10 Essential Windows 11 Tips Every User Should Know (Settings, Shortcuts and Hidden Features)

Windows 11 has been with us since October 2021, and the 24H2 and 25H2 releases have added features that most people never find because they live three menus deep. This guide collects ten that are worth learning, explains each in a paragraph with the exact keys or settings path, and notes which ones need Windows 11 Pro rather than Home, because for several of them the edition is the only thing standing between you and the feature.

1. Snap layouts and snap groups

Hover over the maximise button of any window, or press Windows + Z, and Windows offers layouts: halves, thirds, a large pane with two small ones. Click a zone and the window snaps to it; Windows then offers the other open windows for the remaining zones. The group is remembered on the taskbar, so hovering over one app’s icon offers the whole group. On an ultrawide monitor, the three-column layouts replace the need for a window manager. Settings, System, Multitasking controls whether snapped windows resize together.

2. Clipboard history and cloud sync

Press Windows + V. The first time, click Turn on. From then on, every item you copy is kept in a list (text, images, HTML) and pasting from history is a click. Pin items you reuse, such as an address or a product key you are entering on several machines. Settings, System, Clipboard enables sync across devices signed in with the same Microsoft account, which is the easiest way to move a snippet from a laptop to a desktop.

3. Virtual desktops

Windows + Ctrl + D creates a new desktop; Windows + Ctrl + Left or Right switches between them; Windows + Tab shows them all. Keep work on one desktop and personal windows on another, or one project per desktop. Each desktop can have its own wallpaper and name (right-click it in Task View), which makes them easy to tell apart. Windows 11 remembers the layout across restarts.

4. The emoji, GIF and symbol panel

Windows + . (period) opens a panel with emoji, GIFs, kaomoji, symbols such as the degree sign and em dash, and your clipboard history. The Symbols tab is the fastest way to type characters that are otherwise a hunt through Character Map. It works in every text field, including Office and browsers.

5. Storage Sense and the cleanup recommendations

Settings, System, Storage shows what is using the drive and offers Cleanup recommendations: temporary files, large unused files, files already synced to OneDrive, and unused apps. Turn on Storage Sense to run cleanup automatically when space runs low, including emptying the Recycle Bin after a set number of days. On a 256 GB laptop this routinely recovers 10 to 30 GB.

6. Focus sessions and Do Not Disturb

The Clock app’s Focus feature runs timed work sessions with breaks, integrates with Microsoft To Do, and silences notifications while running. Do Not Disturb (in the notification centre, or Windows + N then the bell) silences everything manually, and Settings, System, Notifications sets automatic rules such as “when duplicating my display” so a presentation never shows a pop-up.

7. Link your licence to your Microsoft account

Settings, System, Activation shows whether Windows is activated and how. Sign in with a Microsoft account from Settings, Accounts, Your info and the page changes to “activated with a digital licence linked to your Microsoft account”. After a hardware change or a reinstall, the Activation troubleshooter can then re-apply the licence without the key. It is a two-minute step that saves real trouble later; our Windows installation guide explains it in context.

8. Windows Sandbox (Pro)

Windows Sandbox is a throwaway virtual Windows that starts in seconds from the Start menu, isolated from your real system. Install a suspicious download, open an untrusted attachment or test a setting, then close the window and everything inside is discarded. Enable it in Settings, Apps, Optional features, More Windows features, Windows Sandbox. It requires Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise or Education and virtualisation enabled in the firmware.

9. BitLocker drive encryption (Pro)

A lost laptop with an unencrypted drive is a data breach. BitLocker encrypts the whole drive and, on a PC with TPM 2.0, unlocks it automatically at boot with no daily inconvenience. Settings, Privacy & security, Device encryption on Home offers a limited version tied to a Microsoft account; full BitLocker with managed recovery keys and the ability to encrypt removable drives (BitLocker To Go) is a Pro feature. Save the recovery key somewhere other than the laptop.

10. Control updates (Pro)

Windows 11 Pro adds Windows Update for Business policies through Group Policy (gpedit.msc, Computer Configuration, Administrative Templates, Windows Components, Windows Update) that let you defer feature updates for up to 365 days and quality updates for up to 30, and set active hours firmly. Home users can pause updates for up to five weeks from Settings, Windows Update, but cannot defer feature releases. For a work PC, this is often the deciding reason to move to Pro; the Home to Pro upgrade takes ten minutes.

Bonus shortcuts worth memorising

Shortcut	What it does
Windows + A	Quick settings (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, brightness, volume)
Windows + N	Notification centre and calendar
Windows + W	Widgets board
Windows + Shift + S	Screenshot with Snipping Tool
Windows + X	Power user menu (Terminal, Device Manager, Settings)
Windows + L	Lock the PC
Windows + E	File Explorer
Windows + I	Settings
Ctrl + Shift + Esc	Task Manager directly
Alt + Tab	Switch windows; Windows + Tab for Task View

Which edition do you need?

Tips 1 to 7 work on Windows 11 Home and Pro. Tips 8 to 10 require Pro (or Enterprise and Education). If you find yourself wanting Sandbox, BitLocker or update control, a Pro key entered in Settings, System, Activation upgrades Home in place without reinstalling. For machines that need to stay unchanged for years, the Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2024 edition removes feature updates altogether, and our Windows 11 category lists every edition we sell.

Three more settings worth changing on day one

Turn off unnecessary startup apps. Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc), Startup apps tab. Disable anything with a High startup impact that you do not use daily; chat clients and updaters are the usual offenders. This shortens boot time more than any other single change.

Set the default browser and PDF viewer. Settings, Apps, Default apps. Pick your browser and click “Set default”, then scroll to .pdf and choose the viewer you prefer. Windows 11 no longer changes these behind your back after updates as it once did, but it does not ask on a new install either.

Enable Nearby Sharing and phone link. Settings, System, Nearby sharing turns on AirDrop-style sharing between Windows PCs; the Phone Link app mirrors notifications, messages and photos from an Android phone or iPhone. Both remove the habit of emailing yourself files.

Keeping Windows 11 healthy

Run Windows Update monthly, keep a current browser, and leave Microsoft Defender’s real-time protection on unless you use another product. Create a restore point before large driver updates (search “Create a restore point”, System Protection). Keep the installation USB you made for the clean install; it doubles as a repair tool, as our bootable USB guide explains. And keep the product key from your delivery email somewhere safe, because a reinstall years later is a ten-minute job with it and a support ticket without it.

Two tips for laptops specifically

Battery and power modes. Settings, System, Power & battery lets you pick Best power efficiency, Balanced or Best performance, and Windows 11 applies the mode separately on battery and when plugged in. Energy Saver, which replaced the old Battery Saver in 24H2, can be set to turn on at a chosen percentage and now also works on desktops to reduce background activity. On a laptop used mostly for documents, Best power efficiency on battery adds an hour or more of runtime with no noticeable slowdown.

Touchpad gestures. Settings, Bluetooth & devices, Touchpad, Advanced gestures lets you assign three- and four-finger swipes and taps: switch desktops, show the desktop, open search, play or pause media. Three fingers up for Task View and three fingers left or right to switch apps are the two most people keep using once they have tried them.

One tip for anyone who manages other people’s PCs

Quick Assist (Windows + Ctrl + Q) is built into Windows 11 and lets you view or control a family member’s or colleague’s screen over the internet with a six-digit code, no installation on either side. It is the fastest way to walk someone through an activation or a setting, and it is far safer than a third-party remote tool downloaded in a hurry.

Frequently asked questions