Andy Rathbone - Windows 11 For Dummies

After opening the Start menu, keyboard owners can simply begin typing the name of their desired app or program, like this: facebook. As you type, Windows lists all the apps matching what you’ve typed so far, eventually narrowing down the search to the runaway.

If the apps you see don’t reflect the way you work, it’s time to customize the Start menu to meet your needs. Head for this chapter’s upcoming “ Customizing the Start menu” section for a heads up.

It’s fairly easy to move from one open app to another. Because they’re all open in windows on your desktop, you just click the app you want: It pops to the forefront, ready for work. (For more details about the desktop, flip ahead to Chapter 3.)

But what if the windows overlap, and you can’t spot the one you want?

Whether you’re running Windows on a PC, laptop, or tablet, you can bring any missing app to the forefront by following these two quick steps:

1 Click or tap the Task View button.The screen clears, and Windows displays miniature views of your open apps and programs, as shown in Figure 2-6.

2 Tap or click any thumbnail to return the app or program to full size.

These three tips can help you keep track of your running apps as well as close the ones you no longer want open:

Currently running apps and programs also appear as icons on the taskbar, the narrow strip along the bottom of the screen. (I cover the taskbar in Chapter 3.) Icons for apps that are open on the desktop have a little line or dot beneath them. FIGURE 2-6:Click the Task View button to see thumbnail views of each of your currently running apps and programs.

To close an unwanted app shown in thumbnail view, click or tap the X that appears in its upper-right corner. (The X only appears when your mouse pointer hovers over the thumbnail.) With a mouse, you can also right-click the app’s thumbnail, and choose Close from the pop-up menu.

After you close an app, the miniature views of the other running apps remain onscreen, letting you either switch to them or close them. Or to leave the Task View mode, click or tap the desktop, away from the windows.

The Windows Start menu comes stocked with several free apps, each represented by an icon. Every icon sports a label beneath it, helping you know what’s what.

Windows 11 only shows icons on the Start menu. It no longer shows the animated “live tiles” found in Windows 10.

Here are some of the most popular Windows 11 apps, ready to be launched at the click of a mouse or touch of a finger:

Alarms & Clock: This offers a world clock, timer, and stopwatch, but you’ll probably visit for the alarm clock. It lets you set different wakeup times for every day of the week.

Calculator: With a toggle among standard, scientific, and a variety of converter modes, this app will please grade schoolers, math majors, chefs, and physicists.

Calendar: This app lets you add your appointments or grab them automatically from calendars you’ve already created through your online accounts. It works in tandem with the Mail app, and I cover them both in Chapter 10.

Camera: Covered in Chapter 17, the Camera app lets you snap photos with the camera built into most laptops, tablets, and some desktop PCs.

File Explorer: This app helps you manage your files by moving, copying, deleting, or searching for them. I cover all those tasks in Chapter 5.

Get Help: Click here to begin your journey through Microsoft’s official technical support channels, all covered in Chapter 21.

Get Started: This program walks you through Windows 11, but also introduces Microsoft’s paid services, like OneDrive.

Groove Music: Covered in Chapter 16, this app plays music stored on your PC and on OneDrive, Microsoft’s built-in online storage service.

Mail: Covered in Chapter 10, the Mail app lets you send and receive email from most email accounts, including. Windows Live, Outlook, Yahoo!, and Google. When you enter your account’s name and password, the Mail app sets itself up and automatically adds your contacts.

Maps: Handy for trip planning, the Maps app brings up a version of Microsoft Bing Maps.

Microsoft Edge: The browser in Windows 11, Microsoft Edge, replaces Internet Explorer. (Internet Explorer no longer appears in Windows 11.) I cover Microsoft Edge and web browsing in Chapter 9.

Microsoft Solitaire Collection: This collection of irresistible time wasters includes FreeCell and other games.

Microsoft Store: Covered in Chapter 6, the Microsoft Store is the only way to add more apps on your Start menu. The Microsoft Store also carries some programs you can install on your Windows desktop and Android phone, covered in Chapter 3.

Mixed Reality Portal: This app lets people wear funny-looking expensive headsets and pretend they’re living in a 3D movie.

Movies & TV: Microsoft’s video storefront lets you rent or buy movies and TV shows, as covered in Chapter 17. The app also lets you watch videos you’ve taken with your camera or smartphone.

Office: Click this advertisement to sign up for Microsoft’s online version of Office. Called Office 365, it offers online versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and others, all available through an annual fee.

OneDrive: This term describes the Microsoft internet cubbyhole where you can store your files. By storing them online in OneDrive, covered in Chapter 5, you can access them from nearly any internet-connected computer, phone (both Android and Apple), or tablet.

Photos: Covered in Chapter 17, the Photos app displays photos stored in your computer, as well as on OneDrive, your internet storage space.

Scan: This delightfully simple program bypasses the complicated software bundled with most scanners to do one thing well: Scan your document.

Settings: This takes you to the Windows 11 Settings app, which contains almost all the settings found in the Control Panel from earlier Windows versions. (I cover the Settings app in Chapter 12.)

Teams Chat: This subset of Teams runs inside the Microsoft Edge browser so you can send messages and hold video chats with friends or coworkers.

Tips: Drop by here to see flashcards listing steps for performing simple tasks in Windows 11.

Video Editor: This simple video editor lets you crop videos or stitch photos and videos together with music to create slideshows.

Voice Recorder: The name says it all. When the app appears, click the Microphone icon to begin recording; click the icon again to stop. The app lists your recordings, named by recording date and time, along its left edge for easy retrieval. (Right-click any recording’s name to share, delete, or rename it, as well as to see its location in File Explorer.)

Weather: This weather station forecasts a week’s worth of weather in your area, but only if you grant it permission to access your location information. (Unless your computer has a GPS — Global Positioning System — the app narrows down your location by closest major city rather than street address.)

Windows Security: Click this to access the built-in antivirus program. Flip ahead to Chapter 11for more details.

Your Phone: This newly revamped app helps you link your newer model Android phone with Windows to send and receive texts, access your contacts, make phone calls, see notifications, and even see your phone’s screen on your PC. I cover the Your Phone app in Chapter 12.