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On Windows 10, you’ve been able to adjust and change the system volume since the initial release, but you still needed to use Control Panel to change other settings. However, starting with the April 2018 Update, Windows 10 brings the sound settings to the Settings app. You’re still required to use Control Panel to access advanced configurations, but eventually all the options will be migrated to the new Sound page to the Settings experience....

Xbox Series X and S have a new “Active Hours” feature that allows the console to start quickly during certain hours of the day, and in this guide, you will learn the steps to adjust this setting. In an effort to save energy and lower carbon emissions, the power system on Xbox consoles now uses the “energy-saving” mode by default instead of the “instant on.” This means that Xbox will now only draw 0....

Windows 10 21H2, November 2021 Update, has been available for compatible devices since November 16, 2021 , and the best way to upgrade is to perform a clean installation using a USB flash drive bootable media. Typically, you should perform an in-place upgrade using Windows Update, but changing the current installation can lead to problems and errors due to possible compatibility issues and custom configurations. A clean install of Windows 10 21H2 minimizes the risks because it deletes everything on the hard drive and sets up a fresh copy of the OS....

On Windows 10, File Explorer shows an icon in the folders stored in OneDrive to let you know the sync status of the content when using Files On-Demand . Although it’s a useful feature to quickly see if the files are still syncing, available only online or offline, it’s not a feature for everyone. For this reason, File Explorer includes a new option to disable the OneDrive icon status. You only need to know where to find it....

On Windows 11, open Settings > Network & internet > Advanced network settings , click the “ Disable” button to disable the network adapter or click the “ Enable” button to re-enable it . Alternatively, you can also use Device Manager and Control Panel. If you want to use commands, you can manage Wi-Fi and Ethernet adapters through Command Prompt and PowerShell. Windows 11 makes enabling or disabling network adapters (Wi-Fi or Ethernet) from the Settings app easy....

Up until now, there wasn’t a good way to do a clean installation of Windows 7 without the proper media, as Microsoft didn’t offer a way to download the ISO files. Today this is changing, Microsoft recently launch the Software Recovery Center website , where users can easily download the x86 or x64 version of Windows 7 ISO for free. Before you could download the installation files from Digital River’s servers , but that is no longer an option....

Google plans to bring to Chrome a new feature that automatically picks a color scheme from the current wallpaper image in the new tab page. The feature is currently available on the Canary release of Chrome (version 110), but you need to enable it manually by turning on a couple of experimental settings on the “flags” page. In previous versions, it was possible to change the color theme of the browser, but it involved selecting the color scheme manually....

To enable IE mode on Edge, open Settings > Default browser , select the “Allow” option for the “Allow sites to be reloaded in Internet Explorer mode (IE mode)” setting, and restart the browser to apply the settings and load legacy websites correctly. You can also set up Microsoft Edge’s compatibility mode through Group Policy. However, you must download and install the Microsoft Edge policy settings first. UPDATED 3/18/2024: On Microsoft Edge, you can enable “IE Mode” to load websites designed for Internet Explorer in at least two ways from the browser default settings or through Group Policy....

To enable new features in the Windows 11 July 2025 Update (build 26100.4652, KB5062553), use the ViVeTool command-line tool. After extracting the tool, run the command vivetool /enable /id:54238000 in Command Prompt as an administrator. This unlocks features Microsoft is rolling out gradually in version 24H2. UPDATED 7/8/2025: You can manually enable the new features and improvements rolling out with the Windows 11 July 2025 Security Update for version 24H2, and in this guide, I’ll show you how to complete this task....

On Windows 11 build 23435 , you can enable an early preview of a new option that allows you to decide whether the Search experience should open on hover from the Taskbar, and in this guide, you will learn how. If you want to get hands-on with the new open Search on hover, you can use a third-party tool called “ViveTool,” created by Rafael Rivera and Lucas on GitHub , to enable the option on your computer....

On Windows 11 , you can now enable an early preview of the new Volume Mixer interface to control the system and app’s volume, and here’s how on build 25281 or higher releases available in the Dev Channel . You can access the new Volume Mixer from the Taskbar’s System Tray to quickly switch audio outputs, control individual app volumes, and enable additional features like Spatial Audio. You will still be required to perform a few more clicks, but you will no longer have to open the Settings app to change the app’s volume individually....

On Windows 10, you’ve been able to get text suggestions as you type for a long time, but it was only available using the on-screen keyboard. However, starting with Windows 10 version 1803 , it’s now possible to get text suggestions when using a hardware keyboard. This is an opt-in feature, and Microsoft is aiming this feature for user learning English, education, and accessibility. Once enabled, as you type with a hardware keyboard, you’ll see a new caret with text candidate that you can select using the mouse or keyboard....

On Windows 11 , the Microsoft Defender Firewall is a security feature that monitors incoming and outgoing network traffic to allow or block traffic depending on configured rules. Although the default settings should be optimal for most users, you can create new custom rules to control the network access for apps and services. However, the Microsoft Defender Firewall settings, Command Prompt, or PowerShell do not provide an option to export a specific firewall rule....

To find IP address on Windows 11, open Settings > Network & internet > Wi-Fi . Then select the wireless properties settings and confirm your IP next to “IPv4 address.” Alternatively, open Command Prompt and run the “ipconfig” command to find the IP. Or, in PowerShell, run the “Get-NetIPConfiguration -detailed” command to find the IP. UPDATED 9/2/2024: On Windows 11 , you can find your computer’s IP address using different tools like the Settings app, Command Prompt, and PowerShell, and in this guide, you will learn how to find this configuration, including for your internet connection....

To fix performance issues on Windows 11 23H2, you may have to reset the “Windows Security” app and enable the “Memory Integrity” feature. To reset the Windows Security app, open PowerShell (admin) and run the “Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.SecHealthUI -AllUsers | Reset-AppxPackage” command. To disable “Memory Integrity,” open Windows Security > Device Security > Core isolation details , and turn on the feature. UPDATED 12/18/2023: On Windows 11 23H2 , you may need to reset the Windows Security app to resolve performance issues, and in this guide, I will outline the steps to complete this task....

On Windows 10, Windows Hello fingerprint is just another biometric authentication method to sign in to your account. The set up is a very straightforward process , but if you’re having problems signing in, and you usually end up typing a password instead, the problem isn’t the fingerprint reader, it’s probably an issue with your configuration. If this is the case, reconfiguring your fingerprints can resolve most issues. In this guide , you’ll learn the steps to fix sign-in problems using a fingerprint reader on Windows 10 ....

Zoom is a video conferencing service that businesses use for remote meetings, interviews, presentations, and more similar to Skype, Cisco Webex, and other services. Also, Zoom is a popular solution among home users for face-to-face and group video chat. While the service is cost money, there’s a free version that includes unlimited minutes for one-to-one video calls, but group calls on Zoom are limited to 40 minutes. If you want to use the group calling feature for a longer session, you can get the Zoom Pro plan for $14....

To create an entire Registry backup on Windows 11, open System Protection , select the “C” drive, and click “Create.” To manually create a backup of specific Registry keys, open the Registry Editor, select “Computer,” click “File, “ and select “Export.” UPDATED 3/8/2024: If you are not careful when editing the Registry on Windows 11 , many problems could occur, so it is critical to create a backup of the entire Registry....

With Windows 8.1, Microsoft is also introducing Internet Explorer 11, a new version of the popular web browser that brings new changes and features focus on touch-first experience, something that Microsoft has been remarking since the launch of Windows 8. Now one particular feature that has changed is how to pin a website shortcut to Start in the modern app version of the browser. This action used to be simpler , but now it just take a few extra steps; follow the instructions below to learn how:...

There are a lot of times where a video can be far more convenient than taking a screenshot . Take for example when you want to help someone configure their phone or you simply want to demonstrate a new feature of the mobile version of Windows 10 . In these situations, a traditional screenshot may not be enough. While screen recording is nowadays an easy thing to do, it’s not a straightforward process on your smartphone, as there isn’t any Windows 10 Mobile apps that you can use to record your phone’s screen....