9 Change default apps
Would you prefer links to open in Chrome or videos to open
in VLC? It’s easy to change the defaults for all kinds of apps: go
into Settings > Apps > Default Apps. You can’t specify an app that
isn’t already installed on your PC, but you can look for appropriate
ones in the Store. You can also specify apps for particular file types
by scrolling down to Choose Default Apps By File Type.
7
Drag to the desktop
We’re big fans of desktop shortcuts: they’re a great way of
accessing the things we use most often without having to delve
into the Start menu every time. Creating a desktop shortcut
couldn’t be easier: you can drag and drop an app to your Desktop
from the Start menu, or to create a shortcut for a file or folder you
can hold down [Alt] and drag the file or folder from File Explorer.
5
Sign them in
To add someone who isn’t a family member, click on Add
Someone Else To This PC. This works in exactly the same way but it
doesn’t add them to your family, so you won’t be able to use
Windows’ family settings to control what they can and can’t do on
your computer. As before, you can either tell Windows the
person’s existing email address or sign them up for a new address.
10 Read all about it
If you’re considering making changes to your PC’s hardware,
it’s handy to know what you already have. You can get an
overview of your CPU and RAM in Settings > System > About. For
a fuller picture, click Start and type “System Information”. Click on
System Information in the search results and you’ll be able to dig
down to discover the details of your PC’s specification. Q8
Tweak your touch
You can adjust the way the cursor responds in Settings >
Ease of access > Cursor & Pointer: for example, you can make the
cursor easier to see, disable visual feedback for touch or make
feedback more visible. To disable the touchscreen, click Start and
search for “Device Manager”. Look for Human Interface Devices,
expand it and select HID-Compliant Touch Screen.6 Login without a password
In Settings > Accounts > Sign-in Options you can change
the way you login. Some of these are hardware dependent – you
can’t use Windows Hello Face or Windows Hello Fingerprint to
unlock with face or finger recognition if you don’t have a front-
facing camera or fingerprint reader – but you can also set a PIN or
create a swipe pattern to unlock, known as a Picture Password.32 |^ |^ May 2020