5 helpful Home windows 11 options I remorse not utilizing sooner

I’ve used Windows 11 for years, but I am nonetheless stunned by how usually I discover new features I did not find out about earlier than. To be truthful, Home windows 11 is kind of a complete desktop working system with many customization options and settings, so it is simple to miss some useful instruments and options hidden in its menus.

Whether or not you are new to Home windows 11 or have been utilizing it for some time, these options I’ve not too long ago began using have considerably boosted my productiveness and improved how I handle my PC, they usually might do the identical for you, too. These options are constructed into Home windows 11 and can be found without spending a dime, so that you needn’t set up any extra software program to start out utilizing them. My solely want is that I might discovered them earlier.

Clipboard historical past

Preserve observe of every thing you have copied to your clipboard

The primary function I wish to spotlight is named Clipboard historical past. In case you do a variety of copying and pasting each day — whether or not for messaging apps, emails, spreadsheets, or picture modifying — that is a simple approach to maintain observe of every thing you have copied so you’ll be able to entry it later. I am unable to depend what number of instances I’ve copied a picture or hyperlink to incorporate in my notes or ship to somebody, solely to overlook to really do it after which lose it. So, Clipboard historical past has been a lifesaver and a worthwhile productiveness software for copying a number of gadgets directly with out shedding any of them.

Clipboard historical past is not enabled by default in Home windows 11, so to activate it, go to Settings > Clipboard and toggle on Clipboard historical past. After doing that, press Win + V (win is the Home windows key), and your Clipboard historical past will seem, permitting you to click on on something you have copied prior to now to recopy it. To clear your Clipboard historical past at any time, merely click on the Clear all button. If you wish to save a copied merchandise, click on the pin icon on it to pin it.

Storage sense

Robotically keep your machine’s storage

Subsequent up is Storage Sense, a built-in Home windows 11 software that robotically frees up disk area in your system drive (the C: drive) with out deleting any vital information. Storage Sense deletes gadgets comparable to non permanent system information, information in your Recycle Bin, and outdated Home windows set up information. What I like about Storage Sense is that it automates all these duties for you, eliminating the necessity to ever run Disk Cleanup manually. It is good, easy, and it helps maintain your PC freed from pointless information.

Relying in your PC setup, Storage Sense may already be enabled however not configured. To show it on and regulate the settings, go to Settings > Storage and toggle on Storage Sense. If you click on on Storage Sense, a menu with numerous choices will seem, permitting you to customise when it runs and what it clears. By default, Storage Sense prompts solely when your system drive is low on area, however you’ll be able to change this to run weekly, each day, or month-to-month. I set mine to run as soon as a month as a result of I do not suppose I am accumulating sufficient pointless information to justify each day or weekly runs.

Moreover, you’ll be able to configure it to robotically delete information out of your Recycle Bin. After I checked mine, I nonetheless discovered information from 2024, so I set it to delete information from the bin after 60 days. It’s also possible to set Storage Sense to robotically delete information out of your Downloads folder as effectively, which is beneficial for clearing out setup information you have in all probability downloaded for putting in apps and now not want.

Shake to reduce

Tidy your desktop in seconds

This function is a nifty one, and if in case you have a behavior like mine of maintaining a number of Chrome situations open directly and working a number of totally different applications concurrently, that is a simple approach to reduce all of them immediately to clear up your display screen. The function is named “Title bar home windows shake,” and it lets you shake your at present lively window to reduce every thing behind it.

This function has been accessible on Home windows since Home windows 7, when it was first launched as Aero Shake. I’ve discovered it to be a useful approach to tidy up my desktop and have some enjoyable. Sadly, it isn’t enabled by default in Home windows 11. To activate it, go to Settings > Multitasking and toggle on Title bar window shake. Then, simply seize any window you wish to deal with, shake it, and all of the home windows behind it is going to be minimized, saving you the difficulty of minimizing each individually. It is each a time-saver and enjoyable to make use of; what’s to not love?

You may want a mouse linked to your laptop computer for this to work

If there’s one factor I continually do on my PC, it is adjusting the system quantity, whether or not I am in a gathering, listening to music, watching a video, or taking part in a sport. This lesser-known function lets you regulate the quantity in your PC even sooner, while not having to press a button in your keyboard or open the fast settings menu.

All you need to do is just hover your mouse cursor over the quantity icon in your system tray and scroll up or down to boost or decrease your PC’s quantity. That is it. It is easy, but I’ve discovered it to be the quickest approach to regulate my system quantity on the fly. It is saved my eardrums a couple of instances when a video or music is instantly performed at a particularly loud quantity. This function ought to work by default with out enabling any settings. Nevertheless, when you encounter points with it, or it isn’t working, the issue can seemingly be resolved by going to Settings > Bluetooth & units > Mouse and enabling Scroll Inactive Home windows When Hovering Over Them.

Enhanced Home windows Search

Discover any file in your PC sooner

Lastly, the final function I like to recommend enabling is Enhanced Home windows Search. It has saved me a variety of time by serving to me discover information on my PC a lot sooner. By default, the Home windows Search index is ready to Traditional, which suggests Home windows Search solely seems for information in your Paperwork, Footage, and Music folders, in addition to your Desktop. So, when you retailer information elsewhere in your PC, like on a secondary drive, Home windows Search will not discover them, which might be fairly irritating.

Fortunately, Enhanced Home windows Search fixes this downside as a result of enabling it permits Home windows Search to index all of the information in your PC, making the search function really helpful. To do that in your PC, go to Settings > Privateness & Safety > Search > Discover my Information. From there, change the search index from Traditional to Enhanced. If you allow Enhanced, it is going to take a while for Home windows to index all of the information in your PC, particularly if in case you have 1000’s of information, so that you must be affected person because it does this. In case you’re on a laptop computer, I like to recommend plugging it in, as a result of it may well drain the battery whereas indexing.