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Making the Most Out of Your Screen

The ideal interface for any Windows 10 user is the one that would allow him to make efficient use of his screen, keyboard, and pointing devices. Since technology does not limit a PC user to simply using a single LED monitor, Windows 10 also makes it a point that this OS is also ideal to use for multiple desktop and touchscreen users.

Setting Up Multiple Desktops

For those who are using a single monitor, having virtual desktops in addition to your default one can be very useful. While most advanced Windows users are aware that Microsoft already offered this support in the past with PowerToys, multiple desktops are now part of the mainstream.

Windows 10 allows you to add an unlimited number of virtual desktops with ease with the introduction of the pane called Task View. However, it is important that you remember that multiple desktops come with a few limitations - you have to cycle through all the open desktops if you want to go to another screen, you can't drag, select, then drop a program or file to your other screen, and you can't change the wallpaper for your other screens. Otherwise, everything is fine.

  1. Adding a Desktop:
    Click the two overlapping rectangles, which mark the Task View button, or press Windows key + Tab. This will open up the Task View pane, which will show you the New Desktop button. If you already have virtual desktops ready, then this will instead become the Add a Desktop button (this looks like a plus symbol on a gray tile).
    Alternatively, you can quickly add a desktop without having to go through the Task View pane by hitting Windows key + Ctrl + D.
  2. Going to Your Other Desktop:
    If you want to go to your other virtual desktop, pull up Task View and then select the desktop that you wish to jump into. If you do not want to use the Task View pane to make a desktop switch, you can instead press Windows Key + Ctrl + Left/Right key.
    Keep in mind that while you can have an almost infinite number of desktops, there is no quick way to jump into the one that you want to switch to right away. Task View pane is only capable of showing 9 desktops at a time - right now, this pane does not have the scrolling functionality.
  3. Moving a Window to Another Desktop:
    If you have a particular window that you want to use instead in another virtual desktop, you would need to first pull up Task View, then hover over the desktop that has the window that you want to move. Hovering over that desktop will make the windows popup. Once you have found the window that you want to move, right-click on it and then select Move to. Select the desktop that you want to contain the window.
    Note:
    in Build 10166, it is possible to drag and drop windows that you want to move to another desktop. If you want that function, you might want to install this OS build instead.
  4. Close a Desktop:
    If you want to close a virtual desktop, pull up the Task View and hover over the desktop that you want to close. A small X will appear on the upper right corner, which will allow you to close the virtual desktop. If you do not want to go through Task View and you want to close the desktop that you are currently on, press Windows key + Ctrl + F4.

The Windows 10 Snap Assist

Windows 7 first introduced window-snapping, which is one of the most convenient features of that OS when it comes to enabling users to quickly maximize the space of their screens. This feature allows you to "snap" a window to a particular side of your screen, without having the difficulty of manually resizing or moving it.

Windows 10 lets users see improvements in this feature by adding more options. Now, you can snap your windows so that they would only take a full quarter or half of the screen. The Snap Assist tool also makes things a little easier.

  1. Snapping with your mouse:
    Clicking the title bar of the window you want to snap and dragging it towards the edge of the screen allows you to see the outline where your window would snap to. If you drag the window to the left or right side of your monitor, it would snap and take up either the left or the right half of the screen. If you want to snap the window to fit a quadrant of your screen, drag it to the corner. To get a full-sized window, drag it to the top of the screen.
  2. Snapping with your keyboard:
    Here are the shortcuts that you would want to keep in mind if you want to snap windows a little faster:
    • Windows Key + Left/Right Arrow - snap window to left or right half of the screen.
    • Windows Key + Up/Down Arrow - snap the window to quadrants, after snapping it into the left or right half of the screen. Up arrow gets it to the top corner, and Down arrow allows it to snap at the bottom corner.
    • Windows Key + Arrow Keys - moves a window snapped into a quarter of the screen.
    • Select window, then Windows + Up Arrow - maximizes a window.
    • Select window, then Windows + Down Arrow - minimizes a window.
  3. Using Snap Assist:
    This feature pops up when you snap a window using either your mouse or keyboard, and you have a space left in your screen for other windows to occupy. If you snap a window to occupy a portion of your screen and you have other windows running, Snap Assist will show these windows as thumbnails. If you click on any of these window thumbnails, that specific window will occupy the free space of the screen.

Advanced Technique: Disabling the Lock Screen

If you have previously used Windows 8 and you are using a non-touchscreen PC, you probably have noticed that the lock screen this OS featured is pretty much redundant - it needs to be tapped to get rid of it before you even go to the log-in screen to unlock your PC. Now, if you find this feature annoying, here's a little warning - this feature still exists in Windows 10.

But if you want to get rid of the lock screen to log in more efficiently, here's the way you can do it:

  • Right-click the Start button and then choose Run from the menu that pop ups. Once you see the dialog box, type in regedit and hit OK. Hit Yes when a pop-up window appears, asking you if you want to allow the program to make changes to your PC.
  • Once the Regedit Editor opens, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows. In this folder, right-click on the right pane. Choose New, and then select Key. You will see that a folder would appear on the left pane named New Key #1. You can rename it as Personalization, and then click on it to select the folder.
  • Once you are in the Personalization folder, right-click on the right pane of the Editor. Click on New and the choose DWORD (32-bit) Value. You would see a pop-up labeled New Value #1. Change this label to NoLockScreen.
  • Double-click on the NoLockScreen label to pull up the value data. Under the Value data dialog box, enter 0, and then hit on OK.

Once you exit the Registry Editor and restart your PC, you would no longer see the lock screen and go straight into the log-in screen.