Windows 11 All-in-One For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Ciprian Adrian Rusen is cofounder of Digital Citizen (digitalcitizen.life), a tech blog that posts daily how-to articles on consumer technologies. Ciprian is also co-author of Windows 10 All-in-One For Dummies, 4th Edition, and author of Windows 10 At Work For Dummies.

• Introduction 1About This Book 1Foolish Assumptions 2Icons Used in This Book 2Beyond the Book 3Where to Go from Here 3Book 1: Getting Started with Windows 11 5Chapter 1: Introducing Windows 11. 7Taking Your First Look at Windows 11 8Hardware versus Software 9Must You Run Windows? 10Which Windows Version Is Best? 13Understanding Important Terminology 14Buying a Windows 11 Computer 18Looking inside your PC 21Secure boot, TPM, and Windows 11 24Tablets and 2-in-1s 25Laptops, Ultrabooks, Gaming laptops 27Displays 29Managing disks and drives 30Connecting your PC to other devices 34Video, sound, and multimedia 37Is your old PC or laptop compatible with Windows 11? 38What You Might Not Like about Windows 11 40Chapter 2: Seeing What’s New in Windows 11 43Microsoft’s Design Philosophy behind Windows 11 44Understanding the Types of Windows 11 Apps 45Seeing What’s New for the Windows Crowd 47A new Start menu and taskbar 48Increased role for Settings 48The Control Panel has shrunk 50Improved performance 51Better gaming 51RGB lighting 54Microsoft Edge 55Copilot 56Improved security 57Fine-tuned virtual desktops 58Table of Contents iiiImproved window snapping and grouping 59Widgets are back 60Other apps and improvements 61Discovering What Was Removed from Windows 62Chapter 3: Windows 11 Versions 63Windows 11 Editions 65Narrowing your choices 6664-bit is the new normal 68Which Version and Edition of Windows 11 Are You Running? 69Upgrading from Windows 11 Home to Pro 70Understanding Microsoft 365 and Office 72Book 2: Personalizing Windows 75Chapter 1: Getting Around in Windows 77Navigating Around the Desktop 78Using Windows 11 on Tablets and Touchscreens 82Shut Down, Sleep, Restart, Sign Out, Lock, Sleep 84Shut down versus sleep 86Using the Keyboard and Keyboard Shortcuts 87Using the Mouse and Touchpad 91Chapter 2: Logging into Windows 11 93Signing into Windows 11 94Changing the Sign-In Password 95Logging in Without a Password 97Creating a PIN 97Changing a PIN 99Setting up facial recognition to sign in (Windows Hello) 100Setting up fingerprint recognition to sign in (Windows Hello) 102Bypassing passwords 103Personalizing the Lock Screen 104Changing the background of the lock screen 104Adding or removing widgets on the lock screen 107Chapter 3: Handling Notifications and Quick Settings 109What Exactly Is a Notification? 109Using the Notification Center 110Mastering Notifications 113Disabling notifications 113Muting notifications with Do Not Disturb 115Enhancing productivity with focus sessions 116Using the Calendar 119Using Quick Settings 120Chapter 4: Understanding Microsoft Accounts 123Realizing Which Accounts Are Microsoft Accounts 124Deciding Whether You Want a Microsoft Account 125Setting Up a Microsoft Account 127Creating an Outlook.com account 128Making any email address a Microsoft account 130Taking Care of Your Microsoft Account 132Controlling What Is Synchronized with Your Microsoft Account 132Closing Your Microsoft Account 134Chapter 5: Managing User Accounts 135Understanding Why You Need Separate User Accounts 136Choosing Account Types 137What’s a standard account? 137What’s an administrator account? 138Choosing between standard and administrator accounts 138Adding Accounts in Windows 11 140Adding a user with a Microsoft account 140Adding a local (offline) account 142Adding a child account 143Changing Other Users’ Settings 145Setting a standard account as administrator 145Modifying the settings of other accounts 146Switching Users 148Removing User Accounts from Windows 11 150Chapter 6: Setting Up Your Family 153Comparing Microsoft Family Safety with Microsoft 365 Family 154Adding Child Accounts to Microsoft Family 154Setting Time Limits for Children 158Blocking Access to Inappropriate Sites 159Blocking Inappropriate Apps and Games 161Chapter 7: Protecting Your Privacy 163Handling Your Privacy in Windows 11 164Limiting diagnostics and feedback data collection 165Viewing the diagnostic data sent to Microsoft 167Knowing What Connections Windows Prefers 169Seeing Fewer Ads in Windows 11 170Getting fewer Welcome dialogs in Windows 11 172Controlling Location Tracking 173Blocking all location tracking in Windows 11 174Blocking location tracking in an app 175Minimizing Privacy Intrusion 176Chapter 8: Making Windows 11 Accessible 177Increasing Text Size 178Making the Mouse Pointer More Visible 179Improving Text Cursor Visibility 180Using Magnifier 181Controlling Windows 11 with Your Voice 182Dealing with Color Blindness 184Book 3: Working on the Desktop 187Chapter 1: Running Your Desktop from Start to Finish 189Working with the Desktop 190Changing the background 191Switching Windows 11 themes 193Battling dark mode and light mode 194Setting Up Your Display 195Switching the night light on and off 195Enabling HDR and auto HDR 197Setting the screen resolution 198Changing the size of text, apps, and other items 200Adjusting the refresh rate 201Adjusting the display orientation 202Adjusting the brightness 203Working with a Mouse and a Touchpad 204Snapping app windows 204Configuring the mouse 206Setting up the touchpad 207Using Virtual Desktops 209Moving apps between virtual desktops 210Managing Icons and Shortcuts 211Creating shortcuts 212Arranging icons on the desktop 214The Recycle Bin 215Setting Up the Sound 216Muting your computer 216Setting the volume and your sound devices with Volume Mixer 217Chapter 2: Personalizing the Start Menu 219Touring the Start Menu 220Right-clicking Start for the WinX menu 221Modifying the Start Menu 223Adding, moving, and removing pinned apps 223Creating folders with pinned apps 224Adding and removing Start menu folders 226Choosing the Start Menu layout 227Personalizing the Start menu 228Moving the Start menu and taskbar to the left 229Chapter 3: Exploring Search and the Taskbar 231Searching in Windows 11 232Searching is the fastest way to start apps 234Filtering search results to find what you need 236Starting apps as admin from a Windows search 237Setting Search to index your entire PC 238Configuring how Search works 240Touring the Windows 11 Taskbar 242Using the taskbar 243Using jump lists and other taskbar tricks 244Pinning apps to the taskbar 246Adding and removing taskbar items 247Adding or removing system tray icons 249Personalizing how the taskbar behaves 250Chapter 4: Working with Files and Folders 253Using File Explorer 254Navigating File Explorer 254Viewing and opening your files and folders 256Creating and managing files and folders 259Using Gallery 261Deleting files and folders 263Searching for files and folders 264Sorting and grouping files and folders 266Displaying file extensions 267Viewing hidden files 268Managing the Home section 269Enabling and disabling check boxes for files and folders 271Sharing files 271Working with ZIP Files 273Creating a ZIP file 273Creating more advanced file archives 274Extracting a ZIP file 276Right-Clicking in Windows 11 277Chapter 5: Connecting to Wi-Fi and the Internet 281Connecting to the Internet 282Connecting a desktop PC to the network 282Connecting to Wi-Fi 283Connecting to hidden Wi-Fi 284Connecting to Wi-Fi through WPS 286Setting the Network Location 287Troubleshooting Network Connections 289Forgetting a Wi-Fi network 289Resetting network adapters 290Book 4: Using Windows Apps 293Chapter 1: Browsing the Web 295Getting to Know Microsoft Edge 296Grouping tabs in Microsoft Edge 298Enabling vertical tabs in Microsoft Edge 299Changing the default search engine 300InPrivate browsing with Microsoft Edge 302Adding extensions to Microsoft Edge 304Using Other Web Browsers 306Changing the Default Browser in Windows 11 307Chapter 2: Enhancing Your Productivity with Copilot 309Chatting with Copilot 310Accessing previous chats 312Ending a chat and starting a new one 314Using Copilot while Browsing the Web 315Adding Copilot to Your Phone 317Copilot Pro and Copilot for Microsoft 365 319Chapter 3: Using the Outlook App. 321Understanding Email 322Setting Up Outlook 323Adding Other Email Accounts 324Checking Your Emails 326Creating an email message 328Searching for an email 330Working with Outlook’s Calendar 331Chapter 4: Working with Photos 335Viewing Pictures with the Photos App 336Adding Photos 338Importing pictures from a camera or an external drive 338Adding folders to the Photos app 339Dealing with pictures from OneDrive or iCloud 341Editing Photos 342Using Image Creator 344Browsing Folders with Photos 345Chapter 5: Note-Taking with OneNote 347Getting Started with OneNote 348Adding Notebooks, Sections, and Pages 351Adding Content to a OneNote Page 354Sending Sites from Microsoft Edge to OneNote 357Configuring OneNote’s Settings 358Chapter 6: Storing and Syncing Your Data with OneDrive 361What Is OneDrive? 362Setting Up a OneDrive Account 363The Four States of OneDrive Data 366Configuring OneDrive 368Adding Files and Folders to OneDrive 371Changing the States of OneDrive Data 372Synchronizing and Pausing OneDrive 373Sharing OneDrive Files and Folders 375Protecting Files with Personal Vault 376Chapter 7: Using Widgets 379Working with Widgets 379Adding Widgets 381Removing Widgets 383Customizing Widgets 384Removing the Feed from Widgets 385Chapter 8: Handling Music, Movies, and Videos 387Using Windows Media Player Legacy 388Ripping Music from Your Old CDs 390Setting Up Spotify 391Using the Media Player App 393Creating Videos 396Chapter 9: Playing Games. 399Searching the Microsoft Store for Games 400Enabling Game Mode 402Using the Game Bar 405Setting the Default Graphics Card 406Bringing Back the Classics 407Chapter 10: Working with Apps 411Taking Screenshots with Snipping Tool 412Recording the Screen with Snipping Tool 413Editing Text Files with Notepad 415Using Paint 418Creating Sticky Notes 419Getting Weather Forecasts 421Setting Default Apps 423Chapter 11: Rocking the Command Line 425Opening Windows Terminal 426Setting the Default Profile in Windows Terminal 428Running Commands in Windows Terminal 429Working with Command Prompt 429Working with Windows PowerShell 430Book 5: Managing Apps 433Chapter 1: Navigating the Microsoft Store 435Understanding What a Windows 11 App Can Do 436Browsing the Microsoft Store 437Installing Apps and Games from the Microsoft Store 441Discovering AI Apps in the Microsoft Store 442Chapter 2: Adding and Removing Apps and Windows Features 445Adding or Removing Windows 11 Features 446Adding or removing optional features 446Adding or removing Windows features 448Finding Safe Places to Download Desktop Apps 449Checking Apps for Malware 452Uninstalling Apps 453Chapter 3: Keeping Apps and Drivers Up to Date 455Updating Your Microsoft Store Apps 456Updating Programs and Desktop Apps 458Updating Drivers 460Book 6: Working Remotely 465Chapter 1: Working on Your Laptop 467Connecting and Projecting to Another Screen 468Casting wirelessly 470Transferring Files with Nearby Sharing 472Enabling Nearby Sharing 472Sharing files nearby 473Setting Up a Webcam 476Using a webcam shield 477Configuring the webcam 478Using Studio Effects 479Creating a Mobile Hotspot 481Using Airplane Mode 483Chapter 2: Mastering Tools for Remote Work 485Contacting Others Using Microsoft Teams 486Getting started with Microsoft Teams 486Chatting from Windows 11 487Starting a meeting from Windows 11 489Working Remotely with Windows 11 490Enabling remote desktop connections 491Connecting with Remote Desktop Connection 492Adding Clocks to the Taskbar 494Using Battery Saver 496Changing the power mode 497Lowering the carbon footprint 498Book 7: Controlling Your System 501Chapter 1: Navigating Windows Settings and Languages 503Understanding the Settings App 504Using Search to quickly find settings 506Exploring the Control Panel 507Putting Shortcuts to Settings on Your Desktop 509God Mode (Still) Works in Windows 11 512Adding Languages to Windows 11 513Adding keyboard languages and layouts 516Switching between languages 517Chapter 2: Managing Windows Updates 521Understanding the Terminology 522Installing Updates for Windows 11 524Making Sure You Don’t Get Updates as Soon as They’re Available 525Postponing Windows 11 Updates 526Improving the Download Speed for Updates 527Getting Updates for Office (Microsoft 365) 529Stopping Updates from Rebooting Your PC 530Getting Information about and Removing Updates 531Problems with Windows Update 533Blocking Windows 11 updates 534When is it a good time to unblock updates? 536Chapter 3: Troubleshooting and Getting Help 537Saying Goodbye to Windows Troubleshooters 538Using Get Help 540Contacting Microsoft Support from Get Help 542Troubleshooting the Hard Way 544Tackling Windows installation problems 544Problems with installing updates 545Tricks to Using Microsoft Support 551The problems with Windows Help & Learning 551Managing your expectations of Windows Help & Learning 552Using Quick Assist 553Initiating the assistance process with Quick Assist 553Receiving remote assistance through Quick Assist 555Experimenting with Windows Sandbox 556Getting Better Help Online 558Chapter 4: Managing Storage 561Using Maintenance Tools for Your Drives 562Formatting drives 562Freeing up storage space with Storage Sense 564Running an error check on a drive 565Defragmenting a drive 567Maintaining solid-state drives 569Managing Your Disks 569Changing the drive letter 570Deleting drives 572Creating, shrinking, or extending partitions 572Chapter 5: Storing in Storage Spaces 575Understanding the Virtualization of Storage 576Setting Up Storage Spaces 578Managing Storage Spaces 582Storage Space Strategies 583Removing Drives and Storage Pools 583Chapter 6: Working with Printers 587Installing a Printer 588Attaching a local printer to your computer 588Installing a wireless printer 589Printing from Windows 11 592Using the Print Queue 594Displaying the print queue 594Pausing and resuming a print queue 596Pausing, restarting, and resuming a document 597Canceling a document 598Troubleshooting Printing 599Removing a printer 601Chapter 7: Managing USB, Bluetooth, and RGB Devices 603Connecting USB Devices to Your PC 604Configuring AutoPlay for removable devices 605Removing USB devices 607Connecting Bluetooth Devices 608Unpairing Bluetooth Devices 611Setting up RGB Lighting 612Book 8: Maintaining Windows 615Chapter 1: Backing Up Your Data 617Using Windows Backup 617Backing up your files, apps, settings, and credentials 618Restoring your data and settings with Windows Backup 620Understanding the limitations of Windows Backup 624Backing Up and Restoring Files with File History 625Setting up File History 625Checking whether File History backed up your data 626Restoring data from File History 628Changing File History settings 630Storing Your Data in the Cloud 632Considering cloud storage privacy concerns 633Reaping the benefits of backup and storage in the cloud 635Choosing an online backup and sharing service 635Chapter 2: Downgrading, Resetting, and Installing Windows 11 637Rolling Back to Windows 10 638Resuscitating Malfunctioning Windows 11 PCs 641Resetting your Windows 11 PC 642Resetting your PC to its factory settings 645Installing Windows 11 on a PC 646Personalizing your Windows 11 installation 649Installing Windows 11 with an offline account 652Chapter 3: Troubleshooting with Safe Mode 655Working in Safe Mode 656Accessing safe mode 656Using safe mode for troubleshooting 659Entering the Windows Recovery Environment 660Chapter 4: Monitoring Windows 663Using Event Viewer 664Checking System Reliability 667Viewing Services 670Using Task Scheduler 672Chapter 5: Mastering Task Manager 675Using Task Manager 676Starting Task Manager 677Viewing running apps and processes 678Dealing with Misbehaving Apps 680Killing apps that don’t respond 680Keeping an eye on performance 680Getting More Info from Task Manager 683Viewing App History 683Managing startup programs 684Checking out details and services 687Personalizing Task Manager 688Managing Startup Apps from Settings 690Book 9: Securing Windows 691Chapter 1: Fighting Viruses, Ransomware, and Other Malware 693Making Sense of Malware 694Basic Windows Security Do’s and Don’ts 696Keeping Yourself Protected with Windows Security 701Accessing Windows Security and following its recommendations 701Scanning for malware 702Protecting your data from ransomware 703Excluding files and folders from antivirus scans 705Running a thorough offline scan 707Chapter 2: Enhancing Your Security 709Working with User Account Control 710Dealing with Microsoft Defender SmartScreen 713Convincing SmartScreen to unblock access to websites and files 715Adjusting how Microsoft Defender SmartScreen protects you 717Protecting Your Data with Encryption 718Encrypting your PC with BitLocker 719Encrypting USB drives with BitLocker To Go 721Encrypting Folders with EFS 723Using Windows Defender Firewall 725Understanding Windows Defender Firewall 726Making inbound exceptions 728Booting Securely with UEFI 730A brief history of the BIOS 730How UEFI is different from and better than BIOS 731How Windows 11 uses UEFI 733Accessing UEFI from Windows 11 733Chapter 3: Protecting Your Passwords and Connections 737Managing Your Passwords 738Using password managers 738My recommendations 739Rockin’ RoboForm 739Liking Bitwarden 740Securing Your Communication with VPN 743What’s a VPN? 743Setting up a VPN in Windows 11 744Which paid VPN services should you consider? 746Setting Up a Proxy Server 747Proxy versus VPN: Choosing Your Privacy Tool! 750Book 10: Enhancing Windows 751Chapter 1: Linking Android to Windows 753Connecting Your Android Device to a PC 754Linking an Android Smartphone to a PC 756Using the Phone Link app 760Disabling Phone Link 761Managing Mobile Devices from Windows 11 762Turning Your Android Smartphone into a PC Webcam 763Chapter 2: Using Your iPhone with Windows 765Connecting Your iPhone to a PC 766Linking an iPhone to a PC 767Using Phone Link with your iPhone 771Disabling Phone Link 772Installing iCloud on Windows 11 772Chapter 3: Working with Hyper-V 775Adding Hyper-V to Windows 11 776Working with Hyper-V Virtual Machines 777Creating virtual machines with Hyper-V Manager 778Using a Hyper-V virtual machine 779Chapter 4: Discovering the Best Free Windows Add-Ons 783Windows Apps You Absolutely Must Have 784VLC Media Player 784Recuva 784The Best of the Rest — All Free 786Ninite 786BCUninstaller (Bulk Crap Uninstaller) 787Paint.NET 7887-Zip 789qBittorrent 790Other interesting free software 790Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive? 791Adding Google’s Apps to Windows 792Adding Google Drive to File Explorer 793Making your own YouTube Music app 795Don’t Pay for Software You Don’t Need! 798Windows 11 has all the antivirus software you need 798Windows 11 doesn’t need a disk defragger 798Windows 11 doesn’t need a disk partitioner 799Windows 11 doesn’t need a registry cleaner 801Windows 11 doesn’t need a backup program 801Index 803