To create a full system image backup on Windows 10, open the “Backup and Restore” settings, click the “Create a system image” option, and select the USB drive to save the full backup. Continue with the directions by selecting the system and secondary drives and clicking on “Start backup.” UPDATED 9/23/2025: On Windows 10 , you can create a full backup using the System Image tool in the “Backup and Restore” settings....
If you are tired of Windows Command Prompt interface style, always the same black background and white font, you should know that there is a pretty darn easy way to customize it. In fact, the process is easy and it hasn’t changed for a long time, so you can even use the configuration steps in previous version of Microsoft Windows as well. Keep reading to learn how is done. First go to Start and type cmd in the search box ....
VMware Workstation Pro and Fusion Pro are now free for personal use on Windows, Linux, and macOS. The free Pro version removes the limitations of VMware Player and offers full professional features. Version 25H2 replaces the 17.x series and introduces a new calendar-based naming system. Workstation Pro 25H2 includes better Linux performance, improved 3D acceleration, and new diagnostic tools. Disabling Hyper-V on Windows 11 or 10 is recommended for the best VMware performance....
Enable Windows Hello facial recognition protection from Settings Enable Windows Hello facial recognition protection from Group Policy Enable Windows Hello facial recognition protection from Registry On Windows 11 , you can enhance the sign-in experience using the Windows Hello facial recognition with the anti-spoof protection feature, and in this guide, I’ll explain the steps to complete this configuration. Windows Hello offers enhanced facial recognition protection, an anti-spoofing feature designed to make it significantly harder for malicious actors to use photos or videos to trick the system into unlocking....
On Windows 11 , you enable Smart App Control (SAC) to protect your computer from malicious and unwanted apps, and in this guide, I’ll explain the steps to configure this feature. What’s Smart App Control? Smart App Control (SAC) is a security feature available from the Windows Security app that locks the system down, allowing it to run only trusted apps or apps with valid certificates to prevent unwanted behaviors from untrusted applications....
Microsoft Edge includes a built-in “Split screen” feature that lets you view two pages side by side in the same browser window. You can enable it from Settings > Appearance > Toolbar > Split screen . Once enabled, click the “Split screen” button next to the address bar to open two tabs side by side and manage them with layout options. UPDATED 8/18/2025: On Microsoft Edge , you can now use the “Split window” feature in the stable version of the browser for Windows 11....
On a Microsoft account to enable two-step verification, open Security > Advanced security options , and enable “Two-step verification.” Install the Microsoft Authentication app and add the Microsoft account to secure. To disable two-step verification, from Advanced security options turn off “Two-step verification.” On a Microsoft account, you can enable the “two-step verification” (or “two-factor authentication” (2FA)) to add a second form of identification to sign in to your account, making it virtually impossible for someone else to gain unauthorized access to your account....
On Windows 10, a copy of the previous installation (known as the Windows.old folder) is created during the upgrade process to a new version, in case that the installation fails and rollback is required, or things are not working as expected and you need to go back to the previous version. The only problem with this mechanism is that if the installation completed successfully the system deletes the previous version files automatically after ten days to free up space....
On Windows 11, alongside the ability to protect your files from hardware failure, Storage Spaces also provides the flexibility to extend the maximum size of a volume inside of a pool at any time to any size you want. If you previously created a space in Storage Spaces and added a new drive to the pool , you can use the Settings app and Control Panel to extend the available storage capacity....
On Windows 11, you can configure Microsoft Edge always to start InPrivate mode to improve your online privacy, and in this guide, we will outline the steps to complete this task. InPrivate mode is a feature that prevents the Chromium version of Microsoft Edge from saving your browsing history, cookies, and site data, as well as passwords, addresses, and form data during a session. When closing an InPrivate session, Microsoft Edge deletes all your browsing information of that session....
On Windows 10, feature updates, such as version 2004 , are technically new versions that ship with new features, changes, and improvements to enhance the experience and security. The only caveat is that because these releases haven’t been broadly tested, during the early days upgrades may still contain bugs, some features may not work correctly, and drivers may break as a result of compatibility problems. Although new releases of Windows 10 no longer download and install automatically until you initiate the upgrade manually, eventually, they will....
On Windows 11 , you can now enable “Enhanced Phishing Protection,” a new security feature that can protect your passwords from malicious sites or applications. The feature is available on version 22H2 and higher, and when enabled, it can protect you in at least three ways. It’ll show you a warning when it detects you entered your account password on an untrusted site or application. The Enhanced Phishing Protection feature will alert you when trying to save passwords in plain text on an application and reusing passwords on other accounts since it makes it easier for hackers to steal your information....
Starting with version 1903 , Windows 10 introduces “Reserved Storage,” which is a new feature that reserves part of your device storage, which the system can use for updates and prevent problems as a result of no enough space. Reserved Storage usually will reserve around 7GB of hard drive space 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....
When using Microsoft Edge as your main web browser, over time, you’ll end up with multiple copies of same favorites cluttering your collection. This could be a result of you accidently saving the same site multiple times, or from an import or synchronization. If you have duplicate favorites, the Chromium version of Microsoft Edge includes an option that scans and removes duplicate links, merge folders with the same name, and any changes will sync across your devices using the same account....
Windows 10 now allows you to send and receive SMS text messages that you would normally be able to do only with your phone. The feature will debut officially for everyone with the Windows 10 Anniversary Update , but at the moment of the writing, if your computer is part of the Insider Program, you can try the new functionality using the Messaging app and configuring the new Messaging everywhere feature....
To choose a default printer on Windows 11, open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners, choose the printer, and click the “Set as default” button. If the option isn’t available, turn off the “Let Windows manage my default printer” toggle switch on” Printers & scanners” and then choose the printer and click the “Set as default” button. On Windows 11, when you install multiple printers , the system will automatically configure the most recent device as the default with the “Let Windows manage my default printer” feature....
Surface Dial is a new kind of accessory aimed to help you optimize the way you work and create. It’s compatible with any PC, laptop, or tablet running Windows 10 with support of Bluetooth LE (Low Energy). With simple presses and turns this accessory can bring up the most used shortcuts, controls, drawing tools, and more to keep you focus on your work, instead of spending time thinking on keyboard shortcuts or menu navigations....
Skype has included the ability to share a screen for a long time, but it was limited to computers. However, Microsoft is updating the Skype app for mobile devices to bring screen sharing to Android and iOS. The new screen sharing feature should come in handy in many situations, including when you need to do a last-minute presentation while on the go, you need to help someone use their phone remote, and more....
To prevent the screen from dimming automatically on Windows 11, open Settings > Display > Brightness and turn off “Change brightness automatically when lighting changes” and “Change brightness based on content.” Also, on Settings > Power & battery > Screen, sleep, & hibernate timeouts , turn off the “Dim my screen when I look away” option. On Windows 11 , if your laptop screen keeps dimming randomly, it could be a result of three features, including “Adapting brightness,” “Content Adaptive Brightness Control,” or because your computer includes “Presence Sensing” hardware and it’s using the “Dim my screen when I look away” feature....
Microsoft Edge has a new feature to take screenshots of webpages. Sure, you can take screenshots using many other apps (for example, Snip & Sketch) or features on Windows 10 , but the “Web capture” available with Edge makes it easy to grab everything you need in a single take. This is possible since the browser includes an option to take a screenshot of the full page, and the manual selection option automatically scrolls down the page to help you take a screenshot of what you need from the webpage, which it’s not possible with other tools....
