![]() ![]() The icons disappear and are replaced by text labels. If you’re confused about which icons are for Account, Documents, Pictures, Settings, and Power, just hover your mouse over any of them. When you choose to change your account settings, you'll be sent to a screen that lets you change your account picture, your password, and a variety of other settings.ĭocuments, Pictures, Settings, Power: These icons at the bottom left of the Start menu are no mystery: Documents opens the Documents folder using File Explorer Pictures opens the Pictures folder using File Explorer Settings brings you to the Windows Settings app (more on that later) and Power lets you put your PC to sleep, shut it down, or restart it. ![]() Click it to sign out of Windows, lock your PC, or change your account settings. (Also note that in some instances, there will be a folder, but when you click it, you only get one option, to run the app or application.)Īccount: Down toward the bottom left of the screen is a set of stacked icons, starting with an icon for your user account. Click the folder to show all the options, then click the option you want to run. That means there are several options there - for example, to run the Dropbox app or visit the Dropbox website. In some cases you’ll see a folder with a down arrow next to it rather than an icon. The jump list for Excel shows the files you’ve recently opened. Click the file to open the application or app, with the file loaded into it. Right-click any app and you’ll see a list of the files you’ve recently opened in it. Just beneath that are all the apps and applications on your PC, in alphabetical order. (By default, the list is turned on.) At the very top of the All Apps list you’ll find apps you’ve recently installed. Down its left side you'll find the following:Īll Apps: Up at the top left of the screen is a “hamburger menu” (three parallel horizontal lines) that when clicked is a toggle for turning on or off a list of all Windows apps and desktop applications. (Click any image in this story to enlarge it.) The Start menu is command central for Windows 10. (Those who use Windows 10 on a tablet will instead see a Start screen more on that later in the story.) IDG Click the Start button at the lower left of the desktop to bring up the Start menu - command central for traditional PC users. When you use Windows 10 on a desktop or laptop, you boot directly into the desktop. In Windows 10 it's back with a vengeance. The loudest complaint that desktop users had about Windows 8 was the death of the Start menu. In this article I'll call them desktop applications for simplicity's sake. What about apps designed for the desktop? Microsoft now calls them Windows desktop applications. In this article, I'll refer to them as Windows apps. Now it's settled simply on Windows apps, although at times the company also calls them Universal Windows apps. It first called them Metro apps, and then through the years changed their names to Modern apps, Windows Store apps, and then Universal Windows apps. Microsoft has sowed enormous confusion with a set of lightweight apps that were originally designed for the Windows 8 touch-oriented Start screen interface. So when you set up Windows 10 for the first time, sign in with an existing Microsoft ID or create a new one.īefore I get started, a few words about some terminology you'll need to know. Without a Microsoft ID, you won't be able to use a number of Windows 10 apps or sync settings among multiple devices. Note: If you want to get the most out of Windows 10, you'll have to use a Microsoft ID as your user account. I'll cover everything you need to know, and I've also provided quick-reference charts listing useful keyboard shortcuts, touchscreen gestures, and touchpad gestures. This story is based on the Windows 10 November 2021 Update (version 21H2), so the features described here and the screenshots you see may differ from what you see if you have an older version of Windows 10. The company has honed those features, added new ones, and scrapped some that didn’t work out as it rolled out 11 major updates to Windows 10 since its initial release. That’s not to say that Microsoft got everything right out of the gate. Windows 10 introduced many other key features as well, including the Edge browser, the Cortana digital assistant, links to Microsoft’s cloud-based OneDrive cloud storage service, and plenty more. A shape-shifter that changed its interface depending upon whether you were using a traditional computer or a touch-based one, it undid the damage wrought by Windows 8, including eliminating the awkward Charms bar and bringing back the long-mourned Start menu. When it was first released in July 2015, Windows 10 was the best operating system to come along from Microsoft in a long time. ![]()
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