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Tips for Tablet and Laptop

A few tips and quick references to make this tutorial especially suited for laptop owners who need information in a hurry.

Turning on Tablet Mode

When in Tablet mode, Windows 10 switches to its finger-friendly mode: The Start menu fills the entire screen. Your apps fill the screen as well. Because tablets are often smaller than desktop monitors, seeing one program at a time makes it easier to concentrate on the task at hand.

When running in Tablet mode, Windows even adds extra space to a list of menu items, making it easier to aim and tap the desired option.

However, Tablet mode isn't always easy to define. When you plug a keyboard into your tablet, for example, do you want to turn off Tablet mode and head back to a fully functional desktop? The same question arises when you plug in a mouse.

Add in today's convertible laptops that switch between a laptop and a tablet with a folding motion, and Windows 10 sometimes can't tell which mode you want.

Fortunately, it's easy to see whether or not you're in Tablet mode and to toggle the setting on or off.

To toggle Tablet mode on a touchscreen tablet, follow these steps:

  • Slide your finger inward from the screen's right edge.
    The Action Center pane appears.
  • When the Action Center pane appears, tap the Tablet Mode button.
    The Action Center pane shows at least four buttons along the bottom. They're white when turned off, and highlighted when turned on.

Some tablets may switch automatically depending on the devices plugged into it. When your tablet senses a change - perhaps you've removed it from a docking station - it sends a message to the screen's bottom right corner, asking whether you want to switch to Tablet mode. If you'd like to toggle Tablet mode, approve the message, and Windows switches accordingly.

To tell Windows to switch to Tablet mode automatically, tap the Start button, tap Settings, and, when the Settings app appears, tap the System icon. The Tablet Mode section, found on the left side of the System page, gives you these options:

  • On/Off toggle:
    Toggle this to On, and Windows tries to automatically place your computer in Tablet mode. (This only works on some tablet models, however.)
  • When I Sign In:
    Tap this, and a pop-up menu lets you choose how Windows should behave when you sign in. It can either send you straight to the desktop, immediately enter Tablet mode, or stay in the mode it was previously in.
  • When My Device Wants to Switch Modes:
    Here, a pop-up menu lets you decide how your tablet should react when it senses that you might want to toggle Tablet mode on or off. If your tablet does a good job of automatically choosing the right mode, choose Never Prompt Me and Always Switch Modes.
  • Hide App Icons on the Taskbar When in Tablet Mode:
    This toggle lets you choose whether to see icons on your taskbar. Some tablet owners prefer to remove the icons to reduce clutter. (Tablet owners can always see which apps are running in the background by sliding a finger inward from the tablet's left edge.)

Choose any option, and the change takes place immediately; you don't need to click an OK or Yes button to approve the changes.

Switching to Airplane Mode

Most people enjoy working with their tablets or laptops during a long flight. Portable devices are great for watching movies, playing games, or catching up on some work.

But most airlines make you turn off your wireless connection while the plane is in flight, referred to in airport lingo as Airplane mode.

To turn on Airplane mode on either a laptop or tablet, follow these steps:

  1. Click the Action Center icon near the clock in the screen's bottomright corner.
    On a touchscreen, slide your finger inward from the screen's right edge.
    The Action Center pane appears.
  2. Tap or click the word Expand above the row of buttons.
    The Action Center pane normally shows four buttons along its bottom edge; tapping or clicking Expand reveals a row of hidden additional buttons.
  3. Click or tap your Airplane Mode icon (shown in the margin).
    When the button is highlighted, Airplane mode is on, which turns off your tablet's radios: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS.

To turn off Airplane mode and reconnect to the Internet, repeat these steps. This time, however, you toggle off Airplane mode, which reactivates your Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS.

Tip:
Airplane mode not only puts your tablet and laptop in compliance with airline safety rules, but it conserves battery life, as well. Feel free to keep your computer in Airplane mode even when you're not on an airplane.

Airplane mode turns off not only your computer's wireless but its cellular gear, as well, if you have a cellular data plan. It's a handy way to shut off all your computer's radio activity with one switch.

Connecting to a New Wireless Internet Network

Every time you connect to a wireless network, Windows stashes its settings for connecting again the next time you visit. But when you're visiting a wireless network for the first time, you need to tell your computer that it's time to connect.

Here are the steps for quick reference:

  1. Turn on your laptop's wireless adapter if necessary.
    If your computer is in Airplane mode, turn off Airplane mode, as described in the previous section.
  2. Click your taskbar's wireless network icon, shown in the margin.
    You can reach the taskbar's wireless network icon even when Tablet mode is turned on. Windows lists any wireless networks it finds within range.
  3. Connect to a wireless network by clicking its name and clicking the Connect button.
    At many places, clicking Connect may connect your laptop to the Internet immediately. But if your laptop asks for more information, move to Step 4.
    Never connect to a wireless network listed as an ad hoc connection. Those connections are usually set up in public places by thieves hoping to rip off unsuspecting visitors.
  4. Enter the wireless network's name and security key/passphrase if asked.
    Some secretive wireless networks don't broadcast their names, so Windows lists them as Hidden Network. If you spot that name or Windows asks for the network's security key, track down the network's owner and ask for the network's name, known as its SSID (Service Set Identifier) and security key or passphrase to enter here.
    When you click the Connect button, Windows announces its success. Be sure to select the check box labeled Connect Automatically. That tells your computer to remember the password and connect automatically the next time you come within range.

If you sign in with a Microsoft account, your Wi-Fi passwords travel you're your account. Then, if you log on to a Wi-Fi network with your laptop, you can automatically log on with your tablet, as well.

Tablet's Screen Rotation

Most Windows tablets are meant to be held horizontally. But if you pick them up, they automatically rotate to keep your work right-side up. Turn your tablet vertically, for example, and your desktop becomes long and narrow.

Autorotation comes in handy when you're reading a digital book, for example, because the longer, thinner pages more closely resemble a printed book. It's also a convenient way to rotate photos on a tablet when showing them off to friends. But when the screen rotates unexpectedly, autorotate becomes a bother.

Tip:
Most tablets come with a rotation lock button along one edge. (The rotation button is usually near the power button for some reason.) Pressing that button either locks the screen in place or lets it rotate automatically.

If your tablet lacks that button, or you can't find it, you can toggle autorotation directly from the desktop by following these steps:

  1. Click the Action Center icon near the clock in the screen's bottom-right corner.
    On a touchscreen, slide your finger inward from the screen's right edge. The Action Center pane appears.
  2. Tap or click the word Expand above the four buttons.
    The Action Center pane normally shows four buttons along its bottom edge; tapping or clicking Expand reveals the hidden buttons.
  3. Tap or click the Rotation Lock button.
    When the button is highlighted, Windows stops the screen from rotating automatically. Tap it, and the highlight disappears, letting the tablet stay right-side up no matter how you move the tablet.

Repeat these steps to toggle autorotate on or off.

Choosing What Happens When You Close Your Laptop's Lid

Closing the laptop's lid means that you're through working, but for how long? For the night? Until you get off the subway? For a long lunch hour? Windows lets you tailor exactly how your laptop should behave when you latch your laptop's lid.

To start tweaking, follow these steps:

  1. From the desktop, right-click the Start button and choose Power Options from the pop-up menu.
  2. From the left pane of the Power Options window, click Choose What Closing the Lid Does.
    Windows generally offers three lid-closing options for whether your laptop is plugged in or running on its batteries: Do Nothing, Sleep, Hibernate, or Shut Down.
    Tip:
    Generally, choose Sleep because it lets your laptop slumber in a lowpower state, letting it wake up quickly so that you can begin working without delay. But if you have another preference, you may choose it here.
    Also, you can choose whether your computer should require you to enter a password when it's turned back on. (Passwords are always a good idea.)
  3. Click the Save Changes button to make your changes permanent.

Adjusting to Different Locations

PCs don't move from a desktop, making some things pretty easy to set up. You need to enter your location only once, for example, and Windows automatically sets up your time zone, currency symbols, and similar things that change over the globe.

But the joy of a tablet or laptop's mobility is tempered with the annoyance of telling the thing exactly where it's currently located. This section supplies the steps you need to change when traveling to a different area.

Follow these steps to let your laptop know you've entered a new time zone:

  1. From the desktop, right-click the clock in the taskbar's bottom-right corner.
    A pop-up menu appears.
  2. Click Adjust Date/Time.
    The Settings app opens to the Time & Language section.
  3. Click the Time Zone option and then select your current time zone from the drop-down list.
    That changes your time zone, which is all most travelers need. Extended-stay travelers may opt to change region-specific items - the region's currency symbol, for example, or the date, time, and number formats - or to add foreign characters to their keyboard. If you're deeply embedded in a foreign zone, move to Step 4.
  4. Change your date and time formats, as well as regional and language preferences to match your current country's customs.
    The Settings app's Time & Language section lets you change all of the regional settings in Windows:
    • Date & Time:
      This is the section you changed in Step 3. There's no need to revisit unless you erred in that step.
    • Region and Language:
      Choose this option, located just below the Date & Time option, to tell your apps what country you're visiting. (That lets the apps display local content that matches your location.) Choose the adjacent Add a Language button to add another language so you can read and type in that language.
    • Speech:
      Click here to fine-tune the speech recognition in Windows.
  5. Close the Settings app to exit.
    To exit the Settings app, click the X in its top-right corner.

Accessing the Mobility Center

Introduced in Windows 7, the Mobility Center lives on in Windows 10. It's a collection of frequently accessed settings for portable devices. To access the Mobility Center, right-click the Start button and choose Mobility Center from the pop-up menu. The Mobility Center appears.

Different manufacturers offer different settings, but almost all of them offer quick ways to toggle screen brightness, rotation, and ways to connect to monitors and projectors.