Windows 10: 8 Hidden Features

July 30, 2015 9:26 AM EDT

Microsoft’s Windows 10 tends to hide some of its coolest tricks, maybe with good reason. Who wants to reboot their computer and find their desktop radically altered? That was the dilemma Windows users faced after they upgraded to Windows 8 in 2012. Microsoft is determined to not repeat that mistake with Windows 10.

Instead, the Windows team focused on a look that was “familiar and fresh,” opting to tuck the fresh features discreetly behind the familiar ones. Here’s a roadmap to some of the hidden gems:

Adjustable Start Menu: The Start menu will default to a narrow column, but users can drag around the margins to their liking. Fans of “Live Tiles,” those icons that quick launch apps, may want a broader canvass. Detractors can winnow down the menu to Windows 7 proportions.

Spoken Reminders: Hit the mic icon in the search bar, and the digital assistant Cortana will listen for spoken commands. Cortana can then feed the relevant information directly into calendar, email, reminder and calculator apps. Try saying “Remind me to get milk tomorrow at 6 pm,” and you’ll get a sense of the possibilities.

“Hey Cortana:” Really chatty users can go into Cortana’s settings and flip on “Hey Cortana.” The digital assistant will then wake up at that very same voice command.

Notebook: Cortana follows your search and browsing habits in an attempt to decipher your personal tastes. Cut to the chase by hitting the notebook icon in Cortana’s settings and filling out your preferences directly. More privacy minded users can also cut off Cortana’s senses by hitting “Manage what Cortana knows about me in the cloud.”

See How Microsoft Windows Has Evolved Over 30 Years

Microsoft Windows 1.0 — **Windows 1.0** The seminal version of Windows released on November 20, 1985. Users could run programs in multiple windows simultaneously, sparing them the nuisance of quitting one application before launching another one.Microsoft

Microsoft Windows 95 — **Windows 95** released on August 24, 1995, equipping users with their first Start menu, as well as minimize and maximize buttons. Roughly 8 in 10 of the world's PC's were running Windows at the time of its release.Microsoft

Microsoft Windows 2000 — **Windows 2000** launched on February 17, 2000. Rocker Carlos Santana performed his song "Smooth" at the launch party, but the rollout proved bumpy due to several hack attacks that made headline news. Microsoft was forced into defense, releasing security patches throughout the product's lifecycle.Microsoft

**Windows Vista** released on January 30, 2007, on the heels of the massive success of Windows XP. Vista proved to be a harder sell. Despite security improvements and graphical flourishes, such as transparent window panes and smoother animations, corporate users blanched at the initial price tag and the onerous licensing requirements. Adoption rates flagged as users stuck to their older versions of WindowsMicrosoft

**Windows 7** released on October 22, 2009 to rave reviews and a palpable sense of relief that Microsoft had recovered from the missteps of Windows Vista. The system introduced a new "Snap" feature that enabled users to easily snap windows into place, side-by-side, for easy multitasking. It also debuted touch gestures in response to the burgeoning market for touchscreen devices.Microsoft

**Windows 8** released on October 26, 2012, attempted to radically redesign the start screen with "Live Tiles," a grid of commonly used apps designed for easy touching. The vast majority of Windows users continued to use the desktop PC's, however, and found the redesign, particularly the loss of the Start button, disorienting.Microsoft

**Windows 8.1** released on 17, 2013, attempts to bridge the chasm gap between touch and PC interfaces, offering users their choice of Start screens. By now, tech pundits have a theory: every release of Windows alternates between hits and misses, setting expectations high for the next version, Windows 10.Microsoft

**Windows 10** which released on July 29, 2015, blends the familiar layout of Windows 7 with touch features from Windows 8. The Start menu makes a grand reentrance, with Live Tiles discreetly tucked inside. Cortana, Microsoft's speech-activated assistant for smartphones, will also debut across all devices.Microsoft

Refined Searches: The search bar embedded in the Start screen simultaneously searches your personal files and the web. For a tighter focus, you’ll notice two buttons appear as you type a search term. One offers to search “My stuff,” the other, the “Web.” Select according to your needs.

Forget-Me-Not Files: Can’t remember the name of that PowerPoint deck? Enter the file type “.ppt” in the search bar, and it will pull up every saved PowerPoint file, sortable by relevance or recency. Ditto, Word docs and Excel spreadsheets.

Reading List: The star icon in Microsoft Edge doesn’t just add a webpage to your favorites list. You’ll notice a second option to save a story to a “Reading List.” The browser will then automatically save the headline, the picture and the link inside of a handy side menu, which slides out of view until you’re ready for some heavy duty reading.

Marginalia: Microsoft Edge includes a pen and notepad icon in the upper left hand corner. Hit it, and Edge will convert the webpage into mark-up mode. Use digital ink, highlighters and text boxes to mark up the page. Use the share icon to email or save your web clippings.

8 Hidden Features in Windows 10

See How Microsoft Windows Has Evolved Over 30 Years

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