Computer Tips and Tricks

  • Steps Recorder – use for screen recording – search Steps Recorder on the search bar
  • Snip & Sketch – on the search bar type Snip & Sketch
  • Win+i – brings up settings
  • Win+u – brings up display settings
  • Win+; – brings up emoji
  • Win+l – lock your computer screen
  • Win + CTRL+SHIFT+B – to reset display drivers
  • CTRL+SHIFT+ESC – brings up task manager
  • Win+Alt+R –  screen record on windows pc
  • Win+Ctrl+D – create a virtual desktop
  • Win+Shift+S – take screenshot of your windows
  • Win+D – close/minimize desktop screen quick
  • Win+S – open search box 
  • CTRL+Win+Q – Open up quick assist
  • CTRL+T – open up a new browser tab 
  • CTRL+N – open up a new browser window
  • CTRL+SHIFT+T – bring back the previously closed tabs
  • Win + D = Show Desktop
  • Win + V = Show Clipboard History
  • Win + . = Emoji Picker
  • Win + + = Magnifier
  • Ctrl + K = Search in Browser
  • Win + Tab = Task View
  • Win + L = Lock Screen
  • Win + X = Shutdown Computer
  • Windows Troubleshooter – Settings Updates & Security -Troubleshoot

OUTLOOK Shortcut and Description:

Alt+S – Send the e-mail
Ctrl+Enter – Send the e-mail you’re composing.
Ctrl+C – Copy selected text.
Ctrl+X – Cut selected text.
Ctrl+P – Open the Print window.
Ctrl+B – Bold highlighted selection.
Ctrl+I – Italic highlighted selection.
Ctrl+M – Send and receive all e-mail.
Ctrl+Q – Mark selected e-mail as read.
Ctrl+U – Mark selected e-mail as unread.
Ctrl+R – Reply to an e-mail.
Ctrl+F – Forward an e-mail.
Ctrl+N – Create a new e-mail (when in the Mail section).
Ctrl+Y – Go to folder.
Ctrl+Shift+O – Open the Outbox.
Ctrl+Shift+I – Open the Inbox.
Ctrl+Shift+K – Add a new task.
Ctrl+Shift+C – Create a new contact.
Ctrl+Shift+V – Move e-mail to folder.

How to activate Windows Sanbox to use as virtual computer within your computer:

  1. Press Win Key + R and type in Optionalfeatures
  2. Scroll down and select Virtual Machine Platform
  3. Scroll down and select Windows Sandbox
  4. RESTART your computer
  5. Login to your computer and search for Windows Sandbox and click on it (takes a few minutes to activate it)

You now have a secondary computer within a computer.

How to find out all available applications updates for your Windows 10/11 do the following command in an administrator mode: 

  • Right click on the desktop select “Open in Terminal” and from DOS prompt type:

winget upgrade 

  • To upgrade all applications with available updates, you can use the --all option. For example, the following command will upgrade all applications that have updates available:

winget upgrade –all

  • Taskbar shortcut icons:
  • The first ten Taskbar icons are automatically shortcuts and can be opened by pressing Windows key+1 through Windows key+0 on the keyboard’s top row.
  • For example, if you wanted to open the second icon on the Taskbar without using your mouse, press Windows key+2.
  • Program properties:
  • Holding down Shift and right-clicking an icon on the Taskbar shows the properties for that program.
  • Open as administrator:
  • Holding down Ctrl and clicking any program icon in the Taskbar opens that program and runs it as administrator (elevated mode).

GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}

The name of the God Mode folder is a long hexadecimal code. This code is actually the GUID (Globally Unique Identifier) of the folder. God Mode is a harmless feature and will not damage your computer. However, it is important to use it with caution. You can also enable God Mode by running the following command in the Run dialog box:

shell:::{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}

How to get device serial number from command prompt: wmic bios get serialnumber 

How to do a force restart on a remote computer from the command prompt run as administrator:

  • shutdown /m \\computername /r /f

Boot Menu Function keys:

  • HP – F10 Boot to BIOS
  • HP – F9 Boot Options Menu
  • Tangent AIO 2020-2021 Model -Press ESC – Boot Options Menu and Press DEL – boot to BIOS
  • Tangent AIO 2021-2023 Model -Press F12 Boot Options Menu and Press DEL – boot to BIOS
  • Lenovo Press F12 or (Fn+F12) rapidly and repeatedly at the Lenovo logo during bootup to open Windows Boot Manager.
  • Dell Press F12 or (Fn+F12) rapidly and repeatedly at the Dell logo during bootup to open Windows Boot Manager.

How to find out > Laptop Charger not Working: Find What is Wrong with Your Laptop’s Charger and the Method to Fix the Problem.

  • Note: This method will work only in case when your battery is not damaged. Otherwise, to solve the issue you will need to replace the laptop battery. Check the power adapter pins for bent/damaged.

When you encounter video-related issues in Windows, you can quickly reset your computer’s graphics driver using the keyboard shortcut ( Windows key+Ctrl+Shift+B)

How to have a clean Windows 10/11 install without third party softwares > You must select the Region: English – World (by selecting English World your Windows 10/11 install will be ads FREE)

How to bypass internet/network access at initial windows 11 setup when asked to connect to the internet. Press Shift+F10 to open up command prompt type: OOBE\BYPASSNRO 

How to make your slow computer faster from Command line run as administrator 8 easy steps:

Please Note: if you are running SSD, you may choose not to run ChkDsk. I have never had an issue with it, but under specific circumstances, it may cause issues. Apparently. Windows 10/ Windows 11 commands:

  1. mdsched
  2. ChkDsk /f
  3. ChkDsk /r
  4. sfc /scannow
  5. DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth
  6. Restart your PC
  7. Winget upgrade –all (this command will update all your apps automatically if any)
  8. For Ultimate Performance Plan, copy the following command and paste it on the command line and then hit Enter: powercfg -duplicatescheme e9a42b02-d5df-448d-aa00-03f14749eb

How to restore PC to the original settings without re-imaging and fix the issue pc is having.  You will need to download the Windows ISO file and put it in the download folder. 

  • Step 1: double click on the iso file you just downloaded by doing this it will mount it to a virtual drive
  • Step 2: go to the the sources folder and look for install.esd or install.wim (find out which file you have) then do step 3 and make sure to run the command line as a administrator.
  • Step 3: DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth /source:d:\sources\install.esd   
  • Please note step 3 required internet access on the pc you are working on.  Use the optional step below if pc doesn’t have internet access.
  • optional step:
  • DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth /source:d:\sources\install.esd /limitaccess

How to check if your Windows 10 Product Key is Genuine – Open command prompt as administrator and run these commands:

  • slmgr.vbs /dli
  • slmgr /xpr
  • slmgr.vbs /dlv

How to Force Delete from command prompt:

  • Command Prompt command for force deleting a file
    DEL /F /Q /A “C:\Users\hhsfs_ss\Desktop\deleteme.txt”
  • Command Prompt commands for force deleting a folder
    RD /S /Q “C:\temp\INVEST”
  • rmdir /s /q “C:\HELLO”
  • Powershell command:
  • Remove-Item –path “file_path” -force

How to set disk read only from command prompt:

  • set read only:
    attribute disk set readonly
  • remove read only:
    attribute disk clear readonly

How to clear out the cache temp files that taking up your disk space follow the three steps below:

  • Press Windows key + R (run)
  1. in the box type: prefetch (to select all CTRL+A then press delete and when prompt select SKIP)
  2. in the box type: temp (to select all CTRL+A then press delete and when prompt select SKIP)
  3. in the box type: %temp% (to select all CTRL+A then press delete and when prompt select SKIP)
  • Restart the computer 

How to do a quick or full scan from a command prompt:

  • Press  Win key + R then type mrt (this will allow you to do a quick/full scan on your pc)

How to Debloat Windows 10 – to run much faster:

  1. Speed Up Windows 10 – Chris Tech explains how
  2. Follow Chris instructions on how to Debloat your Windows 10
  • Free sofware from Ninite – Install and Update All Your Programs at Once – pick any software on this website list
  • Webopedia – The Online Tech Dictionary for Students, Educators and IT Professionals
  • Bring Back that Tab You Accidentally Closed:
  • The quickest way to restore a single tab you closed by accident is with a keyboard shortcut on a PC press Ctrl + Shift + T. On a Mac, use Cmd+Shift+T.
  • If you want to restore multiple tabs, or if you need a tab you closed a while ago, just keep pressing Ctrl+Shift+T and your tabs will reappear in the order in which they were closed.
  • Bonus: If you accidentally close your entire browser window altogether, just open a new Chrome window and the keyboard shortcut will reopen everything at once. This is a great trick for the times when a system update forces you to close your browser or restart your computer altogether.
  • Find Your Wi-Fi Password:
  • If you forgot your Wi-Fi password, Windows makes it easy to retrieve. Go to Network and Sharing Center and right-click on the Wi-Fi network connection icon > Wireless Properties. Under the Security tab, you should see a password box with dots in it—click the Show Characters box to see the password appear in plain text.
  • Apple’s macOS stores Wi-Fi passwords in its keychain, which you can view by opening the Keychain Access app. Press Command + Space to open the Spotlight search dialog, search for “Keychain Access,” and open the app. Use the search bar on the Keychain Access to search for your Wi-Fi network name in the list of saved credentials, then double-click on it to see its password entry. You’ll need to check the Show Password box at the bottom to see the password in plain text.
  • Paste the Plain Text of Copied Content:
  • When you copy text from a source, most programs will carry along any formatting from the original content. In Windows, you can paste unformatted text by simply pressing Ctrl + Shift + V instead of the standard Ctrl + V. For Mac, press Cmd + Shift + V to paste plain text. 
  • Lock Your Computer:
  • Pressing Windows Key + L will immediately lock your computer on any version of Windows. On macOS use Cmd + Option + Power to log off. In the latest revision of macOS (High Sierra), a quicker option to simply lock the screen was added, which works using the shortcut Cmd + Ctrl + Q