Knowing at least some of the Windows 8 keyboard
shortcuts will make your Windows 8 experience much more enjoyable. Try
to memorize these top Windows 8 shortcut keys.
- Press the Windows key to open the Start screen or switch to the Desktop (if open).
- Press the Windows key + D will open the Windows Desktop.
- Press the Windows key + . to pin and unpin Windows apps on the side of the screen.
- Press the Windows key + X to open the power user menu, which gives you access to many of the features most power users would want (e.g. Device Manager and Command Prompt).
- Press the Windows key + C to open the Charms.
- Press the Windows key + I to open the Settings, which is the same Settings found in Charms.
- Press and hold the Windows key + Tab to show open apps.
- Press the Windows key + Print screen to create a screen shot, which is automatically saved into your My Pictures folder.
See our Windows shortcuts page for a full listing of all Windows shortcuts.
Know your hot corners
The corners on your screen are hot corners and
give you access to different Windows features. Below, is a brief
explanation of each of these corners.
Bottom Left-hand corner
The
bottom left-hand hot corner of the screen will allow you to access the
Start screen, if you're in the Start screen and have the Desktop open,
this corner will open the Desktop from the Start screen.
Tip: Right-clicking in the left hand corner will open the power user menu.
Top-left corner of the screen
Moving
the mouse to the top-left corner and then down will display all the
apps running on the computer. Clicking and dragging any of these apps to
the left or right-hand side of the screen will snap that app to that
side of the screen. Each of these open app icons can also be
right-clicked to close or snap.
Right-hand side of the screen
On the full right-hand side of the screen will be given access to the Windows Charms.
Taking advantage of search
The Search in Windows 8 has been significantly
improved when compared to all previous versions of Windows. To search
for a file or run a program in Windows 8 from the Start screen just
start typing what you're trying to find or want to run.
As you begin typing, the results will start appearing on the left-hand
side. In addition to being able to search for files and run programs,
the Search also supports limiting the search to apps such as Finance,
People, Maps, Photos, Mail, Music, Videos, Weather, and much more. If
what you are searching for is not a file or program, click on the app
you wish to use as the search. For example, if you were searching for
"New York" and selected the Weather App you would be shown the weather
in New York, NY.
By default, Search organizes the
available Apps by how frequently they are used and then in alphabetical
order. If you want to keep your favorite app at the top of the Search
list, right-click the app and choose Pin. Pinning the app will lock it
in place regardless of how often it is used. If there is an app you
don't want (e.g. Finance) you can turn on and off any of the search apps
through the PC settings, which is found under the Settings in the Charms.
Bonus tip: The Search is also found through Charms and can also be opened by pressing Windows key + F.
Running two apps side by side
Any app can be pinned to the left or right-hand side of the screen. For example, open the People app and then press the Windows Key + . (period)
to move that app to the right-hand side of the screen, pressing the
same keys again will move it to the left-hand side, and pressing the
same keys again will make it full screen. While an app is pinned, any
other app or program can be opened and loaded into the available space
on the screen. For example, in the below picture, we've opened a browser
window and have the People app running to monitor our social networks.
Any open app can also be pinned using your mouse by clicking at the top
of the tile and dragging it to the left or right-hand side of the
screen.
Bonus tip: The Desktop can also be pinned to the left or right-hand side of the screen.
Note: In order for snap to work properly your resolution must be at least 1,366 x 768.
Windows 8 Task Manager
The Windows 8 Task Manager
has been significantly improved over previous versions of Windows. Some
of the new changes include showing a total percent usage at the top of
your Processes, which makes it easier to determine total memory and CPU
usage, improved Performance graphs, a Startup tab to see startup
processes and their impact to system performance, and the App history
tab (as shown below) that gives you the total resources an app has used
over a period of time. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to start exploring the new Task Manager.
Use a picture password to log into your computer
Windows 8 includes a new feature called Picture password,
which allows you to authenticate with the computer using a series of
gestures that include circles, straight lines, and taps. Enable this
feature if you want a new way to access your computer or have a hard
time with passwords.
- Open the Windows Charms.
- Click Settings and then More PC settings
- In the PC settings window click Users and then select Create a picture password
Bonus tip: A four digit pin password can also be created and used to access your computer.
Take advantage of Windows 8 apps
Windows 8 comes included with several apps to
help you get the most from your computer. Below are just a few of the
included apps.
People
Microsoft
touts the People feature in Windows 8 because they understand how many
people are using social networks today. In the People feature you'll be
able to connect your Windows computer to all the major social networks
including Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
Once connected, you can pin the people app and monitor your social
network (as shown below), use People in Search to find people, and get
an overview of what is happening in all your social networks.
Reader
The Reader app will give you PDF support right out of the box.
SkyDrive
The SkyDrive app will give you access to the Microsoft cloud service SkyDrive, which allows you to store your photos, documents, and other files in the cloud and access or share those files with any computer with Internet access.
Store
Take advantage of the Windows Store and install one or more of the
thousands of available apps designed for Windows 8. The Store is found
in the Start screen, or use Search to search the Store app for any apps
that you are trying to find.