7 Tips to help you get the most out of Windows 10
Let’s be frank, if you have been using a computer for any given amount of time, you will probably be able to navigate your way around your new Windows 10 installation. This article is, therefore, not aimed at hand-holding you. In fact, our aim in writing this article is to make life easier by giving you a few hints that will help you adapt to the Windows 10 environment way faster. Here, in any case, are 7 tips to help you get the most out of Windows 10;
- Check for Updates
This is the first thing that you should do after each clean install of Windows. A word of warning though; you will discover that the first few days, you PC will be chewing through your data like crazy, so you need to be on an unlimited data plan.
What happens is that your new Windows 10 install will immediately begin looking for updates, and some of these will be gigabytes in size.
Aside from the massive data demands for new Windows 10 installations, you need to make sure that your PC is set to automatically check for updates from Windows. If you have not changed anything, this should be the default setting.
To view your update settings, simply type “Update Settings,” in the search area of your computer and then click on “Windows Update Settings.”
You can setup Windows to automatically download updates, even on metered connections, through the Advanced Options section.
- Set your data connections as “Metered.”
If you are on a limited data plan, the good news is that Windows 10 allows you to set such a connection up as Metered. This will reduce the consumption of background data by the applications that are on your PC.
To set a connection as metered on a Windows 10 computer, simply follow the steps that are outlined in the provided article.
- Let Device Manager be your friend
The Windows Device Manager is a neglected, yet very useful Windows application. It allows you to view all the hardware devices that are connected to your computer as well as their status in terms of functionality. If there are hardware components that are misbehaving, you can resolve the issue using Device Manager.
To Open Device Manager in Windows 10, simply right click on the Start button on the bottom left corner of your screen. Choose Device Manager and you should be good to go.
- Learn Windows Shortcuts
There are many Windows shortcuts out there, all of which can help you get the most out of your computer. Some of the Shortcuts that you can use in Windows are outlined in this article. Here are a few of them;
- Ctrl+A = Select all
- Ctrl+n = Open new window
- Ctrl+v = Paste
- Ctrl+alt+delete = brings up the option to switch user, open task manager, sleep or sign out on the computer.
- Download Maps for use offline
If you are an avid traveler, then this is something that you will want to do. Downloading Maps to you Windows 10 computer will mean that you do not always need to have internet connectivity in order to get directions.
- Add date and time to notepad
If you use Notepad a lot, you can quickly add the date and time by pressing F5. On computers that have multiple functions for the F5 key, you would need to Press and hold the fn key while pressing F5.
- Learn Computer Typing
Finally, to get the most out of your Windows 10 computer, you should try and learn computer typing. Acquiring computer typing skills will vastly improve on your productivity, particularly if you work on your computer throughout the day.
You need about 3 months to master computer typing, yet this is an investment that will be with you throughout your life.