Windows 10 is full of useful features. Unfortunately, many users are unfamiliar with some of the most practical features. Some are also not obvious, some are even hidden. Here you will learn ten practical Windows 10 settings that many do not know.

Use Windows search

Windows is not least characterized by all sorts of tortuous file paths. Where you can find a particular setting or file is often a mystery. Fortunately, Microsoft has improved Windows Search significantly over the past few years. Simply enter the option you are looking for or the file name in the search box on the taskbar in the lower left corner and press Enter.

Quickly minimize all windows except the active one

If you are distracted by too many open windows, you can use a simple trick. Left click on the title bar of the window you are working in. Now shake the window briefly back and forth. And then all the other windows are minimized. A playful, largely unknown feature – and pretty handy.

Close background apps

On smartphones, you can close apps that are running in the background. This saves performance and memory, and the apps cannot unintentionally access data. Inspired by this, Microsoft introduced such a feature for Windows 10 as well. Open "Background apps" via the Windows search and determine whether apps can be active in the background. You also get an overview of all apps that are running in the background, and you can set them individually to "Off".

Take a screenshot of the open window

You have probably heard that you can take a screenshot by pressing the "Print" button in Windows. However, everything that can be seen on all screens is recorded on the screenshot. To take a targeted screenshot of the open window only, tap "Alt + Print" at the same time.

Open the hidden start menu

Windows 10 comes with two different start menus. You can open one of them by clicking the left mouse button on the Windows button in the lower left corner of the taskbar. And the second you open with a right click on the Windows button. It is a power user menu with direct access to options such as Powershell, Device Manager and System.

Use buttons to sort files

In Windows on-board tools such as the control panel, task manager and others, you can sometimes find menu items in the upper area. For example under "Autostart" the items "Name", "Publisher", "Status" and "Status Effect". These are not just categories, but buttons with a sorting function. If you click on "Status", for example, the autostart programs are sorted according to whether they are "activated" or "deactivated". If you want to remove programs from the autostart, you can filter and deactivate them in this way.

Navigate the control panel

Many Windows users use the forward and back buttons in the top left to navigate in the control panel. However, if you want to open a specific window, there is an easier option: tap on the arrow next to the category to which the window you are looking for belongs. Then a menu opens with the corresponding sub-categories. Under "Control Panel" you can find the items "User Accounts" and "Appearance and Customization".

Open file path

In which folder a software is stored – this is the question some Windows users ask themselves more often. Especially when it comes to files on the desktop. You do not need to search for the storage location. Just right click on the file and click on "Open file path". A window opens with the folder in which the program and the associated files are saved.

Check system utilization

If your system feels sluggish, your processor or graphics card may be too weak. Ode You have too little memory. You can often easily find out why. You can find out the system load directly in the Task Manager. Under "Performance" you can see the utilization both by a percentage and by a graph that is updated in real time. A common problem: If you have many browser tabs open, this requires a lot of RAM – 4 GB is often not enough.

Restore folder window on restart

If you want to continue working at the same point the next time you start the system, this option is available: "Explorer options> View> Restore previous folder windows at login". Then the next time you start the system before you log out, folder windows such as My Computer, Control Panel and My Documents are called up again.