Home windows 8.1 ideas & tips: 13 methods to extend productiveness

1 - Boot to desktop

In Windows 8.1 customers can now boot directly to the desktop. Nevertheless, this feature must be activated manually. To do that right-click on the Taskbar > Properties > Navigation tab.

Beneath Start screen (backside pane), tick the first option that says, “When I register or shut all apps on a screen, go to the desktop instead of Begin”. Then click on on OK or Apply.

2 -  Get a correct Begin Button

Home windows 8.1 is reintroduced a dumbed down Begin button, but thankfully there are a range options that bring back the absolutely featured Windows 7 version.

One of the crucial in style is Basic Shell and it’s free. The app offers three forms of Begin Button - Traditional, Two Column and Windows 7.

Model four presents improved compatibility with Windows 8.1. New options include a devoted shutdown button, the flexibility to pin packages to the taskbar from an explorer home windows and better Windows Search functionality.


3 - Re-open Libraries

Microsoft has disabled the libraries function by default. Nonetheless, this can be reactivated easily. To do this open up Home windows Explorer > View > Options. Tick the box Show libraries within the navigation pane to re-activate the feature.


4 - Uninstall unused apps on the same time

Home windows 8.1 allows customers to pick a quantity of apps and uninstall them all at the same time. When you ever want to do this, proper click on the Begin display > Customise > Tick apps you wish to uninstall.


5 - Disable Charms

Charms in Windows 8.1 goal to speed up access to menus. But when you find yourself inadvertently activating the menu along with your mouse, it’s potential to disable it.

Go to Taskbar > Properties > Navigation and untick the “After I level to the upper-proper nook, show the charms.



6 - Open information within the desktop as an alternative of Modern UI

Music, videos, pictures and PDF information are automatically opened utilizing Trendy UI apps by default, however you may modified to be opened inside the desktop.

To do that, from the Windows Begin display screen kind “default applications and click on on on the Default Programs icon below results. Click on "Set your default packages" and select the app you wish to set as your default in your files.

7 - Keyboard shortcuts

Many people still use the mouse to carry out duties which might be done quicker utilizing a keyboard shortcut. Listed right here are a few useful mixtures which will get you started.

Home windows key + C: Opens up the charms menu

Window key + O: Locks the orientation of the display screen

Windows key + Q: Opens up the App Search pane. This now appears alone and without the Start screen.

Home windows key + M: Minimises all home windows and brings you back to the desktop.

Home windows key + H: Opens the Share charm in any app you might be at present in.

Windows key + F: Opens up the Search field to help discover files.

Windows key + I: Opens up the Settings Charm.

Home windows key + (full stop) + Arrow key: Moves app to the left or proper of screen so you may view a couple of app at a time. Using the down arrow key with this combination will close the app you may be in.

More shortcuts might be found here.


8 - Turn off notifications to minimise distractions

If you want to get work executed with out being distracted by notifications Home windows 8.1 has acquired you covered.

Go to PC Settings > Search & apps after which ensure the Quiet Hours swap is on. You may then choose which occasions you wish to be left in peace.


9 - Search regionally and on the internet

The search function in Windows 8.1 searches recordsdata in your gadget and also for answers on web simultaneously. 

While you enter a term, the native information will seem as usually, however swiping to the left will bring up other internet pages Bing has trawled through. This also exhibits up files on SkyDrive too.


10 - Get SkyDrive underneath management

SkyDrive is baked into Home windows 8.1. Files stored here are listed alongside other classes, equivalent to downloads and documents. While cloud storage is a boon to those that use information across a quantity of machines, you might not need all you fires within the cloud.

To ensure that Windows 8.1 isn’t storing stuff in the cloud without your permission, go to PC Settings. Here there are settings for the cloud storage instrument that can decide whether or not it's enabled by default in addition to how specific content varieties are handled.

SkyDrive additionally tries to avoid wasting area on the arduous drive by using what it dubs “Sensible Recordsdata”. This may be a great feature as long as you have got an web connection, however useless whenever you don’t. To guantee that all SkyDrive files are accessible while you need them go to Windows Explorer > proper click SkyDrive > select Make Accessible Offline. This can download all information stored in the cloud and save them locally.


11 - Ditch Command Prompt and go for PowerShell

In Home windows 8.1 right clicking on the Windows icon within the taskbar brings up a listing of power user commands. 

For those of you that need to carry out more intensive, complex duties using DOS-style instructions you can exchange CMD with Windows PowerShell.

To do that go to Navigation Properties > Tick the box marked Exchange Command Immediate with Home windows PowerShell in the menu when I proper-click on the decrease-left nook .


12 - Show all apps instead of reside tiles
If you wish to retain the Fashionable UI begin screen but wish to change the structure, it’s possible to display all apps.

To make this extra productive in use, it is best to tick all the final four bins within the Taskbar and Navigation Properties dialogue box.

Once you click on the Start button you will notice all your desktop purposes first on the record (Modern UI apps seem on the finish). Of course you can nonetheless return to the live tiles by clicking the little arrow at the bottom to return to that view, however why would you?



13 - Pinning your apps to the taskbar & emails folders to desktop 

It is greatest to pin your most incessantly used apps to your taskbar so you possibly can access them faster.

Proper click on an app within Trendy UI. Then select the choice on the backside that says “Pin to Taskbar”.

If you wish to arrange guidelines and filters in your email that strikes messages into sure folders (for instance, all emails out of your boss go into one folder), you may pin these folders to the beginning screen to save additional time in locating them.

From throughout the Mail app in Home windows 8.1, right click on a folder you want to pin, then click on on the “Handle Folders” icon at the bottom, the clicking “Pin to Start”. After deciding on the tile dimension, you presumably can then return to the Start display and place it wherever you want.