productivity tips

Windows 11 is quietly doing the small, repetitive things right — and for many of us those tiny, consistent wins add up into genuinely better days at the keyboard. Background Windows has always been the operating system of compromise: massive compatibility, decades of legacy features, and an...

I started by uninstalling six familiar third‑party utilities and trying to live entirely on Windows’ built‑in tools for screenshots, archive handling, media playback, notes, system cleanup, and antivirus — and, over several weeks of real use, I didn’t miss them. What began as a minimalist...

Windows 11 already gives you the ability to create multiple, persistent workspaces — virtual desktops — and using them well can be one of the fastest, least obvious productivity upgrades on any PC, if you know the shortcuts and a few simple habits. Background: what virtual desktops are and why...

Windows' context menu still hides a small, decades‑old productivity trick that many users have overlooked: the classic Send To submenu. Once a staple of Windows 95 and Windows XP workflows, it survives intact in Windows 11 — not as a flashy new feature, but as a tiny, extremely practical...

Microsoft has quietly moved one of the security community’s most trusted tools out of the Sysinternals download bucket and into Windows itself, delivering native Sysmon functionality as an optional Windows 11 feature that can be enabled, updated, and (crucially) supported through Microsoft’s...

If you find yourself constantly reaching for the mouse to drag a window, hunt through the taskbar, or nudge a misaligned app back into place, a handful of Windows keyboard shortcuts can replace that friction with predictable, repeatable actions — and that’s exactly the promise behind the seven...

Windows 11 quietly ships a tiny UX Easter egg with outsized pedigree: the drop-down console that made PC gamers feel like 1990s hackers — the same mechanic that powered id Software’s Quake — is built right into the Windows Terminal as Quake Mode, summonable with a single keystroke and usable as...

Microsoft’s Copilot is no longer just a chat window — it’s quietly woven into Windows as a pocket-sized system administrator, document editor, image creator, and on-screen troubleshooter, and most users are still treating it like a search box. What looks like a conversational assistant on the...

ZDNet's popular roundup of Windows keyboard shortcuts is more than a checklist — it's a practical pathway to reclaiming minutes every day by turning repetitive mouse hunts into reflex keystrokes. This feature expands that roundup into a consolidation, verification, and critique tailored for...

Microsoft’s Copilot is already baked into Windows and Microsoft 365, but most people still treat it like a search box — typing one-off questions and walking away. In practice, Copilot can automate workflows, act on your behalf, and surface contextual insights across documents, mail, and the...

Windows accessibility settings are no longer just for people with disabilities — they’re powerful, low-friction tweaks that make everyday computing faster, less fatiguing, and more intuitive for everyone. In this feature I’ll summarize six practical accessibility tweaks you can enable right now...

Most of us treat Windows 11 like a familiar toolbox and never pry open the drawers labeled “less obvious.” That’s a missed opportunity: a short Pocket‑lint roundup that unearthed five underrated Windows features — Focus Assist, Phone Link, God Mode, Virtual Desktops, and Storage Sense — is a...

Windows 11’s taskbar is no longer a static band of icons — it’s a tunable productivity surface that can be pared down to near-invisibility or loaded with every visual cue and quick-action a power user could want. The five practical taskbar tricks summarized in the Pocket‑lint piece are a concise...

Windows 11’s touch gestures turn many repetitive clicks and keyboard shortcuts into a single, natural motion — swipe, tap, pinch — and once you enable and master them they can dramatically speed navigation, multitasking, and accessibility on touchscreens and precision touchpads alike. Background...

Windows ships with a lot of preinstalled software that’s easy to dismiss as “bloat,” but not all built‑ins are created equal — several provide real value, save money, and can replace paid tools for many everyday workflows. Background Windows’ out‑of‑the‑box experience mixes essential system...

Windows 11 can feel uncluttered at first, but a few months of installs, pinned apps, badges, and notification banners will quickly turn that polished shell into visual noise — and you don't need to reinstall or buy anything to get the calm back. By following four focused, reversible steps —...

Microsoft’s latest Insider preview brings a deceptively small but immediately useful convenience to the Windows 11 taskbar: a one‑click way to search text you’ve just copied, delivered in cumulative update KB5067109 as part of paired Insider builds for the Dev and Beta channels. Background /...

Windows 11 keyboard shortcuts are the fastest, most reliable way to turn routine clicks into instant actions — and learning a compact set of high‑value hotkeys can take you from occasional user to true Windows 11 power user in days, not months. Background Windows 11 brought a fresh visual design...

OneNote’s linking features are one of the simplest, most under‑used levers for turning a sprawling notebook into an efficient, interconnected workspace—and the 2025 OneNote Links Guide (Geeky Gadgets) makes that plain with practical, everyday tactics for building launchpads, cross‑referencing...

Windows still ships with a surprising amount of friction — from hidden recommendations and taskbar clutter to AI features that show up where you least expect them — and a few deliberate, low-risk tweaks can make a fresh install feel calm, fast, and private again. Overview Microsoft has been...