Windows 10 For Seniors For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Minimize All but the Active Window

In Windows 10, the application window in which you’re currently working is called the active window. The title bar of the active window is a different color from the title bar of other windows to let you know which application you’re working in.

In a crowded computer screen with many open windows, sometimes it helps to minimize all windows except the active one. Doing so can help you focus on your work. Windows 10 offers a neat little trick to minimize all but the active window. Follow these steps:

1. Click or tap the title bar of the window you want to be the active window. The title bar is the stripe along the top of an application window. After you click or tap the title bar, the window becomes the active window.
2. Click and hold down the mouse pointer on the title bar of the active window. (If your computer has a touchscreen, you can tap and hold down your finger on the title bar.)
3. Move the mouse (or your finger) back and forth vigorously. All windows except the active window are minimized. You no longer see them onscreen.

Schedule an Event without Opening the Calendar App

Windows 10 provides the Calendar app so that you can schedule and keep track of meetings, appointment, birthdays, and other events. Busy people are hereby encouraged to use the Calendar so that they never arrive a day late and a dollar short.

When you’re in a hurry, you can schedule an event on the Calendar without opening the Calendar app. Follow these steps to quickly schedule an event in the Calendar app:

1. Click or tap the time and date notification on the right side of the taskbar. A pop-up calendar appears with today’s date highlighted.
2. On the calendar, select the day on which the event is to occur. To go to a different month, select the down arrow or up arrow in the upper-right corner of the calendar.
3. In the text box, enter a brief description of the event.
4. Enter a start and end time for the event. To do so, click or tap the start time and use the pop-up menu to enter a time. Click or tap the end time and enter a time there as well on the pop-up menu.
5. If you want, enter the location of the event.
6. Click or tap the Save button. The event you entered will appear in the Calendar app next time you open it.

View Filename Extensions in File Explorer

File Explorer is the Windows 10 application for handling and managing files. To move, copy, delete or rename files, start by opening File Explorer.

When managing files, it helps to know what type of files you’re dealing with. No matter how descriptive a filename is, it doesn’t tell you whether the file is a DOC file (a word processing file created in Microsoft Word) or a JPG file (a type of graphics file).

To help identify files, you can tell File Explorer to show filename extensions after filenames. A filename extension is a period followed by a three-letter designation that identifies a file by type. For example, Weekend.doc is a Microsoft Word file; Vacation.jpg is a JPG graphics file.

Follow these steps to attach filename extensions to filenames:

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Select the View tab. The View tab — look for it on the Ribbon — offers different way to view files.
3. Select the File Name Extensions check box. This check box is located in the Show/Hide part of the Ribbon. After you select it, three-letter file name extensions appear after file names. Now you can identify files more easily.

Take a Screenshot

How often have you wanted to take a snapshot of what’s onscreen either to save it for yourself or to send it to someone else?

Windows 10 offers a few different ways to take a screenshot of all or part of the screen and save it to the Clipboard:

• Press Shift+Windows key+S: This keyboard shortcut opens the Snipping app. Choose an option from the menu bar at the top of the screen to tell the app what you want to capture:
  • Rectangular portion of the screen: Select Rectangular Snip and drag slantwise over the area you want to capture.
  • Various parts of the screen: Select Freeform Snip and drag hither and yon to capture various parts of the screen.
  • An open window: Select Window Snip, move the pointer or your finger over the window you want to capture, and click or tap.
  • The entire screen: Choose Fullscreen Snip.
• Press PrintScreen (PrtSc): This keyboard shortcut shoots the entire screen and copies the image to the Clipboard.
• Press Alt+PrintScreen (PrtSc): This keyboard shortcut shoots the active window and copies the image to the Clipboard.

After a screen image has been copied to the Clipboard, you can paste it where you will.

After you make a screenshot with the Snipping tool, a notification appears in the lower-right corner of the screen telling you that the screenshot has been saved to the Clipboard. If you so desire, click this notification to open the screenshot in the Snip & Sketch app, where you can crop it or mark it up in various ways.