5 things you didn't know Windows 11 can do

Windows 11 has been with us for nearly two years now, and it's easy to take it for granted. However, there are some hidden gems in there that you need to know about.

Scroll on to find out our experts' top five quick tips to improve the way you work with your PC. 

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1. Right-click for a simpler Start menu

Instead of left-clicking the Start button to bring up Windows’ familiar Start menu, try right-clicking it.

This gets you a less graphical menu with different options, including going straight to parts of the Settings app or the Device Manager, opening Task Manager, the Search box or an Explorer window, and a Desktop option that minimises all apps.

There are Shutdown and Restart options there, too.

If you haven't yet upgraded to Windows 11 and you're not sure if your computer is compatible, use our free Windows 11 requirements checker tool 

2. See your clipboard history

Type Clipboard into your Windows search bar and select Clipboard settings. 

Select the first Clipboard history toggle to switch it on. This lets you copy multiple items to your Clipboard history. You can use the Windows key + V to bring up a list of items you’ve copied, including text and images, ready to be pasted.

If you have more than one Windows device using the same account, select Share across devices and follow the onscreen instructions to sync the Clipboard across your devices. This means you can copy on one device and paste onto another.

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3. Make Explorer easier

New in the Windows 11 October 2022 update, you can bring Explorer windows together like tabs in a web browser, instead of having multiple windows scattered over your screen.

Click the yellow Explorer folder to open it. Next, click the + button at the top of the window next to the title, just as you would to open a new window in your browser. Another tab will open, displaying the Home view, and you can navigate around your files and folders as normal. 

Individual tabs can be closed, while closing the window closes them all.

4. Use WhatsApp on your PC

There’s a WhatsApp app for Windows on the Microsoft store, meaning you’re not stuck with Skype, Teams or Zoom when you want to talk to someone.

It needs to be linked to the WhatsApp account on your phone – a simple process involving a QR code.

Once that’s done, you can access your chats and type messages using your PC, rather than having to get your phone out.

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5. Quick-launch pinned apps 

It’s not particularly obvious, but you can quick-launch apps you’ve pinned to the Windows 11 taskbar using the Windows key on your keyboard and a number.

Your pinned apps start to the right of the video camera Chat icon in the taskbar. Windows key + 1 opens the first, Windows key + 4 opens the fourth and so on.

If you pin a new app between two others, it will take the place of the one it moves to the right.

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