third-party-tools

  1. Windows 11 Insider: Xbox Button Long Press Opens Task View, Short Press Opens Game Bar

    Microsoft has quietly repurposed the Xbox button on gamepads when used with Windows 11 Insiders: a long press now opens Task View while a short press still launches the Game Bar, and a press-and-hold continues to power down the controller — a small but practical tweak rolling out to Dev and Beta...
  2. Windows 11 Screenshot Guide: 7 Quick Capture Methods

    Windows 11 gives you more ways to capture your screen than most users realize — from the classic Print Screen key to a modern Snipping Tool with OCR and video capture — and the short, practical guide in the AOL piece distills seven quick methods for everyday use while also surfacing a few recent...
  3. Windows 11 24H2 Adds Mouse Scroll Direction Toggle in Settings

    Microsoft’s decision to restore a simple, long-requested Windows 10 convenience—the ability to flip the mouse wheel scrolling direction from the modern Settings app—feels small, but it’s one of those pragmatic changes that quietly improves everyday usability for millions of people. Background...
  4. HP Windows 11 Screenshot Guide: Quick Keys, Snipping Tool, and Tips

    Screenshots are one of those tiny productivity tools that repay learning a hundredfold: capture an error message, save a receipt, illustrate a how‑to, or document a configuration in seconds. On HP laptops running Windows 11, you have multiple ways to capture the screen — from the simple Print...
  5. Disable a Windows 11 Key: PowerToys, Registry Scancode Map, SharpKeys

    If a single stubborn key is wrecking your workflow or interrupting your games in Windows 11, there are three practical ways to neutralize it: use Microsoft PowerToys for a quick and reversible software remap, edit the system registry’s Scancode Map for a deeper system-level block, or use a...
  6. Windows 11 Start Menu Copilot Prompts: AI Nudges or OS Promotion?

    Microsoft’s latest round of Start menu experiments surfaces a familiar irritation: Microsoft is testing a Copilot recommendation in the Start menu’s Recommended area that functions — for all practical purposes — as another nudge to use Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot from inside Windows 11...