Top 10 Windows 8 Tips and Tricks

Windows 8 is the most advanced operating system by Microsoft windows. The new version of windows 8 operating system contains bunch of new features. In windows 8 you can see many features like Tiles based interface or metro user interface, built-in screenshot , New task bar, Improved search option and you can download free and paid apps on Windows Store.

 Windows 8 Tips and Tricks

#1.  Pin any items to start menu?

This is just a basic tip, Who don't know how to add items to your start menu (Metro UI). you can pin folders, apps/softwares and local disks. but you can't pin any pictures and videos.

How to Pin items to start menu?

• Select any files or item and right click on it.
• then, Choose Pin to Start.

#2.  Name Group of Tiles

Above I have described about how to pin posts, After adding items to your windows 8 start menu now time to give proper name to your items/apps.

How to name a Group of Tiles on Windows 8 Start Menu?
Open your Metro UI and click on - (dash) button (Right side bottom corner on metro ui), it will zoom out. Now you can name tiles by simply pressing right click button on items, You will get a bar on bottom click on the Name Group, Now you will get dialog box and enter your desired name.

#3. Trick to get old windows start button

In Windows 8 you can miss old start button, The new windows 8 has Metro UI its freaking awesome but most of the windows 8 users don't like this tiles based interface. You can get old start button by using third party apps/software.

How to get old windows start button?

There are many third party apps are available to enable old start button on windows 8, But Start8 is best software to enable old start button. You can download it from here.

#4. Take Screenshots Quickly

In older version of windows to take a screenshot you need to press print screen button and then you should paste it on paint or other image utility app. But in windows 8 you can take screenshot quickly by pressing Win+Print Screen. Screenshot will be saved in Libraries > Pictures > Screnshots.

#5. Hide files/Folders in Windows 8

There are lot of tools are there to hide your personal files and folders. Windows OS helps to hide your data or files very easily. follow to below tutorial.

How to Hide files/folders in Windows 8?

• Choose any file or folder that you wanted to hide.
• Now click on View and again click on Hide selected items. Now you're files will be hidden. To check hidden files click on View, then tick a mark on Hidden items.

#6.  Check if your Windows 8 Pc is activated permanently?

This is a very small trick to check if your Windows Pc is activated or not, this trick is also works in Windows 7  and Windows Xp.

How to Check or Know if your Windows 8/7/Xp is activated permanently or not?

• Go to start menu and type cmd and hit enter or press Win+R button and then type cmd.
• After opening command prompt type following command.

    slmgr/xpr

• After typing above command you will get a dialog box withing 5 seconds, saying "The machine is permanently activated".

#7. Change number of rows in Windows 8 Start menu

After 20 years later Microsoft Windows changed Start menu interface, and placed a new Metro UI. Let's see how to change rows of tiles in start menu.

In normal Windows 8 Pc's you can have upto 4-5 rows in your Metro UI. In this following tutorial i'm changing 5 rows to 3.

• Open Registry Editor ( Press Win+R button, then type regedit command)
• Now, Navigate to following Location/Path. 

 HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Immersiveshell\Grid

After opening Grid Window.

• Create Layout_MaximumRowCount Value File or key.
• Click on Edit > DWORD (32-bit) Value. A DWORD value file will be create on right side of the Registery Editor.
• Rename it to Layout_MaximumRowCount.
• Now double Click on Layout_MaximumRowCount. Change the Value data to 3 (If you give 3 it will change your Metro UI row to 3) and select Decimal then click OK.

• After following above steps, Restart your Pc or Sign out.

#8. Disable Metro UI Permanently

Some of the Windows 8 users don't like the new Windows 8 Metro User Interface. So here is a trick to disable Metro UI from your Computer.

Classic starter is a application, which will disable Windows 8 Metro UI for permanently. Classic starter is very easy to use.

• Classic Starter allows you to disable Metro UI.
• After installing application, Click on Logon to Classic Desktop.
• You can enable Metro UI anytime by removing Classic Starter.

Click here to download Classic starter

#9. How to Delete Windows.old folder 

If you're upgraded Windows Xp or Windows 7 to Windows 8, You can see your old program files data in your Windows disk drive named Windows.old contains Gb's of data in this folder.

How to Delete Windows.old folder?

• Right click on the drive and select Properties, where windows 8 is installed (i.e C: Drive)
• Then, Click on Disk Cleanup. (It will take few seconds to load )
• In Disk Cleanup Window, Click on Clean up system files (As shown in the below picture)

• After Completing above steps, Another Disk Cleanup window will appear .
• In this windows, Tick on Previous Windows installation(s) file (check below picture for more).

• Now Click on OK button. That's it You're DONE

#10. Windows 8 Hidden  Features

• Windows Reader - To open Pdf and XPS files
• Press Ctrl+Tab button in Metro UI to see all apps
• Create GodMode folder on desktop

Right click on desktop, and click

New > Folder > Rename new folder to GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}