The home screen is not the first screen you see when you boot your Windows 11-powered PC or any other older version of Windows. But it is one of the most essential features you interact with daily on your PC.
Besides the usefulness, there is a fun side to using the home screen if you know the tricks. And the best part is it won’t require in-depth computing knowledge to use the Windows 11 home screen for useful and fun activities.
1. Manage Multiple Desktops to Improve Your Productivity and Efficiency
Many of us use PCs for both work and entertainment purposes. And it’s super important to separate the two. The ability tocreate multiple desktopscan help you separate your work-related activities from entertainment. And the best part is using the multiple desktops feature in Windows 11 is as easy as it can get. Press theWin key+Tabon your keyboard to launch the multiple desktop feature.
After launching multiple desktops, you may rename those desktops. Not only that, but you can choose different backgrounds for each desktop, and move them to the left or right. Besides the fun aspect, you can group all your work-related applications on one desktop and leave the others for apps you use for personal activities or other purposes. Also, you can quickly switch between different desktops with a four-finger swipe if your laptop trackpad supports that gesture.
Apart from the keyboard shortcut, you’re able to also hover the cursor over the Task View button on your taskbar to launch multiple desktops. If you don’t see the Task View icon in the taskbar, open the Settings app and then navigate toPersonalization>Taskbar. Now, enable theTask view togglein theTaskbar items.
2. Open the Widgets Panel on Windows 11’s Home Screen
Widgets give you a glimpse of what’s latest in an app without needing to open the app. The Widgets panel helps you keep track of what’s happening around the world through the news section. Also, you may stay updated with the latest weather information if you pin the weather widget to the panel. Windows 11 offers widgets from both Microsoft and third-party developers.
The Widgets icon is on the left side of your taskbar. you may open the Widgets panel by hovering your mouse over the Widgets icon. If you don’t want the Widgets icon to appear on the taskbar, there is an option to turn it off in the Settings app. Instead of hovering your mouse cursor over the Widgets icon, you press theWin key+Won your keyboard to launch the Widgets panel.
You can open the Widgets panel without switching to the home screen. The keyboard shortcut or a mouse hovering over the Widgets icon will open the panel irrespective of whether you’re on your home screen. If you are new to Windows 11’s Widgets feature, check our guide onhow to get started with Widgetsto learn more about it.
3. Pin All Your Important Apps and Files to the Home Screen
The more quickly you can access your regularly used apps and files, the more productive you can become on Windows 11. If you are new to Windows 11 and haven’t made any changes, you’ll see the shortcuts to Recycle Bin and Microsoft Edge on the desktop upon turning on your PC. You might see a couple of more app shortcuts on the desktop, depending on the brand.
However, laptop manufacturers don’t know which apps you need the most, as everybody has unique preferences and needs. This is why you should choose carefully which apps need to be pinned to the desktop and which ones to avoid.
Pinning apps and files to the Windows 11 taskbarhas one advantage. Apps you’ve pinned to the taskbar can be opened with just one click, while the ones pinned on the desktop will need a double click to open. The time gap between a single click and double clicks is close to 0.25 seconds.
4. Remove the Recycle Bin Icon From the Home Screen
Pinning files and folders is an important feature on Windows, as it gives users easy access to all your files and folders quickly. That said, many would want to prefer a clean-looking home screen without those pinned items. While it’s easy to remove all the app icons from the home screen, removing the recycle bin icon from the home screen is a bit different.
The recycle bin is an icon on your home screen and requires a different approach from the users for the removal from the home screen. Removing the Windows 11 trash icon from the home screen isn’t difficult, though.
To remove the recycle bin icon, open the Settings app, and navigate toPersonalization>Themes. Now, click theDesktop icon settings, then theRecycle Bincheckbox. And finally, clickApplyand thenOK. You can bring the recycle bin icon to your home screen again by following similar steps.
5. Take a Screenshot of Your Home Screen
The Snipping tool is Windows 11’s built-in solution for capturing screenshots. You can take screenshots of pretty much anything in the OS, including the home screen. The keyboard shortcut to launch the Snipping isWin key + Shift + S.
You can capture the entire home screen or a portion of it. It also allows you to take screenshots inFreeform mode, meaning you can take screenshots of your home screen in any shape you want.
The ability to capture your screen comes in handy when you receive an error on the home screen. You can take a screenshot of that error message and send it to the Microsoft support team to help you resolve the issue.
The Home Screen Is the Gateway to Everything on Your PC
The road to everything you do on your PC runs through the home screen, which shows how important it is. While the home screen can be used for fun and useful activities, you should be careful about not overloading it with too many icons and shortcuts.
