Archive for the ‘Tips & Tricks’ category

2 Methods to Disable Transparency Effects in Windows 11

December 10th, 2021 by Admin

In Windows 11, transparency effects are enabled by default, which add an acrylic blur effect to the Start Menu, taskbar, the login screen, the Settings app and other windows. If you prefer non-transparent and opaque GUI, you can use the following methods to disable transparency effects in Windows 11.

Method 1: Disable Transparency Effects in Windows 11 via Settings App

  1. Right-click the blank area on your desktop and then select Personalize from the context menu.

  2. When the Settings window opens, click Colors on the right-hand pane.

  3. You can turn off the toggle switch next to “Transparency effects” to disable transparency effects immediately.

Method 2: Disable Transparency Effects in Windows 11 via Registry Editor

  1. Open Registry Editor and navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Themes\Personalize. Locate and double-click the DWORD EnableTransparency on the right pane.

  2. Change its value data from 1 to 0 for disabling transparency effects in Windows 11, and click OK.

  3. Close Registry Editor and restart your computer to apply the changes.

How to Remove “Open in Windows Terminal” Context Menu in Windows 11

December 8th, 2021 by Admin

When you right-click the empty area in a folder, you’ll see the “Open in Windows Terminal” option. If you never use this option, you can get rid of it from the context menu. This tutorial will show you how to remove “Open in Windows Terminal” from the context menu in Windows 11 File Explorer.

How to Remove “Open in Windows Terminal” Context Menu in Windows 11

  1. Open Registry Editor and go to the location: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Shell Extensions. In the left pane, right-click “Shell Extensions” and select New -> Key.

  2. Name the newly created sub-key as Blocked, and then right-click it and select New -> String Value.

  3. In the right pane, rename the newly-created string as {9F156763-7844-4DC4-B2B1-901F640F5155}, and double-click to change its value data to WindowsTerminal. Click OK.

  4. Close Registry Editor. When you right-click the blank area of a folder or desktop, you’ll see that the “Open in Windows Terminal” option is already removed from the context menu.

Whenever you change your mind, you can restore the missing “Open in Windows Terminal” context menu by deleting the string {9F156763-7844-4DC4-B2B1-901F640F5155}.

3 Ways to Enable or Disable Compact View for Windows 11 File Explorer

December 3rd, 2021 by Admin

Starting with Windows 11, Compact View is disabled by default for all users, no matter if your computer has a touch device or not. This adds extra padding between files in File Explorer for easier touch input.

If you’re not using a touch screen device, you can view more files without scrolling after turning on Compact View.

In this tutorial we’ll show you 3 simple methods to enable or disable Compact View in File Explorer on Windows 11.

Method 1: Enable or Disable Compact View via File Explorer

After opening up File Explorer, click on the View icon from the ribbon menu at the top. You can then click the Compact view option to enable Compact View, or click it again to disable Compact View.

Method 2: Enable or Disable Compact View via Folder Options

Press the Windows key + R to launch the Run dialog box. Next, type control folders in the text field and click OK to open the Folder Options window.

Go to the View tab. Under Advanced settings, check the box next to “Decrease space between items (compact view)” to turn on Compact View, or uncheck it to turn off Compact View.

Click OK to save your change.

Method 3: Enable or Disable Compact View via Registry Editor

Open Registry Editor and browse to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced. In the right pane, double-click on the 32-bit DWORD named UseCompactMode.

Change the Value data to 1 for enabling Compact View, or set it to 0 for disabling Compact View. Click OK.

Close Registry Editor and you can immediately see the changes of the padding between folders/files in File Explorer.

That’s it!

How to Change Default Drag and Drop Action in Windows 11 / 10

November 30th, 2021 by Admin

How can I change default file drag-and-drop action to copy instead of move? In Windows 11 / 10, when you drag a file and drop it to a folder on a different drive, File Explorer will perform the copy action. If you drag a file and drop it to a folder on the same drive, the default action is move.

Actually, you can let Windows perform the same action for every drag-and-drop operation, regardless of whether you’re dragging files to the same or different drive. In this tutorial we’ll show you a simple method to change the default drag and drop action in Windows 11 / 10.

How to Change Default Drag and Drop Action in Windows 11 / 10

  1. Open Registry Editor. In the left pane, expand the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT key and right-click the * sub-key and select New -> DWORD (32-bit) Value.

  2. Name the value DefaultDropEffect. Next, double-click it to modify its value data.

  3. Change the value data to one of the following values, depending on which type of drag and drop behavior you would like to apply.
    • Default action (0): Let Windows decide to copy or move files/folders when you drag and drop it into place.
    • Always copy (1): A copy of the file/folder will always be placed at the destination.
    • Always move (2): The file/folder will move to the destination.
    • Always create a shortcut (4): A link to the original file/folder will always be placed at the destination.
  4. Next, navigate to another sub-key AllFilesystemObjects and use the same method to create a new 32-bit DWORD value DefaultDropEffect with the same value data.

  5. Close Registry Editor. The new setting of drag and drop behavior will take effect immediately. If you’ve set DefaultDropEffect to 1, Windows will perform the copy action when you drag a file and drop it to a folder on the same drive.

    To undo the changes later, just delete the DefaultDropEffect value from both keys and you’re done.

That’s it!

How to Move the Start button to the Left Corner in Windows 11

November 25th, 2021 by Admin

How can I move the Start button back to the bottom left of my screen? After upgrading to Windows 11, the first thing that comes to your mind should be the new macOS-Dock style taskbar. Microsoft has moved the Start button to the center position. In this tutorial we’ll show you 2 simple methods to move the Start button back to the left corner of your screen in Windows 11.

Method 1: Move the Start button to the Left Corner via Settings App

  1. Right-click any empty space on the taskbar and choose Taskbar settings from the pop-up menu.

  2. The Settings app will launch and open to the Personalization > Taskbar screen. On the right, scroll down to the bottom and click on the Taskbar behaviors section to expand it.

  3. Click the Taskbar alignment drop-down box, and change it from Center to Left.

  4. You should see that your Start button goes back to the bottom left corner of your screen.

Method 2: Move the Start button to the Left Corner via Registry Editor

  1. Open Registry Editor and navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced. On the right pane, double-click the DWORD entry TaskbarAl to modify its value data.

  2. Enter 0 in the Value data box and click OK.

  3. Close Registry Editor. The taskbar and the Start button will be immediately aligned to the left side of the screen. Whenever you need to put the Start button in the center of the taskbar, just change the value of TaskbarAl to 1 and you’re done.

That’s it!

Set Windows Terminal to Open Command Prompt Instead of PowerShell

November 24th, 2021 by Admin

Is there a way to change the default shell in Windows Terminal? Windows Terminal allows you to access different types of shells all in one application: PowerShell, Command Prompt, Azure Cloud Shell. When opening a new Windows Terminal, it opens up PowerShell by default. In this tutorial we’ll show you how to change the default shell of Windows Terminal from PowerShell to Command Prompt in Windows 11.

How to Set Windows Terminal to Open Command Prompt Instead of PowerShell

  1. After opening Windows Terminal, click the down-arrow button located in the title bar. Next, choose the Settings option from the drop-down menu.

  2. This will open the Settings tab. On the Startup page, click the drop-down menu labeled “Default profile” on the right side. You can then change the default shell of Windows Terminal to Command Prompt.

  3. Click the Save button in the bottom right corner. The next time you launch Windows Terminal or create a new terminal tab, it will open Command Prompt instead of PowerShell by default.

That’s it!

5 Ways to Open Windows Terminal as Admin in Windows 11

November 22nd, 2021 by Admin

Windows Terminal is a multi-tabbed terminal emulator in Windows 11, which lets you run Command Prompt, PowerShell, Azure Cloud Shell in separate tabs. In this tutorial we’ll show you 5 easy ways to open Windows Terminal as administrator in Windows 11.

Method 1: Open Windows Terminal as Admin via WinX Menu

Right-click the Start button on the taskbar or press the Windows key + X on your keyboard, then choose “Windows Terminal (Admin)” from the WinX menu.

It will open Windows Terminal as administrator.

Method 2: Open Windows Terminal as Admin via Run

Press the Windows key + R to bring up the Run dialog. Type wt, then hold down the CTRL and SHIFT keys, and click OK.

or type wt in the text field, then press CTRL + SHIFT + ENTER keyboard shortcut to launch an elevated Windows Terminal.

Method 3: Open Windows Terminal as Admin via Search

Click the Search button on the taskbar. Type terminal in the text field at the top. Next, right-click the Windows Terminal app under Best Match section and choose “Run as administrator“.

Method 4: Open Windows Terminal as Admin via Start Menu

Click the Start button on the taskbar. When the Start Menu appears, click the All apps button on the top right corner.

Scroll down to the “W” section and you’ll see the Windows Terminal shortcut. Right-click on it and select More -> Run as administrator.

Method 5: Open Windows Terminal as Admin via Task Manager

To get started, press the keyboard shortcut CTRL + SHIFT + ESC to launch the Task Manager. Click the File menu and select “Run new task“.

Enter wt in the text field. Check the box next to “Create this task with administrator privileges” and click OK.

That’s it!

Fix: ‘Play Windows Startup Sound’ is Greyed out in Windows 11

November 19th, 2021 by Admin

Can’t turn off Windows startup sound? If you find that the “Play Windows Startup sound” option is greyed out and you’re unable to modify it, here are two methods to fix this issue in Windows 11.

Method 1: Fix ‘Play Windows Startup Sound is Greyed out’ Using Group Policy

  1. Open Local Group Policy Editor and browse to: Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\Logon, next double-click the “Turn off Windows Startup sound” policy in the right side.

  2. Change the setting to “Not Configured” and click OK.

  3. Close the Local Group Policy Editor. Now you should be able to tick or untick the “Play Windows Startup sound” option.

Method 2: Fix ‘Play Windows Startup Sound is Greyed out’ Using Registry Editor

  1. Press the Windows key + R together to open the Run command box, type regedit and press Enter.

  2. When the Registry Editor window appears, navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System, delete the DWORD DisableStartupSound in the right pane.

  3. Close Registry Editor and the “Play Windows Startup sound” option should be clickable.

That’s it!

How to Disable Windows Startup Sound in Windows 11

November 17th, 2021 by Admin

How can I turn off the startup sound in Windows 11? By default, Windows 11 will play the startup sound before the login screen appears. You can disable it if you think it is annoying and unnecessary. In this tutorial we’ll show you how to disable Windows Startup sound in Windows 11.

How to Disable Windows Startup Sound in Windows 11

  1. Right-click on the sound icon in the bottom-right corner of your taskbar, and then choose “Sound settings” from the pop-up menu.

  2. The Settings app will launch and open to System -> Sound. In the right pane, scroll down to the bottom and click the “More sound settings” option.

  3. When the Sound dialog box opens up, go to the Sounds tab. Uncheck the “Play Windows Startup sound” box and click OK. This setting will apply to all accounts.

  4. The next time you turn on your PC, Windows 11 will no longer play a startup sound.

That’s it!