Windows 11 comes packed with a range of features—some prominent and others less apparent but equally useful. Here are some hidden tips and tricks to enhance your experience and productivity while using Windows 11:
1. Secret Start Menu
Windows 11 has a lesser-known secondary Start menu that provides quick access to important system functions. You can access it by right-clicking the Start button or pressing Win + X. This menu allows you to quickly reach settings like Device Manager, Disk Management, PowerShell, and more.
2. Enable Efficiency Mode in Task Manager
To help manage system resources more effectively, Windows 11 includes an Efficiency mode in the Task Manager. This feature allows you to limit resources for specific apps that might be consuming too much power or CPU. Simply open Task Manager, right-click on a process, and select ‘Efficiency mode’ to enable it.
3. Slide to Shut Down
This is a fun and lesser-known way to shut down your Windows 11 device. Create a shortcut on your desktop with the following path: slideToShutDown.exe. Double-clicking this shortcut will pull down a shade over your screen which you can drag to the bottom to turn off your device.
4. Custom Keyboard Shortcuts for Apps
You can assign custom keyboard shortcuts to any app shortcut on your desktop. Right-click the app shortcut, select ‘Properties’, and then click on the ‘Shortcut’ tab. Place your cursor in the ‘Shortcut key’ field and press the key combination you want to assign as the shortcut. Press OK to apply.
5. Background Scrolling
Enable scrolling in inactive windows just by hovering over them without clicking. Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mouse, and turn on “Scroll inactive windows when I hover over them.” This is especially useful if you’re working across multiple windows.
6. Open Items on Your Taskbar with Keyboard Shortcuts
Use the Windows key combined with a number to open apps pinned on your taskbar. For example, Win + 1 will open the first application pinned on your taskbar, Win + 2 the second, and so on.
7. Shake to Minimize
Grab the title bar of the window you’re working in and give it a shake. All other open windows will minimize to the taskbar. Shake the window again, and the minimized windows will return.
8. Snap Layouts with Keyboard
Instead of using your mouse to arrange windows in snap layouts, you can use the keyboard. Hold down the Windows key + Z to open the snap layouts, and use the arrow keys to choose your preferred layout.
9. Direct Access to Emoji and GIFs
Press Win + . (the Windows key and the period key) to open the emoji panel. From here, you can insert emojis, GIFs, and even kaomoji (like ¯\(ツ)/¯) into any text field.
10. Clipboard History
Windows 11 allows you to keep a history of items you’ve copied to the clipboard, such as text and images. Press Win + V to bring up the clipboard history. You must turn on this feature in the clipboard settings the first time you use it.
11. Night Light
Reduce eye strain in low-light conditions. Go to Settings > System > Display > Night light settings. You can schedule it to turn on automatically at sunset or at a specific time.
