Archive for the ‘Tips & Tricks’ category

Fix: Office Word 2019 / 2016 Showing Two Pages Side by Side

March 9th, 2021 by Admin

How can I get Office Word 2016 to stop showing two pages? Looking for a way to turn off side by side page view in Word? By default, Word will display two pages side by side in one window and changing the zoom doesn’t fix it. If you would like to view a single page at a time, here is how you can configure Word 2019 / 2016 to stop showing two pages side by side upon startup.

How to Stop Word from Showing Two Pages Side by Side

In Office Word 2019 / 2016, select the View tab on the ribbon. If your document is shown in either Read Mode or Web Layout, switch to the Print Layout view. Under the Page Movement section, there are two buttons for Vertical and Side to Side, click the Vertical button.

Proceed to click One Page under the Zoom section. If the font looks smaller or bigger than you expect, click the Zoom icon and the pop-up dialog allows you to change the zoom level.

After switching to one page view, Office Word will remember the display settings being used when your document is closed.

Easy Way to Run File Explorer with Admin Rights in Windows 10

February 25th, 2021 by Admin

How can I run File Explorer elevated if I don’t want to bother with the UAC prompt? By default, Windows 10 will launch File Explorer with the least privileges. Even if you right-click on explorer.exe and select “Run as administrator“, it will not run in elevated mode any longer.

If you work in a role such as system administrator, you may need to frequently run File Explorer as admin. In this tutorial we’ll show you the easiest way to run File Explorer with admin rights in Windows 10.

How to Run File Explorer with Admin Rights in Windows 10

  1. Open up Task Manager and go to the Details tab. Select the explorer.exe process and click on the End task button at the bottom right corner.

  2. Click the File menu and select Run new task.

  3. When the Create new task dialog opens, enter the following command and check the “Create this task with administrative privileges” box and click OK.
    explorer.exe /nouaccheck

  4. It will open File Explorer with admin / elevated rights.

    If the Elevated column is not shown, right-click on any column header and choose “Select columns“, then check the “Elevated” option and click OK.

After File Explorer is running in the elevated mode, you can then launch other programs without UAC warning, and access system files without permission issues. For example, you can edit hosts file without getting the “You don’t have permission to save in this location” error.

Make sure you log off or restart your computer as soon as you no longer need to run File Explorer elevated. When you log back into your account, File Explorer will run in the standard mode again.

2 Methods to Clear Recent Documents in Office Word 2019 / 2016

February 22nd, 2021 by Admin

How do I clear recent files history from Office Word home page? Word keeps track of documents you’ve recently opened. When you click the Open menu, it will display a list of recently-opened documents.

You can choose to hide recent documents from the list. To do it, click the File menu and click Options at the bottom left. When the Word Options dialog opens, select the Advanced tab. On the right, scroll down to the Display section and set the “Show this number of Recent Documents” option to 0. After that, the recent documents list should be empty. However, if you revert the setting, all previously-displayed documents will be shown again.

To better protect your privacy, you should clear recent documents instead of just hiding them. In this tutorial we’ll show you 2 methods to clear recent documents or folders in Office Word 2019 / 2016.

Method 1: Clear Recent Documents or Folders from Word GUI

  1. Open Microsoft Word. Click the File menu on the top-left corner.

  2. Select the Open tab, click on Recent and then Documents. Right-click on any document in the recent list, and then choose the “Clear unpinned items” option.

  3. Click Yes to confirm.

  4. Your recent documents list will be cleared permanently. If you go to Open -> Recent -> Folders, it will display the recent folders list. You can use the similar way to clear the history as well.

Method 2: Clear Recent Documents or Folders in Word Using Registry Editor

  1. Open Registry Editor and browse to the following location. The x.0 placeholder represents the version of Word that you’re using (Word 2019/2016 = 16.0, Word 2013 = 15.0, Word 2010 = 14.0, Word 2007 = 12.0).
    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\x.0\Word\FileMRU
  2. On the right pane, select all available entries that are numbered from Item 1 to Item 50, then right-click them and select Delete. This will clear recent documents history.

  3. Next, navigate to the below location. Delete the entries named Item 1Item 50, which contains the full folder of your recently opened documents.
    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\x.0\Word\Place MRU

  4. Close Registry Editor. Now your list of recent documents and folders in Word 2019 / 2016 should be empty.

That’s it!

Steps to Insert Clickable Checkbox in Office Word 2007

February 16th, 2021 by Admin

In order to create a fillable form, you may need to add clickable check boxes. In this tutorial we’ll walk you through the steps to insert a clickable checkbox in Office Word 2007.

How to Insert Clickable Checkbox in Office Word 2007?

  1. Open up Office Word 2007. Click the Microsoft Office button in the upper left corner, and then click Word Options.

  2. Select the Popular tab. On the right side, check the “Show Developer tab in the Ribbon” and click OK.

  3. The Developer tab will now appear on the Ribbon. Under the Developer tab, click Legacy Tools button in Controls group and select the “Check Box Form Field” control.

  4. It will insert a clickable checkbox at your cursor’s location. By default, the checkbox is unchecked. To check or tick the checkbox, just double-click it.

  5. In the pop-up window, select the “Checked” option under Default value. Click OK to save your changes.

That’s it!

How to Open the New UWP-based File Explorer in Windows 10

February 9th, 2021 by Admin

Starting with the Creators update (v1703), Windows 10 includes a hidden File Explorer which is based on the UWP (Universal Windows Platform). It is a touch-optimized app which might replace the classic File Explorer in the near future. In this tutorial we’ll show you how to open the new File Explorer in Windows 10.

How to Open the New UWP-based File Explorer in Windows 10

  1. Right-click on any blank space on the desktop. Select New and then click Shortcut.

  2. Copy and paste the following command in the location box and click Next.
    explorer.exe shell:AppsFolder\c5e2524a-ea46-4f67-841f-6a9465d9d515_cw5n1h2txyewy!App

  3. Type a meaningful name for the shortcut and click on Finish.

  4. Double-click on the newly-created desktop shortcut and you can access the UWP-based new File Explorer.

  5. Compared to the classic File Explorer, the modern File Explorer includes most of basic functionality and it provides a seamless experience for touch device users.

That’s it!

How to Add, Remove or Customize Quick Actions in Windows 10

January 23rd, 2021 by Admin

Quick Actions are a set of buttons which let you quickly access common functions, such as turning Bluetooth on or off, switching to tablet mode, adjusting screen brightness and so on. Just click the chat bubble icon in the notification area or press the Windows logo key + A to open the Action Center panel. From there you can see a list of quick action buttons at the bottom. In this tutorial we’ll show you how to add, remove, customize Quick Actions buttons in Windows 10.

Part 1: Enter into Editing Mode

In order to customize Quick Actions, you need to open it in editing mode. Press the Windows logo key + I to open the Settings app, navigate to System -> Notifications & actions. On the right, click the “Edit your quick actions” option. The Quick Actions in the Action Center panel will appear in editable mode.

Another quick way to access the editing mode is to right-click any empty space in the Action Center panel and select Edit from the pop-up menu.

Part 2: Remove Quick Actions Buttons

Simply click the unpin icon displayed in the upper-right corner of any Quick Actions button, and you can remove it from the Action Center.

Part 3: Add Quick Actions Buttons

Click the Add button at the bottom and it will display all hidden quick actions. Select your desired quick action and add its button to the Action Center panel immediately.

Part 4: Rearrange Quick Actions Buttons

To rearrange the Quick Actions, you can drag any of the Quick action buttons and drop it to your desired position.

When everything is done, click the Done button at the bottom to save your changes.

Fix: Windows 10 Battery Indicator Shows “Plugged in Not Charging”

January 12th, 2021 by Admin

Battery stuck at the same percent all the time while plugged in? The battery indicator shows “plugged in, not charging” even when the AC power is connected? If you experience such issues with your Windows 10 laptop or tablet, here are some useful tips to get your battery back to charging when it’s plugged in.

Part 1: Restart Battery Device or Update Driver

  1. Press and hold the Windows key and then press R once, enter devmgmt.msc and click OK to launch Device Manager.

  2. Expand the Batteries category, right-click on the Microsoft ACPI Compliant Control Method Battery and select Disable from the pop-up menu. Click Yes to confirm.

  3. Restart your computer and then open up Device Manager again. Right-click on the Microsoft ACPI Compliant Control Method Battery and select Enable. If your battery still doesn’t charge, try to select the “Update driver” option and let Windows search automatically for newer driver.

Part 2: Using the Power Troubleshooter

  1. Press the Windows key + I to open the Settings app. Click on Update & Security.

  2. Select the Troubleshoot tab. On the right, click on the “Additional troubleshooters” link.

  3. Scroll down to the “Find and fix other problems” section, select the Power option and then click on the “Run the troubleshooter” button.

  4. The troubleshooter will fix all the issues related to the power supply and improve power usage.

Hopefully these tips could get your battery back to charging. If your Windows 10 PC still shows plugged in but the battery percentage not changing, it should be a hardware issue related to your power cord or battery.

Quickly Switch Between Windows by Hovering Your Mouse Over in Windows 10

January 8th, 2021 by Admin

Is there a quicker way to switch between open windows? Clicking on a window can bring it from background to foreground and make it active. But that method is not really fast. In this tutorial we’ll show you how to quickly activate a window by hovering over it with the mouse in Windows 10.

How to Activate a Window by Hovering over It with Mouse

  1. Open the Control Panel in Large icons view, and click on Ease of Access Center.

  2. Scroll down to the “Explore all settings” section and click on the “Make the mouse easier to use” link.

  3. Under the “Make it easier to manage windows” section, check the box that says activate a window by hovering over it with the mouse. Click OK and you’re done.

  4. If you have multiple windows open, just move the mouse pointer over any window and hold it for two seconds, that will become the active window.

How to Change Default Setting for Alt+F4 Shut Down Windows Dialog

January 4th, 2021 by Admin

When all open windows are minimized or the desktop is active, pressing Alt+F4 keys will open the Shut Down Windows dialog. The default option is Shut down. Today we will show you 2 methods to change the default setting to Restart, Sleep, Hibernate, Sign out, or Switch user in Windows 10.

Method 1: Change Default Setting for Alt+F4 Shut Down Windows Dialog via Group Policy

  1. Open Local Group Policy Editor and go to: User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Start Menu and Taskbar. On the right, double-click the policy called “Change Start Menu power button“.

  2. Click on Enabled. In the Options section, you can select Restart or other action from the drop-down list as the default setting.

  3. Click Apply and then OK. Restart your PC to see the changes.

Method 2: Change Default Setting for Alt+F4 Shut Down Windows Dialog via Registry Editor

  1. Open Registry Editor and navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer. On the right pane, right-click the blank space and select New -> DWORD (32-bit) Value.

  2. Name the newly-created DWORD as PowerButtonAction, then double-click it and change its value data to one of the following values (hex) depend on your choice:

    • 1 = Sign out
    • 2 = Shut down
    • 4 = Restart
    • 10 = Sleep
    • 40 = Hibernate
    • 100 = Switch user
  3. Close Registry Editor and reboot your computer.

How to Change Notepad Default Encoding in Windows 10

December 30th, 2020 by Admin

Is there a way to change Notepad default encoding to UTF-8 or ANSI in Windows 10? If you always save .txt file with ANSI or other encodings, it’s better to change the default encoding in Notepad so you don’t need to manually change the encoding via the Save As dialog. In this tutorial we’ll show you how to change Notepad default encoding in Windows 10.

How to Change Notepad Default Encoding in Windows 10

  1. Open Registry Editor and browse to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Notepad. In the left pane, right-click on the Notepad key and select New -> DWORD (32-bit) Value.

  2. Name the newly created DWORD as iDefaultEncoding, and then double-click it to modify.

  3. In the Edit DWORD (32-bit) Value dialog, enter the value for your new default encoding and click OK. In our case, I type 1 for using ANSI encoding.

    • 1 – ANSI
    • 2 – UTF-16 LE
    • 3 – UTF-16 BE
    • 4 – UTF-8 with BOM
    • 5 – UTF-8
  4. Close Registry Editor. Open Notepad and you’ll see the new default encoding in the status bar.

That’s it!