Archive for the ‘Tips & Tricks’ category

Change Sync Frequency of Email Checking in Windows 10 Mail App

March 10th, 2017 by Admin

How often does Windows 10 Mail app check for new messages? By default, the Mail app in Windows 10 will check new mails based on your usage. But this will cause a delay if you don’t use the Mail app on a regular basis. In order to make email syncing more frequently, you have to change the sync frequency settings in Windows 10 Mail app.

How to Change Sync Frequency of Email Checking in Windows 10 Mail App?

  1. Open the Mail app in Windows 10.
  2. From the left-hand pane of the Mail app, right-click on the email account you want to change the sync settings for, and then select Account settings.

    windows-10-mail-app

  3. In the new window that opens, click the Change mailbox sync settings option.

    mailbox-sync-settings

  4. Click the drop-down list for Download new content, and select how often you want the Mail app to check for new messages. If this is a busy and important account, you might choose “as items arrive” which means the Mail app will be constantly checking new messages.

    windows-10-mail-sync-settings

  5. Click Done to save your changes.

Replay Windows 10 Picture Password If You Forgot Gestures

March 8th, 2017 by Admin

What to do if you forgot Windows 10 picture password? Picture password is a more convenient way for tablet users to log into Windows 10. It lets you choose a picture and draw three gestures to create a password to unlock your computer. If you forgot your gestures, you can replay the picture password that you have set for your Windows 10 account.

How to Replay Windows 10 Picture Password If You Forgot Gestures?

  1. Press the Windows logo key + I simultaneously to open the Settings app. Go to Accounts -> Sign-in options, next click the Change button under Picture password on the right side.

    change-picture-password

  2. Enter your account password to verify that you’re the account owner, and click OK.

    verify-windows-10-account-password

  3. Click the Replay button on the left side.

    replay-picture-password

  4. Click on the image on the right side to replay the gestures. Each clicking will show you the actions in sequence that you took on that image during picture password set up.

    watch-picture-password-gestures

  5. Once you’ve remembered the gestures, click the Cancel button on the left and close the Settings app. That’s it!

How to Hide or Remove Drive Letter in Windows 10 / 8 / 7

March 5th, 2017 by Admin

How to delete a drive letter for a device that is no longer connected? Look for a way to hide all drive letters in Windows Explorer? This tutorial shows you how to hide or remove drive letters in Windows 10, 8 and 7.

Part 1: Hide Drive Letters

  1. Open File Explorer, click the View tab from the ribbon toolbar and then click Options.

    ribbon-toolbar

  2. In the Folder Options window, select the View tab. Under the Advanced settings, uncheck the “Show drive letters” option and click OK.

    show-drive-letters

  3. You’ll find the drive letters of all your partitions are disappeared.

    drive-letters-missing

    If you want to restore the drive letters, just repeat the above steps and check the “Show drive letters” option.

Part 2: Remove Drive Letter for Windows Partition

This method allows you to remove / delete drive letter that was assigned to your partition. The partition will be invisible to all your Windows accounts and will continue to exist with its content intact.

  1. First, you need to open the Disk Management tool. In Windows 10/8, just press Windows key + X and select Disk Management. If you’re using Windows 7, right-click My Computer icon on your desktop and select Manage, you can then find Disk Management in the left pane.
  2. Right-click the partition you want to remove drive letter, then select Change Drive Letter and Paths.

    change-drive-letters-and-paths

  3. In the resulting dialog box, click Remove.

    remove-drive-letter

  4. You are asked to confirm the removal of the drive letter. Click Yes.

    confirm-drive-letter-removal

  5. The partition is now hidden and it is no longer accessible from the operating system you are currently using. If you assign a drive letter to that partition later, the partition will be visible again and all your files remain intact.

2 Ways to Disable Cortana Web Search in Windows 10

February 27th, 2017 by Admin

Can I disable Web search results but keep Cortana on Windows 10 Anniversary Update? Since Windows 10 Anniversary Update (build 1607) there is no longer option in Cortana to disable Web search. Luckily you can still disable Cortana Web search in Windows 10 using a registry hack or local group policy.

cortana-web-results

Method 1: Disable Cortana Web Search in Windows 10 Using Group Policy

  1. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run command box. Type gpedit.msc and press Enter.
  2. When the Local Group Policy Editor window opens, navigate to: Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Search.

    dont-search-web-in-cortana

    Double-click on the policy named “Don’t search the web or display web results in Search” in the right pane.

  3. Select Enabled and click OK.

    disable-cortana-web-search

  4. Reboot your computer for the policy to take effect. Any searches you conduct in Cortana will now search only your local files and applications.

Note that this method does not apply to Windows 10 Home edition, because the Local Group Policy Editor is not available in Windows 10 Home.

Method 2: Disable Cortana Web Search in Windows 10 Using Registry Editor

  1. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run command box. Type regedit and press Enter.
  2. When Registry Editor opens, navigate to the following key:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Search

    If the Windows Search key doesn’t exist, you need to create it firstly.

  3. In the right pane, right-click on any empty space to create a new 32-bit DWORD value named ConnectedSearchUseWeb and leave its value data as 0.

    ConnectedSearchUseWeb

  4. When it’s done, close Registry Editor and restart your computer. Now you’ve turned off the Cortana Web search results in Windows 10.

How to Run DirectX Diagnostic Tool in Windows 10

February 27th, 2017 by Admin

How to check what version of DirectX your PC is using? If you are concerned with video game performance, or you are trying to fix some problems with any 3D application, you can run DirectX Diagnostic Tool to perform basic diagnostic tests. In this article we’ll show you 3 simple ways to run DirectX Diagnostic Tool in Windows 10.

Method 1: Run DirectX Diagnostic Tool in Windows 10 from Run

Press the Windows key + R to open the Run command box. Type dxdiag and press Enter.

run-dxdiag

This will open DirectX Diagnostic Tool immediately. The System tab lists the general information about your system and most importantly what version of DirectX you currently have installed. The Display tab shows information specific to your graphics adapter and monitor, and you can see which DirectX features are enabled.

DirectX-Diagnostic-Tool

Method 2: Run DirectX Diagnostic Tool in Windows 10 Using Cortana Search

You can also start DirectX Diagnostic Tool by typing dxdiag in Cortana’s search box on the taskbar, and then clicking the dxdiag search result.

search-dxdiag

Method 3: Run DirectX Diagnostic Tool in Windows 10 from Command Prompt

Open the Command Prompt in Windows 10, type dxdiag and press Enter. This will also launch DirectX Diagnostic Tool.

dxdiag-command-prompt

Turn on / off Press and Hold for Right-clicking in Windows 10

February 27th, 2017 by Admin

How can you make a right-click on a Windows 10 tablet without mouse? Just use your finger or touch pen to press and hold on the screen, it will bring up the right-click context menu. In this tutorial we’ll show you 2 ways to enable / disable the press and hold for right-clicking feature in Windows 10.

Method 1: Turn on / off Press and Hold for Right-clicking Using Control Panel

Open the Control Panel and set the View by option to Large icons. Click Pen and Touch.

pen-and-touch

The Pen and Touch dialog box will open. Select either Pen Options tab or Touch tab. Once the Press and hold option is highlighted in the list, click Settings.

  • Pen Options – Select this tab if you want to enable or disable “press and hold for right-clicking” on your touch pen.
  • Touch – You can also use your finger to press and hold on a touch screen. Choose this tab if you want to turn on or off right-click for a finger press and hold.

pen-options

In the Press and Hold Settings window, check or uncheck the “Enable press and hold for right-clicking” option, and click OK.

press-and-hold-for-right-click

Now you’ve enabled or disabled the press and hold for right-clicking feature in Windows 10.

Method 2: Turn on / off Press and Hold for Right-clicking Using Registry Editor

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

    regedit

  2. When the Registry Editor opens, navigate to the following location:
    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Wisp\Touch

    If you do not have this key, then just create it.

  3. Double-click the 32-bit DWORD value named TouchMode_hold on the right pane, and change its value data to turn on or off the “press and hold for right-clicking” feature for your touch screen. 1: turn on; 0: turn off.

    touchmode-hold

  4. Close Registry Editor and reboot your computer for the changes to take effect.

If you also want to turn on / off the press and hold for right-clicking feature for a touch pen, open Registry Editor and navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Wisp\Pen\SysEventParameters, and then change the HoldMode value (1: turn on; 3: turn off).

pen-holdmode

That’s it!

Tutorial: How to Turn on Mouse Keys in Windows 10

February 27th, 2017 by Admin

How to move the mouse cursor around if your mouse stops working? Mouse Keys is a useful feature available in all versions of Windows, which allows you to use the numeric keypad on your keyboard to move the mouse cursor.

8 = Move up
2 = Move down
4 = Move left
6 = Move right
7 = Move up and to the left
9 = Move up and to the right
1 = Move down and to the left
3 = Move down and to the right
/ = Select the left mouse button
– = Select the right mouse button
With the left button selected, press 5 to make a left-click
With the right button selected, press 5 to make a right-click
With the left button selected, press + to make a double-click

In this tutorial we’ll show you 2 methods to turn on Mouse Keys in Windows 10.

Method 1: Turn on Mouse Keys in Windows 10 from PC Settings

  1. Press the Windows + I keyboard shortcut to open the Settings app.
  2. Click Ease of Access.

    ease-of-access

  3. Select Mouse in the left side. Under the Mouse keys section, click the toggle corresponding to the “Use numeric keypad to move mouse around the screen” option to On.

    customize-mouse-keys

  4. You can now easily control the mouse cursor with the numeric keypad.

Method 2: Turn on Mouse Keys in Windows 10 from Control Panel

  1. Open the Control Panel and set the View by option to Large icons. Click Ease of Access Center.

    ease-of-access-center

  2. Under the “Explore all settings” section, click the “Make the mouse easier to use” link.

    make-mouse-easier-to-use

  3. Under the “Control the mouse with the keyboard” section, click on Set up Mouse Keys.

    set-up-mouse-keys

  4. Select the Turn on Mouse Keys check box, and customize all the options and settings.

    turn-on-mouse-keys

    • To use the keyboard shortcut to turn Mouse Keys on and off, tick the box next to ‘Turn on Mouse Keys with left ALT + left SHIFT + NUM LOCK‘.
    • In order to use the Ctrl (faster) and Shift (slower) keys to temporarily control the mouse pointer’s speed, tick the box next to “Hold down CTRL to speed up and SHIFT to slow down“.
    • By default, Mouse Keys will work only when NUM LOCK is On. You can change this to Off if you like.
  5. Click OK to save your changes.

2 Options to Insert a Check Box in Word 2016

February 22nd, 2017 by Admin

How can I add a clickable checkbox in Microsoft Word? Inserting a checkbox into a Word document is a common task when you create surveys or forms using Office Word. In this tutorial we’ll show you 2 simple ways to insert a check box in Word 2016.

insert-check-box-in-word

Method 1: Insert a Check Box in Word 2016 for Printing Only

  1. Select the list in your Word document. In the Home tab of Microsoft Word, under the Paragraph section, click the small down-arrow next to the Bullets button.

    define-new-bullet

    Then choose Define New Bullet from the drop-down list.

  2. In the resulting dialog box, click Symbol.

    word-symbol-bullet

  3. When you open the Symbol window, select Wingdings from the Font drop-down menu. Next you can select the check box that is either checked or unchecked, and insert it into your Word document.

    insert-symbol-into-word

Method 2: Insert Clickable Check Box in Word 2016

Microsoft Word also allows you to insert check boxes that are clickable. Checkbox once clicked is checked and on second click it gets unchecked. Here’s how to insert clickable check box into your Word document:

  1. In the Home tab of Microsoft Word, right-click on an empty spot on the ribbon and then choose Customize the Ribbon.

    customize-the-ribbon

  2. When the Word Options dialog opens, select the Customize Ribbon tab. Select Main Tabs from the Customize the Ribbon drop-down box. Check the Developer option in the list. Click OK.

    add-developer-to-ribbon

  3. Now you can see that Developer tab is added in Ribbon. In the Controls group of the Developer tab, you will see a small check box icon. Click it to insert a check box at your cursor’s location.

    insert-clickable-check-box-in-word

  4. Now that the check box has been inserted, you can click it once to toggle whether or not it’s checked.

How to View or Export Edge Saved Passwords in Windows 10

February 22nd, 2017 by Admin

How can I export / backup the passwords saved in Microsoft Edge? Many people save the passwords for different websites so that they don’t have to enter the passwords again and again, but what if you forgot the password?

microsoft-edge-saved-passwords

Microsoft Edge stores all passwords in Windows Vault (also known as Credential Manger). In Windows 10, you can easily find Windows Vault files by accessing the following locations:

  • C:\Users\user_profile_name\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Vault
  • C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Vault
  • C:\Windows\system32\config\systemprofile\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Vault

All web credentials are stored in an encrypted form and Microsoft Edge doesn’t provide an option to view the saved passwords. In this tutorial we’ll show you a simple way to view & export Microsoft Edge saved passwords using a reliable tool – Password Recovery Bundle.

How to View or Export Edge Saved Passwords in Windows 10?

  1. To get started, click here to download Password Recovery Bundle. Once the download process is complete, double-click the setup file to install it on your Windows 10 computer.
  2. Run the Password Recovery Bundle program. Click the Start Recovery button, and then select “Internet Explorer (Edge) Password” option from the drop-down list.

    password-recovery-bundle

  3. It will decrypt the encrypted Vault files, and show you all saved passwords in both Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer. Select all passwords and paste them into a text file for safe keeping.

    export-edge-saved-passwords

The most painful part of a computer crash is often the loss of data. It’s an important best practice to keep a backup of Edge saved passwords, especially if you use Microsoft Edge as your primary browser.