How to Change Mouse Pointer Size and Style in Windows 11
If your mouse cursor is too hard to see comortably, Windows 11 provides several ways to make it stand out. You can make the mouse pointer larger, invert it, or change its color. Here’s how.
How to Stop Windows 11 from Showing Edge Tabs in Alt+Tab
By default, pressing Alt+Tab in Windows 11 will show thumbnails of both open application windows and all tabs open in the Microsoft Edge browser. Here’s how to turn that off.
How to Launch Windows Terminal at Startup on Windows 11
If you’d like to jump straight into the command line via PowerShell, the Command Prompt, or even a Linux shell, you can easily make Windows Terminal launch at startup on Windows 11 (and Windows 10). Here’s how to do it….
How to Uninstall an Application on Windows 11
If you don’t need an app anymore on Windows 11, it might be time to uninstall the program to save disk space (or de-clutter your Start menu). There are several ways to remove apps on Windows 11—we’ll show you the three easi…
How to Test Your Microphone on Windows 11
If a microphone connected to your Windows 11 PC is too loud, too quiet, or just not working, there’s a handy way to test your audio input device and check its input level in Windows Settings. We’ll show you how….
Why Long-Pressing the Power Button Could Damage Your System
If you regularly power off your PCs, tablets, laptops, or game consoles by holding down the power button until it shuts off, you should think twice. Here’s why it might damage your machine and what you should do instead….
How to Choose Your Microphone on Windows 11
While using Windows 11, you might need to switch audio inputs between several microphones connected to your PC. Luckily, Windows makes the process fairly easy. Here’s how to do it.
How to Zip and Unzip Files on Windows 11
In Windows 11, the ZIP file format compresses data and makes files smaller, which speeds up file transfers and saves disk space. You can also use ZIP compression to combine multiple files into one compact package. Here’s how …
The Foundation of the Internet: TCP/IP Turns 40
40 years ago—in September 1981—DARPA published the finalized specifications of the TCP/IP protocol suite, which defines the basic rules for how the internet works. While TCP/IP didn’t become widely adopted until 1983, thi…
How to Change Your Screen Brightness on Windows 11
If you own a Windows 11 laptop, tablet, or all-in-one PC, it’s easy to change your built-in screen’s brightness with a couple clicks (or taps) thanks to the Quick Settings menu or the Settings app. Here’s how….
How to Turn Off a Windows 11 PC
Want to shut down your Windows 11 PC? There are several ways to do it. All of them work equally well, so pick the one that suits you the best.
What Is Bluetooth?
Bluetooth: You’ve probably seen it on your smartphone, tablet, Mac, or PC laptop, and you might know it has something to do with wireless communications or peripherals. But what is Bluetooth—and is it similar to Wi-Fi? We’l…
Gaming When You Should Be Working: The History of the Boss Key
In the days before multitasking PCs, gaming at work could be dangerous: The boss might walk in and catch you at any moment. But by pressing a boss key—a panic button that quickly hid your game behind a fake work document—…
How to Change the Size of the Touch Keyboard on Windows 11
If you often use the Touch Keyboard feature on Windows 11, you may be delighted to learn that you can make it bigger or smaller depending on your needs. Here’s how.
How to Check Bluetooth Device Battery Life in Windows 11
In Windows 11, it’s easy to quickly check the battery life of some Bluetooth devices like mice or keyboards in Settings. It doesn’t work with every peripheral, but when it works, it’s handy. Here’s how to check….
How to Search Quickly on Windows 11
If you need to find apps or files quickly on Windows 11, there are several ways to do it. We’ll show you four different ways ranked roughly from quickest to slowest.
How to Open File Explorer on Windows 11
File Explorer is an essential part of Windows 11 that helps you manage your files and folders. But, if it’s not pinned to your taskbar, it isn’t always obvious how to launch it. Here are five easy ways to launch File Explorer…
How to Show the Pen Menu Taskbar Icon on Windows 11
If you have a touch-screen PC running Windows 11 and a stylus, you might enjoy using the pen menu, which provides shortcuts to essential apps. If the pen menu icon is not showing up in your taskbar, here’s how to turn it on….
How to Pause Windows 11 Updates
By default, Windows 11 checks for and installs updates automatically. If those automatic updates aren’t convenient for you, Windows lets you pause automatic updates for one week. Here’s how to do it.
How to Switch Between Dev and Beta Channels on Windows 11
With reports that future Windows 11 Dev Channel updates could be unstable for Windows Insiders, you might want to switch to the more stable Beta Channel—or back to the Dev Channel later if you change your mind. Here’s how t…
How to Right-Click
You might have seen “right-click” mentioned while reading how-to instructions. But what does it mean? In some cases, it’s more than just clicking your right mouse button. We’ll show you how to right-click on several different…
How to Update Windows 11
When using a PC with Windows 11, it’s important to keep your operating system updated. Updates fix bugs, add new features, and protect you from malware by patching security vulnerabilities. Here’s how to keep Windows 11 up-to…
How to Play Microsoft Adventure, the World’s First IBM PC Game
40 years ago, IBM published the world’s first commercial IBM PC game, Microsoft Adventure. As a port of a mainframe classic that spawned the adventure game genre (and Microsoft’s first published game), its release represents …
How to Check Your PC’s Specs on Windows 11
If you need to check your PC’s specifications—such as how much RAM or what type of CPU your machine has—while running Windows 11, it’s as easy as a trip to Settings. We’ll show you how to find these details….
How to Turn on Siri Captions on iPhone and iPad
If you’d like to always see what Apple’s virtual assistant Siri is saying written out on your screen—even if your iPhone or iPad isn’t on Silent mode—there’s a way to enable Siri captions. Here’s how to turn it on….
