By default, all apps downloaded from the Windows Store will be updated automatically if updates are available. This feature may seem useful at first because users do not have to do anything to keep their apps up-to-date. However, it can potentially download unwanted updates without the user’s consent. Similar to updates for mobile apps, updates for PC apps may contain breaking changes, such as a feature removal, that not all users want. If the automatic update feature is on, users will lose the current version of their apps, and the features that they love could disappear. Additionally, newer versions of apps may contain bugs that cause them to stop functioning completely. These problems can be stopped by disabling the automatic update feature in the Store app. Continue reading to find out how to do it.
The Windows 10 Photos app comes with intuitive photo editing tools that make it easy to give your pictures an artistic flair. Two of my favorites are the Vignette and Selective focus effects. Vignette creates a black or white tinted edging to your photo that creates the effect of your image fading into the background without a definite border. The Selective focus effect allows you choose one part of your photo to stay in focus while blurring the rest. The steps in this tutorial explain how to use both options to create eye-catching photos.
By default, all apps that are downloaded from the Windows Store will be installed to the C drive. This has been the case since Windows 8. However, in Windows 10, you are able to change the default location where apps will be installed and their data saved. Changing the installation location can be helpful when your system drive is running out of space, which happens often because of massive Windows updates and because of all the temporary data that is created by your collection of apps. Continue reading to find out how.
Windows has had the ability to search for your files from the Start menu for quite some time now. This is handy, especially if you do not remember where you saved a file. Windows 10 has incorporated the search functionality into Cortana, meaning that you now have the ability to perform file searches using voice commands with more natural language patterns. If I do not remember what I named a presentation that I was working on last week, I can search using “Show me presentations from last week,” and it should show up on the results list. Keep reading to find out more about using Cortana to find your files.
Unfortunately, I have found this feature to be hit or miss. Sometimes Cortana works great, but often I have to try several times before it starts to function correctly. I have high hopes that this will remedy itself as Mircrosoft rolls out updates.
One of the neat features in Windows 10 is that you can create virtual desktops to group related apps together. When taking advantage of the Virtual Desktop feature, you greatly increase your productivity level by keeping all work-related apps in one desktop and all other apps (e.g., entertainment apps) in another. However, one drawback of separating apps into different desktops is that you cannot switch between them using the Alt + Tab combination. The app switcher knows nothing about the other desktop, so it only displays apps in the current environment. Luckily, you can configure the app switcher to list all apps in all desktops in one window so that you can switch between them whenever you want. It’s just like old times in Windows 7 and Windows 8.
Along with the Windows 10 Start button comes an improved Start menu. The classic feel of the Start menu has been retained and sprinkled with a modern look from the application tiles on the right side of the interface. By default, some application tiles are larger than others to give emphasis to those applications that Windows considers essential. However, what is important to Windows may not necessarily be important to you. Windows recognizes this and allows you to resize the application tiles. Customizing your Start menu with the tile sizes that you prefer for each application icon is simple. This article will show you how.
Rotating and cropping photos are probably the most common fixes that the everyday photographer makes. Cropping has become more and more necessary with phone cameras and social media sharing. Pictures taken with a phone camera need to be cropped to traditional aspect ratios if they are going to be printed and framed. Pictures used on Instagram and other apps need to be square. Your lock screen even has its own aspect ratio. Window’s Photos is helpful for this type of basic editing. Its rotating and cropping tools are easy to use and come with some preset aspect ratios you can use to get your photo into the shape you need. Let’s get started.
Windows 10 comes with a Maps app that, like all of the new Universal Apps, works on all Windows devices such as PCs, phones, and tablets. To get the most out of Maps, you should save places you frequently visit to your Favorites list so that you can quickly find directions and commute times to and from the places that are important to you (e.g., your home, work, favorite restaurants, or Grandma’s house).
I always have a few eBooks checked out from the library. When I am at home, I read all my eBooks on my Android tablet using the free OverDrive app. I recently discovered that I can download the OverDrive app to my iPhone and sync my books so that I never loose my place, even when I switch between devices. Following the steps in this tutorial, you can read your eBooks on a device with a larger screen at home, but have the option to read with just your cell phone when you are out and about.
Windows 10 offers updates through multiple sources. Aside from the usual download over the internet from Microsoft’s official servers, Windows 10 now allows you to get updates from other sources such as PCs on the internet and computers on your local connection. This is a good news especially for those who own multiple units. Now, you do not have to download updates to every PC. Downloading updates from one PC and sharing with other computers on the network will save download time and bandwidth. If you would like to learn how to get updates from other sources, then read on.
Laptops today are designed to be used on the go, which frequently means that users are not in a position to use a mouse. Many PC touchpads are not good for anything except moving your cursor around. However, Windows has made significant software improvements for laptop touchpads so that they now rival those of MacBooks (assuming that you are using a laptop with touchpad hardware). Laptops built for Windows 8 and later come with precision touchpads that can recognize a wide variety of gestures that control actions such as zooming, switching between programs, and activating Cortana.
The Start menu on Windows 10 has integrated live tiles into its main interface. Live tiles allow you to get a sneak peak of an application without actually opening it. Some live tiles update regularly to provide you with the latest news or information from the app. For example, the Sports tile will switch between photos and headlines of current sporting events, and the Store tile will display the latest and most popular applications for Windows. By default, some tiles have the live tile feature turned on. If you want to learn how to switch off live tiles, then you have come to the right page.
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