Since its launch in 2012, Microsoft has introduced several new features in its Windows 8 operating system to improve its handling. The last major update was the Windows 8.1 Update , which introduces several features to enhance the use of this platform with the mouse. Despite the criticism that the new Windows has generally received during this time, there are several features that are very useful to get the most out of this platform. If you have a computer with this operating system, we have gathered five of these functions that you will be interested in trying.
1. The omnipresent taskbar
If you use Windows 8.1 Update in a traditional way with a mouse , there is a feature that you cannot stop trying. The taskbar that we find on the desktop will become the nerve center of the entire system. And it is that in any app that you are, if you drag the cursor to the bottom you will see this bar appear. Not only that. You will also be able to see an icon for each of the open applications, both on the desktop and apps from the Windows store, so that you can switch between applications or close them very easily. Without a doubt, a function that transforms the way in which Windows 8 is handled , and that may attract many skeptics.
2. Easy search
Undoubtedly, a feature that can greatly improve our use of Windows but that has gone almost unnoticed since its launch has been the search option . Do you want to open a program, a document or are you looking for an option in the Windows control panel? Just go to the main interface of the system and start typing the search term. Almost instantly, on the right side we will see the relevant results divided by categories. If we press the enter key, the first result will be opened. For example, to open the control panel just type "pan" and then press enter.
3. Use the task manager
Another change that Windows 8 has introduced and that may go unnoticed by many users is the changes in the task manager. This tool that you had to go to very often in Windows XP when your computer crashed no longer has so much weight in this version, but it hides many advantages. Above all, it has become understandable. We will no longer have to go around to find out what each process means, since the editor will appear next to it and many times an explanation of it is offered. On the other hand, we also have a tool to choose which are the programs that start with the computer.
4. Play with the split screen
An interesting feature of Windows 8 is the ability to use two apps at the same time in the same window , such as the Microsoft browser together with an email app. Above all, this feature seems very useful if we are used to using OneNote to save notes, since we can write down the data we want to remember directly without having to switch between windows. Of course, in this case it seems to us that in Windows 8.1 Update its functionality has been limited by not being able to use the split screen in a smaller strip for one of the apps as in the version without updating Windows 8.
5. Take advantage of file history
Through Windows 8 you can make copies of our personal files on an external hard drive or a USB memory . This tool is quite simple in operation and can be accessed through the file explorer on the desktop.