While you might have several years of experience using computers, there are a number of ways you could sharpen your ...
While you might have several years of experience using computers, there are a number of ways you could sharpen your skills on your laptop or PC and enhance productivity. These "tips and tricks" can make your life easier and save you a lot of time!
1. Preview all of the tabs you currently have open at once:
If you're like me, you always have too many tabs open. Did you know that you can easily pull up previews of all of the tabs you have open on every screen you're using? Just click on the windows key and the tab key at the same time. You'll immediately see all of your tabs open on each screen.
2. Bring back a tab you accidentally closed:
Speaking on tabs, How many times have you accidentally closed out the wrong tab? Did you know you can re-open it easily and get back to what you were doing? Simply pull up a new tab click on ctrl, shift and T at the same time. Your last browsing window will re-open.
3. Easily lock your computer:
Ever walk away from your computer and forget to lock it? Not only is this dangerous at work because anyone can access your machine while you're away, you also leave yourself vulnerable to giving your kids access to your social media accounts. I know this from an actual occurrence in my life. My 12 year old son got the biggest kick out of getting on to my Facebook page and posting a very immature (but admittingly hilarious statement on my behalf.) That was harmless yet slightly embarrassing but still better then giving someone access to my work emails and files. Here is an easy tip to avoid this. Anytime you are leaving your computer alone, click on the Windows key and the L key to lock your system down immediately.
4. Undo mistaken actions:
Did you know you can undo nearly any action in a Windows operating system? Pressing Ctrl + Z will undo anything you just typed, and also applies to everything else. For example, if you accidentally moved or deleted a file, hitting Ctrl + Z will bring it right back to its original location. Additionally, you can redo anything you undid by pressing Ctrl + Y.
5. Find Your Wi-Fi Password
How often do you forgot your Wi-Fi password? Here is a trick to find it easily. Go to Network and Sharing Center and right-click on the Wi-Fi network connection icon > Wireless Properties. Under the Security tab, you should see a password box with dots in it—click the Show Characters box to see the password appear in plain text.
Apple’s macOS stores Wi-Fi passwords in its keychain, which you can view by opening the Keychain Access app. Press Command + Space to open the Spotlight search dialog, search for “Keychain Access,” and open the app. Use the search bar on the Keychain Access to search for your Wi-Fi network name in the list of saved credentials, then double-click on it to see its password entry. You’ll need to check the Show Password box at the bottom to see the password in plain text.
6. Emoji Keyboard
I love using emojis and this trick makes it really easy to access them whenever you need to send your favorites. To access your emoji keyboard, press the Windows Key +. (period) or Windows + ; (semi-colon) on Windows, and Cmd + Control + Spacebar on MacOS. You can scroll through all the available emojis and categories or search the full list of emojis from the search box at the top of the window. 😊 See, I just did it! 👏👏
7. Cut Down on the Number of Apps Running at Startup
If your PC is taking too long to start up, it could be because you have too many programs running at startup. Here is how you can easily reduce them, allowing your PC to boot up faster. On most Windows computers, you can access the Task Manager by pressing Ctrl+Shift+Esc, then clicking the Startup tab. Select any program in the list and click the Disable button if you don’t want it to run on startup. This should speed up your start up time.
I hope you find some of these tips and tricks useful and can use them in your daily life at work and at home. I know everyone is looking for ways to increase efficiency and productivity. I know that personally, I use these tricks all of the time and they have definitely made my life easier!
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Thanks for reading, now go forth and emoji! 😁