Winter 2014 Volume 16, Issue 1

Windows 8.1 Tips

by Kam Abado and Jeff Blake

Many of you may already have Windows 8 on your laptop, tablet or home computer. While we do not fully support Windows 8.x on the SSC Network, here are a few suggestions and links to help make your Windows 8 experience more enjoyable.

Windows 8 Keyboard Shortcuts

  • Press the Windows key to open the Start screen or switch to the Desktop (if open).
  • Press the Windows key + D to open the Windows Desktop.
  • Press the Windows key + C to open the Charms.
  • Press the Windows key + I to open the Settings, which is the same Settings found in Charms.
  • Press and hold the Windows key + Tab to show the Apps.
  • Press the Windows key + Print screen to create a screen shot, which is automatically saved into your My Pictures folder.
  • Press the Windows key +W to lock your screen.
  • Press the Windows key + S to open the search field.
  • Press the Windows key + P to open the option to project to a connected screen.
  • Press the Windows key + 1 to open Internet Explorer.

Know Your Hot Corners

The corners on your screen are Hot Corners that give you access to different Windows features.

Bottom Left-Hand Corner: Moving the mouse to bottom left-hand corner of the screen will reveal a Windows icon that you can use to switch to either the Start screen or the Desktop.

Top-Left Corner of the Screen: Moving the mouse to the top-left corner, then down, will display all the applications running on the computer. Clicking and dragging any of these applications to the left or right-hand side of the screen will snap the application to that side of the screen. Each of these open application icons can also be right-clicked to close.

Right-Hand Side of the Screen: On the full right-hand side of the screen, you will be given access to the Windows Charms.

Internet Tutorials

There are several good sites on the internet that provide Windows 8 tutorials.  Here are a few links: