productivity tips

If you just unboxed a Surface Pro and want a practical, step‑by‑step plan to get started — from setup and gestures to the Type Cover, Surface Pen, screenshots, and sensible troubleshooting — this guide walks you through everything a beginner needs to know to use a Surface Pro confidently and...

Clipboard History is the kind of small, steadfast Windows convenience that quietly compounds into real productivity gains — and it deserves more attention than it gets. In everyday use the feature solves a trivial but frequent pain: the one-shot nature of Ctrl+C / Ctrl+V. Enabled once and...

Clipboard History is the kind of quietly powerful Windows convenience that rewards discovery: it turns one-shot copy‑and‑paste into a small, persistent workspace you can use for snippets, images, and recurring text — and yet Microsoft rarely sings its praises as loudly as it does for splashier...

Windows 11’s clipboard history is one of those small features that delivers outsized productivity gains: enable it once, and you can paste from a rolling list of recent copies, pin recurring snippets, sync text across devices, and reclaim content you thought was gone. Background Clipboard...

Modern Windows laptops hide a tiny productivity powerhouse under your thumb: the Precision Touchpad and its rich set of gestures — many of which people only discover years into ownership. These gestures let you scroll, zoom, switch apps, show the desktop, and much more without touching a...

Windows shortcuts aren’t a gimmick—they’re the difference between fumbling through menus and moving at the speed of thought, and ZDNET’s “Master these 48 Windows keyboard shortcuts and finish work early” is a concise reminder that a measured investment in muscle memory returns daily time...

Across two years of reporting for the Windows Intelligence column I followed a single, sometimes messy, but always consequential story: Windows ceases to be just an operating system and becomes an AI‑first platform—and that shift matters for every user, buyer, and IT pro who touches a PC...

Windows 11 hides a surprising number of practical, time-saving features behind ordinary keystrokes and system apps — and five of the most useful tricks are deceptively simple to learn. The short list widely shared in recent coverage (keyboard shortcuts, Focus/Focus Sessions, keyboard-driven...

Everyday computing is packed with tiny innovations and time-saving tools that often go overlooked, lost in the deluge of splashier feature updates and UI revamps. Yet among these digital wallflowers, the Windows clipboard history stands out as a transformative, if quietly implemented, tool that...

Windows desktops often serve as a digital mirror of their users—an eclectic scatter of shortcuts, documents, and folders pasted hurriedly over a carefully chosen wallpaper. For decades, this iconic feature has defined Microsoft’s operating system. Yet, a growing number of Windows enthusiasts are...

Measuring time accurately is a crucial need for countless users, and the built-in Clock app in Windows offers a robust, user-friendly stopwatch tool to address this demand. Whether you’re tracking workout intervals, monitoring your productivity, or simply ensuring that a boiling egg is cooked to...

For millions of productivity-minded users, the humble numeric keypad on Windows keyboards is an essential, time-saving tool—assuming it actually works when you need it. Whether for data entry, calculations, or even gaming macros, the numpad’s functionality in Windows 11 remains a critical...

OneNote users have long voiced a persistent complaint: why should one of Microsoft’s most versatile note-taking platforms lack the convenience of a simple paste plain text shortcut—a utility ubiquitous across both the Microsoft ecosystem and scores of productivity applications? That frustration...

Magnifier, a built-in accessibility tool in Windows, allows users to enlarge portions of the screen, making text, images, and other elements easier to see. For those with vision impairments or anyone who needs a closer look at on-screen details, being able to swiftly change the zoom level is a...

Finding, launching, and managing Office applications has become an integral part of the modern Windows experience, especially as Microsoft continues to evolve its ecosystem. The seamless integration of Microsoft Office apps with Windows is crucial for productivity, whether users are working from...

Navigating Windows efficiently is a skill that transforms the user experience from a sluggish, point-and-click routine into a seamless, almost instinctive flow. Power users and IT professionals have long sung the praises of keyboard shortcuts, and for good reason: with the right combinations...

Windows 11 has always placed a strong emphasis on providing users with a visually appealing and dynamic desktop experience, a tradition carried over and enhanced from its predecessors. With the release of update 24H2, Microsoft introduced an even deeper integration of the Windows Spotlight...

Closing out your day on Windows doesn’t need to be a slow, tiresome process, especially when your screen is crowded with windows from a dozen different applications. For both power users and casual Windows enthusiasts, knowing how to efficiently close all open apps—with minimal effort and...

Windows 11 continues to solidify its place as the dominant desktop operating system, continuously evolving with new features and improved user experiences. Yet, even with its ongoing refinements, advanced users often seek tools that push productivity and customization beyond the system’s...

Windows 11 represents a bold leap forward for PC users, not only with its cleaner user interface but also with a host of hidden tools that, when properly leveraged, can transform productivity and the overall computing experience. Many users, stuck in old habits from previous versions or unaware...