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Windows 11 Tips and Tricks: 11 Cool Things to Try

Explore our expert team’s Windows 11 best tricks and tips

11 min. read

Updated onOctober 4, 2023

updated onOctober 4, 2023

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Key notes

Windows 11 is now upon us. Millions of users thatmeet the requirementshave embraced Microsoft’s latest desktop OS since October 2021. So now we’re better acquainted with Windows 11, it’s time to discover all the latest features this new platform offers.

Whether Windows 11 is a genuinely new desktop operating system under the hood is debatable. It is more of a subtle upgrade to its predecessor than the great leap forward Windows 10 was to 8.

Some users might say it’s a rebranded Windows 10, but that’s not a bad thing even so.

Windows 10 was, after all, a most welcome addition to its OS series after the flop of its predecessor. If Microsoft’s previous desktop platform wasn’t broken, why fix it?

The latest platform delivers the same performance as its predecessor, albeit with a revamped UI design and some cool new features.

What should I do first in Windows 11?

Now that your new Windows 11 OS is installed and ready to be used, there are a few actions to take that will provide you with system stability and customization.

Here are the most important steps to follow once you have installed a new OS on your PC:

As you can see, our team of experts has created a handy step-by-step guide above dealing with how to set up your new Windows 11 OS for the best performance and stability.

Here are some handy Windows 11 tips and tricks you can try out on the new platform.

While Windows 11 is built on the solid foundation of its predecessor, it still boasts some pretty excellent features that set it apart. Below are some of its best features:

What are the best tips and tricks for Windows 11?

1. Resize the taskbar

2. Try out the new keyboard shortcuts

Windows 11 has new keyboard shortcuts for some of its features. You can press those hotkeys to bring up the widgets panel, Notification Center, Quick Settings, Teams Chats, and Snap Layouts. Press these hotkeys to open their features:

3. Change your default browser

As you know, Edge is the default browser in Windows 11, and Microsoft has spared no effort to promote it. Unfortunately, that’s one of the reasons it’s a bit trickier to get it out of your way.

Windows 11 will still use Edge to open numerous file formats even though you tweaked the in-browser settings. And that is precisely why you need to adjust the settings in Windows as well.

While we cannot help acknowledging Edge’s worth, it’s safe to say that there are great alternatives that you might not want to miss.

With a sleek design and impressive integrations, performance-driven Opera One makes the perfect match for your brand-new OS.

Opera One

4. Restore the classic File Explorer

5. Organize the open app windows

Windows 11 has a newSnap Layoutsfeature that helps users organize windows better. To activate Snap Layouts, hover your cursor over theMaximizebutton at the top right of a window.

Then you’ll see the Snap Layout options shown directly below.

Then you can choose one of the four window layout options. With those options, you can neatly arrange multiple software windows on the desktop side-by-side without them overlapping.

Snap Layouts also groups the windows on the taskbar. So when you’ve arranged a few windows with that feature, you’ll see a Group thumbnail preview for the layout in the toolbar.

Selecting that thumbnail preview will open all the grouped windows as you’ve arranged them.

6. Check out the Command Terminal

7. Add different backgrounds to virtual desktops

8. Move the taskbar’s icons to the left

9. Select a touch keyboard theme with new customization settings

10. Remove distractions and unnecessary notifications

Ads are usually seen as disruptive. Windows 11 has a reputation for showing unrequested information under numerous forms, from tips to software suggestions and other types of notifications.

We recommend you customize how you interact with notifications to avoid being flooded with suggestions, tips, and other unnecessary messages likely to break your focus.

Thus, you can choose only to eliminate ads, disable notifications for individual apps or set specific rules for their display, or even disable notifications altogether.

11. Try the Dark mode for enhanced comfort

The Windows environment (including all the apps that support this mode) will turn dark.

As you know, this lighting is also beneficial for your eyes, especially if you spend a lot of time in front of the PC, so it’s not just a matter of looks.

You can find more valuable tips about the Dark mode on Windows 11 and enjoy your PC on your terms.

What are the hidden features of Windows 11?

While some Windows 11 features are well advertised, some are pretty hidden. Only the most interested users can detect most of these features.

Below are some of them to explore:

Can I find more tips within Windows 11?

Windows 11 includes a Tips app, which you can access via the widgets panel. First, press the Widgets taskbar button. Next, click the Add widgets button on the board and selectTips.

Then you can read more Windows 11 hints within the Tips widget. Or you can click theTipslink at the top of the device to open its app. That app includes 18 Windows 11 tip topics for you to look through.

Windows 11 might not be radically different from its predecessor, but there are many new things to discover in the latest desktop OS. So, it’s worth upgrading to Windows 11; and all the more so given that it’s currently a freely available upgrade.

Microsoft is rolling out the new platform to Windows 10 PCs that meet its system requirements. Users who haven’t installed Windows 11 can do so via the Settings’Windows Updatetab.

That tab will include a Windows 11Download and Installoption for users who can upgrade to it.

You can explore the platform’s new features and customize them with the Windows 11 tips and tricks above. OurWindows 11 vs. Windows 10guide also details the new features in Microsoft’s latest desktop OS and how you can upgrade.

Feel free to let us know the Windows 11 tips you enjoy most and, if there are some you think you should make it to the list in the comments below.

Windows 11 Tips and Tricks: 11 Cool Things to Try#

What should I do first in Windows 11?#

What are the best tips and tricks for Windows 11?#

1. Resize the taskbar#

2. Try out the new keyboard shortcuts#

3. Change your default browser#

Opera One#

4. Restore the classic File Explorer#

5. Organize the open app windows#

6. Check out the Command Terminal#

7. Add different backgrounds to virtual desktops#

8. Move the taskbar’s icons to the left#

9. Select a touch keyboard theme with new customization settings#

10. Remove distractions and unnecessary notifications#

11. Try the Dark mode for enhanced comfort#

What are the hidden features of Windows 11?#

Can I find more tips within Windows 11?#