delivers over 30,000 delicious and professionally created recipes from renowned chefs and highly-rated cookbooks. You can save and share your favourite recipes, create shopping lists and then email them to yourself to refer to while out shopping. You can also see what the thriving Epicurious community thinks of each recipe with reviews and ratings.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 133

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Lifestyle Live your life to the fullest with Windows 10

T

he lifestyle genre of any app collection is a bit of a strange one. It tends to feature all of those tiny little useful apps we use every day, which are hard to categorise but can sometimes be attributed to more leisurelike activities. This category often features apps that focus on how we live and why. So you will often find unique but also crossover subjects in this category. Explore apps for sports activities, healthy and balanced dieting, managing household duties, fashion and style, and also apps for favourite hobbies such as gardening, cooking and similar areas. Apps relating to these subjects can be quite wide-ranging, from those that seek information in order to do the activity and those that help you to manage information while you are within that activity. All of the apps tend to be stress-relieving and enlightening.

TED

CPlus for Craigslist

Price: Free Developer: TED Conferences LLC An intriguing app containing talks and performances from TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) conferences in HD-quality video. TED is a global set of conferences owned by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation, formed to disseminate 'ideas worth spreading'. The talks feature everything from breathing metal to a bat’s genome and the app has noticeably improved in its content quality.

Price: Free Developer: YanFlex This app is a Craigslist browser that uses GPS data to find interesting things around you. The results are presented as grids, photos, maps and a host of other details, and you can save your searches and add postings to your favourites. The beauty of this app is that it combines the functions of multiple apps into one, freeing up your time and delivering all of the information that you need in one massive info-splurge.

Burning Fireplace

“This category often features apps which focus on how we live and why”

Price: Free Developer: Inphonite, LLC As the winter nights draw in, nothing beats the hypnotic glow of a log fire – unless of course you don’t have one, in which case this is the perfect alternative. This app essentially turns your PC screen into a smouldering, crackling fireplace that you can sit in front of and plan your memoirs. It features authentic sound effects and a baffling Pause/Resume function.

Rightmove Property Search Price: Free Developer: Rightmove Group Ltd Whether you’re looking to buy a new home or simply rent one in your local area, the Rightmove app is a great place to find out what’s around. You can check out the pictures or floor plan of potential new abodes and even discover what amenities are positioned nearby. Even if you aren’t fussed about moving, this is still a great app to dip into for your fix of property porn as you can check out some of the finest buildings to one day aspire towards owning.

134 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

Wowcher Price: Free Developer: Wowcher This service sniffs out all of the best deals in your local area and allows you to redeem meals, spa treatments, gadgets and much more at cheaper prices. You start off by joining the mailing list by inputting your email address and location and then you’ll be informed as to when new offers are available for the categories you have highlighted as being of interest. Thanks to this app you can pick up some real bargains.

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Shopping There are plenty of shop windows on Windows 10

T

echnology has fundamentally changed society in many different ways. One of those has to be found within the shopping category. Shopping on a computer has been accused of destroying the High Street (although the major supermarkets have to take most of the blame) but it also has given an immense of degree of choice to people in small towns and rural areas. Before, hard-to-find and niche goods could only be sourced after a pre-planned and very expensive trip to larger cities. Now, with online shopping, all that is required is a quick peruse on the web to source even the rarest of items. This sort of shopping doesn’t stop within the boundaries of this country either. Europe and the USA are popular shopping destinations. Couple that with largely efficient delivery services and you have a major computing success story.

CBAZAAR Price: Free Developer: Net Avenue Technologies (P) Ltd Taking a Bollywood twist to clothing for sale, this Indian clothing shop offers a range of Sarees, Salwars and Lehenga in addition to menswear. Large, detailed picture tiles give the app a sense of elegance and help you pick out specific items with ease. You can search for clothing based on price, fabric, colour and speciality. In addition, you can shop in any wide range of currencies; 17 are supported.

“With online shopping, a quick peruse on the web can source even the rarest of items” eBay

Amazon

Price: Free Developer: eBay, Inc eBay is generally regarded as the mecca of the online shopping experience. A digital form of the traditional market in which goods are bought and sold, where auctions are held and the variety of goods on offer is seemingly endless. The Windows 10 version uses a large window style that looks good on a big monitor. Each window can be scrolled to the side to access more information.

Price: Free Developer: Amazon.com Devoted to the popular retail site, Amazon allows you to search for items on the main site as well as compare prices and read reviews but, most importantly, to buy products. Access to any of the world’s Amazon sites is possible along with access to current wish lists, cart and payment options. You can also view popular products and recommendations. The app uses a sideways-scrolling interface.

Wish – Shopping Made Fun Price: Free Developer: ContextLogic Inc Wish is an online shopping mall where you can search for products across a wide range of categories and then get them delivered to your door for a fraction of the cost that you’d pay on the high street. Just create a free account and then you can enjoy stress-free shopping from the comfort of your own couch. You can search for items by keyword, get notifications on price drops and instantly see how much money you are saving.

Orchid Price: Free Developer: Orchid Studio Orchid is an Amazon price-tracking app that provides price drop alerts and price history charts for products sold on Amazon. This means that if you are in the market for a particular item but aren’t necessarily in a rush to buy it, you can track it in this app and get alerted when the price drops. This ensures you get the best possible deals on items over time.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 135

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Travel Roam far and wide with Travel apps

A

ll great travel apps have one thing in common: they all solve a problem you didn’t realise you had. That said, with app stores bursting at the virtual seams with software claiming to make your life easier, being simply useful is no longer enough for app developers aspiring to greatness. Whether they’re cutting down journey times on your plane, train or car ride, or pointing you in the tight direction for authentic local nosh in Morocco, New York or somewhere in Italy, there's something for you. Each and every one of our travel apps has earned its place in this list by virtue of being innovative, quirky or just darned useful. So have a browse, take your pick and get globe-trotting. With a few of these on your PC, you may never look at the world in the same way again.

FourSquare Price: Free Developer: Foursquare Labs This popular service exists to find places of interest nearby. By creating a free account you can see the hottest places near to your current position and, by looking up friends and family members, hook up with other people if they happen to be in your vicinity. It’s a good way to discover what’s out there, especially if you are using it on a mobile device while visiting new places, and will help ensure that you never miss a local hot spot.

“Each and every one of our travel apps has earned its place in this list by being innovative, quirky or just darned useful” XE Currency

National Rail Enquiries

Price: Free Developer: XE.com A very useful currency conversion app that is extremely easy to use and has been doing the rounds on a variety of platforms including iOS and Android successfully for some time now. The app features live currency rates so that you are always up-to-date. Rates are refreshed every minute. The app includes all the world currencies and precious metals listed in alphabetical order.

Price: Free Developer: Train Information Services Ltd If you regularly use the train, this app can save you countless hours stood at wet stations listening to the repetitive drawl of the tannoy announcer proclaiming yet another delay. Through this app you can plan a journey, track trains and get the real-time departures and arrivals board for any station, which should give you plenty of insight into when you need to start running for your train.

Skyscanner Price: Free Developer: Skyscanner Thinking of jetting off for a few days to warmer climes? If you're travelling on a budget or just looking for the best deal on low-cost flights, this app is for you. This independent app scans millions of routes on over 1,000 airlines, and aims to save you both time and cash by finding the best deal among the many that are present on any given day. It then connects you with the right travel agent or airline. The app can handle up to 20 languages, too.

136 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

TripAdvisor Price: Free Developer: TripAdvisor LLC Thanks to a wealth of features and a huge online community, this app will help you plan your perfect holiday. With a huge database of reviews, photos and maps, it offers a reliable picture of hotels, destinations and attractions. Easy to use and highly recommended, TripAdvisor will help you plan your itinerary so you don't miss out on anything.

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Finance Keep a close eye on your precious pennies

A

wealth of financial apps on the market give you plenty of options to learn how to be more responsible with your personal finances. Are you trying to handle your own income and expenses, manage an entire household or run a small business? Whatever it is you're doing or want to do, there’s a program that can help get your finances in order. Thanks to these apps, managing money and potential savings is easier than ever. Which app should you use to ensure you’ll always be within your spending limit, always have that holiday fund and always be on top of your finances? Although there are plenty of options, we’ve narrowed the list down to the top five apps to help keep you focused on your hard-earned cash without giving yourself too much of a headache. But there are plenty more apps on offer.

StockMap

Smart Money

Price: £1.49/$1.99 Developer: Yojowa, LLC This app helps you track your portfolio of stocks and shares. Apart from essential information displayed on the Live Tile within the app, it covers stocks, mutual funds and indices, currency rates, currency conversion, news headlines, both daily and long term tracking and also comparative charting. It also uses a heat map where the colour of each block varies in intensity of green or red.

Price: Free Developer: SmartApp Solutions This personal finance app allows you to track your expenses and transactions, check your balances and see your spending by category, account or payee. It also allows you to set up bill reminders, which are displayed in the app tile on your Windows 10 Start screen. You can add multiple accounts with different currencies and it is well designed to be very user-friendly.

Ribbon Calculator

“Managing an entire household or running a business? There’s a program to get your finances in order”

Price: Free Developer: Ingress Technology This free, easy-to-use calculator app is ideal for accountants and everyday use to help you calculate bills or balance a chequebook. As well as performing any standard operation you would expect from a calculator, Ribbon Calculator also allows you to print off ribbons and share with other people via email. And it sticks to its task admirably well.

Money Watcher Price: Free Developer: Ecsolvo Technologies This free app provides a simple means of managing your various expenses and incomes. Whatever you spend can be easily categorised to help track them further down the line and all of your incomings and outgoings can be effortlessly exported to other apps. Although there are hundreds of similar apps available, the sleek interface and the convenient cross-platform compatibility of this app make it worthy of recommendation.

Currency Converter + Price: Free Developer: Bessonov Kirill Like all the best apps available, this is a very simple program that works without any fuss. It allows you to convert one currency to another. Before you undertake the conversion, you select the ‘before’ and ‘after’ currencies and then type in the figure that you want to convert. As you input the number, the answer is written, it’s that fast! You are also given an up-to-date exchange rate so you know what you're getting for your money.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 137

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Productivity Grab an app and get down to business

I

t is the productivity element of software where the PC has been rightly lauded. If you want to be productive in any serious endeavour then the PC has always, from the dawn of computing, been the platform that has been the ‘go-to’ system. All of the top quality, most well-known and fully featured packages have all appeared on the PC, at one time or another, in some guise. Of course, Microsoft’s own Office suite of programs have been the stars of the show for some time now but there are plenty of other apps on the market that are just as accomplished an offering, in some cases, unique features and for free. These programs range from word processors, databases and presentation software to complex lifestyle planning, translation and mailing software. If you need to get things done, then Windows 10 is in the perfect position to serve you well.

mSecure

Evernote

Price: Free Developer: mSeven Software LLC This app provides free 256-bit encryption for all of your personal information and files, as well as a handy auto-lock function to stop prying eyes being privvy to sensitive data. The app is quick and easy to use and provides peace of mind that your computer will be well secured should you need to step way. You can even mask sensitive fields in order to protect data from onlookers.

Price: Free Developer: Evernote If you ever find yourself urgently needing to remember something, Evernote is an incredibly useful app to have around. It can span a wide range of devices and adds autosynchronisation into the bargain, so you will never be without your reminder. An ideal app for research, to take notes with during a meeting or while attending a lecture, Evernote is a superior way to stay organised.

Wunderlist

“There are plenty of apps on the market offering unique features and for free”

Price: Free Developer: 6 Wunderkinder GmbH Through this app you can capture all of your great ideas, list the important tasks that you need to complete and the places you need to be. You can share your lists with other people and the app also supports Cortana, so you can add things to your Wunderlist regardless of which app you happen to be using on your Windows 10 PC at the time.

Dropbox Price: Free Developer: Dropbox, Inc Dropbox is one of the world’s most popular cloud storage services and this app lets you access an existing account or create a new one. You are provided with 2GB of storage space for free and can upload anything, including photos, documents and videos. As you can get Dropbox apps for every mobile device and computer you can access your files from anywhere, even through a simple web browser, making it a great alternative to flash drives.

138 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

Art Text Price: £7.69/$9.99 Developer: BELIGHT SOFTWARE USA, LLC An ideal program to use for creating logos, icons for apps and web images, this app takes text input and changes it in a variety of ways, via a number of customisable templates. You have the ability to change the shape of text as well as provide the text with a textured finish from metal to glass. Plus there are options to fill letters with different colours and add in special effects such as shadows and gradients.

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Tools Grease the PC wheels with these ideal utilities

T

he star programs of the PC world grab all of the headlines. That is true. Microsoft Office is one of the heavyweights of the computing universe, while eBay is a shopping capital and the BBC’s iPlayer is a media hub packed with entertaining fare. None of these major apps would get very far, however, without those tools that ease the pain of day-to-day computer use. Their task might only be small and, quite possibly, rather one-dimensional, but many of these tools do their own niche job well. So well that many of us simply wouldn’t use a computer without them. This section gives you a brief idea about what kind of tools are available for use, and you'll be pleased to learn that many of them are free too. Take a look. Even if you haven’t used them before, you might discover that they act as a solution to a problem you never knew that you had.

Calculator2 Price: Free Developer: Richard Walters This advanced calculator is packed with features and options. Its basic selling point is that it stands as five calculators in one: Basic, Scientific, Programmer, Currency Converter and Unit Converter. With that lot, you get 125 mathematical functions to use along with statistical functions for memory values. For the currency add-on there are 150 world currencies supported along with 200 units for conversions across 17 categories.

“No major apps would get very far without those tools of day-to-day computer use” Google

Network Speed Test

Price: Free Developer: Google Inc The most popular search engine in the world, Google Search allows you to search the entire internet from the app’s home screen. Features include a voice search option using a microphone, plus an instant previews mode to browse search results without having to enter the actual website. You can also click on the History icon to access all of your past searches.

Price: Free Developer: Microsoft Research Using servers all over the world, Network Speed Test measures your network connection’s latency and throughput. Based on the results, the app will then handily inform of you of what you can and can’t do on your computer, based on your connection speed – such as stream music or make a video call. It’s certainly a useful app to have around if only to satisfy your curiosity that you’re getting what you pay for.

Microsoft Phone Companion Price: Free Developer: Microsoft Corporation This app helps you get the things that you love about your Windows 10 PC onto your mobile device. For example, if you own an Android device or an iPhone then this app makes it possible to automatically sync content from your PC across. The process is made easy thanks to the way in which the app guides you through it and everything can be kept nicely up to date on your mobile device simply by connecting it to your computer.

Alarm Clock Price: Free Developer: See Sharp Guys This app is designed as a nightstand companion, so it may not be particularly useful if you’re using a desktop computer. You can use it to set alarms, choose your own wake up sounds or tunes from your own personal library, and customise the clock face with your own colours or backgrounds. Just be warned that if your computer goes to sleep, so will your alarms.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 139

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Security Stay safe and sleep easy with security apps

C

omputer security issues make the news just about everyday, from malicious apps to malware. While Windows is a flexible and easy-to-use operating system available on a wide variety of devices, the threats make it extremely essential for users to install extra security options. Keep in mind that the most basic security precautions, like passwordprotecting your device and setting it to auto-lock after a period of time don’t require a separate app. But don’t stop there. From anti-virus apps (crucial at this point) to enhanced password protection, it’s worth looking at more advanced options. The vast number of security apps available for the platform makes it impossible to cover them all, but this should give you a good idea of what's available to protect your Windows device and the data that resides within it.

Super Password Generator

VPN Unlimited

Price: Free Developer: PinoyTouchtech If you want to apply the highest password security to your PC, this app uses a ‘Crytographic Random Number Generator’ to make sure that the passwords it generates are totally unique and never get duplicated. The app also generates QR codes that you can scan with any device. It’s an easy-to-use app that provides sound peace of mind that your important data is secure.

Price: Free Developer: Keepsolid Inc VPN Unlimited provides encrypted, secure and private internet connection across all of your devices. It doesn’t restrict the internet connection speed or bandwidth, fully sustaining your online privacy. The service offers a number of security options, such as allowing access to territory-restricted web content, allowing you to surf anonymously and providing extra security when using Wi-Fi hotspots.

Network Port Scanner

“The threat landscape has made it essential for users to install extra security"

Price: Free Developer: Cenix This is a useful free app for helping you get your PC’s network ports in order. The app will scan your computer’s ports to test your network security. You can see what ports are open on your network and the IP addresses that they use. You can also set up an IP range and a port range to scan. That’s pretty much it, but it performs its tasks admirably well.

LastPass Price: Free Developer: LastPass This app makes your online activity quick and easy by remembering all of your website passwords and allowing you to log into your sites with a single click. With so many websites requiring passwords to access, this app neatly stores them all, meaning that all you need to do is remember one single ‘master’ password. Once you enter this, LastPass will fill in all of your logins for you. All of your data is also synced so you can login no matter which device you are using.

140 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

LockIt Price: Free Developer: RNG Labs A perfect security app to store all of your passwords, credit card information, bank account data, software keys and more. You can sync this information across all of your Windows 10 devices. A key is generated using the user’s master password using PBKDF2 with 10,000 iterations. All data is then encrypted using AES-256. The app also utilises a number of keyboard shortcuts to make operation faster to keep your PC safe and sound.

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Business Enhance your career with Windows 10 apps

T

he featured apps listed here represent a wide variety of software. What they all have in common are ways to enhance your business. Some of the apps focus on financial aspects, allowing you to easily manage a general ledger, accounts payable and receivables. Other apps focus on productivity. They allow the creation and management of documents that comprise your business data, help you keep sensitive data protected and retained within company walls and aid communication and collaboration among employees, customers and external contacts. As apps become more prevalent and more powerful, entrepreneurs and small business owners are relying on these savvy tools to help their businesses grow and run more smoothly. These top five apps can get you organised, connected and help you succeed.

I Love Calculator Price: £0.99/$1.49 Developer: BungBungame Inc If you need to find a simple and easy-to-use calculator, this app will provide one just for you. It goes further than that, though, because it also offers a rather more technical screen that allows you to input professional engineering functions including Trigonometric, Exponential and Logarithmic functions and Pi-functions. It also includes a rather fun selection of skins for the calculator itself.

“Some of the apps focus on financial aspects. Other apps focus on productivity” Easy Invoice Creator

Box

Price: £1.49/$1.99 Developer: Brizz A simple app but one that will save a lot of time for many small businesses. This program does all the work and creates an invoice for you based on a simple template. You add your company details so that they automatically flow into the new invoice. You can then store or print the details. The layout is clean and simple, and it takes very little time to complete a typical invoice.

Price: Free Developer: Boy, Inc Box is a simple and effective cloud computing service that gives you 5GB of free space to store your files. The intuitive interface makes it easy to access and edit your files, share content and stay connected with your work team from anywhere and on any device. It’s a good way to share files with co-workers and have them collaborate on them without having to book a meeting room.

Splashtop Personal Price: Free Developer: Splashtop Inc This remote desktop app provides high-performance remote access to your PC or Mac from your Windows tablet. It is capable of delivering full audio and HD video streaming and is optimised for whatever connection method (Wi-Fi or 3/4G) you are using. Connecting is easy as long as you have the software installed on both devices and it could be a life saver if you need to access your office PC to retrieve important documents on the move.

World Academy Online Price: Free Developer: INTERSOG LLC An educational app that introduces a range of courses from introductory surveys of general professional concepts, to advanced courses focusing on applied concepts specific to business, management or finance. Although the app is labelled ‘free’, you only get the first lesson, then you have to pay around $15 (approx £9) to complete each course.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 141

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Education Learn on your PC and have fun along the way

T

he wave of the future is here, in particular for education and learning. Terms like 21st Century Computing, BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) and Cloud Computing have now become mainstream. The introduction of mobile devices and tablets has brought technology to more students than ever before. A one-to-one computing environment is not only a possibility but also a reality in more schools than people realise. Teachers can use apps for everything from communicating with students to dissecting virtual frogs. Whether you’re currently in school or just seeking a little self-improvement, a whole host of Windows apps are just waiting to enhance your knowledge base. We’ve picked a few of the top applications in a number of categories but they are but a mere taster of what’s available within the Windows 10 app store.

Mars Rover: Curiosity

Star Chart

Price: Free Developer: Jet Propulsion Laboratory This app is more of a taster for the main website on the Rover. It provides a mouse-driven guided tour around the labelled, 3D graphic-generated Rover, plus a recorded video of the initial landing of the Rover using the actual video of NASA control and CGI of the Rover itself landing on Mars. Apart from these two features, other links direct you to another app or the information-packed website.

Price: Free Developer: Escape Velocity Limited A star gazing and astronomy app. You can explore rendered versions of a variety of planets, moons, rings, stars, constellations and messier objects. You can also move through a timeline to see how the sky has changed by up to 10,000 years. The app shows all the stars of the northern and southern hemispheres up to a magnitude of +10, which amounts to a collection of over 120,000 stars!

Dictionary 8

“A whole host of Windows apps are just waiting to enhance your knowledge base”

Price: Free Developer: Technocrux If you do a lot of writing on your computer then there are times when you will undoubtedly be stuck for a particular word or phrase, which is where this simple but effective app comes in. Dictionary 8 contains over two million unabridged definitions, synonyms, example sentences, verbs, adjectives, nouns and prepositions. Very useful to have to hand.

My Study Life Price: Free Developer: My Study Life This app provides a comprehensive planner for students, teachers and lecturers to store timetables and mark up assignments and exam revision planners. Through a simple interface you can track tasks, get reminders for when things are due and manage your classes so you can see, at-a-glance, what you’ve got on any given day. All of your planners are also synced to the cloud so that you can access them from any device. A must for academics.

142 Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

About Countries Price: Free Developer: Ekkoratha Whether it’s purely for educational purposes or as a quick an easy means to boost your trivia knowledge, About Countries features bite-sized information on the 190-odd countries in the world. This information includes the flags, the capital cities, the main unit of currency, the primary language spoken, time zones and more. Everything is presented in a simple fashion, making this a handy app to dip into when you need to know something.

TIPS | TRICKS | APPS

Government Big information on a grand scale

Y

ou hear a lot about the appropriate size of government. But one type of smaller government that all sides can agree on is moving helpful applications, or apps, to computing devices, where they can be used by the public for free at any time and almost

any location. One thing to note is that most (not all) government apps today are rather primitive compared to private sector offerings. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If you’re trying to find your embassy in a foreign country in a hurry, you probably don’t want to have to tackle a level

of Angry Birds first. The second thing to note about today’s crop of government apps is that almost all of them act as a mobile gateway to information stored in other forms. There are a few exceptions but, for the most part, government apps are little more than simple databases.

Election Essential Price: Free Developer: MoRage If you like to keep an eye on US government current affairs, this app provides an up-to-date rundown of all of the essential election information about local State Ballots and Federal Candidates. If you want to know who is running for US Senate or House and research voting records then this is an insightful download. You can also source campaign finance information for all candidates, including who they are being financed by and much more.

The White House Price: Free Developer: BRIDGE-BUILDING MEDIA GROUP Devoted to the White House, this app provides a contact point with the US Government, allowing you to stay informed with the political movements in Washington. Hence, you can see a video on a bill to support children to stop or prevent them from taking up smoking, features on Middle Class tax cuts and a White House blog feed that can be downloaded in MP3 and MP4.

World Statistics Price: Free Developer: T.O.K. This app is the digital equivalent of one of those factual books that always used to reside in the toilet – an app packed full of interesting and insightful facts and stats. This app can help teach you anything from how many people are living on the earth, how much longer our planet’s fuel reserves are likely to hold out and much more besides. It makes interesting reading.

Top American Speeches Price: Free Developer: DaksaTech This app lists the top 100 speeches in American history. Organised by the title of the speech, the speaker is shown in photographic form. Click the photo for the entire text. It would have been welcome to have seen some video footage but the text remains often stirring and inspirational. Speakers include FD Roosevelt, JF Kennedy and Martin Luther King.

UK Monarchs Price: Free Developer: Casey_boy Handy for expanding your quizzing knowledge, this app allows you to view every monarch of the United Kingdom from Queen Anne (1707), through to Queen Elizabeth II of the present day. You can sort by royal household or century and links are also provided for information on the monarchs prpiroiror to the formation of the UK. Plenty of info and images are provided.

Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps 143

tr Spe ia c l o ia ffe l r

Enjoyed this book?

Exclusive offer for new

Try 3 issues for just

£5

*

* This offer entitles new UK Direct Debit subscribers to receive their first 3 issues for £5. After these issues, subscribers will then pay £25.15 every 6 issues. Subscribers can cancel this subscription at any time. New subscriptions will start from the next available issue. Offer code ‘ZGGZINE’ must be quoted to receive this special subscription price. Direct Debit Guarantee available on request. This offer will expire 31 December 2016. ** This is a US subscription offer. The USA issue rate is based on an annual subscription price of £65 for 13 issues which is equivalent to $102 at the time of writing compared with the newsstand price of $14.99 for 13 issues being $194.87. Your subscription will start from the next available issue. This offer expires 31 December 2016.

Uncover the secrets of web design

Practical projects

About the mag

Every issue is packed with step-by-step tutorials for Flash, Dreamweaver, Photoshop and more

In-depth features

Discover the latest hot topics in the industry

Join the community

Get involved. Visit the website, submit a portfolio and follow Web Designer on Twitter

subscribers to…

Try 3 issues for £5 in the UK* or just $7.85 per issue in the USA** (saving 48% off the newsstand price) For amazing offers please visit

www.imaginesubs.co.uk/wed Quote code ZGGZINE Or telephone: UK 0844 848 8413* Overseas +44 (0) 1795 592 878 * Calls will cost 7p per minute plus your telephone company’s access charge

From the makers of Windows 10 Tips, Tricks & Apps

Windows10 The Start menu is back! In this guide to Windows 10 we take you through everything you need to know about the new-look Start menu, Microsoft’s new web browser Edge and their highly regarded voice assistant Cortana.

Also available…

A world of content at your fingertips Whether you love gaming, history, animals, photography, Photoshop, sci-fi or anything in between, every magazine and bookazine from Imagine Publishing is packed with expert advice and fascinating facts.

BUY YOUR COPY TODAY Print edition available at www.imagineshop.co.uk Digital edition available at www.greatdigitalmags.com

 Personalise Windows

Stay secure

100% unofficial

Download apps

An all-in-one guide to get the most out of your PC Become a Windows 10 expert in minutes!

Instantly deal with notifications

Enable Tablet mode with just a click

 Tips

 Tricks

 Apps

Access the most advanced features of Windows 10’s excellent built-in software

Supercharge your Windows 10 device by tweaking settings to suit your needs

Discover the very best content available from the Windows Store and enhance your experience

100% UNOFFICIAL