On Windows 10, you typically arrive at the location and then connect to the wireless network. However, you can also create a Wi-Fi network profile in advance, and then when the computer is in range, it will connect to the network manually. The ability to provision wireless profiles allows you to set up multiple connections in advance, and it’s a convenient way to manage Wi-Fi connections on various computers in an organization....

Windows 10 has several security features to protect your device and data against unauthorized access, malware, and other attacks, including a powerful built-in firewall known as Microsoft Defender Firewall. Although the Microsoft Defender Firewall does a pretty good job managing which applications and features are allowed to connect through the network, sometimes you may need to manually allow or deny an app. In this guide , you’ll learn the steps to allow or deny app access through the firewall on Windows 10....

Windows 11 22H2 is the first significant update of the platform that will start rolling out to compatible devices on September 20, 2022. Since this is a new version, the upgrade process will require complete reinstallation. As a result, you want to do some preparation to avoid problems and errors before the installation. Although you should always upgrade to a newer version of Windows 11 to maintain support, improve security, and access the new features, the installation can cause many unwanted problems....

UPDATED 3/27/2025: On Windows 11 , you can use the “Windows Backup” settings (or app) to back up your files, settings, credentials, and apps to the cloud, which you can then restore on a new computer or clean installation, and in this guide, I’ll explain how to complete this setup. Windows Backup is a collection of features that allows you to create a backup of your computer to your OneDrive account....

On Windows 11 , connecting a second monitor to your laptop allows you to expand the desktop canvas to work with multiple applications at the same time, improving productivity. However, if you don’t have an external display, Windows 11 includes the Cast feature to connect wirelessly to another computer as a second monitor. You can use the feature to expand the desktop canvas to improve multitasking without purchasing another monitor. You can do a presentation or anything else that may require a second monitor....

On Windows 10 , if you’re using Microsoft Azure to backup your files in the cloud , during the setup process you must also create a passphrase to encrypt and decrypt data leaving your device. If you’re recovering the data from the original device, it’s not necessary to use a passphrase, but it’s a requirement to restore the data when using a different computer or server. Although Microsoft doesn’t store your passphrase for security and privacy reasons, if you lost this information, it’s still possible to ensure that you can recover your data by changing the existing configuration....

To change password with commands on Windows 11, open Command Prompt (admin) , run the “net user USERNAME *” and confirm the new password. On Windows 11 , if you have had the same password for a long time, it’s not a very strong password, or the current password has been compromised, you can change it to something more complex that only you will remember. If you have a local account that is not connected to a Microsoft account, you have multiple methods to change the password, but the best and quickest way is to use Command Prompt....

On Windows 10, the screen resolution defines the clarity of the images and text rendered on the monitor. When using a high resolution on the display (for example, 1080p or 4K), items on the screen will look sharper and smaller to allow more items on the screen. In contrast, when using a low resolution (such as 1024 x 800-pixels), you won’t be able to see as many items on the screen, and they’ll appear larger....

On Windows 10, the ability to view the current network configuration can be helpful when troubleshooting connection problems , setting up remote access, or simply staying informed about the network properties. You’ve been able to view this information for a long time, but unless you knew how to use command lines, these were details available only for advanced users. However, starting with Windows 10 , the Settings app makes it easy to view the complete network configuration for all your adapters installed on your device....

To check USB4 devices specs on Windows 11, open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > USB > USB4 Hubs and Devices , and review the USB 4.0 hubs and devices’ attributes and capabilities. On Windows 11, starting with the “Moment 3” update , the Settings app can show information for USB 4.0 hubs and devices connected to your computer. Although there are not too many devices using this technology, Microsoft is planning in advance and building the necessary settings to control these devices from the Settings app....

On Windows 10 (and on Windows 11), as of this writing, two versions of the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) are available, including versions 1 and 2. WSL 1 was the original release and introduced the ability to run Linux distros natively alongside Windows 10. WSL 2 is the second version that now uses virtualization to run the Linux kernel inside a lightweight virtual machine, offering the same benefits as the first version, plus better system performance and full system call support compatibility....

On Windows 10, copy and paste is one of those features that we use multiple times a day and we take for granted, but because the way we create content is changing quickly, starting with version 1809 (October 2018 Update), Windows 10 is introducing a new clipboard experience to overcome many of the limitations with the old experience, including the ability to sync your clips across devices . In the new experience, you can still use the Ctrl + C to copy and Ctrl + V keyboard shortcut to paste, but if you use the Windows key + V keyboard shortcut, you’ll now access the new clipboard experience with your history....

The easiest way to create a local account on Windows 10, open Settings > Accounts > Family & other users , click “Add someone else to this PC,” choose “I don’t have this person’s sign-in information,” select “Add a user without a Microsoft account,” and continue with the on-screen directions. Another way to create a local account on Windows 10 is to open Command Prompt (admin) and use the “net user USER_NAME PASSWORD /add” command....

To create a System Restore Point on Windows 11, open the “System Protection” settings, select the drive, click on “Configure,” and select the “Turn on system protection” option. Then, on “System Protection,” select the drive to protect and click on “Create.” To recover Windows 11 with a restore point, open the “System Protection” settings, click on “System Restore,” select the restore point, and apply it to the computer. On Windows 11 , System Restore is a built-in feature that helps safeguard your computer by creating “restore points,” which are snapshots of the system’s state at a given time....

On Windows 11 , a computer can have two types of Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), integrated or discrete. An integrated GPU is a chip that can be embedded into the system’s processor or a dedicated chip soldered onto the motherboard that uses part of the system’s memory. On the other hand, a discrete GPU refers to an add-in card with its own processor, memory, and power supply. Usually, discrete graphics come from the leading manufacturers, including AMD and Nvidia, but Intel is getting into the graphics card business with the Intel Arc Graphics....

On Windows 10, Reserved Storage is a feature designed to allocate part of your device available storage for updates and avoid problems as a result of not enough space. Reserved Storage usually will reserve around 7GB of storage for updates, temporary files, system cache, and apps. When a new update is available, Windows 10 will delete the files on the reserved storage automatically allowing updates to install successfully. The new feature will come enabled by default on devices that come pre-installed with the May 2019 Update, or after performing a clean installation of the operating system, and if this feature isn’t for you because your device has limited space or you don’t like the feature, there’s a workaround to disable it modifying the Registry....

To disable sign-in again after sleep or inactivity on Windows 11, open Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options , and choose the “Never” option for the “If you’ve been away, when should Windows require you to sign in again” setting. You can also configure the feature to require a password every time the computer resumes sleep or after a number of minutes of inactivity. On Windows 11 , you can decide whether the system should require you to enter the password again when the computer or display resumes from sleep....

To download the Windows 11 23H2 ISO file, open the Microsoft download page, choose the ISO download option, click “Download,” choose language, click “Confirm,” and click “Download” again. You can also use the Media Creation Tool or the Rufus third-party tool. UPDATED 11/2/2023: You have multiple ways to download the Windows 11 23H2 ISO file on your computer, including from the Microsoft support website, using the Media Creation Tool, or through third-party tools like Rufus, which also allows you to download the ISO file for any version of Windows 11 and Windows 10....

To enable BitLocker on Windows 10 Pro, open Control Panel > System and Security > BitLocker Drive Encryption , click “Turn on BitLocker,” configure the unlock authentication, choose to encrypt used space only option and select the new encryption mode. On Windows 10 Home, open Settings > Update & Security > Device encryption , and turn on the description feature. On Windows 10 , you can enable BitLocker, but the instructions will be slightly different depending on where you have Windows 10 Home or Pro, and in this guide, I will show you how....

On Windows 11 , Microsoft is working on a new Gamepad layout for the on-screen keyboard, allowing you to write and navigate the operating system more easily using your Xbox game controller. Once enabled, on the “Keyboard layout” menu for the on-screen keyboard, you will be able to select the new “Gamepad” option. The new layout is similar to the default keyboard, but the new one includes some design changes for the Esc, Tab, Shift, Backspace, and Enter keys....