Unlock Windows 11’s full potential with our guide! From customizing settings to boosting productivity, discover top tricks and hacks to master Windows 11 Tips like a pro.

Hello, everyone, and Welcome to our post discussing the top 20 Windows 11 tips and tricks you should know.

Microsoft’s Windows 11 has some great features, enhancements, and improvements compared to previous versions of its operating system.

Coming up, we’ll show you some of the best tips and tricks to help you get the most out of your Windows 11 experience. With more than 20 to show you, let’s get cracking.

Change the default browser.

The first thing is That This browser is Built in a Window. While it is much improved, you may prefer to use another browser like Google Chrome or Brave Firefox.

Vivaldi or something else: When Windows 11 first launched, it was not easy to change the default browser. Afte much outrage from the community, they simplified the process. Here s how to do it in the taskbar.

Go to the start button, right-click, and select settings. A new way to open the settings app is to use the keyboard shortcut, which is the Windows key plus I. In the left pane, click on apps.

Select default apps here on the right, go through the list, find the browser you prefer installed on your computer, and select it instead of going through the tedious process of choosing the default browser for each file type, of which there are many.

Go back to the top and click on set default. This will now set your browser as the default for most file types listed. You have to go to some of them and select the file type. Sele t your browser from the list and click Set default for that file type.

Enable Dark Mode

While we’re here in settings, dark mode is one of the first things I enable.

It makes it easier on your eyes, but using a laptop can help save battery life.

Go to personalization, then colors in the drop-down menu to choose your mode. sele t dark

Move Start Button

A significant change with Windows 11 is that the start button and pin programs are now centered in the taskbar. Some people find this browser easy to use.

If you’re in the latter group and want to move the start button to the more traditional left side, right-click a space in the taskbar and select taskbar settings.

Scroll down and select taskbar behaviors in the drop-down menu for taskbar alignment. Sele t left here; they are on the left side of the taskbar. Repeat all the steps mentioned to easily switch back and select Center.

Use snap layouts.

A useful productivity feature added to Windows 11 is snap layouts. This is handy if you only have one monitor to easily arrange open programs and other windows on your screen.

To use it, you can use a keyboard shortcut, which is the Windows key plus Z, or you can hover your cursor over the maximize resize button in the upper right of any window.

You will see different layouts. Select a zone to fill in another zone in one of the listed configurations. Sele the remaining windows.

Use File Explorer tabs.

While we’re on quality-of-life improvements, Microsoft has finally added the ability to use multiple tabs in File Explorer. It w rks the same way as most browsers.

Clicking on the plus will open a new tab. In this tab, you can navigate to a drive or folder like you normally would, just like in any browser.

Using the Control+T keyboard shortcut will also open a new tab.

Use new keyboard shortcuts.

As many of you know, we love using keyboard shortcuts.  Win ws 11 has new ones that can be used for various functions.

The Windows key plus W will open the taskbar widgets panel to get access to the weather, news, and other stuff. Wind ws Key Plus opens up quick settings.

Windows key plus n will open the notification center, and if you use Microsoft Teams, Windows key plus C opens team chat.

Hide items on the taskbar.

You may see items on your taskbar that you don’t want. For xample, there’s the widget panel in the left corner.

To the right of the start button, there’s a search button, which is redundant since searching can also be done in the start menu.

There’s also a task. View and chat to remove any of these. Righ -click on an empty section in the taskbar and select taskbar settings.

For those being shown that you don’t want, click the toggle to turn them off.

Use storage sense.

One key to a smooth-running machine is to remove unnecessary files and junk.

In the system settings app, click on storage management. Turn on Storage Sensation. It will automatically free up space and delete temporary files and other stuff.

If you click on it, you can choose when it automatically runs for each task.

Disable Notifications

Like a cell phone notification on your PC, it might be too much to turn them off again in the system; select notifications settings.

You can turn all of them off by clicking the toggle at the top. I don’t recommend doing this, as some notifications can be important.

Instead, I recommend going to the section on app notifications and other senders. You an sort these by most recent and name, then turn off the notifications individually for each app.

Use Focus

We’ve previously mentioned a feature called Focus Assist to lessen distractions. Now, it’s been renamed Focus Assist.

It’s not the same as using Focus Assist to access it in the system. When activated, go to Focus to minimize distractions. Do n t disturb will be turned on.

Apps in the taskbar won’t flash alert you or show badge notifications. Clic ing the minus or the plus lets you set the duration from five minutes to four hours.

The clock app will open with a timer when you click Start Focus session.

Right-Click Context Menu

An annoyance with many users is that with Windows 11, they made a change to what is shown when you right-click on a file.

It will only show what Microsoft thinks is essential in the right-click menu, listing Microsoft-owned products like Clip Trump and Skype.

Now, you have to click on Show More Options again. This will give you the full menu, including the ability to scan a file with Microsoft Defender.

Add widgets to the panel.

We mentioned the widget panel earlier. Hove ing your cursor over it in the taskbar will show you your weather, news, sports, and other stuff.

You can customize what is shown here by clicking the plus icon at the top. The election is limited to adding any widget, such as gaming.

Click on the plus sign to remove any unwanted widgets. Clic the menu icon for that widget and select Unpin Widget.

Disable Startup Apps

A great tip if your PC takes a long time to boot is to turn off the apps and programs you don’t need at startup.

To do this, right-click on the start button and select Task Manager, or you could right-click on a blank section of the taskbar and select it in the left pane.

Select startup apps. Click on the program you don’t want to launch at boot and select disable. Is it for all the programs you know you don’t need when your computer starts?

Right-click Start Menu Shortcuts

I’ve shown you the right-click start menu a few times already in this post; it’s sometimes referred to as the secret start menu.

I don’t think it’s a secret anymore; many times, it’ll be quicker to access certain window components, such as the power options, device manager, and terminal.

Enable autocorrect for misspelled words.

Just like when you’re typing on your cell phone or tablet, a newer Windows 11 feature will help with misspelled words and get suggestions for text to enable it.

Open settings in the left pane, select time and language, then select typing on the right.

The ones I recommend turning on for most people are showing text suggestions when typing on the physical keyboard, autocorrecting misspelled words, and highlighting misspelled words.

Pin Programs to Start Menu

Most of us will often pin them to our taskbar for quick access to our favorite programs. Anot er option is to pin them to the start menu.

To do this, left-click the start button, then select all apps. Find your program.

When you right-click on it and select pin to start selecting more, you will also have the option to pin it to your taskbar. Let’  go back, and there it is.

Use accessibility features.

This is more of a general tip. If y u need to, take advantage of the accessibility features built into Windows. They get better each year.

Open the settings app in the left pane and select accessibility. I’ll point out a few that might benefit some of you. If your vision is not so great, go to text size.

The slider will adjust the size of the Text if you want. Go t  Mouse Pointer and touch.

Here, you can change the style of the mouse cursor, including selecting a color. Let’  go to the hearing section and select audio.

Those with hearing issues sometimes find that enabling mono audio helps them hear spoken words more clearly.

Use the Snipping Tool.

The Snipping Tool is handy if you want to take a screenshot on Windows without using third-party software.

To open it quickly, use the keyboard shortcut, the Windows key plus shift plus s. Your choices are rectangle, freeform window, and full screen.

I’ll stay with rectangles, click and drag an area, and then let go. Afte taking your screenshot, you can mark it up, save it to your computer, and share it with others.

Adjust privacy settings.

In a world where it seems most companies are collecting data on their users to make money off of them, there’s sadly very little we can do to stop them, but I can show you with this tip how to limit what Microsoft collects and knows about you.

Open settings in the left pane, go to privacy and security, and on the right, select General. Long story short, switch all four of these off, especially the top one.

Use Emoji

Do not end on a serious note; apparently, emojis are also a thing in Windows, which is probably a sign of our civilization’s decline.

As you can guess, I’m not a big fan, but to use emoji anywhere within Windows, use the keyboard shortcut, which is the Windows key plus the period key.