We already talked about what DropIt is and what it can do for you . Now you’ll learn the basics of how to configure and use this great free application for Windows. How to install DropIt and how to configure it: To create a new or customize an existing profile, just right-click and from the menu navigate to Profiles , select Customize and either double-click an existing profile or click New ....

You can connect any Bluetooth speaker to Windows 11 and make it the default output device on your computer for system sounds and other audio. However, the computer needs to be equipped with a Bluetooth adapter, which most laptops and desktops have, but you can always purchase an inexpensive USB Bluetooth dongle to add this radio wireless technology for transferring data over a short distance to your device. In this guide , you will learn the easy steps to pair Bluetooth devices to Windows 11....

On Windows 10, you can now connect your Gmail account to Cortana to manage your Google Calendar using the assistant. Usually, you set up a new account on your device using a Microsoft account, which Cortana can access to provide a more personalized experience. But in order to provide even more value, Cortana also allows you to connect other services, which until now didn’t include a Google account. If you’re running Windows 10 , it’s now possible to connect a Google account to manage your Google Calendar using Cortana on your PC, even using voice commands....

UPDATED 11/1/2023: It’s possible to create a USB bootable media to bypass the installation restrictions of Windows 11 23H2 (2023 Update) , and in this guide, I’ll outline the steps to complete this task. Although Windows 11 includes various installation requirements (such as for processor, memory, storage, network, and security), you can use workarounds and tools like Rufus to upgrade on unsupported hardware or install Windows 11 with a local account....

Google Chrome, by default, can offer to save various types of personal information, such as mailing addresses, phone numbers, emails, payment methods, and passwords for online services, so that the next time the data can fill automatically. However, sometimes, you may need to delete this information because you initially typed it wrong, it’s no longer valid, or you don’t want the browser to remember a specific piece of information. Whatever the case, Google Chrome includes settings to add, edit, and remove autofill data....

Windows 11 automatically uploads BitLocker recovery keys to Microsoft when device encryption is enabled. You can remove existing recovery keys by disabling encryption and deleting them from your Microsoft account. Windows 11 Pro allows BitLocker to be re-enabled without uploading the recovery key to the cloud. Windows 11 Home cannot enable encryption without cloud backup and requires third-party tools for local-only keys. On Windows 11 , you can remove your BitLocker recovery key from your Microsoft account and retain full control over where it is stored....

On Windows 10 , installing cumulative updates can sometimes cause problems, such as failure to install due to file corruption, compatibility, or unknown bugs. Whatever the reason, if you have problems installing an update or users report issues with a particular rollout, you can delete pending updates to download the package again or skip the update entirely. You can complete this task by deleting the contents inside the SoftwareDistribution folder that contains the files that Windows Update uses to apply new updates....

On Windows 11 , if you have multiple audio devices you don’t use, for instance, speakers built into the monitor, headphones, headset, or hands-free audio peripherals, you can disable them to prevent them from appearing in the list of available devices. When you disable an audio device on Windows 11, you are not disconnecting it from your computer. The device will continue to be available in case you need them again....

To enable the Ask Copilot search box in the Taskbar on Windows 11, use ViveTool to activate the hidden feature code manually. Open Command Prompt as administrator, navigate to the ViveTool folder, and run the vivetool /enable /id:57739723,57941090 command. Microsoft is testing a new “Ask Copilot” experience that replaces the Windows Search experience in the Taskbar with Copilot on Windows 11 , and in this guide, you’ll learn the steps to enable or disable the feature....

Windows 11 includes HDR support for apps that use ICC profiles. You can enable the “Use legacy display ICC color management” feature on the app > Properties > Compatibility . On Windows 11 , when high dynamic range (HDR) is enabled, some apps that use International Color Consortium (ICC) profiles (such as Photoshop, CorelDraw, and similar apps) do not display colors accurately since they are restricted to the sRGB color gamut....

On Windows 11 22H2 , you can now enable an early preview of the new search bar for the Task Manager. Microsoft seems to be experimenting with a search interface that will make it easier to find and manage applications and background processes by allowing you to quickly search processes by name, publisher, or process identification. The feature is still under development and is hidden from users. However, if you want to try it before it’s officially available (via PhantomOcean3 ), you can use a third-party tool known as “ViVeTool” created by Rafael Rivera and Lucas on GitHub to enable the new experience on build 25231 and higher releases of Windows 11....

Bluetooth on Windows 10 allows you to quickly connect an extensive array of wireless devices to your computer (such as speakers, mice, and keyboards). However, while devices should automatically reconnect when they’re in range, Bluetooth isn’t perfect, and sometimes you will come across connectivity problems. If you’re having issues connecting a Bluetooth device to your computer, there are many troubleshooting steps you can do on Windows 10 . In this guide , you will learn the steps to fix many of the connection problems with Bluetooth devices on Windows 10....

The “news and interests” taskbar widget is officially coming to older versions of Windows 10, and with the release of the update KB5001396, version 1909 is getting it now . On Windows 10 , news and interests is a feature available from the taskbar that gives you quick access to weather, trending news, sports, stocks, and other information without the need to reach your phone. The update KB5001396 is available as an optional update containing all the non-security patches expected to arrive on the next Patch Tuesday....

On Windows 11 , you can now download and install the first public preview of the Apple Music app. The app offers the same design and features already found on macOS, including unlimited access to millions of songs and your music library. However, since this is a preview not all features may work as expected. After installing the Music app, the iTunes app will no longer open, and audiobooks or podcasts on your computer will be inaccessible until Apple releases a compatible version of iTunes....

On Windows 11 (and 10), you can install Perplexity to access the AI search engine, and in this guide, I’ll teach you how to complete this task. Perplexity AI is a search and answer engine that uses large language models (LLMs) to provide direct answers to your queries, complete with citations. Although Perplexity is easily accessible from the web, you can install the native Windows app. In addition, if you don’t want to install the official app, you can install Perplexity as a Progressive Web App (PWA) through Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome....

On Windows 11, if you created a local account , you can link it to a Microsoft account to access all the cloud services and features that the company offers. For example, when linking your local account to a Microsoft account, you can associate your computer’s Windows 11 product key with your account, making it easier to transfer the product key to another device or reactivate an installation after a hardware upgrade ....

On Firefox, the empty space that appears on either side of the address bar is known as “Flexible Space,” which allows you to add extra space to separate groups of items, or to center or make the address and search bar smaller by adding multiple flexible spaces. If you want to add or remove empty space in the toolbar, it’s a very easy task on Firefox . In this guide , you’ll learn the steps to manage Flexible Space on Mozilla’s Firefox web browser on Windows 10 , but the same instructions will work with other OSes....

To stop Outlook opening links in Microsoft Edge, open Outlook > Options > Advanced > File and browser preferences , change “Open hyperlinks from Outlook in” to “Default Browser,” and click “OK.” On Windows 11 (or 10), you can configure the legacy version of Outlook to open links directly into the default browser instead of Microsoft Edge. In this guide, I will explain how to complete this configuration. The legacy version of Outlook (the one that comes bundled with the Office apps) has an unnecessary default configuration that uses Microsoft Edge to open links and document attachments with the web versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint....

To find the Wi-Fi password on Windows 10, from the “Network connections” page in Control Panel, open the “Wireless Properties” page for the active connection and check the “Show characters” option to view the Wi-Fi password. If you want to view the password for saved wireless networks, you will have to run the “netsh wlan show profile name=”Wi-Fi-Profile” key=clear” command in Command Prompt. UPDATED 6/19/2025: On Windows 10 , you can find the Wi-Fi password of the current connection or saved networks....

UPDATED 4/3/2024: On Windows 11 , when you no longer connect to a printer, the peripheral will remain available on the computer even if you remove it since the process doesn’t delete the driver. Print drivers will be kept on the computer if they are ever needed again. Although this might be a great approach for reinstalling a printer without providing the controllers again, keeping them on the computer will only waste space on the hard drive....