Tutorials

Windows 11 tutorials, tricks, tips, and guides.
Enable or Disable Snap Assist in Windows 11
This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable Snap Assist for your account in Windows 11. The Snap windows feature in Windows allows you to automatically resize and arrange windows on your screen. When you snap a window, Snap Assist will show what you can snap next to it. Snap Assist significantly speeds up the process of snapping windows side-by-side by offering you a choice of windows to snap by just clicking on a window to snap it. Starting with Windows 11 build 22557, Microsoft improved snap assist to seamlessly animate between zones in a layout for a delightful end-to-end snapping experience. Microsoft has updated the transition animation that shows going from one snapped window state to another. Snap some windows using...
System
Enable or Disable "Display file icon on thumbnails" in Windows 11
This tutorial will show you how to turn on or off "Display file icon on thumbnails" for your account in Windows 10 and Windows 11. Sometimes when you view the thumbnails of files in File Explorer, an icon of the file type for its default app may show in the lower right corner of the thumbnail. You can turn off "Display file icon on thumbnails" to no longer see the icon overlay on the lower right corner of the thumbnail. Option One: Turn On or Off "Display file icon on thumbnails" in Folder Options Option Two: Turn On or Off "Display file icon on thumbnails" using REG file Option Three: Turn On or Off "Display file icon on thumbnails" in Registry Editor EXAMPLE: Display file icon on thumbnails Turn On or Off "Display file...
General
Show or Hide Status Bar in File Explorer in Windows 11
This tutorial will show you how to hide or show the status bar in File Explorer for your account in Windows 11. The status bar at the bottom of File Explorer will show you how many items are in and selected for the currently opened folder. The two buttons below are also available on the right side of the status bar. (Ctrl+Shift+6) = Change current folder layout to details view. (Ctrl+Shift+2) = Change current folder layout to large icons view. Setting the status bar to hide or show in File Explorer is a global setting that is applied to all folders, and not just in the current folder. Option One: Show or Hide Status Bar in File Explorer in Folder Options Option Two: Show or Hide Status Bar in File Explorer using REG file Option...
General
Enable or Disable Show Shortened Time and Date on Taskbar in Windows 11
This tutorial will show you how to turn on or off show shortened (abbreviated) time and date on the taskbar system tray clock for your account in Windows 11. The clock on the taskbar system tray shows the system time and date by default. Starting with Windows 11 build 22631.4541 (23H2) and build 22631.4534 (24H2), the system tray shows a shortened date and time. Also, the notification bell icon might not show if you have set the toggle for “Do not disturb” to on. If the bell icon does not show, click the date and time to view your messages in the notification center. You can also get to these settings using the context menu. Just right click the system tray clock or bell icon. Starting with Windows 11 build 22635.4580 (Beta) and...
Personalization
Turn On or Off Show Seconds in System Tray Clock in Windows 11
This tutorial will show you how to turn on or off showing seconds in the taskbar system tray clock for your account in Windows 11. Starting with Windows 11 build 22621.1928, you can now choose to display seconds in the system tray clock. This also includes showing seconds on any added additional clocks. Option One: Turn On or Off Show Seconds in System Tray Clock in Settings Option Two: Turn On or Off Show Seconds in System Tray Clock using REG file Option Three: Turn On or Off Show Seconds in System Tray Clock in Registry Editor EXAMPLE: Show seconds in system tray clock on and off Turn On or Off Show Seconds in System Tray Clock in Settings 1 Open Settings (WIn+I). 2 Click/tap on Personalization on the left side, and...
Time and Language
Add or Remove Notification Bell icon on Taskbar in Windows 11
This tutorial will show you how to add or remove the notification bell icon on the taskbar corner for your account in Windows 11. Notifications will now show as a bell in the system tray and when new notifications come through, the bell will colorize based on your system accent color. When there are no notifications and the clock is visible, the bell will be empty. You can turn on (add) or off (remove) showing the notification bell icon on the taskbar system tray (corner) on demand. Option One: Add or Remove Notification Bell icon on Taskbar in Settings Option Two: Add or Remove Notification Bell icon on Taskbar using REG file Option Three: Add or Remove Notification Bell icon on Taskbar in Registry Editor EXAMPLE: Add or...
Personalization
Restart Windows Explorer.exe Process in Windows 11
This tutorial will show you how to restart the explorer.exe process as needed in Windows 11. The explorer.exe process is the user shell for Windows, and is used by such items as the desktop, File Explorer, Start menu, notification area, and taskbar. Restarting the explorer.exe process is to stop and start it to effectively refresh explorer.exe. When the explorer.exe process has been stopped (aka: "end task"), you will see a blank black desktop with your mouse pointer showing until explorer.exe has been started again. If you are having issues with the explorer.exe process (ex: hang), restarting the explorer.exe process may sort it without having to restart the computer. If you are applying a registry tweak, sometimes you can just...
General
Add or Remove Gallery in File Explorer Navigation Pane in Windows 11
This tutorial will show you how to add or remove Gallery in the navigation pane of File Explorer for your account or all users in Windows 11. Starting with Windows 11 version 22H2 KB5030310 Build 22621.2361, Microsoft is introducing Gallery, a new feature in File Explorer designed to make it easy to access your photo collection. The content in Gallery is the same as what you see in the All Photos view in the Photos app. Your most recently taken photos appear at the top of Gallery. This includes photos from your phone if you have OneDrive Camera Roll Backup set up. Gallery displays the contents of the Pictures library. When you include a folder, the files appear in the Gallery but continue to be stored in their original locations. You...
Personalization
Add Take Ownership to Context Menu in Windows 11
This tutorial will show you how to add Take Ownership to the context menu of all files, folders, and drives for all users in Windows 10 and Windows 11. This will allow you to be able to instantly take ownership of a file, folder (and all contents), or drive (and all contents) by changing the owner to the current user and grant the Owner_Rights SID (for current owner) full access permission. When you right click or press and hold on a file, folder, or drive, click/tap on Show more options, and click/tap on Take Ownership, you will be prompted by UAC for approval first. If a user is signed in as an administrator, then the user would just click/tap on Yes to approve and take ownership. The owner of the file, folder, or drive would be...
Accounts
Clear Windows Update History in Windows 11
This tutorial will show you how to clear the Windows Update history on your Windows 11 PC. Windows Update keeps Windows 11 updated by automatically downloading and installing the latest updates, drivers, and hotfixes released by Microsoft. Reference: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/windows-11-update-history-a19cd327-b57f-44b9-84e0-26ced7109ba9 You can view Windows Update history to see which Feature Updates, Quality Updates, Driver Updates, Definition Updates, and Other Updates have been installed and when on your Windows 11 computer. Sometimes you may need or want to clear your Windows Update history on demand. You must be signed in as an administrator to clear the Windows Update history. EXAMPLE: Windows Update history...
Windows Update
Enable or Disable CPU Virtualization in UEFI BIOS Firmware Settings on Windows PC
This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable Intel ("Intel VT" or "VT-x") or AMD ("AMD-V") CPU virtualization in UEFI/BIOS on Windows 10 and Windows 11 PC. CPU virtualization is a hardware feature found in all current AMD and Intel CPUs that allows a single processor to act as if it was multiple individual CPUs. This allows Windows to more effectively and efficiently utilize the CPU power in the computer so that it runs faster. This feature is also a requirement for many virtual machine software (ex: "Hyper-V") and is required to be enabled in order for them to run properly or even at all. CPU virtualization lets your PC emulate a different operating system, like Android or Linux. Enabling virtualization gives you access to a...
Virtualization
Reset and Clear Open with Context Menu for File Types in Windows 11
This tutorial will show you how to reset the "Open with" context menu for a file type back to default for your account in Windows 10 and Windows 11. The Open with context menu allows you to choose an app to open a file with by default. When you use Open with to select to open a file with an app, that app is added to the "Open with" context menu for that file type for only your account. If wanted, you can reset the "Open with" context menu back to default for a file type to clear all the apps you added from the "Open with" context menu. Starting with Windows 11 build 22567, Microsoft has updated the “Open with” dialog box to align with Windows 11 design principles. The updated dialog box honors light/dark theme. We have also...
Apps

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