15 Windows 8.1 Tips and Tricks To Master

Many of you might have upgraded your pc to Windows 8.1, But your unable to efficiently work with it. Recently there is an upgrade from Windows 8 to Windows 8.1, Microsoft has made several improvements to tackle the criticism of the previous version of Windows 8 has got. These tips might help you to master the hurdles you are suffering with.

1. Boot to the Desktop instead of Start Screen 

When you start your computer, by default it will take you to the Start Screen. There is a way to start your computer and go straight to the Desktop instead. Right-click on the desktop toolbar, select Properties and go to the Navigation tab. Under the Start Screen options, enable the box "When I sign in or close all applications on a screen, go to the desktop instead of Start".

2. Use Start Button 

Missing the Windows 7 Start Button. Don't cry Start Button is back. Hover To Start Screen Button position and right-click and it will show many options like Run, Search, Desktop, Shut Down etc.

3. Shut Down Quickly 

Windows 8.1 gets back the shortcut menu that appears when you right-click in the bottom left-hand corner of the desktop, but there are some new options. You can now shut the system down or log out of your account from here, Instead of going through the Settings charm.

4. Lock Screen Slideshows

Windows 8.1 adds the new feature to set up a slideshow of pictures on the lock screen rather than one static image. From the Settings charm, choose Change PC settings -> PC and devices -> Lock screen. Switch the slideshow option to 'On' and you can specify a local folder or Sky Drive folder to source images from.

5. Customize Start Screen Background 

If you are bored of Desktop view and want to use Start screen here is a cool feature added in Windows 8.1 Update.Right-click on the Start screen and choose Customize to change group names and tile sizes; open the Settings charm and choose Personalize to access the wallpaper and color options.

6. Configure Automatic Apps Updates 

Unlike Windows 8, app updates in Windows 8.1 will be automatically installed by default without the user’s consent. To stop this from happening, open Windows Store and access the Settings Charm menu. In the Settings Charm menu, select Settings and navigate to App Updates. Enable or disable the option to automatically update apps.

7. Close Background Running Apps

In Windows 8, when you drag a Start Screen app down to the bottom of the screen, it will close the app. However, on Windows 8.1, this action will only make the app disappear – it is still running in the background. To close the app, drag the app down to the bottom of the screen but instead of letting it go, hold on to it. Wait until the app card flips over, and only now the app is closed.

8. Switch to Reading View

The new updated Internet Explorer 11 which comes Windows 8.1 has some cool new features (most of which have already been seen in other browsers, but still). One of these is the Reading View, which you can access by clicking the book icon on the right of the address bar.

9. Sky Drive

Smart Files is a new feature on Windows 8.1 that allows you to view your Sky drive files without having to download everything onto your computer. When you browse through your Sky Drive folder in File Explorer, you’ll see a column called Availability.

By default, all the files are listed as Online-only, which means that as long as you are connected to the Internet, you can view the files without actually having them on your computer’s hard drive. If you want a particular Sky Drive file or folder to be available offline, just right-click on it and select the Make available offline option.

10. Edit Photos

Windows 8.1 added a new feature Smart screen photos app, It has been provided basic editing tools. Open up an image and you'll find auto fix shortcuts, tools for adjusting colors and shades, and rotate and crop options.

11. View the Full Apps List by Default 

As well as launching the Start screen or the desktop when your PC boots up, you can choose to launch the All Apps screen instead (normally found by clicking the small down arrow in the lower left-hand corner of the Start screen). You'll find an option for this by right-clicking on the taskbar, choosing Properties and opening up the Navigation tab.

12. Quick Calculations 

Also new to the Windows 8.1 integrated apps scene is a basic calculator. Launch it from the Start screen and you can switch between Standard and Scientific modes. A handy unit conversion tool is included as well.

13. Set Alarm

The New Alarm app is also added to Windows 8.1 . You can access it from Start screen and add multiple alarms and set different varieties of ringtones to wake you up

14. Name App Groups

Each of your Start screen app tile groups can have its own heading now, if required. You could name one group 'Work' and one 'Play', to be completely unoriginal and dull, for example. Right-click on the Start screen and choose Customize to bring up the labels.

15. Windows 8.1 Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Windows Key + S	Open Search Charm to search Windows and Web
Windows Key + Q	Search within the opened app
Windows Key + F	Search files
Windows Key + Z	Get Commands and Context Menus within an app
Windows Key + . + Right Arrow	Snap app to the right
Windows Key + . + Left Arrow	Snap app to the left
Ctrl + Plus (+)	Zoom in on Start Screen
Ctrl + Minus (-)	Zoom out on Start Screen
Windows Key + Down Arrow	Close an app
Windows Key + Start Typing	Search your PC
Windows Key + O	Lock the screen orientation (portrait or landscape)
Windows Key + Ctrl + Spacebar	Change to a previously selected input language
Windows Key + P	Choose a presentation display mode
Windows Key + X	Open Start Button options
Windows Key + Home	Minimize all but the active desktop window

Enjoy.....

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