Some of you who upgraded to Windows 10 from 7 or even 8 may be feeling somewhat confused by what you see. I'm literally just going to give you a few tips on how to use Windows 10 more effectively to make every day use easier. I'm going to be talking about the new Windows 10 Mail app, using Cortana, setting default apps and shortcuts that you can use to make Windows simpler. |
To start I will talk about Windows Mail and how it can simplify and minimise the use of web browsers or individual mail apps. Now many of you will never think to use Mail because checking your emails from a browser is what you've always done but I think you should give it a try. The reason for this is the level of integration that the Mail app has within Windows 10. When receiving mail you will be notified in the action centre so there isn't a need for the app to be open 24/7. Furthermore in the settings you can turn banner notifications on so that when receiving an email you will know strait away which is great for any of you who work from home. You can access the App Centre by clicking on what looks like a text box in the bottom right next to the time and date (you will know when you have mail or notifications as the Centres icon will be white). The Mail app is much like Outlook, it allows you to add any number of email address, you could have a Google address, Yahoo, exchange, you name it you can add it. You can do all the usual actions with Mail such as automatic replies and signatures so you wont lose any valuable tools.
Next is Cortana which has replaced the "search programmes and files" in your start menu. Cortana is just as good if not better and I'll explain why. You can use Cortana for more than just searching for a file, though it does that really well, you can tie it in with your life. In the Notebook section you can choose what Cortana does and tells you, if you like reading the news then you can add news topics or if you go out to eat regularly, then Cortana can give you recommendations. It doesn't just stop there, it will give you reminders and tell you if you have a meeting all of which are great for business. If you use your PC for recreational use that is fine as you can select which sport you follow, which specific team and Cortana will tell you if they won or lost. Also if you are interested in movies and TV then you're set for that as well.
When using Cortana and Mail you will find that any web link you click on will be opened in Microsoft Edge and that's because it's set to default. Many of you will probably use a different browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Opera and dislike the fact that it keeps opening in Edge. The way to change it is simple:
Click on Cortana- Type Default Programs and click enter- Scroll down to the bottom- Under Web Browser, click choose default- Choose which ever browser you want.
Now whenever you click on a link from within an app or email it will open in your chosen browser.
Click on Cortana- Type Default Programs and click enter- Scroll down to the bottom- Under Web Browser, click choose default- Choose which ever browser you want.
Now whenever you click on a link from within an app or email it will open in your chosen browser.
Now just a few tips on how to make your experience easier. The first is accessing the task manager and rearranging windows by default. If you right click on the task bar at the bottom a window will pop-up with 12 options, the most useful are task manager and the different default window arrangers. For task manager you no longer need to press Ctrl-Alt-Delete and then click task manager, rather you just need to right click and select task manager, much easier. As for the arrangers it's just easier sometimes for Windows to make room on your desktop if you have loads of applications open. The last two are Command Prompt and Run which are very useful for more advanced users. You can access these by right clicking on the start menu icon and then clicking on either. Using Run you can access diagnostic tools such as dxdiag and the command prompt is used to enter commands that automate tasks through scripts and batch files.
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