Windows 11

Activate Windows 11 or 10 with a digital license, product key, or Microsoft account. What works without a key, how to fix activation errors, and what it costs.

Stuck on the BitLocker recovery screen? Here’s every place your 48-digit key can be, how to enter it, and your real options if it’s gone for good.

Restart a frozen Windows 11 taskbar by restarting Windows Explorer in Task Manager, or with a Terminal command.

Start Windows 11 or 10 in Safe Mode: hold Shift, click Restart, open Startup Settings and press 4. Also covers msconfig and sign-in screen methods.

Convert HEIC to JPG on Windows with Photos or Paint, batch-convert whole folders, or set your iPhone to send JPGs automatically. Includes fixes if it fails.

Delete a leftover Windows service safely with sc delete in an admin Command Prompt, find the right service name, and when to disable instead.

Back up your iPhone to a Windows PC with Apple Devices or iTunes, encrypt the backup, find where backups are saved, and restore your iPhone.

Install Node.js and npm on Windows 10 or 11 with the official installer, winget, or nvm-windows, verify the install, and fix PATH and script errors.

Pause Windows updates for up to five weeks, set active hours, and use metered connections or Group Policy to control when updates install.

Update Windows in Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates. Learn update types, driver updates, upgrading to Windows 11, and fixes for failed updates.

Find recently deleted files in the Recycle Bin, and recover files that are not there with Previous Versions, File History or winfr.

Stop a Windows 11 update that is downloading or installing with Pause updates, and when it is not safe to interrupt one.

Check the Windows event log with Event Viewer: open it, choose the right log, filter for errors, understand common event IDs, and query logs in PowerShell.

Switch windows on a PC with Alt + Tab, Windows + Tab for Task View, taskbar clicks or Windows + number keys, plus virtual desktop shortcuts.

Delete old Windows update files with Disk Cleanup or Settings, uninstall a single update, and learn what each cleanup option removes.

Turn off Xbox Game Bar in Windows 11: switch off the controller shortcut in Settings > Gaming > Game Bar and set its background permission to Never.

See all open windows with Task View (Windows+Tab), Alt+Tab, or taskbar thumbnails. Includes fixes for windows hidden on other desktops.

Lock your keyboard on Windows with Windows + L, lock automatically with Dynamic Lock, or disable a laptop keyboard in Device Manager.

Switch tabs on Windows with Ctrl + Tab, Ctrl + Shift + Tab and Ctrl + number, plus Alt + Tab for windows and tab tips for File Explorer.

Restore Windows 11 or 10 to a previous date with System Restore without losing files, even when Windows will not start, and undo or create restore points.

Clear temporary files, browser, DNS and Microsoft Store caches on Windows, and turn on Storage Sense for automatic cleanup.

Find your Windows username with whoami, Settings or the Users folder, and how it differs from your display name and sign-in email.

Set up OneDrive sync on Windows 11, back up Desktop and Documents, read the sync icons, and fix files that will not sync.

Back up a Windows 11 laptop to an external hard drive with File History or a system image, copy files manually, and restore your data.

Free up disk space on Windows with Storage settings: delete temporary files, review cleanup recommendations, uninstall apps and turn on Storage Sense.

Unzip files in Windows by right-clicking the ZIP and choosing Extract All. Recent Windows 11 versions also open 7z, RAR and TAR archives.

Add a file, folder, file type or process exclusion in Windows Security, choose the safest type, and remove it later.

Convert files to PDF on Windows for free: press Ctrl + P and choose Microsoft Print to PDF, or use Save As PDF in Office apps to keep links.

Record your screen in Windows 11 with Win + Shift + R, record an app with Game Bar (Win + Alt + R), or record audio with Sound Recorder.

Remove the Chat or Teams icon from the Windows 11 taskbar with Taskbar settings or Unpin, and uninstall Teams if you want.

Windows 11 has no fan slider. Change fan behavior with Power mode, your PC maker app, or fan curves in UEFI.

Fix python not recognized on Windows 11: use py or app aliases with the install manager, or add Python and Scripts to Path.

Run .sh shell scripts on Windows with WSL (bash script.sh) or Git Bash, and fix line-ending and permission errors.

Block websites on Windows 10 or 11 with the hosts file for every browser, or with Microsoft Family Safety for a child account.

Create a new virtual desktop in Windows with Windows+Ctrl+D or Task View, New desktop, and switch with Windows+Ctrl+Arrow keys.

Copy or move files from an external hard drive to a Windows 11 PC with File Explorer or robocopy, then eject safely.

Update drivers in Windows with Optional updates in Windows Update, Device Manager or the maker website, and roll back bad ones.

Windows To Go was removed, but you can still run Windows from an external SSD with an imaging tool. Steps and limits.

Move the taskbar to the top, left, right or bottom. Windows 11 added a Taskbar position setting in the September 2026 update; Windows 10 always had one.

Close programs on Windows with the X button, Alt+F4 or the taskbar, and force-close frozen apps with Task Manager.

Find your PC specs in Windows 11: processor, RAM, storage and graphics in Settings, plus full details in System Information.

Scroll with an Apple Magic Mouse on Windows 11: pair it over Bluetooth, add Boot Camp or third-party drivers for scrolling, and adjust scroll settings.

Play MOV files on Windows 11 with Media Player, add HEVC support for iPhone videos, or use a free player like VLC.

Run a Python script on Windows with py script.py in Terminal, by double-clicking, or from IDLE, with fixes for common errors.

Get a legitimate Windows 11 product key from Microsoft or an authorized retailer, and enter it in Settings, System, Activation.

Add a printer in Windows 11 from Printers and scanners, or add it manually by IP address when Windows cannot find it.

Sign out of an administrator account in Windows 11 from Start or Ctrl+Alt+Delete, and switch to a standard account for daily use.

Install apps on Windows 11 without the Microsoft Store from official installers or winget, and change Choose where to get apps.