Windows 10 For Dummies

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Rotate to turn: Hold down two fingers onscreen and rotate them, just as if you were moving a sheet of paper on your desktop. As your fingers move, so does the onscreen object. Tweak the Windows UI so it looks and feels just the way you like it. Change the theme, adjust the icon size, or turn the new OS into a dead ringer for Windows 7.

Bug fixes. Windows 10 runs more smoothly across a wider variety of computers and tablets. The update fixes many of the most irksome bugs, and it tries to make it easier than ever for you to find information on your computer and put it to work. Mouse and keyboard equivalent: Hold down the control key on the keyboard while using the mouse wheel to grow or shrink an item on the screen. Turn on File History. Unless you’re going to store everything in the cloud, you need to tell Windows that you want it to keep “shadow copies” of files, so you can restore older versions. (Companies that provide cloud storage have this ability built in.) Windows 7 has File History turned on by default; in Windows 10, you must turn it on yourself. Press and hold: You can see detailed information without having to commit to an action. In some cases, pressing and holding opens a menu with more options. If you spend the money to buy an expensive piece of hardware — a new video card, fancy camera, or a fast, solid-state drive— spend a little bit more money and have the retailer install it.Windows 10 works well on touchscreens, whether they’re built into tablets, laptops, or even desktop monitors. When faced with a touchscreen device, these commands will help you maneuver through Windows 10. (The term swipe simply means to slide your finger along the screen.) Swipe from the bottom or top edge for app commands: App commands are revealed by swiping inward about an inch from the bottom or top edge. Swiping from the very top to the very bottom of the screen lets you close the current app. Swipe from the right edge to see the Action center: Swiping from the right side of the screen reveals the Action center. The Action center lists all of your notifications: subjects from incoming mail, upcoming appointments, and notices from other programs. Along the bottom, the pane shows buttons for four commonly used Settings. (Tap the Tablet mode button, for example, to toggle Tablet mode on and off.)

Every time you browse through your hard drive, copy files over from a USB Flash drive or organize your photos folder, you're using File Explorer. Make this most of this important utility by taking advantage of all its features and customizing the UI. Some people call this latest batch of changes the May 2020 Update; others call it Windows 10 version 2004 or simply the 20H1 update. But no matter what you call it, this update brings these changes to your PC: Edge. Microsoft Edge has been replaced with a new, rebuilt Microsoft Edge, complete with a new icon. Other than the new icon, the new Edge behaves much like its predecessor. If that doesn’t work, shut the computer down, make sure the mouse is plugged in, and restart the computer. If that doesn’t work, flip the mouse over and use your fingernail to scrape off built-up gunk, or wipe off the laser hatch with a Q-tip dipped in isopropyl alcohol. If the cursor still won’t move, throw the stupid thing away. Mice are cheap. Sheesh. Apps. Microsoft updates some of Windows 10’s apps on a daily or weekly basis, adding new features, removing unpopular ones, and fixing problems. The latest update brought many new icons to Windows’ built-in apps. The updates arrive automatically through the Microsoft Store app.Cloud storage is a marketing term — when a company talks about storing data in their cloud, they’re just saying you should put it on their computers. Everything you learned about Metro apps disappears in Windows 10. All the time and effort you put into setting up and learning those tiled Metro apps in Windows 8/8.1 won’t help you very much. Microsoft didn’t like them, either. Although you see occasional vestiges of Win8 Metro apps in Windows 10’s apps, by and large, all the old Windows 8 app stuff is dead. DON’T assume the new apps will work best for you. Many Windows 10 adoptees rush to the new Mail, Calendar, People, Photos, Groove Music, Movies & TV, and other apps, assuming that they’re shiny and new and must, therefore, be pretty darn good. Some aren’t. Most people will do better with an online mail system. The People app is a joke with a hundred better alternatives, and Windows 10’s Photos app isn’t in the same decade as Google Photos. Tap to perform an action: Tapping something causes an action, such as launching an app, following a link, or performing a command.

For many years, it’s been easy to place two windows side-by-side on the desktop. Windows 10 expands on that concept, letting you easily place four windows side-by-side. With all your windows visible on the desktop, it’s much easier to copy and paste information between them.

Figure out a cloud and OneDrive data storage strategy. If you want to use Microsoft’s OneDrive, make sure you understand how it may or may not store copies on your PC. If you want to use Dropbox or one of a zillion competitors, it’s easier if you set it up and use it from the get-go. Windows 10 is different from any Windows operating system you’ve used before, in both good and bad ways. Here’s how to keep your head while others all about you are losing theirs: Service. Microsoft continues to treat Windows 10 as a service rather than a product. And, just like any other service, Windows 10 changes constantly. Don’t be surprised if Windows unexpectedly changes its look or features.