In this How-To guide you’ll learn step-by-step how to backup and restore an Encrypting File System (EFS) certificate on Windows. This is the situation, instead of using encryption with BitLocker , you opted to use the encryption attribute feature within Windows. For a while you were able to access and modify encrypted data with no problem. One day you decided to reinstall Windows, then you tried to open a document that you have encrypted before, but now you discover that you get the Access denied dialog box — Now what, right?...

On Windows 11 , when you save files or install apps, the system will offer to store the contents on the “C” drive. However, you can always change where files, maps, and apps are saved by default if you want to use a different drive or you have a computer with limited space on the main storage. Regardless of the reason, you can use the Storage settings to change the default save locations on Windows 11....

On Windows 11 , a partition can use one of two styles, including Master Boot Record (MBR) or GUID Partition Table (GPT) , and in this guide, you will learn the steps to determine this information on your installation. A partition defines the space where the data will be stored on the hard drive, and it stores the instructions to make the partition bootable (active). In the world of Windows, you have two partition styles including MBR and GPT....

Performing a clean installation of Windows 11 typically involves creating a bootable USB drive. However, there are scenarios where using external media isn’t an option, perhaps due to hardware limitations, lack of access to a USB flash drive, or personal preference. In this situation, you can install Windows 11 by mounting the ISO file to File Explorer and launching the setup from within the experience without external bootable media. This method is suitable for computers that are already running Windows 10 or 11....

Are you tired of staring at the same Windows icons everyday? Would you like to learn how to customize them? If you answered yes to any of the questions, great! Because today we are going to look at how to change your desktop, folders, and libraries icons, with icons from the Windows 7 list and from your own icons. It is really easy and fun! Let’s get started. How to customize desktop icons Right-click on the desktop and select Personalize , then Windows 7 Personalization will open....

On Windows 11 , Dynamic Lock is a security feature that locks your computer when you step away from your desk based on the proximity of a Bluetooth-paired device (such as your phone or wearable), adding another layer of security. When you enable the feature and step away from the computer, Windows 11 will wait 30 seconds and if the Bluetooth device isn’t nearby, it will lock the account automatically....

To enable the Microsoft Defender VPN on Windows, install and open Microsoft Defender > Privacy protection, and turn on the “VPN” feature. The service provides 50GB of free data per month, at which point the data will reset. You can use the VPN service on Windows 11 as well as on Windows 10. Also, the service is available on other platforms, such as iOS and Android. Update 2/27/2025: Beginning February 28, 2025, Microsoft is discontinuing access to the Microsoft Defender VPN feature for the Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscriptions....

On build 23575 for Windows 11 , Microsoft appears to be working on a new settings page for the “Copilot” feature. The page is meant to house the different settings to customize the experience. The page appears in the “Personalization” section, and Microsoft is calling it “Copilot in Windows.” However, at the time of this writing, it only includes one option that allows you to start the Copilot when the system starts, but it’s not functional....

Microsoft is bringing back the redesigned Taskbar interfaced optimized for touch-enabled devices on Windows 11 build 25193 , but it’s only available as a hidden feature. The new interface is being developed for tablets and 2-in-1 devices, and it offers two states (collapsed and expanded) to give users more screen space while providing quick access to your apps and features. The “collapsed” state provides a minimal version of the Taskbar that hides all the icons except those essential elements from the system tray (such as time, battery, volume, and network)....

On Windows 10, the Windows Defender Firewall is a security feature that checks incoming and outgoing network traffic and allows or blocks specific traffic depending on predefined rules. Although every installation of Windows 10 comes with the same set of default rules, you can always create new custom rules to allow or block apps from accessing the network. If you have created multiple firewall rules, and you don’t want to lose you settings after a clean installation, or you want configure other devices with the same policy, you can export and import the Windows Defender Firewall rules using the advanced settings console and Command Prompt....

On Windows 10, network connections using a Wi-Fi or Ethernet adapter are very reliable, but the time will come when you may come across connectivity problems not letting you access the internet. Although there are a lot of factors that can cause networking problems, usually, you’ll see an error like “Unidentified Network” or “Local connection only” that can be solved using a few commands. In this guide , you’ll learn the steps to reset a Wi-Fi or Ethernet (wired) connection to fix the Unidentified Network issue on Windows 10 ....

If you use the desktop version of the Office apps, including Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, and you’re connected using an OneDrive account, there is a chance to run into the “Upload blocked”, “Sign into save this file”, or “Save a copy” error message. If you receive any of the above messages, then a problem has occurred with the service connection. Although none of the errors will explain the reason, you can quickly resolve the issue by removing and reconnecting your OneDrive account....

On Windows 10, if you’re trying to connect to a computer using the remote desktop app or access a network shared, and you get an incorrect password error message, or you simply can’t connect, it could be a lot of reasons for this problem, but it’s most like that this is an account problem and not a connection issue. If this is the case, switching to a local account and the back to a Microsoft account could be the fix for the issue....

You no longer need to manually input a data table printed on a piece of paper. Microsoft is adding a new feature to Excel for Android (and iOS) to allow users to take a photo of a printed table and convert it into useful data. The new “Insert data from picture” feature uses Microsoft artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze and recognize the data without the need of the end-user to manually input the data....

To install iTunes on Windows, download the app from the Microsoft Store or run the winget install –id apple.itunes command in Command Prompt. In the past, to access the service on Windows 10 (or even Windows 11 ), you needed to download the iTunes installer from the Apple website and follow a series of steps. However, the app is now available through the Microsoft Store. It’s just your classic desktop app that you already know, but the installation takes fewer clicks, and updates happen automatically....

UPDATED 9/7/2023: On Windows 11 , you can choose any supported app to work as the default PDF viewer, including Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, and in this guide, you will learn how. Microsoft Edge is the default application that Windows 11 to open PDF documents. Although it’s a convenient feature that works as intended, Microsoft plans to replace the experience with the PDF reader plugin available from Adobe. According to the company, this move provides the basic features to open and view PDF documents with the option to pay a subscription to access advanced features....

Microsoft Edge has a feature to move tabs to a different profile window, wichch will come in handy for people who use the browser with multiple profiles. The Chromium version of Microsoft Edge comes with an option that allows you to set up multiple profiles to share the browser with other users or keep things separate, such as personal and work. The only caveat is that because profiles are completely isolated from each other, you can’t drag a tab to another profile window if you are using this setup....

Google and other search engines have been indexing and making ChatGPT conversations available in search results, which may expose sensitive information online. The problem was caused by an experimental option in ChatGPT that allowed search engines to discover the links, but now the feature has been removed. You can always control your shared conversations from the “Data Controls” settings in ChatGPT and delete those chats you may no longer want others to access....

On Windows 10, you can use the Settings app to quickly reset and repair an app. You may want to use this option when you’re dealing with a problem with an app that came pre-installed with the OS (such as Mail and Microsoft Edge), as well as to fix problems with apps that you acquired from the Microsoft Store. In this guide , you’ll learn the steps to properly reset a Microsoft Store app when it’s not working correctly, and you need to delete its data and start over on Windows 10 ....

If you’re running Windows 8 or Windows 7, you’re probably seeing the “Upgrade to Windows 10 Technical Preview” message in Windows Update and you’re constantly seeing a toast notification too, alerting you that Windows 10 is ready to install. This happens, because you have enrolled your computer to install the preview of Windows 10 with the Microsoft preparation tool released for Windows Insiders. When you install the tool, it configures Windows 7 or Windows 8 to receive Windows 10 via the Windows Update service....