Windows 11 Tips & Tricks to Get the Most Out of Your OS

Microsoft consistently delivers innovative solutions tailored to enhance business productivity and collaboration. Windows 11 was released in 2021, with several updates coming out since, refreshing the landscape of the digital workspaces.

But like any change, familiarizing yourself and your teams with the Windows 11 basics can be slightly daunting. You're not alone if you've found yourself pausing, wondering where a certain feature has migrated or how to harness the innovative additions at your fingertips.

Change, especially in the tech stack, often comes with a blend of excitement and re-learning. But here's the silver lining — this isn't just about understanding the changes; it's about leveraging Windows 11 tips to make your workflow smoother.

Windows 11 offers an enhanced user experience, fostering productivity and streamlining tasks. It's a robust ally in your business operations, offering improved efficiency and cutting-edge features. We’ve outlined 18 Windows 11 tips and tricks to ensure you tap into its full potential.

1. Update Your Quick Settings
2. Maximize Performance with Battery Settings
3. Reposition Your Start Button
4. Safeguard Your Privacy
5. Organize Multiple Desktops
6. Find Your Perfect Window Layouts
7. Enable Title Bar Shake
8. Leverage Focus Mode
9. Pin Your Apps
10. Refine Your Start Menu Recommendations
11. Use File Explorer Tabs
12. Customize Your Widgets
13. Control Your Audio Output
14. Dictate with Ease
15. Try Live Captions
16. Get Relief with Dark Mode
17. Update Your Default Apps
18. Get Up-to-Date on Keyboard Shortcuts

1. Update Your Quick Settings

If you want to customize your quick settings to be more personalized to your needs, locate the gear icon in the System Tray. Here, you'll see all the Quick Settings your system currently has.

If you want to add or remove them, click the pencil icon to personalize them for desktop use. By understanding how to optimize these settings, you get more from your Microsoft subscription.

2. Maximize Performance with Battery Settings

There are several locations where you can adjust your battery settings, including Settings. However, the easiest way to adjust your power settings is still in the Control Panel.

If you want to maximize your battery for as long as possible, go to Power Options > Plan Settings > Change Advanced Power Settings. Here, you can customize your plan settings, a collection of system settings like brightness and sleep mode, to ensure optimal performance when you're on the go.

3. Reposition Your Start Button

Microsoft changed the Start button location to try to modernize the look and feel of the desktop, aligning more with contemporary user interface (UI) trends. However, if you prefer to have the button in the same location you've always known, there's an easy way to do it.

To move your Start button from the center, go into Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar Behaviors.

4. Safeguard Your Privacy

Microsoft, like many other companies, tracks its users to personalize ads and your overall experience. However, if you're someone who prefers to protect your privacy, you can prevent your activities from being tracked.

To disable these settings, visit your Settings> Privacy & Security > General. From this menu, you can disable all the settings.

You can also go back to Privacy & Security to visit Diagnostics & Feedback. In this box, Microsoft says that it collects diagnostic data on you to keep your computer up to date. While you can't opt out of this, uncheck the other boxes on this menu to prevent Microsoft from using your data to deliver personalized tips, ads, and recommendations.

There's also a box toward the bottom of the menu that allows you to select whether you want Microsoft to use your diagnostic data and information about websites you browse to enhance your experience. You can turn this off.

5. Organize Multiple Desktops

This feature is one of the most celebrated Windows 11 hacks. Having multiple desktops on one computer helps in organizing work. For example, being able to separate your Teams chats from other tasks can help you improve efficiency and focus.

You could organize multiple desktops using Windows 10, but this feature has been upgraded for Windows 11. To use it, enable the Task View icon in your taskbar. Click the plus signs to add a new desktop and easily switch between them by hovering over the icon and clicking the correct one.

 6. Find Your Perfect Window Layouts

Microsoft computers have a snap-and-resize feature you might have used all the way back in the days of Windows 7. However, Snap Layouts was introduced in the new Windows 11.

With this feature, you can still drag windows to different corners for half and quarter-screen split layouts. However, Windows 11 adds a menu that offers various layout options to make it easier for you to accomplish the task. You can click on this layout menu and then move your apps into place.

7. Enable Title Bar Shake

Title bar shake was available in past editions and allowed you to easily declutter your workspace using a feature that allows you to "shake to minimize." If you've never used it before, shaking an application's title bar minimizes other open applications, allowing you to focus on one task.

With Windows 11, this feature isn't enabled by default. However, if you like this shift motion, feel free to enable it in Settings.

8. Leverage Focus Mode

Focus mode turns off all notifications, allowing you to set a time limit for your focus session. To set focus mode, open the Clock app, click Focus sessions, and create your settings. You can decide how long you want the session to last or view your daily progress to see if you're meeting your goals.

9. Pin Your Apps

One of our favorite tips and tricks for Windows 11 is that the Start menu in Windows 11 allows you to pin apps for easier access. Open the App List, right-click on the app you want to pin, and select Pin to Start.

If you want to remove apps from the menu, right-click and choose Unpin from Start. You can also drag app icons on top of one another to create folders.

10. Refine Your Start Menu Recommendations

If you're someone who can never seem to find their recent files or frequently used apps, refine your Start menu recommendations.

To select what appears in this section of the menu, go to Settings > Personalization > Start.

11. Use File Explorer Tabs

One of the essential tips for Windows 11 users is to use tabs in File Explorer. The File Explorer isn't a new feature, but now you can finally create tabs like in other operating systems.

To create tabs, right-click on a folder and select Open in New Tab.

12. Customize Your Widgets

Windows 11 is more widget-intensive than its predecessor. These widgets are for convenience, allowing you to check the weather or news.

Add new widgets from the widgets gallery by selecting the + icon at the top left side of the taskbar. Once you've found one you like, select Pin. You can also unpin a widget by selecting the three dots in its upper right corner and selecting Unpin Widget.

13. Control Your Audio Output

Controlling your audio output in Windows 11 is just as easy as it was in Windows 10. However, the process looks slightly different. Instead of clicking the speaker on the far right of the taskbar and choosing your device, you'll click the volume icon on the taskbar and the arrow next to the volume bar. From there, switch to your desired device.

This is an important one to get down in case you run into common Microsoft Teams issues with your audio.

14. Dictate with Ease

Another of our favorite Windows 11 tips and tricks is using speech recognition to convert speech into text effortlessly. If you prefer to talk instead of typing, press the Windows logo key + H on your keyboard to use speech recognition to convert what you say into text anywhere on your computer.

15. Try Live Captions

Microsoft 11 comes with Live Captions for videos where the captions appear in a bar on top of your display, although you can change its location. To use Live Captions, open the Settings menu and select Accessibility. From there, click Captions and toggle to On.

16. Get Relief with Dark Mode

Dark mode provides a visually soothing experience, reducing eye strain, especially at night or in low light. If you prefer to work in Dark mode, visit Settings > Personalization > Colors and "Choose Your Mode." From there, customize it to adjust it to your preferences.

17. Update Your Default Apps

To change your default apps, open the Settings menu and click Apps. From there, choose Default apps and click on the default you want to use for a file type.

18. Get Up-to-Date on Keyboard Shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts elevate your experience and make you more efficient on the computer. By minimizing the need for repetitive mouse movements, they can also reduce strain and boost productivity.

A few keyboard shortcuts you should know are:

• Shift + Delete: Skip the recycle bin and permanently delete any selected item.
• Alt + F4: Close the current app or window.
• Alt + Tab: Switch between open apps or windows.

There's a keyboard shortcut for just about anything. Check out these Microsoft Teams tips to discover more.

Increase Productivity By Making Windows 11 Work for You

Try these Windows 11 tips and tricks to acquaint yourself with the interface and master it for maximum productivity.

Even though Windows 11 has been out for several years, many organizations still struggle with it because of the new interface and updated features. Microsoft's revamped user interface is tailored for heightened productivity, but many companies may feel lost.

If mastering Windows 11 seems like a daunting task, contact Ntiva. We offer Microsoft 365 consulting services to ensure companies are maximizing their potential. Our comprehensive suite of services ranges from consultation and training to managed services to improve productivity and improve your security.