How to Best Utilize the Windows Key and Taskbar

Try these tricks and workarounds for your Windows Key and taskbar to boost you and your PC's productivity.

Quickly pull astir the System Info window with the Windows key.

Work Your Windows Key

Quickly view your system spectacles: Iron out Windows-Pause to raise the System Info window. This keyboard shortcut bottom be peculiarly handy if you're troubleshooting a PC and need to draw up the system's specs in a speed up.

Launch taskbar apps: Put your most commonly misused applications in the taskbar, and you'll role your mouse a lot inferior. Press Windows summation any number key will set in motion the broadcast in the corresponding taskbar slot (so Windows–1 will acceptant Windows Internet Explorer, Windows–2 testament open the app positioned to the right of Explorer, so on).

Urge Windows-P to replacement expose modes when you tie a peripheral.

Trench the Displays Control Panel: To switch display modes instantly when you connect a projector or dock your laptop to an external display, press Windows-P.

Run apps from anywhere: You can set in motion applications and set parameters from your keyboard, without having to knock off time digging through and through the Get going menu to come up the one you want to use. Crush Windows–R to call down the Fly the coop dialogue box.

Taskbar Techniques

Reconstruct your Quick Set up bar: Windows 7 got rid of the Quick Launch bar, but bringing Promptly Launch back is fairly easy. Properly-click the taskbar and uncheck Lock the taskbar; then right-click the taskbar once again and choose Other toolbar. Typewrite %appdata%MicrosoftInternet ExplorerQuick Found into the file path, and then fall into place the arrow button on the right to navigate to that leaflet. Quick Plunge will be back in natural process.

Clean up your system tray: Your system tray probably contains lots of icons that you rarely use. Alternatively of clicking the arrow to expand the scheme tray every time you need access to its contents, just retarding force the icons you use virtually often from the expanded tray to the minimized tray area on the taskbar. That way, you can get across them immediately instead of having to expand the tray and root around for the picture you require.

Drag and drop to your taskbar apps: A taskbar icon's behavior depends on which modifier keys you hold down as you click it. Hold down Shift while you click an app's icon to open a spick-and-span instance of the app. Hold down Ctrl–Shift while clicking the app's icon to unfold the program as an administrator. Drag a file from your desktop (or from an open window) o'er an app's picture on the taskbar to PIN the ikon to the app's jump list, or hold down Ctrl to open the single file thereupon political platform.