You’ll Be Amazed By These 11 Obscure Windows Features

If you’re a Windows user, you probably know some of the basic features and shortcuts that make your life easier. But did you know that there are some hidden gems that can make your experience even better? Now, we’ll reveal 11 obscure Windows features that will blow your mind and help you work smarter and faster.

Note that these are just some of the amazing Windows features that you might not know about. To learn more about them and how to use them, keep reading on. We’ll show you step-by-step instructions and screenshots for each feature.

1. Mouse hover window activation

I’m guessing you often have multiple windows open on your desktop. You can switch between them without clicking by enabling the mouse hover window activation feature. To do this, go to Settings > Ease of Access > Mouse and turn on Activate a window by hovering over it with the mouse. Now you can just move your mouse over any window to bring it to the front.

2. Easy window arrangement

You can arrange your windows in different ways by using some keyboard shortcuts. For example, if you want to snap a window to the left or right half of the screen, press Windows key + left or right arrow key.

If you want to snap a window to a corner of the screen, press Windows key + left or right arrow key + up or down arrow key. If you want to maximize or minimize a window, press Windows key + up or down arrow key.

3. Quick taskbar launching

The Quick taskbar launching allows you to launch any program pinned to your taskbar by using a simple shortcut. Just press Windows key + the number key that corresponds to the position of the program on the taskbar. For example, if you have Chrome as the first program on your taskbar, press Windows key + 1 to open it.

Also: How To Disable The Windows 11 Widgets Button

4. Rearrange your system tray

The system tray is the area on the right side of your taskbar that shows icons for various programs and settings.

You can customize which icons appear there and how they are arranged by going to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar and clicking on Select which icons appear on the taskbar and Turn system icons on or off. You can also drag and drop icons to rearrange them.

5. Night light

If you use your computer at night or in low-light conditions, you can reduce eye strain by turning on the night light feature. This feature adjusts the color temperature of your screen to make it warmer and more comfortable. To turn on night light, go to Settings > System > Display and click on Night light settings. You can also schedule night light to turn on and off automatically based on sunset and sunrise times.

6. Instantly bring up the Task Manager

The Task Manager is a useful tool that lets you monitor and manage your system performance, processes, applications, and services. You can quickly access it by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys together.

Alternatively, you can right-click on an empty space on your taskbar and select Task Manager from the menu.

7. Screenshot tricks

You can take screenshots of your screen or a specific window by using some built-in tools in Windows. To take a screenshot of your entire screen, press Windows key + Print Screen key. The screenshot will be saved in your Pictures folder under Screenshots. To take a screenshot of a specific window, press Alt + Print Screen key. The screenshot will be copied to your clipboard and you can paste it in any program. To take a screenshot of a specific area of your screen, press Windows key + Shift + S keys together. This will open the Snip & Sketch tool that lets you select an area to capture.

8. Search by most recently installed programs

Sometimes locating your recent installation can be a hassle. If you want to find a program that you recently installed on your computer, you can use the search feature in the Start menu. Just type in “new” in the search box and you will see a list of programs that were installed in the last seven days.

9. Quickly connect to new screens

If you want to connect your computer to another monitor, projector, or TV, you can use the Project feature in Windows. To access it, press Windows key + P keys together. This will open a sidebar that lets you choose how you want to use your second screen. You can choose from four options: PC screen only, Duplicate, Extend, or Second screen only.

10. Adjust text and element sizes

Trying to increase the text or layout can be made easy if you find the text and other elements on your screen too small or too large.

You can adjust their sizes by going to Settings > System > Display and clicking on Scale and layout. You can choose from different percentages of scaling or enter a custom scaling size.

11. Quickly adjust icon sizes in Explorer

If you want to change the size of the icons in File Explorer, you can use some keyboard shortcuts. To increase or decrease the icon size, press Ctrl + mouse scroll wheel up or down. To switch between different icon views (large icons, medium icons, small icons, list, details, tiles), press Ctrl + Shift + number keys from 1 to 6.

Windows is a powerful operating system that offers many features and shortcuts that can enhance your productivity and enjoyment. We’ve shared these Windows features that we hope you found useful and learned something new. Try out these features and let us know what you think in the comments below. And if you know any other cool Windows features that we missed, feel free to share them with us too!