11 hidden Windows 11 features you should be using

Although we have been with Windows 11 for a long time, it may be that certain features and functions we haven’t discovered yetsince some of them are not exactly obvious.

That is why we have decided to compile a few of those functions that are more or less hidden, so that you can use them and get even more out of the operating system.

Perhaps you already knew some of them, but it may happen that others are new to you or you had simply forgotten them and in this way you will already know or remember them.

Let’s stop making introductions and we are going to know all the hidden functions with which you will take better advantage of the Windows 11 system on your computer.

Index of contents:

emoji picker

If you like emojis, there is an easy way to insert the one you want in any document.

To achieve this, you only have to do the following:

• We push Windows + Period (.) on the keyboard.
• appears a small menu where we can scroll through the complete list of emojis available in Windows 11.
• When we find the one we want, we click on it and Windows will insert it into whatever text field we’re working on.

virtual desktops

If the Windows workspace is crowded, virtual desktops can help us and be really useful to better manage all the windows we have open and thus keep the desk tidy.

To use virtual desktops you must do the following:

• We click on the Task View icon on the taskbar or press Windows+Tab.
• In the task view, we click on the button New desktop from the top of the screen.
• Now we have another desktop to work on and can switch desktops at any time in Task View.

Timestamp in Notepad

If we use Windows 11 Notepad a lot or quite often, surely what we are going to tell you can be very useful.

To get a date and timestamp in Notepad, we must press F5 or click on Edit and then Time/Date in the menu bar.

From that moment on, the current time and date they will instantly appear at the cursor position in documents opened with Notepad.

The menu power user can be started by pressing Windows + X or by clicking the right click on start buttongiving us access to some very cool Windows tools and settings such as Task Manager, Device Manager, Event Manager, Disk Management, Network Connections, and more.

We will even have suspension and shutdown options at our disposal, as well as being able to open File Explorer quickly.

screen recording

The Xbox Game Bar is a part of Windows 11 that is primarily designed for gamers, though anyone can use its features, including its screen recording tool.

If we want to use it we must do the following:

• We push Windows+G to open the game bar.
• In the main menu we click on the small icon Capture (which looks like a camera).
• In the Capture windowwe will use the record button (a small circle on a button) to start recording your screen.
• Once we have finished, click on stop recording.
• What you have recorded you will find in the folder Videos.

focus assist

If we need a break from notifications, Focus mode can help. While it is activated, no notification window will appear in the corner of the screen.

To enable it, we are going to Settings > System > Focus > Notifications and from there configure it as we want

clipboard history

Surely more than once you have gone to paste something and it turns out that you have already cleaned the clipboard and you can no longer copy what you wanted.

Well, there is a function in Windows 11 called clipboard historywith which you can choose past copies.

To enable it you must go to Settings (Win + I) > System > Clipboard and set Clipboard History to position Activated.

When that is done, seeing the history of our clipboard is as simple as pressing Windows + V.

if we activate Synchronize between deviceswe will be able to share our clipboard history with other Windows computers where we are logged in with the same account.

Backup

There is a feature in Windows 11 called File History which backs up files every hour by default.

This recording frequency can be varied to be as little as 10 minutes.

If we want to activate it we must:

• Let’s go to Control Panel of Windows 11.
• Click on file history and then in Select a network location.
• Now we give in Add network location and select a drive (usually an external drive) where we want Windows to save the backups.

Night light

If we are going to be in front of the computer until late at night, the night light mode can help us reduce visual fatigue, as well as help us with our sleep.

If we want to activate it we must do the following:

• We open the Notification Center and click on the Night light.
• We can also open the Windows settings and go to System > Screen and toggle the switch next to Night light has Activated.

cut and draw

There is an app built into Windows 11 that will take screenshots of any area on the screen, as well as on a web page with the press of a button.

To start Snip & Sketch (that’s what it’s called), we press Windows+Shift+S on the keyboard.

To take a screenshot, click on New from the toolbar and then use the mouse to highlight the area we want.

The result will be seen in a window to save it by clicking on Keep (floppy disk icon).

intelligent control

Windows 11 has security features like Smart App Control, which gives a system’s computer protection against malware by preventing harmful or untrustworthy apps from installing or running.

If we want to configure it we must do the following:

• We came in Settingclick on Privacy & Securitymoment in which we enter windows security.
• We click on Application and browser control.
• We will see that just below where it says Reputation-Based Protection there is a key that says Activate and that we should press.
• We can now enter Reputation-Based Protection Configuration. From now on, We already manage this protection as we want.

With everything that we have just told you, you will know how to handle Windows 11 a little better.

All these hidden functions of Windows 11 will help you get the most out of your operating system and therefore to the computer.