As we all know, Windows PCs are everywhere. They're incredibly versatile, and most people use them. But there are hidden features in them everyone must know.
These features are amazing and make life so much easier. Let's get to it.
You know that moment when you are working, and someone calls you urgently? Now you have to choose whether to leave your PC open and follow the person or stay for a while as you figure out how to lock your screen. You could easily hit the Windows and L keys to lock your PC instantaneously.
Now you can easily lock your PC with little to no effort.
You can use emojis on your Windows PC! You don't have to open Google every time you need an emoji. You can use emojis right from your PC.
Press the Windows key + Period key (.). A dialogue will pop up with many emojis, emoticons and special symbols you can use. You can also find symbols for different currencies, including the naira symbol (₦).
This built-in utility in your Windows PC contains a massive library of characters, both the ones on your keyboard and the ones you cannot find on your keyboard.
This allows you to insert characters that are not frequently used, like copyright or trademark symbols. It also contains symbols in other languages like Arabic.
To insert a character into a document or text field, click on the character and then click the "Copy" button. You can paste the character into your document or text field by pressing Ctrl + V.
Yup. You can take screenshots on your Windows PC. Just press the Windows key + PrtScr key at the same time. Et voila! Screenshot taken.
Subsequently, if you want to view the screenshots, go to your Pictures folder. Inside you'll see a Screenshots folder. Your screenshots will be there waiting for you.
Yes, at first glance, it sounds similar to taking screenshots, but it's not. Snap Windows is a feature that enables you to quickly adjust the size of your windows so you can work on multiple windows simultaneously. Just use the Windows key + any of the arrow keys.
I use this feature often, especially when I want to edit multiple things simultaneously or edit code and see the results in real time.
It's also possible to disable this feature, but it is recommended to leave it enabled.
This helps to aid people with visual impairments. Use the Windows key, along with the plus (+) key or minus (-) key to adjust the magnifier accordingly.
This built-in utility allows on-screen text to be read aloud. This is especially useful for people with visual impairments, dyslexia, or other disabilities that make reading text on-screen difficult.
It can also help with multitasking. When the Narrator reads the text aloud, it frees up your visual attention to focus on other tasks or use your hands to work on other projects.
Interestingly enough, it's also used for proofreading.
You can view and diagnose your computer's power efficiency. Just open up Command Prompt and run the powercfg command.
Running the powercfg /BATTERY command generates a beautiful, detailed report on your laptop's battery.
Running powercfg /energy shows a report on how efficiently your laptop manages power. There's a whole arsenal of commands you can perform with it.
This built-in utility allows you to see the performance of your computer's hardware and software components in real time.
It also shows the CPU's usage, the disk activity and how much memory is used in real-time.
I love it because it has some cool graphs.
You can view items you have copied previously with the Clipboard History. You access it with the Windows key + V.
This solves the problem people often face where they copy one thing, then go to another page and accidentally copy another. You can easily open the Clipboard History to access it.
You can even pin items you use frequently. This tool is handy to me, especially when I'm coding something.
Windows is a powerful operating system. It forms a core part of our daily usage of the internet. It's essential to know features like these to maximise your Windows experience.