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Windows 8.1 operating system is known for its lightweight nature, fast startup speeds, and sleek metro interface. These Windows 8.1 tricks below will further enhance your startup speed, customize the Windows 8.1 interface according to your preferences, and more.
WINDOWS 8.1 TIPS AND TRICKS
1. Skip the Login Screen
If you're confident that no one else can use your computer or it doesn't contain any private data, you can skip the login screen to save startup and manual operation time.
First, press the Windows + C key combination to open the Charm menu and select Search to search for 'netplwiz' to open the User Accounts window.
In the User Accounts window, uncheck the box Users must enter a username and password to use this computer and click OK.
If your account has a password, the system will display a dialog box prompting you to enter and confirm the password. On subsequent Windows startups, you won't see any login screens anymore.
2. Boot Directly to Desktop
Usually, on Windows 8/8.1, after logging in, you're taken to the Start Screen before you can access the Desktop. To directly switch to the Desktop interface like Windows 7, you can follow the Windows 8.1 trick below.
Right-click on the Taskbar and select Properties.
In the Taskbar and Navigation properties dialog box, check the box When I sign in or close all apps on a screen, go to the desktop instead of start and then click OK.
3. Access Apps Quickly
In Windows 8 and later operating systems, the Start button can be customized to include additional functions for quick access to settings and apps such as Control Panel, Command Prompt, Device Manager, Shutdown, etc. Simply right-click on the Start Menu icon in the taskbar to reveal quick options for you to choose and access.
4. View All Apps
Similar to mobile devices, Windows 8.1 will display all installed apps on your computer (including system apps). On the Start Screen, you just need to click on the small arrow at the bottom to open All Apps.
5. Customize Start Screen
The Start Screen interface is visually appealing with its live tiles, but it may become cluttered if not organized properly. That's why you can right-click and choose to resize, drag and drop apps to the position you want.
6. Change Start Screen Layout
In addition to arranging Live Tiles on the Start Screen, you can change the layout to make your Start Screen look more appealing. On the Start Screen, press Windows + C to open Charms, then select Settings ->Personalize. Here, you can customize the Start Screen layout with available themes and color schemes.
7. Disable Edge Navigation
When you move the mouse to the right screen or click on the screen in the top-left corner, the Charms menu or the apps you have opened will appear. If you want to disable this feature to avoid distractions, you can follow the Windows 8.1 trick below.
Right-click on the Taskbar and select Properties. In the Taskbar and Navigator Properties window, uncheck the two boxes When I point to the upper-right corner, show the charm and When I click the upper-left corner, switch between my recent apps, then press OK.
8. Change Default Apps
You can choose third-party apps as default apps on Windows 8.1 instead of the pre-installed system apps very easily. Access Control Panel from the Start Menu and navigate to Programs ->Set Default Programs. Here, you can select apps as default music players, default browsers, text readers, and more.
9. System Backup
Windows 8.1 comes with a built-in tool to help you back up your system at that time to prevent your computer from encountering some issues such as Windows errors or system-damaging viruses. Through this backup, you can restore your system whenever you want to go back to the backup time.
Navigate to Control Panel and then choose System and Security.
In the System and Security window, select File History. Here, you can configure some settings and back up your computer.
In addition to the File History feature creating a computer backup, you can use the Restore Point function to create restore points in Windows 8 as well as other Windows versions.
10. Update Windows
Microsoft consistently maintains and updates the Windows 8.1 operating system with patches and new features. Therefore, always update to the latest bug fixes through the Windows Update function in Control Panel.
11. Create a Windows Lock Screen Slideshow
If you want to replace the dull images on your Lock Screen with ones that change after a certain period, you can customize the Lock Screen to a Slideshow mode.
Press Windows + C to open the Charms menu. Then select Change PC and Settings and choose PC and Devices.
In PC and Devices, navigate to the Lock screen tab and activate the Play a slide show on the lock screen mode to ON.
12. Privacy Settings
Privacy settings on Windows 8.1 can help you limit certain apps, browsers from accessing your information, block ads, etc.
To customize these settings, open Change PC Settings in the Charms menu and navigate to Privacy.
13. 3D Printing Support
In addition to enhancing the Windows 8.1 experience through various tricks, all Windows 8 and later versions support 3D printing through the 3D Builder app (Free), which you can download from the Windows Store.
14. Run Windows Store Apps as Windows
When you download and use any app from the Windows Store, those apps run in a different environment. At that point, your entire screen will only display that app. You can use the ModernMix program for Windows 8 to customize running apps as windows, making multitasking easier for you.
15. Silence Notifications, Set Quiet Hours
On Windows 8.1, you can easily silence and block annoying notifications and pop-ups to focus on your work. To activate Quiet hours, go to Change PC settings from the Charms menu, select Search and Apps, then switch to the Notification tab and set your preferred options.
16. Disable Automatic App Updates
To prevent memory bloat and updates for unnecessary apps, you can turn off automatic app updates on the Windows Store. To stop the system from automatically updating apps without permission, open the Windows Store, access the Charms menu, select Settings, and choose App Updates. There, you'll find the option to enable or disable Automatically update my apps.
17. Fully Close Apps
On Windows 8.1, when you drag an app down to the bottom of the screen, it doesn't fully close but continues to run in the background. To completely close an app, drag it down to the bottom corner of the screen until the next tab appears, indicating that the app has been closed.
18. Restore Libraries
By default, Windows 8.1 hides the Libraries folder. To activate Libraries, open File Explorer, select the View tab, then choose Navigation Pane and check the Show Libraries option.
19. System Cleanup
On the Windows operating system, you can use the built-in Disk Cleanup feature to clean up memory. This feature will search for and delete junk files, temporary files, unused applications, and old files.
To access the Disk Cleanup feature, right-click on any drive you want to clean up, select Properties, and you will see the Disk Cleanup feature displayed here.
In addition to the Disk Cleanup feature, you can install CCleaner software, which is a very useful program with excellent computer cleanup capabilities.
20. Offline Reading
You can use this feature to read news offline. First, find the article you want to read offline, then open the Charms menu and select Share. Here you will see the Reading List app, click on this app to save the article and read it when you're not connected to the internet.
21. Common Shortcut Keys
Windows + X: open the Search Charm to search Windows and the Web.
Windows + Q: Search within open apps.
Windows + F: Search for files.
Windows + Z: Open commands and Context Menu in apps.
Ctrl + Plus (+): Zoom in on the Start Screen.
Ctrl + Minus (-): Shrink Start Screen.
Windows + Down Arrow: Close app.
Windows + X: Open Start Button options.
Windows + Home: Minimize all Desktop windows.
Windows + O: Lock screen orientation (portrait or landscape).
Windows + . (period) + Right Arrow: Snap app to the right.
Windows + . (period) + Left Arrow: Snap app to the left.
Windows + Ctrl + Space: Change the previously selected input language.
Here are some Windows 8.1 tips and tricks to help users quickly get acquainted with this fast, sleek, and lightweight operating system from the world-leading technology company Microsoft. If you're unsure how to install Windows 8.1, check out the guide on how to install Win 8 via USB, CD, or hard drive. Wishing you all success!
