10 Ways to Get the Most Out of Windows 8

 10 Ways to Get the Most Out of Windows 8

You’ve decided to upgrade to Windows 8, but now you have no idea how to get the most out of it. Let’s walk through 10 ways to get the most out of Windows 8 so that you can make the switch as seamlessly as possible. First, though, we should probably talk about why you should even upgrade at all...

1) Enable Peek and Aero Snap

Peek (also known as Aero Peek) is a Windows 8 feature that allows you to quickly glance at an app while minimizing all others. To use Peek, move your mouse pointer over an open app; it will light up and show you a peek of what’s going on within. This is similar to Mac OS X 10.7 Lion’s Mission Control feature.

2) Learn Your Way Around Windows

Despite what you may think, Windows 8 isn’t as hard to use as it looks. The key is knowing where things are and how they work. So before you install Windows on your computer, take a little time to learn your way around it. With just a few minutes of prep work, you can have an operating system that puts all your most important apps and settings in one place, that starts up quickly, and helps you do more than ever before with less effort. Check out our 10 tips for getting more done with Windows 8!

3) Customize Your Start Screen

The first thing most users notice about Windows 8 is its new look. Gone are the days of tiny text, scroll bars, and dark menus; in its place is a streamlined look with big tiles and light backgrounds. The good news is that users can customize their start screen to suit their needs. For example, if you’re an avid social media user, you can pin Twitter or Facebook directly to your desktop so that your news feed appears as soon as you log on. Similarly, if productivity apps like Word and Excel are your bread and butter at work, just add them to your Start screen for quick access.

4) Live Tiles

Tiles may be a huge design change for desktop users, but they're great for keeping you up-to-date and managing your system. Pressing right on a tile brings up settings and options, while pressing left will take you back to where you were before. When at home or in Airplane mode, clicking once on a Live Tile will show your most recent updates (like e-mails or social media notifications). If there's something new on any of your tiles (whether it's new mail in Gmail or new content from an app), chances are good that you'll know about it from seeing a notification badge. Tiles are all about being timely with just a single click.

5) Use Keyboard Shortcuts

Pressing a series of keyboard shortcuts is usually much quicker than navigating via touch or pointing device. Some notable time-savers include Alt+Tab (switches focus between apps) and Win+X (opens a menu that provides access to power, user accounts, and command options). A few bonus tips for touch users: Double-tap an app's tile on your home screen for quick access, pinch with two fingers for zooming in/out of webpages and images, tap and hold a tile with one finger to move it around your home screen.

6) Set Up SmartScreen Filter

SmartScreen Filter will check web content you download against a list of popular names and keywords, just in case it was downloaded from another site before. It’s an additional precaution that helps protect you from accidentally downloading malware, like other internet users have done in the past. SmartScreen is off by default, but it's a good idea to turn it on for security purposes. That way, you can rest assured that malicious websites won't be accessed through your browser without your knowledge.

7) Manage Desktop Icons & Files

The desktop is your window into what’s happening on your computer. It’s where you launch applications, store files and organize icons. In many ways, it’s a hidden gem in Windows 8—you can move around open windows, arrange them side-by-side and send them full screen without ever touching a mouse. If you make smart use of your desktop and pin frequently used files and folders, you’ll be able to get more done with less fuss. By utilizing both full-screen apps and resizable tile groups, multitasking with Windows 8 will feel much less overwhelming than before.

8) Access Any File In Windows Explorer

Did you know that a document you were working on just last week could be sitting in your computer’s Recycle Bin? To open it, just head to your desktop and right-click on any empty space. From there, choose New > Shortcut. Copy and paste (or type) explorer shell:Documents\[filename] into location of item field, click Next and then click Finish. Then simply double-click that shortcut to open up your lost file!

9) How To Install Updates

One key feature that separates computers from mobile devices is that you can't just update an app or operating system whenever it suits you. On a computer, you must wait for software updates and manually install them before you can use your computer again. That said, I don't know many people who do a great job keeping their computers up-to-date with security and system patches; often these updates are installed long after they should have been. Installing all available updates as soon as they become available could be one way to make sure your computer doesn't fall prey to new security vulnerabilities.

10) If You Need Help, Check These Tutorials

Beginners might feel a little lost at first with all of Microsoft’s new changes, but luckily they’ve got tutorials on pretty much everything you could want. There are some great videos that take you through how to navigate through and customize your settings as well as tutorials on apps like mail and maps. If you have trouble finding what you need or can’t quite figure out how to do something, check out their comprehensive tutorials. You might find just what you need!