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 learn about earlier than. To be truthful, Home windows 11 is sort 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 lately began using have considerably boosted my productiveness and improved how I handle my PC, they usually may do the identical for you, too. These options are constructed into Home windows 11 and can be found free of charge, so that you needn’t set up any further software program to start out utilizing them. My solely want is that I might discovered them earlier.

Clipboard historical past

Preserve observe of every little thing you have copied to your clipboard

The primary function I need to spotlight is known as 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 enhancing — that is a simple option to preserve observe of every little thing you have copied so you possibly can entry it later. I am unable to rely what number of instances I’ve copied a picture or hyperlink to incorporate in my notes or ship to somebody, solely to neglect to really do it after which lose it. So, Clipboard historical past has been a lifesaver and a helpful productiveness instrument for copying a number of objects without delay 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 previously 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

Mechanically keep your system’s storage

Subsequent up is Storage Sense, a built-in Home windows 11 instrument that routinely frees up disk area in your system drive (the C: drive) with out deleting any vital recordsdata. Storage Sense deletes objects akin to momentary system recordsdata, recordsdata in your Recycle Bin, and previous Home windows set up recordsdata. 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 sensible, easy, and it helps preserve your PC freed from pointless recordsdata.

Relying in your PC setup, Storage Sense would possibly already be enabled however not configured. To show it on and alter the settings, go to Settings > Storage and toggle on Storage Sense. Whenever you click on on Storage Sense, a menu with varied 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 possibly can 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 assume I am accumulating sufficient pointless recordsdata to justify each day or weekly runs.

Moreover, you possibly can configure it to routinely delete recordsdata out of your Recycle Bin. Once I checked mine, I nonetheless discovered recordsdata from 2024, so I set it to delete recordsdata from the bin after 60 days. You may also set Storage Sense to routinely delete recordsdata out of your Downloads folder as nicely, which is beneficial for clearing out setup recordsdata you have most likely downloaded for putting in apps and not want.

Shake to reduce

Tidy your desktop in seconds

This function is a nifty one, and in case you have a behavior like mine of holding a number of Chrome cases open without delay and working a number of totally different packages concurrently, that is a simple option to reduce all of them immediately to clear up your display. The function is known as “Title bar home windows shake,” and it permits you to shake your at the moment energetic window to reduce every little thing behind it.

This function has been obtainable on Home windows since Home windows 7, when it was first launched as Aero Shake. I’ve discovered it to be a helpful option 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 need to concentrate on, shake it, and all of the home windows behind will probably be minimized, saving you the difficulty of minimizing every one individually. It is each a time-saver and enjoyable to make use of; what’s to not love?

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

If there’s one factor I always 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 enjoying a sport. This lesser-known function permits you to alter the quantity in your PC even quicker, without having to press a button in your keyboard or open the fast settings menu.

All you must 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 option to alter my system quantity on the fly. It is saved my eardrums just a few instances when a video or music is instantly performed at an especially loud quantity. This function ought to work by default with out enabling any settings. Nonetheless, if you happen to encounter points with it, or it isn’t working, the issue can possible 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 quicker

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 recordsdata on my PC a lot quicker. By default, the Home windows Search index is ready to Basic, which suggests Home windows Search solely seems for recordsdata in your Paperwork, Footage, and Music folders, in addition to your Desktop. So, if you happen to retailer recordsdata 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 drawback as a result of enabling it permits Home windows Search to index all of the recordsdata 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, swap the search index from Basic to Enhanced. Whenever you allow Enhanced, it can take a while for Home windows to index all of the recordsdata in your PC, particularly in case you have 1000’s of recordsdata, so it is advisable to 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 drain the battery whereas indexing.