Windows 10 New Features
Any computer user needs to make sure that they know where they are going to find their files. While you are aware that there is a search function right there in the Start menu, you would still want to discover all other efficient ways of searching applications and documents, and run programs at your will. In this chapter, you will learn how to do these things without a sweat.
Set Up Cortana
Cortana is a voice-activated personal assistant in Windows 10, or the Siri of Microsoft. With Cortana activated, you can get assistance when you want your files, search anything on the Internet, send your emails, check the weather, and so on. Once activated, all you need to do to summon this ultimate digital assistant is to say "Hey, Cortana".
To activate Cortana and enable it to respond to your voice, you would need to do the following:
- Click the search box in the Taskbar.
- Once the search window appears, hit the Notebook icon found on the left side of this window.
- Click on Settings.
- Turn on Hey Cortana by sliding the slider bar to On.
Now, you can simply say "Hey Cortana" and then follow it up with a command to run a program, search for your files, or do anything within Windows 10.
Write on Web Pages
If you need to make notes on a particular web page and share it to your friends, Windows 10 makes that feature possible when you surf the web using its next generation browser, Microsoft Edge. One of the best features of this browser is the ability of users to ink right on the page that they are viewing. Yes, you can doodle, write, and mark webpages whenever you are using Edge and then share them through email or social media, or save them using OneNote.
If you have a particular page that you need to "ink", all you need to do is to click on the pen and paper icon in the browser window's upper right corner. You would see 5 mark up tools, namely the highlighter, pen, eraser, clip, and text. The pen tool is highlighted by default. If you want to change the color and thickness of the pen, just click on the tool and select the color or size of the pen that you want.
If you want to highlight a text instead of marking it with a pen, simply click on the highlighter tool. If you want to change the shape and color of your highlighter, click on the tool again and choose from three shapes and six colors.
If you want to type instead of writing your comments, click on the text box tool and then click on the portion of the page that you want to comment on. You would see a pin with a number on the spot that you click on in the page, and then you would see a text box where you can write your comments in. Now, if you want to minimize the text boxes that you placed, click on the pin to hide the comment. Clicking on it again would make the comment reappear. Take note that dragging the pins on the screen allows you to move your text box comments. If you want to delete the pin and the comment, simply click on the trash bin icon on the lower portion of the text box.
If you want to clip out a portion of the web page you are viewing, click on the clipping tool. The cross-hair cursor would allow you to work similar to the Snipping Tool - the page you are viewing would fade, allowing you to see the section that you want to clip out. Once you have selected a portion of the page, you would see a copy icon, which would allow you to paste your selection in another application.
If you want to erase your doodles on the page, simply hit on the erase tool and then click and hold the mouse button over the portion that you want to erase. If you want to erase all the inks that you have done on the page, click on the erase tool again, and select Clear All Ink.
Quickly Share Your Files
If you find a file in Explorer that you want to share with other users or upload on social media right away, this Windows 10 feature would help you do that with ease. With the Share Menu, you can also zip, burn, or change your network sharing options, apart from sharing files across platforms.
To share a file, follow these steps:
- Look for the file you want to send:
Pull up File Explorer and then find the file that you wish to share. Take note that you would not be able to share files using apps that do not recognize it (example: .dll files cannot be shared over Facebook). - Click on Share Menu:
This will pull up the sharing menu, which would show you options on how you can share your file. If you have selected a folder instead of an individual file, you would need to zip it first before you can share it to others.
Click on the share button (the circle icon with three dots) to pull up the sidebar. The Share sidebar would contain all the applications or programs that you can share your file with. Again, if your file is not recognizable with a particular application, the program will not show up on the list. - Select the option that works best for you:
The Share sidebar would show programs that you use often. If you want to change what shows up on the list, head over to the Settings menu, and then select System. Pull up the Share tab and make changes to the frequently used apps list. You can also turn on or off sharing for particular applications.
