177 Best Computer (PC) Tricks and Tips

Are you ready to see best computer tricks and tips? If yes, here they are...

Command Prompt Tricks and Tips

1. Run command prompt as an administrator automatically

Have you ever executed a command using the command prompt? If yes, you probably know that many CMD commands require administrator privileges. Normally the command prompt opens up with the non-admin privileges. But if you want to give the command prompt admin privileges, you have to run cmd.exe as an administrator. To do that on a windows 7 machine, normally you click on the start button and then type "cmd" in the search programs and files box. Then right-click on the cmd icon and select "Run as Administrator".

But if you apply the below trick, you will be able to run the command prompt as an administrator automatically.

Here is how to do it:

First, create a shortcut of the command prompt on the desktop. Then right-click on it and then go to the "Properties".

Then click on the "Advanced" button. A small window will appear.

Select "Run as administrator" and then click on "OK". Then click on "Apply", now you can close the window. Now, whenever you want to access command prompt as an administrator just use the modified shortcut on the desktop.

2. Easy path name entry

When you are typing long path names in the command prompt, don't you get frustrated? Most people do but don't worry I have a trick that can help you enter path names very quickly.

All you have to do is, just drag and drop the particular file or folder onto the command prompt.

Note: This trick doesn't work on an elevated command prompt.

3. Abort any command or program

You can abort any command or program just by pressing Ctrl + C.

4. Watch Star Wars

Yes, you can watch star wars in the command prompt (ASCII version actually). All you have to do is, execute this command in the command prompt:

telnet towel.blinkenlights.nl

You will see the movie immediately. Enjoy!!

For this trick to work, you must enable Telnet on your computer.

Here is how to enable Telnet:

If you are using Windows 10, right-click on the start button and select "Programs and Features". then click on "Turn Windows features on or off". Then select "Telnet client" and click on "OK". Enabling telnet feature may take some time, so be patient.

If you are a windows 7 or Windows 8 or Windows XP user, read How To Enable Telnet In Windows 7.

5. Find a website's IP address

You can find a website's IP address using either nslookup command or the ping command.

Now I'm going to show you how to do it, first using the nslookup command:

Open command prompt, then enter "nslookup <website's address>"

For example, if I want to find TechAxio's IP address, I will execute a command like this:

nslookup techaxio.com

As you can see in the above image, the IP address of Techaxio.com is 216.239.36.21.

Using the ping command, the command for finding the IP address of Techaxio will look like this:

ping techaxio.com

6. View a command's results one page at a time

Some commands display a lot of information on the screen, and most of the time that is very annoying. If you don't want that to happen, all you have to do is, include the pipe character and the more command to the end of the command. This will pause each page of results with -- More -- at the bottom of the page.

For example, dir /s | more

If you want to see the next page, press the spacebar. If you want to see the next line, press the Enter key.

7. Customize the prompt text

Yes, you read that correctly, you can customize the prompt text any way you want. Instead of C:\users\user>, you can have your name, special characters, current time, current date, blank space, or the windows version number as the prompt text.

Use the following command to change the prompt text:

Prompt <your name or the special codes>

Here are the special codes you can use with the prompt command:

$A & (Ampersand)
$B | (pipe)
$C ( (Left parenthesis)
$D Current date
$E Escape code (ASCII code 27)
$F ) (Right parenthesis)
$G > (greater-than sign)
$H Backspace (erases the previous character)
$L < (less-than sign)
$N Current drive
$P Current drive and path
$Q = (equal sign)
$S (space)
$T Current time
$V Windows version number
$_ Carriage return and line feed
$$ $ (dollar sign)

If Command Extensions are enabled, the PROMPT command will support the following additional formatting characters:

$+ zero or more plus sign (+) characters depending upon the depth of the PUSHD directory stack, one character for each level pushed.

$M Displays the remote name associated with the current drive letter or the empty string if current drive is not a network drive.

8. Save a command's result to a file

With the help of the redirection operators, you can save a command's results to a file. It is very easy to do, here is an example:

dir > g:\output.txt

If you execute the above command, you will see the output of command "dir" in the "output.txt" file.

9. Customize title bar text

Another customization trick, this one lets you customize the command prompt title bar text any way you like. You can set the title text to your name, hacker moniker, or whatever you want.

Here is how to do it:

First, enter the command "title" and then enter the text you want to display on the title bar. Then execute the command by pressing the Enter key.

Note: This is not a permanent change, when you open the command prompt next time, the title bar will be back to normal.

10. Open the command prompt from anywhere

Moving through the folders using the command prompt can be really frustrating, but don't worry, I have a trick up in my sleeve that can help you to open a command prompt window from any folder. All you have to do is, go to the folder you want to start working from, and then hold down the "Shift" key while you right-click anywhere in the folder, and then select "Open command window here". That's all.

11. Command prompt and the function keys

You may already know all the CMD commands, but that will not make you a power user, you also need to learn to use the function keys with the command prompt. So here they are,

F1: Pastes the last executed command (character by character)

F2: Pastes the last executed command (up to the entered character)

F3: Pastes the last executed command

F4: Deletes current prompt text up to the entered character

F5: Pastes recently executed commands (does not cycle)

F6: Pastes ^Z to the prompt

F7: Displays a selectable list of previously executed commands

F8: Pastes recently executed commands

F9: Asks for the number of the command from the F7 list to paste

F11: Activate/deactivate full screen

12. Help for any command

Did you know that the help command doesn't provide help for every command? But no problem, I have a solution for this, the HELP SWITCH.

Help switch is an option that you can use to get a detailed information about a command's syntax and some examples.

Here is how to use the help switch command:

Let's say, I want to get a detailed information about the "copy" command, I will execute the following command:

copy /?

13. View a drive's directory structure

Do you like to see the entire directory structure of a drive in the command prompt? If yes, then just execute the command "tree" at the root directory of the drive.

14. Copy text from command prompt

Copying text from the command prompt is not like a normal copying of text, it is a bit different. Here is how to copy text from the command prompt:

First, right-click anywhere in the command prompt window and select "Mark", and then highlight the text with your left mouse button. After completing the selection, press the "Enter" key. The text should now be copied.

15. Restart or ShutDown another computer

If you have a network of computers, you can shutdown or restart them from your computer just by using your command prompt. But first, you have to configure the settings. To do that, execute the "shutdown /i"command, a Remote Shutdown Dialog will open up.

Click on "Add" and enter the name of the remote computer(s). Then select an option from the drop down menu (Shutdown, Restart, Annotate Unexpected Shutdown), deactivate or activate warning message, and specify and describe the event. Now, click on "OK".

This is a powerful trick that can also be used to prank someone.

16. Access previously used commands using arrow keys

Most of the people use arrows keys to move the cursor in the command prompt. These keys can also be used to access previously used commands -- press up and down arrows keys to access previous commands.

If you work on the command prompt a lot, apply this trick and I'm sure you will save a lot of time.

17. Map local folders as a network drive

You can set your favorite folder as a drive. Here is how to do it:

Let's say I want to set G:\Android as the Z drive, I will use the following command.

subst Z: G:\Android

18. Automatically complete commands

If you don't remember the file or folder name in a command, simply press the "Tab" key to cycle through all of the available possibilities. For example, let's say you want to move to a particular folder in the E drive, but you don't remember the name of the folder. In such a situation, after entering the command, simply press the "Tab" key over and over to find the folder you are looking for.

19. Quick Edit Mode for easy Copy and Paste

I told you a normal way to copy text from the command prompt. This one is an easy way to copy and paste in command prompt.

Here is how to do it:

First, right-click on the Command Prompt title bar and select "Properties".

Then check the "Quick Edit Mode" box and then click on "OK". Now you will be able to copy the text just by selecting it, and you can paste the copied text just by right-clicking.

Note: The Quick Edit mode is enabled by default in Windows 10.

20. Backup files using command prompt

You can use a command called "robocopy" to backup your files using the command prompt. This command is actually one of the most powerful commands in the cmd.

Let's say you want to backup the "Animation works" folder in the G drive to a folder called "backup" which is in the "I" drive, the command should look something like this:

robocopy g:\animation works I:\backup /copyall /e /r:0 /dcopy:t /mir

You can create your own backup solution using this trick, all you have to do is, create a script file containing the command and schedule it to run in Task Scheduler.

21. Run multiple commands

You can easily run multiple commands by adding "&&" between the commands.

For example, if I want to run the date and the ipconfig command, I will execute a command like this:

date && ipconfig

22. View extensions and the associated programs

Enter assoc in the command prompt and press the Enter key. You will see all the extensions and their associated programs (see the below image).

23. View all installed drivers

Execute the "driverquery" command and then you will see all the drivers installed on your computer.

24. View important network information

Type ipcopnfig /all in the command prompt and then hit the Enter key.

25. Scan and repair system files

Yes, you can scan and repair system files right from the command prompt. All you have to do is, simply execute the following command from an elevated command prompt.

sfc /scannow

26. Customize command prompt Layout, Font, and Colors

If you want to customize the command prompt layout, right-click on the command prompt title bar and select "Properties". Then select the "Layout" tab.

Now adjust the values according to your needs and then click on "OK".

To customize the font, go to command prompt's properties and then select the "Font" tab.

If colors are the thing you want to customize, go to the "colors" tab and then modify the values as you want.

27. Create CON, PRN, AUX, CLOCK$, NUL, COM1, COM2, COM3, COM4, COM5, COM6, COM7, COM8, COM9, LPT1, LPT2, LPT3, LPT4, LPT5, LPT6, LPT7, LPT8, and LPT9 folders

Have you ever tried to create one of those folders? If not, I think you should try because believe it or not, these are the folder names that cannot be created using normal methods.

Here is how to create the impossible folders:

Let's say you want to create a folder named CON in the C drive, you will need to execute the following command.

md \\.\c:\con

These type of folders are also undeletable (kind of), so if you want to delete such a folder, you will need to execute this kind of command:

rd \\.\c:\con

28. Compare two text files

You read that right! You can compare text files using the command prompt. It is not good as third-party file comparison tools, but at least it is free...

To compare two text files. first, enter the command "fc" and then enter both file's pathnames. Then execute the command by pressing the Enter key.

For example, let's say you want to compare "text1.txt" and "text2.txt" in the desktop, you will need to execute a command as shown below.

fc c:\users\gokul\desktop\text1.txt c:\users\gokul\desktop\text2.txt

If both files are different, then it will show you the difference. But if both files are the same, it will show you a message that says "no differences encountered".

29. Create the Matrix effect

Are you a fan of Matrix trilogy? If yes, then you will love this trick.

To create the matrix falling code effect, first, copy the code given below in Notepad.

@echo off
color 02
:loop
echo %random%%random%%random%%random%%random%%random%%random%%random%%random%%random%
goto loop

Then save it as "matrix.bat". Then run the .bat file, you will see the matrix effect!

or you can use the following code for a different effect.

@echo off
:a
color 2
echo 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1
ping localhost -n 1 > nul
echo 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 a f h 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0
echo 1 0 0 1 1 0 9 8 1 2 0 1 9 9 2 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 1
ping localhost -n 1 > nul
echo 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 01 0 1 0 0 1 0
ping localhost -n 1 > nul
echo 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 9 1 1 2 1 1 0 9 1 0 5 7 7 8 7 8 1 3 2 1 2 1 2 3 2 1 3 4
ping localhost -n 1 > nul
echo 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 4 1 2 1 1 2 0 1 0 1 2 2 1 0 1 1 0 1
goto a

30. Shutdown computer

You can shutdown your computer with the command prompt, and the best part about this trick is that it allows you to customize the shutdown process (a little bit).

For normal shutdown, restart, and logoff, you can use the following commands respectively.

shutdown -s
shutdown -r
shutdown -l

If you want to shutdown the computer in a specific time, let's say, after 2 minutes, execute the following command.

shutdown -s -t 120

And, if you want the computer to display a message before shutdown, just add the comment option to the above command. That is,

shutdown -s -t 120 -c "This is my message, here you can type whatever you want"

31. Clear local DNS cache

Simply execute "ipconfig/flushdns" command in the command prompt. It should clear/reset the contents of the DNS client resolver cache.

32. Copy command's results to clipboard directly

Just add the command "| clip" at the end of the command.

Example: Dir | clip

33. Trace the path of packets

You can know the path traveled by your packets when it needs to get to a particular site/server. All you have to do is, use the command "tracert".

Example: Tracert www.google.com

This command also allows you to track the timings of the each hop.

34. View the status of your network, number of active connections and open ports

Simply execute "netstat" command, and it will list the status of your network, the number of active connections and the open ports in your system along with their current states.

35. Get a power efficiency report

Yes, you can get a detailed report on your laptop's power efficiency without using any third party software. All you need is an elevated command prompt.

Here is how to get a power efficiency report:

Open command prompt as an administrator, then execute the following command.

powercfg -energy -output c:\Energy_Report.html

Now open the C drive and then open the Energy_Report.html file. You will see the power efficiency report.

36. Activate wifi hotspot using command prompt

First, press Win key + R, and then type ncpa.cpl in the run box and hit the Enter key. You will see the network connections window.

Right-click on your wireless network adapter and select "Properties". Then select the "Sharing" tab.

Then check the "Allow other network users to connect through this computer's Internet connection" box, and click on "OK".

Now open command prompt as an administrator and then execute the following command:

netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid="WiFiHotSpot" key="12345678"

The hotspot network is now created. The ssid value is the name of your network and the key is the password.

To start the hotspot network, execute the following command.

netsh wlan start hostednetwork

Enjoy!!

Moving onto the next category.....

Notepad Tricks and Tips

1. Test your antivirus

You can test your antivirus program's effectiveness just by using the notepad. This technique is known as EICAR (European Institute for Computer Antivirus Research) antivirus test.

Here is how to test your antivirus:

First, open the notepad and then copy the below code in the notepad.

X5O!P%@AP[4\PZX54(P^)7CC)7}$EICAR-STANDARD-ANTIVIRUS-TEST-FILE!$H+H*

Then save it on your computer. If your antivirus program is a good one, it will immediately detect this file.

2. Open and close CD/DVD drive continuously

Copy this code in the notepad:

Set oWMP = CreateObject("WMPlayer.OCX.7")
Set colCDROMs = oWMP.cdromCollection
do
if colCDROMs.Count >= 1 then
For i = 0 to colCDROMs.Count -1
colCDROMs.Item(i).Eject
Next
For i = 0 to colCDROMs.Count -1
colCDROMs.Item(i).Eject
Next
End If
wscript.sleep 5000
loop

Then save it as prank.vbs. Now open the file, your CD/DVD drive should go crazy! If you saw some errors, comment below, I'm happy to help.

If you use this trick with a little bit of creativity, you can turn this into a perfect virus prank.

3. Convert text into audio

Open notepad and paste the below code in it.

Dim msg, sapi
msg=InputBox("Enter your text for conversion:","Text-To-Audio Converter")
Set sapi=CreateObject("sapi.spvoice")
sapi.Speak msg

Then save it as "text2audio.vbs". Now open the file, you should see a small window like this:

Enter the text you want to convert to speech in the text field, and then click on "OK". You will hear the audio immediately.

4. Annoy anyone with repeating messages

Do you want to annoy someone very badly? If yes, I'm going to show you a trick that can really annoy someone and make them shutdown the computer...

Copy this code:

@ECHO off
:loop
msg * Hello
msg * How are you?
msg * I'm good!
msg * Do you know your system is....
msg * HACKED!!!
GOTO loop

Paste it in the notepad, and then save it as "message.bat". Send this file to someone you want to annoy. When they open this file, they will see repeating messages!

You can also take this to a next level by mixing this trick with the "Fake Virus" trick.

5. Shutdown computer with a funny message

Copy and paste the below code in notepad.

@echo off
msg * Please stop tinkering...
shutdown -c "You are making me angry, I'm going to die!" -s

Save the file as "funnycomp.bat". Then open the file, it will show the messages and goes to shutdown.

6. Toggle keyboard keys continuously

Save the below codes as *.vbs file. Then open them to see the effect!

Caps Lock key:

Set wshShell =wscript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
do
wscript.sleep 100
wshshell.sendkeys "{CAPSLOCK}"
loop

Enter Key:

Set wshShell = wscript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
do
wscript.sleep 100
wshshell.sendkeys "~(enter)"
loop

Backspace Key:

Set wshShell =wscript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
do
wscript.sleep 100
wshshell.sendkeys "{bs}"
loop

As you can see in the above codes, the only thing changed is the keywords inside the curly braces. So if you want to, you can change them and do something creative.

Here are some keywords that represent major keys on the keyboard:

BREAK
DELETE
DOWN
END
ESC
HELP
HOME
INSERT
LEFT
NUMLOCK
PGDN
PGUP
PRTSC
RIGHT
SCROLLLOCK
TAB
UP

7. Type a message continuously

Paste the following code in the notepad file:

Set wshShell = wscript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
do
wscript.sleep 100
wshshell.sendkeys "Type the message here."
loop

Then save the file with any name but with .vbs extension. Then open the file, then try to type something, you will see the magic!

8. Open any program continuously

Open notepad and then paste the following code on the notepad:

@ECHO off
:top
START Enter the path of the program here.
GOTO top

Then save the file with any name but with .bat extension and close it. Now open the file to see the code in action.

9. Create a dated log or journal file on notepad

This allows you to create a Dated Log or a Journal File that automatically inserts current date and time when you open the file.

To do this trick, first open the notepad, and Type .LOG in the first line. Then save the files as log.txt.

Now, you can write anything into the file. That's all.

10. Keyboard LED dance

Your keyboard has three LEDs above the numpad -- Scroll Lock, Caps Lock and Num Lock. You can make them continually on and off, creating dancing effects. To create this effect, you have to open the notepad first. Then paste this code in it:

Set wshShell =wscript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
do
wscript.sleep 100
wshshell.sendkeys "{CAPSLOCK}"
wshshell.sendkeys "{NUMLOCK}"
wshshell.sendkeys "{SCROLLLOCK}"
loop

Then save the file with any name but with .vbs extension and close it. Then open the file, the LED lights will start dancing.

11. Format C drive

This is a dangerous Notepad trick, so don't try it on your computer, try it on a virtual machine or something.

Paste the following binary code in the notepad.

01100110011011110111001001101101011000010111010000 100000011000110011101001011100 0010000000101111010100010010111101011000

Then save it as "virus.exe" or something else with .exe extension and close the file.

12. Create fake Windows errors

To create a fake windows errors, paste the following code in the notepad first.

X=Msgbox("Message Here",0+16,"Title Here")

Then enter your message and title in the code. and then save it as "fake error.vbs". Now, open the file and you will see the error message.

13. World trade center attack trick

This trick is actually world famous because of a hoax. Yes, a hoax made this trick world famous!

What was the hoax?

The flight number of the plane that had hit WTC on 9/11 was Q33NY.

If you type Q33NY in a notepad and change it's font to Wingdings (also change the font size if you want), you will see a plane going for 2 building shaped structures and then a death symbol.

14. Change the Header/Footer of your notepad printout

If you print something from a notepad, you probably get a printout that starts with "Untitled" or the filename at the top, and "Page" on the bottom. You can change that every easily.

Here is how to do it:

Open notepad, and then go to File > Page Setup.

Then replace the text in the "Header" and "Footer" box with any of the following codes.

&l Left-align the characters that follow

&c Center the characters that follow

&r Right-align the characters that follow

&d Print the current date

&t Print the current time

&f Print the name of the document

&p Print the page number

Then click on "OK".

15. Create thousands of folders under a minute

Open the notepad and then paste the following code in the notepad.

@echo off
:top
md %random%
goto top

Then save it as "folder.bat". Now, open the file to create the folders.

16. Display your favorite quote on boot

Open notepad and copy the following code.

msgbox("Enter Your Favourite Quote Here")

Enter your favorite quote in the code and then save the file as "quote.vbs". Then open the file, if it is displaying the quote, copy the file and then paste it in the startup folder.

You can find the Startup folder at this location:

C:\Users\PCNAME\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs

Moving onto the next category....

Keyboard Tricks and Tips

1. Make all open windows transparent

Win Key + Spacebar

This allows you to view all the icons and gadgets on the desktop.

2. Show or hide the desktop

Win Key + D

This shortcut can minimize all the open windows at once. If you press the keys again, the minimized windows will revert.

3. Enable high contrast

Shift + Alt + PrntScrn

This will enlarge the font, turn desktop and white backgrounds into black, and black text to white.

4. Rotate screen

Ctrl + Alt + [up/down/left/right arrow]

This command allows you to rotate the screen any way you want.

5. Switch between running programs

Alt + Tab or Ctrl + Alt + Tab

These shortcuts allow you to cycle through open windows.

6. Bypass Recycle Bin

Shift + Del

Select a file and then press the combination above, it will invoke a delete confirmation dialog. Then click on the "Yes" button to delete the file without sending it to the Recycle Bin.

7. Dock selected window to the left or right half of the screen

Win key + left arrow

or

Win key + right arrow

8. Minimize all but selected window

Win key + Home

or

Click and hold the title bar of the program you're working in, then shake it back and forth rapidly.

9. Maximize and restore the selected window

Win key + up arrow - Maximizes the window

or

Win key + down arrow - Restores the window

10. Maximize and restores selected window in vertical dimension

Win key + Shift + up arrow

or

Win key + Shift + down arrow

11. 3D representation of open windows (3D effect is only on Windows 7)

Win key + Tab

This shortcut launches a 3D representation of open windows and you can flip through them by pressing the Tab key.

12. Cycle through the items in the taskbar left to right or right to left

Win key + T - left to right

Windows + Shift + T - right to left

13. Focus on the 'show hidden icons' button on the system tray

Win key + B

14. Launch first nine apps on taskbar

Win key + 1 to 9

15. Start new instance of respective taskbar app

Win key+ Shift + 1 to 9

or

Shift + Click a taskbar button

16. Cycle through multiple instances of the respective taskbar app

Win key + Ctrl + 1 to 9

17. Open jump list for respective taskbar app

Win key + Alt + 1 to 9

18. Move selected window from one monitor to another (In multi-monitor setup)

Win key + Shift + right arrow

Win key + Shift + left arrow

19. Select presentation display mode

Win key + P

20. Activates windows Magnifier to zoom in or out of screen

Win key + [+] OR Win key + [-]

Press Win + Esc to exit the Magnifier.

21. Switch to docked mode

Ctrl + Alt + D

22. Switch to lens mode

Ctrl + Alt + L

23. Switch from docked or lens mode back to full-screen mode

Ctrl + Alt + F

24. Invert colors

Ctrl + Alt + I

25. Cycle through desktop gadgets

Win key + G

26. Launch Windows Mobility Center

Win key + X

27. Display help

Press the F1 key to get the help page/window.

28. Rename the selected item

Press the F2 key to rename any selected item.

29. Activate Search

Press the F3 key to activate the search.

30. Display address bar list in file explorer

Just press F4 key.

31. Refresh active window

Press the F5 key to refresh the active window or press Ctrl + R.

32. Cycle through screen elements in a window or on the desktop

Press the F4 key.

33. Activate the menu bar

You can activate the menu bar of any active app just by pressing the F10 key.

34. Close the active item or exit the active app

Alt + F4

35. Cycle through items in the order in which they were opened

Alt + Esc

36. Display properties for the selected item

Alt + Enter

37. Open the shortcut menu for the active window

Alt + Spacebar

38. Browse back

Alt + Left Arrow

39. Browse forward

Alt + Right arrow

40. Move up one screen

Alt + Page Up

41. Move down one screen

Alt + Page Down

42. Close the active document

Ctrl + F4

43. Select all items in a document or window

Ctrl+ A

44. Copy the selected item

Ctrl + C or Ctrl + Insert

45. Paste the selected item

Ctrl + V or Shift + Insert

46. Cut the selected item

Ctrl + X

47. Delete the selected item (move to the recycle bin)

Ctrl + D

48. Undo an action

Ctrl + Z

49. Redo an action

Ctrl + Y

50. Zoom in or out

Ctrl + + or Ctrl + -

51. Change the size of desktop icons or zoom in or out

Ctrl + mouse scroll wheel

52. Move the cursor to the beginning of the next word

Ctrl + Right Arrow

53. Move the cursor to the beginning of the previous word

Ctrl + Left Arrow

54. Move the cursor to the beginning of the next paragraph

Ctrl + Down Arrow

55. Move the cursor to the beginning of the previous paragraph

Ctrl + Up Arrow

56. Select multiple individual items in a window or on the desktop

Ctrl + Arrow + Spacebar

57. Select a block of text

Ctrl + Shift + Arrow

58. Open the start screen

Ctrl + Esc or Win key

59. Open Task Manager

Ctrl + Shift + Esc

60. Switch the keyboard layout when multiple keyboard layouts are available

Ctrl + Shift

61. Display the shortcut menu for the selected item

Shift + F10

62. Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text within a document

Shift + Arrow

63. Open Charms

Win key + C

64. Open File Explorer

Win key + E

65. Open the Search charm and search for files

Win key + F

66. Open the Share charm

Win key + H

67. Open the Settings charm

Win key + I

68. Open the Devices charm

Win key + K

69. Lock your PC or Switch the user

Win key + L

70. Minimize all windows

Win key + M

71. Lock device orientation

Win key + O

72. Open the Search charm to search everywhere or within the open app

Win key + Q

73. Open the Run dialog box

Win key + R

74. Open the Search charm to search Windows and the web

Win key + S

76. Open Ease of Access Center

Win key + U

77. Cycle through notifications

Win key + V or Win key + Shift + V

78. Temporarily peek at the desktop

Win key + ,

79. Display the System Properties

Win key + Pause Break

80. Show the commands available in the app

Win key + Z

81. Search for PCs on your network

Win key + Ctrl + F

82. Restore minimized windows on the desktop

Win key + Shift + M

83. Open the desktop and open a new instance of the app located at the given position on the taskbar as an administrator

Win key + Ctrl + Shift + 1 to 9

or

Ctrl+ Shift + click a taskbar button

84. Cycle through recently used apps

Win key + Tab or Win + Ctrl + Tab or Win key + Shift + Tab

85. Switch to the app that displayed a message in the notification area

Win key + Ctrl + B

86. Open Narrator

Win key + Enter

87. Initiate IME reconversion

Win key + /

88. Open Windows Media Center

Win key + Alt + Enter

89. Select the address bar

Alt + D

90. Select the search box

Ctrl + E or Ctrl + F

91. Open new window

Ctrl + N

92. Close the active window

Ctrl + W

93. Maximize or minimize the active window

Press F11 key

94. Select the top of the active window

Press Home key

95. Select the bottom of the active window

Press the End key

96. Display the current selection (if it’s collapsed), or select the first subfolder

Press the Right Arrow key

97. Collapse the current selection (if it’s expanded), or select the folder that the folder was in

Press the Left Arrow key

98. View the previous folder

Press the Backspace key or Alt + Left Arrow

99. View the folder that the folder was in

Alt + Up Arrow

100. View the next folder

Alt + Right Arrow

101. Open the Properties dialog box for the selected item

Alt + Enter

102. Display the preview pane

Alt + P

103. Display the contents of the selected folder

Num Lock + +

104. Collapse the selected folder

Num Lock + -

105. Display all subfolders under the selected folder

Num Lock + *

106. Create a new folder

Ctrl + Shift + N

107. Display all folders above the selected folder

Ctrl + Shift + E

108. Change the size and appearance of file and folder icons

Ctrl + Mouse Scroll Wheel

109. Quickly launch a new instance of a program

Shift + Open the program

110. Copy a file/folder path to the Clipboard

Select the file and them hold down the shift key and right-click the file or folder you want, then select "Copy as path".

111. Show the window menu for the app

Shift + Right-click a Taskbar Button

112. Show the window menu for the group

Shift + Right-click a Grouped Taskbar Button

113. Cycle through the windows of the Group

Ctrl + Click a Grouped Taskbar Button

114. Get new folder locations in the basic "Send to" menu

Hold down the Shift key as you right-click a file or folder.

Miscellaneous

1. Block porn sites without using a third party software

Go to control panel > Network and sharing center.

Then click on the connections, here it is the "Ethernet", you will see a window as shown below.

Click on "Properties".

Then select "Internet Protocol Version (TCP/IP4)" and click on "Properties".

Internet Protocol Version (TCP/IP4) Properties Window

Select "Use the following DNS server address" and then enter the following DNS addresses:

Preferred DNS: 199.85.126.20

Alternate DNS: 199.85.127.20

Then click on "OK" and close rest of the windows.

That's all, it's done!

2. Change Windows 7 start button

Yes, you can change the windows 7 start button! If you are interested, read this article: How To Change Windows 7 Start Menu Button.

3. Add new locations to the send to menu

First, create shortcuts of the folder locations you want to add to the Send To menu. Then open Explorer and then type shell:sendto in the location bar, then hit the enter key. You will see a folder as shown below.

Then move the shortcuts to this folder. That's all!

4. Add checkboxes to items

Normally when you want to select multiple files or folders, what do you do?

Hold down the Ctrl button and click on each item, right?

You don't need the keyboard to select multiple files/folders, you can just use the mouse to do this. How??? It is simple, go to Start Menu's search bar and type Folder options, then hit the Enter key. A window will open up.

Then select the "View" tab.

Scroll down the Advanced settings options, and then check the "Use check boxes to select items" checkbox. Then click on "Apply" and "OK".

5. God Mode

GodMode Gives you access to windows hidden customization options! It is actually a developer tool that collates the operating system's far-flung customization options into a single location.

How To Enable GodMode?

Right-click on the windows desktop and New > Folder. Name it GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}. That's all, now you got the window to the GodMode, open it and experience the power!

6. Remove old windows OS files easily

If you are a windows user who upgraded the OS from Windows xp to windows 7 or windows 7 to windows 8 or windows 8 or 7 to windows 10, you probably want to remove the old windows files to save some disk space. So, here is how to do that....

First, go to windows search area and type Disk Cleanup and then hit the enter key. Then select the drive, and click the "OK" button. The program will calculate the total amount of disk space you can gain by removing unwanted files and then it will show a list of file types. Then select "Previous Windows installations" box on the list and click "OK".

7. Easy troubleshooting with Problems Steps Recorder

Steps recorder is an amazing windows inbuilt tool that can record your moves step by step and save them as an HTML file. It is a very useful tool for troubleshooting because you can show someone what you're doing when you run into a problem.

To access Problems steps recorder, go to windows search area and type psr. Then hit the enter key.

8. Encrypt your drives

If you are a windows user, you can encrypt your drives without using any third-party encryption program, yes I'm talking about BitLocker. To enable BitLocker encryption, right-click on the drive and select "Turn on BitLocker". Then follow the on-screen instructions.

Note: To run BitLocker you’ll need a Windows PC running on Windows Vista or 7 Ultimate, Windows Vista or 7 Enterprise, and Windows 8 Pro or Enterprise or Windows 10.

9. Automate your digital life

You can automate pretty much any tasks on a windows computer using the Task Scheduler. You can find it by searching for "Task Scheduler" via the Start menu.

10. Install Windows/Linux/Android inside windows

I'm not drunk or high, you can actually install almost any operating system inside windows.

How???

Using VirtualBox!

VirtualBox is a general-purpose full virtualizer that allows you to install Operating systems inside an operating system. It's pretty cool, you should try it. You can get VirtualBox for free from the virtualbox.org.