10 Advanced Tips and Tricks For Windows 10

Windows 10 brings a lot of cool new features like Cortana, Edge, updated Start menu and more but that’s not all. There are some really great hidden features that Microsoft hasn’t really talked about. Moreover, Windows has been known for its great customizability, thanks to various hacks & mods and Windows 10 is no different. Along with the hidden features, there are also some cool tricks that let you customize Windows 10 according to your needs. These tips and tricks let you make the most of the Windows 10 experience.

We have already stated the beginner tips on Windows 10, now here are the advanced tips and tricks for Windows 10:

Keep in Mind:

Some of the Windows 10 tricks involve manipulations in Registry Editor and Group Policy Editor, which might halt your system if you make the wrong changes. So, be careful and create a restore point on your PC, in case things go wrong. 

1. Storage Sense to keep a check on memory usage

Windows 10 features new storage settings, which is one of the many things Microsoft has taken from its Windows Phone platform. The feature is hidden away in Settings->System->Storage. “Storage” shows you all the drives on your PC and you can click on a drive to get detailed info of what’s taking up most of your system’s memory. It also lets you see which app is taking the most memory. Storage sense also lets you clear temporary files, uninstall apps with a single click.

2. WiFi Sense to share your WiFi network with your contacts

WiFi Sense is another handy Windows Phone feature that has made its way to Windows 10. It is hidden away in Settings->Network & Internet->WiFi->Manage WiFi Settings. WiFi Sense lets you share your WiFi network with your friends and family without even giving them the password. It automatically shares your WiFi network with the contacts you choose. WiFi Sense will only share your WiFi network to contacts that have a Windows device.

3. Updated Snap with Snap Assist feature

Windows 7 introduced the “Snap” multi-tasking feature, which lets you run apps alongside each other for a better multi-tasking experience. Well, Windows 8 enhanced it and now, Windows 10 has improved upon the idea. Windows 10 brings the ability to snap four different apps at a time and now when you snap an app, Snap Assist comes up with the task viewer, suggesting you more apps that you can run alongside.

4. DirectX 12 Support for better quality Games

Microsoft hasn’t made a big deal about Windows 10 coming with DirectX 12 support but it’s indeed a big deal. DirectX 12 brings improved gaming performance, new graphical effects, multiple GPU support, memory pooling and way more. Next generation games will soon arrive and that’s when there will be no turning back to any previous Windows version, as only Windows 10 comes with DirectX 12 support.

5. New Mac-like Trackpad gestures

Microsoft has taken a page out of Apple’s book and introduced a lot of Mac-like gestures in Windows 10, which really enhances the Windows experience. Here is the full list of gestures:

• Scroll: You can scroll through pages and windows by placing two fingers on the touchpad and sliding them accordingly.
• Pinch to Zoom: Pinch to zoom has always been available and it’s supported in Windows 10.
• Right click: You can right click in Windows 10 by simply tapping with two fingers.
• Show open windows: To see the windows that are open, simply put three fingers on the trackpad and swipe outwards (as the GIF above shows).
• Show Desktop: To see the desktop, place three fingers on the touchpad and slide inwards.
• Switch between windows: You can switch between different open windows by just placing three fingers and swiping right or left.

 

Note:

To use all the Windows 10 gestures, you will need a precision touchpad. To check if you have a precision touchpad or not, go to “Settings” in the Start menu, then click “Devices” and then go to “Mouse & touchpad”. If you have a precision touchpad, you will see a “You have a precision touchpad” text and if your PC doesn’t have it, you won’t see it.

6. Support for popular Video formats

In the previous Windows versions, we have depended on various third party video players because Windows Media Player doesn’t have the greatest video and audio format support. Well, that changes with Windows 10, as Windows Media Player along with the new Movies & TV app (previously Xbox Video) come with support for new video formats. Windows 10 now supports the very popular MKV video format, FLAC audio format along with the upcoming HEVC/H.264 video compression standard.

7. Background App Manager to check on apps running in the background

8. Pin Recycle Bin to Start menu

 

Windows 10 comes with a lot of customization features for the start menu and it also lets you pin almost anything to the Start menu. Now, there’s ability to pin the Recycle Bin to the Start menu. It should come in handy for people who use Windows 10 in the tablet mode. You can simply right click on the Recycle Bin icon and hit “Pin to Start”, which will create a Recycle Bin tile on the Start menu.

9.  Disable Windows 10 lockscreen

Windows 10, just like Windows 8 features a lockscreen, which is good for a tablet or smartphone, as we wouldn’t want to press anything by mistake when we keep our mobile devices in our pockets or a bag. However, the feature is useless when it comes to PCs and laptops, as it only adds an additional click or swipe to go to the login. The lockscreen becomes a bit annoying in the long run but the good news is you can easily disable it. Here’s how you can do it:

• Go to “Run” by pressing “Win + R“.

• Type “gpedit.msc” in the Run dialog box and press Enter. The Local Group Policy Editor window will open.
  
  
  
  
  
• Expand the “Computer Configuration” folder and then expand “Administrative Templates“.
• After that, enter “Control Panel” and then “Personalization“.
• Once in the “Personalization” folder, you will find an option “Do not display the lockscreen” along with other options.
  
  
  
  
  
• Double click on the option and configure it as “Enabled“, which will disable your Windows 10 lockscreen.
  
  
  
  
  

  10. Change Windows 10 volume UI to older version

  Windows 10 has introduced a lot of new interface elements, including a new volume slider. We quite like the new volume slider interface but if you preferred the old one for some reason, here’s how you can get it back:

  Windows 10 has introduced a lot of new interface elements, including a new volume slider. We quite like the new volume slider interface but if you preferred the old one for some reason, here’s how you can get it back:

• Open “Run” by pressing Win + R.
• Type “regedit” in the Run dialog box and press “OK” to open Registry Editor.
  
• In the left bar, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE->Software->Microsoft->Windows NT->Current Version.
• Right click on “Current Version” and select “New->Key” to create a new key with the name of “MTCUVC“.

• Click the newly made “MTCUVC” key and right click in the open space on the right pane.

• Then, select “New->DWORD Value“.

• Rename DWORD to “EnableMtcUvc“.

• Right click on the DWORD and click modify.

• Set the data to 0 and click “OK”.
  
  
• Close the Registry Editor and Restart your PC and you will find the old volume control instead of the new one.
  
  
  
  
  
• If you want to revert back to the new volume control UI, just go to the Registry Editor again and delete the “MTCUVC” key you just created.