Windows is packed with features that rarely get the spotlight. While most users stick to the basics, there are plenty of useful tools and settings buried deep in the operating system that can make everyday tasks a little easier. I decided to explore the deepest layers and found some worth sharing.
Activate on hover
Save a few mouse clicks
Credit: Goran Damnjanovici / How-To Geek
If you regularly work with multiple windows open, Windows has a handy accessibility feature that can save you a surprising number of clicks throughout the day. Instead of clicking a window before you can interact with it, you can simply move your mouse pointer over the window to make it active automatically.
To enable it, go to Settings > Accessibility. Scroll down to the Interaction section and click on Mouse. From there, turn on Activate on hover. There are two settings you can tweak there. The first one is the time until the window activates when you hover over your mouse. You can play around with this setting to find the sweet spot.
By ticking the second option, the window you activate also comes on top of other open windows. Usually, you’d want to keep this ticked.
Once done, open a few windows. Keep them in windowed mode. Then try to hover your mouse over a window that’s behind the others. Without clicking, it should get the mouse focus and come to the top.
It’s a small change, but one that quickly becomes second nature. You still need to click buttons, links, and other interface elements as usual, but removing the extra click required just to focus on a window can make multitasking feel noticeably faster and smoother.
Advanced Calculators
From scientific to programming
There are times when you need to do a complex calculation that a standard calculator won’t handle. If you’re like me and don’t feel like reaching for a physical calculator, you’ll have to make do with a digital one. Sometimes I go for a calculator app on my phone. However, the Windows calculator has evolved a lot and does many jobs.
Upon opening it, you’re usually greeted by the standard calculator for basic math. If you open the hamburger menu, you’ll see many other options, such as a scientific calculator for doing trigonometry, a graphing calculator, a programmer calculator for bitwise operations, and a date calculator.
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That’s not all. It also has many converters like currency, temperature, height, area, among others. These modes have been part of Windows for years, yet many users never venture beyond the default view. The next time you need to solve a more complex problem, it’s worth checking the Windows calculator before reaching for a third-party app or opening a browser tab.
Nearby sharing
Good for sharing between your devices
Sharing files between devices is one of the most trivial things you do every day. Yet, when it comes to the actual task, we fall into a dilemma. Should you message yourself the file? Or should you use a third-party app like Blip or Send Anywhere?
Windows has a neat solution just like your smartphone. Nearby share. Open Settings and go to System > Nearby sharing. If it’s turned off, turn it on by selecting My devices only, or Everyone nearby if you want to share files with others. You can also select the folder where you want to save the received files on your desktop.
If you want to share a file from the desktop, right-click the file and choose Share with.
From the list, choose Nearby Sharing, and you’ll see the devices with which you can share the file. Nearby Sharing is particularly useful if you own both a desktop and a laptop, as it makes moving screenshots, documents, or downloaded files between them almost effortless.
Do not disturb mode
More productivity on your desktop
For folks who don’t want any distractions in the middle of serious work, Do not disturb mode is a nice way to turn off all the pesky notifications. Many of you might already use it on your phone. But you also have it on your Windows desktop.
Go to Settings > System > Notifications. Toggle Do not disturb mode to enable it. What’s interesting is that you can set up time schedules when you want the mode to turn on automatically. You can either choose time ranges or pick an action when you want to turn the mode on.
One related setting in that menu is the Set priority notifications. If you want to ensure you don’t miss urgent alerts while keeping everything else muted, you can use this to let specific apps, alarms, or calls break through the silence.
If you want to take your productivity game to the next level, you should also look into Focus Sessions and the Pomodoro timer on Windows.
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Small features, big differences
While none of these features will completely change how you use your PC, they can make common tasks a little faster, easier, and less frustrating. Sometimes, it’s the smallest tweaks that end up making the biggest difference.
