Windows 10 cheat sheet Step by Step

In this article, you will learn about the Windows 10 cheat sheet step by step. So without much to do, let’s get started.

Windows 10 was the best operating system from Microsoft in a very long time when it was originally released in July 2015. It repaired the damage caused by Windows 8 by getting rid of the ungainly Charms bar and bringing back the long-missed Start menu. Its interface altered depending on whether you were using a traditional computer or a touch-based one.
Additionally, Windows 10 included a number of other important features, such as the Edge browser, Cortana, connectivity to Microsoft’s cloud-based OneDrive cloud storage service, and many more.

That is not to suggest that Microsoft was perfect from the start. Since Windows 10’s initial release, the company has improved those features, added new ones, and removed some that weren’t successful. In total, 11 major updates have been made. The features discussed here and the screenshots you see may be different from what you see if you have an earlier version of Windows 10 because this story is based on the November 2021 Update (version 21H2) of that operating system. In addition to providing quick-reference charts showing helpful keyboard shortcuts, touchscreen gestures, and touchpad motions, I’ll go through everything you need to know.

You must use a Microsoft ID as your user account if you want to get the most out of Windows 10. You won’t be able to utilize some Windows 10 apps or sync settings across numerous devices if you don’t have a Microsoft ID. Therefore, log in with an existing Microsoft ID or establish a new one while configuring Windows 10 for the first time.

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A few words about certain vocabulary you should be familiar with before I continue. With a collection of lightweight applications that were initially created for the Windows 8 Start screen interface, which is touch-oriented, Microsoft has greatly exacerbated uncertainty. They were initially referred to as Metro apps, but over time, their names were altered to Modern apps, Windows Store apps, and finally Universal Windows apps. Even though the firm occasionally refers to them as Universal Windows apps, the term “Windows apps” has now become standard. I’ll refer to them as Windows apps throughout this post.

What about apps created for desktops? They are currently known as Windows desktop applications by Microsoft. For the purpose of simplicity, I’ll refer to them as desktop applications in this post.
TEXT OF THE CHAPTER

The Start menu
Windows and Cortana search
Taking care of Windows updates

Windows Software

Using a tablet or 2-in-1 with Windows 10

In this article, you will learn-

0.1 The Start menu

1 Using Windows Search and Cortana
2 Using search
3 READ NEXT

The Start menu

The loss of the Start menu was the desktop users’ biggest gripe with Windows 8. It’s back with a vengeance with Windows 10. You boot immediately into the desktop while using Windows 10 on a desktop or laptop. The Start menu, the command center for conventional PC users, can be accessed by clicking the Start button in the lower-left corner of the desktop. Instead of the Start screen, users using Windows 10 on tablets will get the Start screen; more on this later in the narrative).

There are two parts on the menu. You’ll discover the following on its left side:

The “hamburger menu” (three parallel horizontal lines) at the top left of the screen acts as a toggle to turn on or off a list of all Windows apps and desktop applications. (The list is switched on by default.) You’ll find recently installed apps at the very top of the All Apps section. All of the PC’s apps are listed alphabetically immediately below that. To launch any application, simply click it.

You may view a list of the files you’ve recently opened in any application by selecting it with the right click. To open the application or app with the file loaded into it, simply click the file.

You might occasionally notice a folder instead of an icon, with a down arrow next to it. This indicates that there are other options available, such as running the Dropbox app or going to the Dropbox website. After selecting the folder to reveal all the possibilities, select the one you wish to execute. (Take notice that there may occasionally be a folder, but clicking it will merely give you the choice to run the app or application.)

Account: A set of stacked icons may be seen in the lower-left corner of the screen, beginning with the icon for your user account. To log out of Windows, lock your computer, or modify your account settings, click it. You’ll be taken to a screen where you may alter your account picture, password, and a number of other settings when you decide to edit your account settings.

Files, Images, Preferences, and Power There is no mystery about the icons in the lower-left corner of the Start menu: File Explorer is used to open the Documents folder; File Explorer is used to open the Pictures folder. With Settings, you can access the Windows Settings app (more on that later), and with Power, you can restart, shut off, or put your computer to sleep. To launch any icon, click it.
Simply hover your mouse over any of the icons to learn which one corresponds to Account, Documents, Pictures, Settings, and Power. Text labels appear in place of the vanished icons.

The Start menu’s right side offers tiles for desktop applications and Windows apps. To launch the app linked to any tile, simply click it. They are categorized into groups such as Productivity and Explore, and if you have more apps than those two groups can hold, they are classified into nameless groups below them. As you install new desktop applications and mobile apps, new tiles will be added to the unnamed groups.

(Take note that your IT department may have set up other categories, such as productivity apps or support tools, to display on the right side of the Start menu if you’re using the enterprise edition of Windows 10). In some cases, the maker of your PC might add more categories. For instance, there is an OEM category on my Evoo laptop, which is admittedly not a very clever use of branding.)

Some tiles are “live”; that is, real-time data is fed into them. For instance, the Mail tile displays the most recent email you’ve received, followed by the Weather tile, and so forth. Live tiles are exclusive to Windows apps. Desktop applications don’t, like Microsoft Office. Each set of tiles is three columns wide, with the majority of tiles naturally occupying one column.

The Start menu has many customization options. When a two-headed arrow emerges, place your cursor over its top edge and drag it up or down to increase or decrease its height. Although this doesn’t always work, on some Windows 10 installations you may do the same thing at the right edge of the menu to expand it to the right or reduce it back.

Click the group name and enter a new name to rename a set of tiles. Additionally, you can reposition tiles on the Start menu by dragging them from one group to another, or you can drag tiles to an empty space on the menu to form a new group. Any unnamed group can be given a name by clicking on the empty space above it and entering a name.

The Start menu’s groups can be made wider so that tiles fill four rather than three columns. To do this, choose Settings > Personalization > Start from the Start menu, then click Start. In the “Show more tiles on Start” setting, drag the slider to the On position. The tiles will now fill four columns, but you’ll need to move individual tiles to the fourth column to make use of the extra room.
From this Settings page, you may customize a variety of different features of the Start menu, such as whether to have the Start screen run in full-screen mode and whether to display your often-used apps at the top of the list of all applications.

A menu appears when you right-click a tile. Because not every Windows application and desktop application has the same pop-up menu, things can get a little complicated here. Depending on your installation, you might need to click More to see some of these options. Most offer some combination of the following options:

Unpin beginning at When this is clicked, the tile is removed from the Start menu.
As you might anticipate, this allows you to resize the tile. There are three size options: small, medium, and large. Some tiles also offer a wide option, which causes them to span two columns in their group.

Turning off the live tile prevents real-time data from pouring into the tile. You will receive a Turn live tile on choice if it is already off.

As said, this pins the application to the taskbar. You’ll have the option to unpin it from the taskbar if it’s already pinned.

This will take you to a screen where you may modify the app’s settings, such as whether you want to let it use your microphone or run in the background.
Uninstall: This removes the application. Microsoft’s Windows applications like Skype and Solitaire cannot be uninstalled. But as time has gone on, Windows 10 has expanded the number of built-in apps you may uninstall, including Mail, Calendar, Sticky Notes, and others.

Only apps downloaded through the Microsoft Store are eligible for this rating and review feature. It takes you to a website where you can write a review and score the app on a scale of one to five stars. In the Microsoft Store, the app’s description includes the rating and review.

Share: This enables you to send a link to the app via email, Twitter, and other services.

Run the software or application as an administrator by selecting this option.

Open file location: This takes you to the folder where the application is located in File Explorer.

Depending on their objectives, several Windows applications also offer extra options. For instance, if you right-click the This PC app, you may choose to map or unmap a network drive.

You can right-click the icons for these apps as well as the File Explorer, Settings, and Power icons underneath them if you’ve activated the “Most used” list of apps on the Start menu’s left side. Similar options may often be found in Windows apps and desktop applications on the “Most used” app menu (some are hidden under the “More” submenu). Additionally, you can come across these choices:

Pin to Begin: This relocates the application from the “Most used” list to the Start menu’s right side.

Run as an alternative user: By doing so, you can use a different user ID than the one you’re using to log in to the app.

Not included in this list: the app is removed from the “Most used” list.

Using Windows Search and Cortana

Microsoft’s Cortana, which resembles Siri, was introduced to computers with Windows 10. (It debuted on Windows Phones for the first time in 2014). Cortana on Windows 10 has seen substantial adjustments over time. It initially became tightly connected with Windows Search, and its outcomes were displayed in the search field. It was also given a sizable amount of power, enabling it to perform tasks as varied as operating smart home gadgets and playing video.

But those times have passed. The functions of Cortana have been drastically reduced by Microsoft, and it is no longer tightly linked with Windows and Windows Search. The new Cortana app runs in a resizable window that can be dragged around the screen and functions just like any other Windows 10 app.

Running the app is the only method to use Cortana. You may launch it by saying “Hey, Cortana,” clicking the Cortana icon in the taskbar to the right of the search box, or by pressing the Windows key + C. Then, you can speak your search or input it into the app.

Cortana displays the answer onscreen and reads it to you when you give her a simple command or ask her a question. Cortana will offer online links in the Edge browser if you ask a more complex query that necessitates them.

When you say “Hey Cortana,” make sure Cortana answers by clicking the Start button and choosing Settings > Privacy > Voice activation. The slider for “Allow apps to utilize voice activation” should be turned on. After that, scroll down to “Choose which apps can use voice activation” and turn the slider for “Let Cortana respond to “Cortana” keyword” on.” Move the slider next to Use Cortana even when my device is locked if you wish to use Cortana even when your computer is locked.

Then, to open the app, click the Cortana button next to the search box. Select the Keyboard shortcut by clicking the three dots in the top left corner of the screen, followed by the Settings button (which looks like a gear). From this point, you can decide whether Cortana should only respond to the Windows key + C shortcut or when you talk.

The Cortana button that is located to the right of the search field can also be removed. Uncheck the Show Cortana Button from the menu that comes when you right-click the taskbar.
(In this manner, the search box can even be disabled. Click the taskbar with the right mouse button, then click Search and Hidden.)

Microsoft has reduced Cortana’s capabilities, but it still has a lot of things you can do with it. Its ability to remind you of duties or impending events is its strongest feature. Simply say or type what you want to be reminded of in simple English to establish a reminder. For instance, “Create a reminder for my weekly Tuesday 2 p.m. Zoom meeting.” You must enable Windows 10’s notification feature in order for Cortana to display notifications about the reminders you’ve set. In the Get notifications from apps and other senders section, switch the slider to on by going to Settings > System > Notifications & actions.

Using search

Since the release of Windows 10, the search you’ve become accustomed to has altered, most notably when Cortana and Search went their separate ways. Therefore, even if you believe that you understand how it works, you might want a review, which I’ll give you here.

If there is a Search symbol there rather than a box, click it and type your search on the screen that opens. Alternatively, you can type it into the Search box at the bottom left of the screen. (Right-click the taskbar and choose Search > Show search icon to make the search icon visible. Right-click the taskbar and choose Search > Show search box to make the Search box appear there in its place.) Your files, Microsoft OneDrive cloud storage, your films and music, the apps on your PC, your settings, your email, and the web are all searched using the Bing search engine. A row of tabs shows at the top of the screen when you conduct a search:

All lists every search result.
Apps display any matches that are app-related.
Documents display any matching documents on your computer.
The web shows search engine results.
More places, such as specific folders, emails, and apps like Music, People, Photos, Settings, and Videos, show results from other sources. To see them all, you must click the down arrow next to More.

Even if you don’t conduct a search, the Search box can be helpful. When you place your cursor there, a list of the apps you commonly use appears, along with a list of “Quick searches” you may select to get information on the news, the weather, historical events that occurred today, and coronavirus patterns. To open a search or app, click on it.

You may do focused searches by placing your cursor in the search box; you can restrict your searches to only apps, documents, the web, and more. Enter your search terms after selecting the relevant tab at the top of the screen.

The default libraries and folders that Search searches across include OneDrive, Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures, Videos, and Desktop. Files stored in other locations on your PC won’t be found by it. You can, however, alter that. Select Enhanced under “Find My Files” in the “Searching Windows” section of Settings > Search > Settings > Searching. That will instruct Windows to search every part of your computer. Go to the “Excluded Folders” section, click Add an Excluded folder, then browse to the folder you don’t want to search if there are any folders you wish to exclude from the search.

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