8 Hidden Windows Tools That You Probably Didn't Know
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- Опубліковано 26 вер 2024
- Explore 8 super helpful but little-known Windows tools to make you more productive.
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This video will introduce eight super helpful but little-known Windows tools that you can use to become more productive at work. You will learn what those tools can do for you, how to access them, and how to adjust their settings.
📑 CHAPTERS
00:21 Night Light
01:24 Timeline
02:14 Virtual Desktops
03:16 Focus Assist
04:10 Snip & Sketch
04:59 Nearby Share
06:12 Sticky Notes
06:57 Window Snapping
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after using these tools and tip my wife loves me again, my children respect me, my boss promoted me to owner of the company, my dog had pure bred puppies, my neighbor returned the tools he borrowed years ago, my aging father said he was proud of me, four of my best tomatoes won first place in the garden fair, i found $20 on the ground, my old collage called with a correction to my grades making me valedictorian, i won the lottery, and a long lost relative i've never heard of left me millions of dollars and a mansion on a private island in the tropics.
I don’t believe the tomato bit!
:D That's amazing - hope this happens to everyone having watched the video ;)
@@roberthardy2013 i have the blue ribbons right here. there would have been another for the cucumbers but someone stole them!
😂😂😂😂😂😂
The timeline tool is incredible! Great presentation, and only 8 minutes long. Thank you.
You're very welcome!
The problem with Timeline is it only appears to run in the Microsoft Edge browser, which is not my choice of browser.
I knew about snip and sketch (it’s a life saver), but not the other ones. Can’t wait to try them out. 👍👍
Awesome, glad to hear that you could learn something new, Toran!
Wow, just found this channel and already love it! Thank you, it's very helpfull😊
Wow, thank you very much! Glad to hear this and all the best! 😊
Very useful. Thank you so much.
Glad it was helpful!
I love the fact that you upload on sundays, the day I use for organization and cleaning.
This specific video is very interesting to me as I am a "tech-guy" who likes organization. I already knew everything but "nearby sharing" as I need stronger tools to share folders as big as 50GB.
Keep making this videos, you are doing a pretty good job!
Thank you so much for your feedback! Glad this comes in handy for you. All the best, Lea
I love your teaching
Thanks so much 😊
thanks for the valuable content... appreciate if you could have time stamps....
Thanks for flagging and your feedback!
Thank you v much indeed, Thats a first class of work.
Hi Nader, thank you so much for your feedback - much appreciated! Lea
This is the most useful video for my school projects. It's time saving!!!!!!!!!😊😊😊😊
Yay! Thank you!
Thank you Lea! Great video again for a Windows user! 😊
Thanks, you are welcome Rodrigo!
I find the virtual desktop feature very useful.
But it allows for horizontal switching, only.
I would like to have the option to open a virtual desktop above or below my main desktop, too. Maybe Windows 11 offers that feature (I am running Windows 10).
If you have 4 desktops open, then for some situations, it would be easier to navigate in a square arrangement, rather than having to slide left and right several times.
Also note that the virtual desktop feature has a couple of handy options:
1) You can make a current window "sticky" (it will appear on all of your desktops). But if you close it, and then open it again, it will no longer be sticky. For that, see #2.
2) You can make an application sticky. So let's say you have Task Manager open, and you always want it to appear on all desktops. Then you make the application sticky, and it will always appear on all desktops, each time you start it up.
Virtual desktops have been around for ½ of forever, with Linux, and with 3rd party software for Windows (and all behave differently with different features).
Microsoft finally got around to it in Windows 10. I use Microsoft's version, because it is very good (overall), and will not have any bugs / compatibility issues (or if found, will get fixed without delay).
If you need 10+ virtual desktops open, the Windows built-in version will become unwieldy (meaning, you will not easily be able to scoot around and determine what is where).
With some 3rd party virtual desktops, they are better suited for having many, many virtual desktops open. I discovered this at an old job where I had telnet / ssh sessions and other GUI sessions open to dozens of remote systems. The interface was great. You could see at a glance what was where. But that was an extreme environment. For most typical situations, the built-in version from Microsoft works great.
Thank you so much for adding those details. Fully agree that the built-in Windows functionality is quite stable without any compatibility issues (compared to other 3rd party options), although it might have some minor drawbacks, such as the ability to do vertical switches. All the best, Lea
Lea - I want HUG you ! The windows + Tab is my best friend now..
Great to hear that 😄
Wow, very productive and time saving inputs, thanks
Glad you liked it!
I'm definitely going to use Virtual Desktops. I remember getting my first Mac about 16 years ago and I loved the Spaces thing (basically the same thing), then eventually my Mac died and I didn't replace it and I forgot all about it until right now.
That's great, glad I could bring it back to you :)
The multiple desktops was very useful! I'll start using the new printscreen software also. Thanks!
Glad you could learn something new!
Excellent presentation. Thank you.
Glad you liked it!
Loved the sticky note feature ….i use to do it on a note pad…now will use this feature
Glad I could show you something new that your are trying to implement 👍
Good tips!
Thanks
The focus assist did wonders!
Great to hear 😊
I just stumbled upon your videos. I feel like I stumbled upon a productivity gold mine. Thanks.
Thank you so much, Neo! Glad you liked it and all the best, Lea
I only knew about a couple of them, so thank you for this!
Glad you liked them!
Some awesome tips gained here. I'll definitely be following your channel. Thanks Lea 👍
Thank you very much, Thomas. Much appreciated!
surprisingly! these features you mentioned are helpful, thank you Lea. Can you do a video on the best ways to save your files online for free?
Thank you so much! That's a great suggestion. I recommend subscribing to the channel so you don't miss out when such a video might be released I the future ;) Best, Lea
@@LeaDavid yes 😉 of course
These are very useful, thanks, but seems it is not possible to enable nearby sharing if your device doesn't have bluetooth, however the Dukto app will still work (from the windows store)
Hi Robert. Indeed, I believe that's a bottleneck since you need both, bluetooth and wifi. Best, Lea
Followed immediately! Lots of useful tips here!
Thank you so much, Patrick!
awesome again. Thanks.
My pleasure!
You are as cool as a desk fan in Alaska Lea. Thank you for all your invaluable contributions.
Hi Todd, thank you so much for this compliment and the feedback. Best, Lea
Thank you!
You're welcome!
Good tutorial. Watched from Sri Lanka. Is this features working for Windows 11 pro?
Hi Sugath! Thanks for your feedback. Most of the tools should also be available for Windows 11 (even though I am showing on Windows 10) but you need to check individually. Best, Lea
In my current job, I looked into Windows Virtual Desktops, since my previous career has been in Linux. I found the Windows tool too limited. I work with 4 monitors and wanted to have the virtual desktops per monitor. But with the Windows tool, you had to switch all or nothing. I did try the option of having some windows always stay up but that only helped with one monitor where I always keep the windows up all the time. I haven't taken the time to find a 3rd party program to meet my needs.
Sure, at some point Windows will show its limitations. Sorry to hear that it's not working for you...
Spectacular,! Thank you.
Glad you liked it:)
Hi. How you push Taskbar vertically ?
Hi Sindbad, you can do that by rick clicking on the taskbar, going to taskbar settings and then choose the location of the taskbar being on the right or left. Best, Lea
Amazing tips. Thank you so much !
You are welcome!
Yay, I knew all of these, I love night light
That's great to hear, Sue :)
Thank you, you nice, smart lady. Ciao from Italia
Thank you very much and greetings back to Italy!
Great tips, thankyou. Liked and subbed and looking forward to more of your content. Thankyou.
Hi Richard, thank you for your feedback and your support - much appreciated! All the best, Lea
Nearby share will help me alot
Glad to hear that!
U r really nice explain
Thanks a lot 😊
Do more videos
How did you get your taskbar on the left side of screen.
Hi, in Windows 10, click on the taskbar, then go to taskbar settings and choose the location of the taskbar on the left or right (or wherever you want to have it). Best, Lea
Our offices are cozy and lit with lamps, so I've had night light on for years, in addition to turning down my monitor brightness.
Hi Chris, glad to hear you have been finding night light useful :)
Some programs that I run that have to have an open window but that I don't want to clutter my desktop like the Alexa app for example, I just stick onto the second virtual desktop so it's still running and responds but is out of sight.
That's a nice use case - thanks for sharing!
For the snapping, you can actually use all of the arrow keys, not just left and right. And it's not just something that splits the screen down from the middle, on Win 11 atleast you can snap 4 programs on your screen if you do it right. Instead of for example just doing Win + Right, you should do Win + Right and Win + Up so you can divide your screen to 4.
Hi Tatsu, the same is true for Windows 10, where you can also snap programs to left/right and bottom/top :) Best, Lea
@@LeaDavid I wasn't sure if it existed in Win 10 due to not using it for years now, but thank you for the clarification.
No worries, glad I could help :)
Thanks 🙏
You are very welcome, Bijay!
nice vid, how did you put the task bar on the side?
Thanks! In Windows 10, click on the taskbar, then go to taskbar settings and choose the location of the taskbar on the left or right (or wherever you want to have it). Best, Lea
Il tuo video mi è stato molto utile, grazie, un saluto da Milano (Italia)
Ciao Maurizio! Thank you so much for your feedback and all the best to beautiful Milano, Lea
Very informative. Thanks
Glad it was helpful!
This is more informative
Thanks
Well Lea I have downloaded the old snipping tool as I find the new one convoluted and very non user friendly the old version does just what I want. anow sticky notes I don't use because I use Google Keep for that sort of stuff. Anyway some handy tips.
Thanks for sharing, John! Indeed, it always goes back to your personal preferences and way of working, so glad you found your preferred solution. Best, Lea
@@LeaDavid Yes Lea it smacks of fixing something that isn't broken eh?
Thanks! i knew a few. Subbed!
Thanks for the support, Sakka :)
How do you get your task bar on the left? (I have Windows 11.)
Hi, with Windows 11 there is no simple button you can click or setting you can change as with Windows 10. Feel free to watch my latest video (where I introduce two apps that might help you to customize your toolbar): ua-cam.com/video/y4Pudj8SsPU/v-deo.html Best, Lea
@@LeaDavid The third-party apps don't help with this one, though. Feedback time.
Erneut herzlichen Dank!
Sehr gerne!
Danke
Bitte :)
Does it work for Windows 11 Home? I can't figure out how Windows timeline is working for me and I can't create virtual desktops.
Hi, I am not yet using Windows 11 so I cannot comment on the timeline. But what I know for sure about virtual desktops is that they should also be available: just click the task view button in your taskbar, which looks like a square overlapping another, or press Windows+Tab on your keyboard. Hope this helps, Lea
Good video, thank you.
Thanks again, Jesse! Much appreciate your support!
It looks to be W11 tips. I would like to suggest you to mention it in the video title.
It will help us, W10 users.😊
Thanks, indeed still W10 but the majority should still be relevant for W11 ;)
@@LeaDavid I couldn't find the Timeline tip on my W10.
Can oyu show me please, how can I use the Timeline tip?
It didn't appear on my W10.
@@lhbmiranda I use windows 10 too and, as the video said at 1:49 , you can click the task view button in your task bar or press WIN + TAB
@@DaxVT Thanks, but it only shows the opened apps. Not a timeline, neither the other apps/docs used/viewed at this session. It doesn't seem to be a W10 feature, but a W11 one.
That's my point.
@@lhbmiranda As I stated previously, I use Win10 and have acces to the timeline.
Probably it was disabled in your system if somebody or a program tried to optimize resources.
Because it is a nice tool, but it can make your pc a little slower without you noticing.
Hallo Lea, hast du auch Videos in Deutsch?
Hallo Carmen, nein leider nicht. Vielleicht helfen dir die Untertitel? Liebe Grüße, Lea
@@LeaDavid hatte ich das richtig im Gefühl, dass du Deutsche bist?
Thank you so much for explaining the virtual desktop feature! I'm usually working on stuff with lots of moving parts (so to speak) when coworkers come in and ask me to show them unrelated stuff on our network. Now I no longer have to minimize or close MY stuff (hoping to not lose my place) while I help them. 🧙♂
Glad you found this helpful, Charles :)
another quality helpful video
Thanks, Alvin! Glad you liked it :)
Veeeeery useful video: congratulations¡¡¡
Thank you so much, Dany! Glad you liked it. Best, Lea
Thank you, the half of things that you recomend it i didn't know, thank you.
Hi Paul, that sounds great - glad you have already been on such a good track :)
Yeah, I actually learned a few new features here.
Nothing that would ever be useful to me in any way, but hey, free info, thanks.
Sure, no worries. You are welcome :)
Really helpful
You are welcome, James!
i don't know why i never thought of using virtual desktop for organizing lol. i have a dual monitor setup but alot of time i feel like its not enough and windows are all over the place
Glad I could give you the idea of doing so :)
Gracias por su ayuda.
You are welcome, Pablo! :)
@@LeaDavid Thanks.
HI teacher
Hello 👋 😄
@@LeaDavid is a best girl 💝
Best one is the power off.
Haha nice one, Eric :D
How do you find these things?
Always being on the hunt for tools and tips that help me become more productive or make live easier ;)
Please add timestamps.
For such videos and from a tech channel that is a bear minimum.
Hi Ferenc, thanks for your feedback. Will try to add them later. Best, Lea
ad 8: Use Win+Shift+Left/Right to immediately send a window to other screens.
Thanks for adding, Robin! :)
For what I do with computers, night light is the worst thing ever. I cannot get colors of an image or video right. The best tool for lighting is Dark Mode.
I have used Timeline and Virtual Desktops. Love the later.
Don't like Windows Notifications. I have turned them off completely. I don't like anything that changes the focus of what I am currently working on.
Hi George. Indeed, if you are working on project that require color clarity (photos, videos, maybe presentations) night light can be hindering. But if you are just working on written documents, I think it's great :)
Virtual Desktops.
Wow, Windows is getting with the times.
Linux has had this for about 30 years
Hi, I believe it's also been there for quite a long time for Windows but people might just not have known about it..
Could you please specify the windows version in the comments section?
Hi Sylvie, I am using Windows 10 for the video, but the majority should also apply to Windows 11. Best, Lea
Most of these apps are aim to have a windows nanny... besides giving up a lot of personal info to Meinkrosoft. Oh, well, I guess it match people incapable to focus or in need of safe spaces...
As long as you benefit from some of the features and become more productive, why not? :)
Still look at this stuff but just switched to Linux at age 78 because this is just junk to me. Of course I started out when the screen was black and the print was yellow and got along fine.
Hi Randy, thanks for sharing and glad to hear that you (hopefully) feel good using Linux. Best, Lea
Nice jacket
Thanks!
I like your voice!
Thank you so much, Bernard!
I thought virtual desktops are not saved if the pc is rebooted.
Hi! If you reboot, naturally your open windows and programs will be closed but your virtual desktop as such should be kept. All the best, Lea
Instead of all these not really necessary apps, I would like to see just a useable file finder. Why does Google find files on the whle web much faster and to the point than Windows does on the local computer?
Good point. Indeed, Windows' search capabilities are not (yet) the best so hopefully they will improve in the future..
I never knew these tools were hidden.
Glad you did so :)
snip sketch , cant find it on win 11
In case you don't have it pre-installed, I believe you need to download it in the Windows store. Hope this helps, Lea
You're great
Thanks Samir :)
Please specify the Windows version in your title. Task view is no longer in Windows 11. Alt+TAB just shows all open windows. Task History is....history. This is a Windows 10 thing only.
You are right, this one thing is Windows 10 but the majority of features are still available for Windows 11. Best, Lea
Are you able to have your taskbar to the side now?!
In Windows 10 yes for sure and pretty easy (via taskbar, right click and taskbar settings) but in Windows 11 it's a bit more complex...
Snip & Sketch should be against the law. It is a horrible user experience. I love SNAGIT.
Haha, Snagit is a classic but not sure how long it will be around any more...
@@LeaDavid I really hope it stays around. In fact im going to write the company and ask them to make it OpenSource if they stop development. Coming from a LInux background its the best Screenshot tool on the market for all platforms. I have been looking for some replacement since Snagit first came out and all these years later its still the best.
One of the reasons Windows is NOT taken seriously by MIS Professionals is that WINDOWS UPDATE(s) ***overwrite*** lots of personalized shortcuts/progams/icons/etc.
NEVER UPDATE WINDOWS lol (even mandatory updates) are ignored by us MIS professionals in the POST WINDOWS 7 Era. Windows 7 RESPECTED individual users and didn't mess with OUR COMPUTER. You YOUNGuns are used to Windows pushing the individual around and with draconian software updates. LOL
Hi Stuart, thanks for sharing your view. If someone does not want to use Windows because of those reasons, I think everyone is free to choose any other OS :) Best, Lea
@@LeaDavid Well, that's one of the "issues" some of us Pro Freedom Pro America Baby Boomers have with what is going on the past 20 years. An operating system does not need to be draconian, all it needs to do is have an objective basis of rules that us "applications programmers/developers" live with. THAT is how personal computers and "mini computers" worked in the 1980's and 1990's - particularly DOS and IBM. Bill Gates et al do NOT respect those principles and are "masters" and computer users are "slaves". Just shut up and obey. Cloud computing is nice but Application Programs give give the "user" the freedom to operate with freedom from TooBig2Fail systems, which, at the appropriate time DO fail. #history
Timeline is gone in Windows 11 unfortunately 😢
That's a ral pity - thanks for sharing!
I also searched for the timeline, cause it sounded really useful. And it took quite some time to find a little Microsoft Community Entry with the reply of an Microsoft Agent:
"... this feature is not available in Windows 11, and you can no longer find an open this feature."
😒
👍👍
Thank you so much!
❤
Thanks!
@@LeaDavid welcome👄
Right, Microsoft is no more trying to help their customers. In the beginning, the company's philosophy was to end global poverty and empower women in third-world countries. When they saw that these were false promises, Microsoft bet on gaming. As from the quote "bread and circuses". The quote comes from a satire by the Roman Juvenal from the 1st century AD, who makes fun of it. Rome had a huge population at the time, certainly over a million people. And supplying them in pre-modern conditions was a big problem. Same today, many people urgently need entertainment. Microsoft: Give them games. Do they have a fully functioning screen recorder with all the features of the Icecream Screen Recorder? Nope. Bill Gates wants your money as soon as there are well-developed features.
Hi Lenny, interesting thoughts. If you don't like Microsoft, you can always choose different brands and OS, no? :)
😂 I know about
That's great :)
💥💥💥😊😊
Thank you so much, Satendra :)
lovely hair...
Thanks!
Love you, kiss you and thank for all. 😂❤❤
Glad you liked the video, Veli!
There's a VERY good reason why people don't know these features. It's because nearly all of them are completely useless. As an example, no one really uses the blue filter because people will use dark mode for things. No sane person needs virtual desktops unless they're one of these people who want to fill their entire desktop full of icons. You then have to spend more time looking through desktops for the right one. Just declutter you desktop, job done. I mean, I've got 10 icons on my desktop of the tools I commonly use then I save an entire click by having some on the taskbar. Add to that a Quicklaunch and proper start menu that obeys the proper folder structure of the menu and that's all anyone would ever need.
Hi, thanks for sharing your view but I believe and know there are a lot of people using, e.g., several virtual desktops or the blue light filter. Just try it out and you will see, even if you are using dark mode for all applications, the blue light filter makes a huge difference especially in the morning and evening. Best, Lea
@@LeaDavid Sure, you're going to find a few, I'm not disagreeing with that, but the majority of people don't and will never use this feature. I've known about virtual desktops for years, especially since they've been a thing in Linux almost since its inception. It doesn't make sense even from a productivity view to have to switch between desktops, when the desktop is really just for items that you use a daily driver. Okay, if you're a film editor and developer, you might have a desktop for different apps for each field, but having been a game dev for like 30+yrs, in my experience, that's not what most people do.
As for the blue light filter, I'm not sure there's any sufficient research that shows that blue light is any less disturbing to circadian rhythm than any other. Moreover, a lot of people work to colour gamuts and using such a feature would wildly disrupt that and as I said, dark mode on most apps such as Visual Studio, Chrome and others largely precludes the need for such a feature.
and i probably don't care. just like the 1000 shortcuts i don't use including thee windows key
Still thanks for watching!
Linux is faster than windows malware, worship your guru billy gates 🤑
No need to use Windows 🌝
Windows and Windows programs are junk. The quickest way to be more productive is to avoid them as much as you can. I never turn on my laptop unless I absolutely have to.
You do you :)
These features are all stolen from OSX where they are available since 10 yrs or so
Hi Zsolt! No matter if they are stolen, the main thing is that they are helpful to as many people as possible, no? ;)
10 years? If you're so intent on accusing someone of thievery, f.Lux has been around for about 14 years. I ran it on a Windows PC before Night Shift was even a feature in iOS.
Also, Windows 7 had sticky notes.
Don't be so quick to claim things were stolen. It doesn't really matter anyway.
Thank god I don't run windows !
Hi Jack, all a matter of habit (I used to be caught in the Apple ecosystem quite some time ago and very happy with Windows now) ;)