Take advantage of all the functionality that Windows 10 offers and those hidden tools that you may not know but that will make you more efficient and productive in your day to day with your PC and Windows.

Windows 10 is the most popular desktop operating system on the planet with the software now installed on more than 1 billion devices around the world in different languages ​​and languages.

However, despite the fact that its interface has evolved over the years to become more graphical, there are features that do not always turn out to be so obvious even to the most enthusiastic of technology.

With so many people relying on Windows 10 to stay productive in their day-to-day lives, we thought it might come in handy to learn some additional tricks that allow us to get more out of its features.

Here are ten ways to get more out of your Windows 10 PC:

Task view

The Task View acts as a multitasking hub in Windows 10, offering the ability to manage all the windows that are open in the background, as well as launch virtual desktops.

There is a dedicated button on the taskbar by default, although you can also activate it with the keyboard shortcut ‘Windows + Tab’.

You can read more information in our detailed guide on how to use Task View or Task View in Windows 10.

Timeline

The feature within the Task View is Timeline or Timeline, which acts as a complete history of all the windows you have opened on your device, with the ability to quickly resume a project from weeks ago.

This may not be enabled by default when you start Task View, but you will be prompted to enable it. If not, go to ‘Settings> Privacy> Activity history’ and make sure that “Allow Windows to collect my activities from PC” is activated.

Following a Windows 10 2019 update, Google Chrome history can also be synced. Just make sure you download the corresponding ‘Web Activities’ extension from Microsoft and log in.

Clipboard history

You may have ever seen a message saying that something has been saved to your Windows 10 clipboard, but where does it all go?

While pressing ‘CTRL + V’ will only paste the most recent you have copied, the clipboard history will show the last 25 items, both in text and images. It is available via the ‘Windows + V’ key shortcut.

You can also enable a clipboard in the cloud, where items you paste on one device can be available on another, as long as they are both signed in to the same Microsoft account.

Just go to ‘Start> Settings> System> Clipboard’ and make sure both “Clipboard History” and “Synchronization between devices” are both enabled.

Storage sensor

Windows 10 can free up space on your hard drive automatically through a feature called Storage Sense.

It works in a way that removes files that you don’t use but is usually found on your devices, such as the Recycle Bin and the Downloads folder. Your PC no longer needs these temporary files, so you can delete them automatically.

To activate the function, go to ‘Settings> System> Storage’ and make sure that Storage Sense is activated. From here, you have options to choose how often it runs, as well as allowing what is already in the cloud to be deleted.

Dynamic lock

As with many modern devices, Windows 10 can be configured to automatically lock itself when a trusted device is out of reach.

It’s a feature known as a dynamic lock, and you’ll need the Bluetooth connectivity of both devices to be turned on.

First, you will need to pair your phone and Windows 10 PC. Go to ‘Devices and Printers’ and click on ‘Add a device’. A quick search should find your phone, so just click to pair the two.

Then, you will need to activate the dynamic lock on both. Go to ‘Settings> Accounts> Sign-in options’ and click on the box that says ‘Allow Windows to detect when you are away and automatically lock the device’.

AirDrop for Windows

AirDrop is a very popular way to share files and other documents between Apple devices. There is an equivalent feature in Windows 10, although of course the information can only be shared between Windows computers.

It’s known as ‘Proximity Sharing’ and can be easily enabled in Windows 10 settings. Just go to ‘Start> Settings> System> Sharing experiences’ and make sure the ‘Sharing between devices’ option is turned on.

You can choose between any nearby Windows 10 PCs here, or just those linked to your Microsoft account, although both devices will need to have Bluetooth turned on for it to work.

It works mainly in File Explorer and Microsoft’s Edge browser, where it is an option within the Share tab/button. The device receiving the information will receive a “Received from …” notification.

Windows Reliability Monitor

Windows ‘Reliability Monitor’ can help you keep everything under control. Just type ‘Reliability’ in the search bar on the taskbar and select the option that says ‘View Reliability History’.

This will give you an overview of your device’s stability history, with any X or! S indicating an area that needs attention.

Advanced user settings

You may not know that for years there has been a dedicated menu for advanced users, which is still incredibly useful.

Simply right-click the Start menu (Windows icon at the bottom left of the screen) to display many additional options. Some options like ‘Event viewer’, ‘Task Manager’, ‘Powershell’, can improve the performance of your PC.

God mode?

There is another trick that gives you the ability to have more extensive control of your Windows 10 PC, hence the inherited name ‘God Mode’.

To activate it, you must create a new folder on your desktop and rename it to the following: God Mode. {ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}

You can replace the ‘God Mode’ name if you prefer, but just make sure it’s before the first parenthesis. Press Enter and the icon will automatically change to the ‘Control Panel’. By double-clicking, you will go to a menu full of customization options.