Make Windows Better Expert tips for every version
46
WINDOWS 10 & 11On 23 May Microsoft
deactivated the built-in
version of Quick Assist,
which allows people to remotely access
another computer running Windows.
Press Ctrl+Win+Q to launch it and
you’ll be prompted instead to open the
new version, available as an app from
the Microsoft Store. Microsoft said it
made this decision because it
can release security updates
more quickly through apps
than programs.
If you don’t see the option
to open the Microsoft Store
when you press Ctrl+Win+Q,
you should instead search for
Quick Assist by typing its
name in the Store. Click the
‘Get’ button to install it
(which then changes to
Open –^1 in our screenshot).
Note the tool’s new logo: two
overlapping blue screens,
replacing the old logo of two
white screens.Once installed, search for the app via
the Start menu to launch it (don’t press
the Ctrl+Win+Q shortcut). The tool works
the same as before, so either type the
code you’ve received^2 to let someone
access your PC, or click ‘Assist another
person’^3 to remotely access another
person’s machine. For more
instructions, read Microsoft’s updated
guidance: http://www.snipca.com/42050.Install new Quick Assist app
WINDOWS 10 & 11
Change where your
screenshots are saved
When you take a
screenshot using
Windows key+PrtScr, it
is saved to C:\Users\[User Name]\
Pictures\Screenshots. If you want to
change this to another folder, open File
Explorer (press Windows key+E or select
it by right-clicking the Start button), then
navigate to This PC, followed by Pictures.
Now right-click the Screenshots folder
and select Properties in the menu that
appears to bring up the Screenshots
Properties box. You can now type the
file path of the new save location for your
screenshots (^1 in our screenshot below),
or click Move^2 and navigate to the folder.
Click ‘Apply’ at the bottom to make the
change and you’ll be asked whether you
want to move all your existing
screenshots to the new folder. You can
change back by clicking Restore Default.WINDOWS 10 & 11
See PDF previews and
thumbnails in File Explorer
File Explorer sometimes
struggles to show
thumbnails of PDFs even
if you’ve unticked the ‘Always show
icons, never thumbnails’ box – which you
can see by clicking the View tab at the
top, then double-clicking Options on the
right, followed by the View tab in the box
that opens.
You’ll find one solution in Microsoft’s
PowerToys suite of tools (if you’ve not
downloaded it yet, visit http://www.snipca.
com/42073 and click the ‘PowerToys
Setup-0.58.0-x64.exe’ link under the
Assets heading, which was the latest
version at the time of writing). Launch it,
then click ‘File Explorer add-ons’ on the
left (^1 in our screenshot above right),then the slider next to ‘Enable PDF (.pdf)
thumbnails’ on the right^2. While you’re
there, click the slider for ‘Enable PDF (.
pdf) preview’ to also see PDF previews in
File Explorer. You may need to reboot your
computer for these changes to take effect.WINDOWS 11
Add seconds to your taskbar
clock for free
Start11, one of the best
replacements for Windows 11’s
Start menu, recently added the
option to show seconds on the clock that
appears in your taskbar. However, there’s
no free version of Start11 – prices start at
£5.99 (www.snipca.com/42086).
To add seconds for free, install
ElevenClock instead. Visit http://www.snipca.
com/40346 then scroll down to theAssets heading and click
‘ElevenClock.Installer.exe’.
Once it’s installed, click
the up arrow in your
taskbar, then right-click
the program’s icon (red
and black clock hands on
a white background),
followed by ElevenClock Settings at the
top. Now click the ‘Date & Time Settings’
heading (^1 in our screenshot below),
then tick ‘Show seconds on the clock’^2.
You’ll now see the seconds appear on
your taskbar clock^3.3
1
2
(^12)
1
2
2
1
2
3
8 – 21 June 2022 • Issue 633