6 mind-blowing hidden Windows features your PC and laptop can do

• We’ve been using Windows wrong all this time.
• So many hidden features we have been missing out on.
• It could change how you use your laptop forever.

You probably can’t remember a world before personal computers or laptops. Even if you can cast your mind back to the days of dial-up internet, we were still using PCs then. 

Which means you probably feel like you know all that your laptop is capable of by now. It may all feel like second nature and when you boot up your computer you may simply rely on muscle memory. 

But what if I told you there were some mind-blowing features you may not realise Windows devices are capable of. Let’s take a look shall we! 

Dark mode 

You may have put dark mode on some of your favourite apps - like social media. But did you realise that you can actually get dark mode on your Windows. 

According to Asurion all you need to do is go to the settings menu, click personalise and head to the section that says colour. From there you can find an option to ‘Choose Your Colour’ (or on Windows 11 ‘Choose your mode’) and pick dark to activate the mode. 

And if you are wondering why you should turn dark mode on, it can help to save your battery and more importantly can help reduce eye strain. So if you are having to spend a long time looking at the screen, it could be worth switching on. 

Night Light 

In a not too dissimilar vein, you can also switch on a nifty Night Light mode on your Windows computer. If you are having to use your PC after dark and don’t want to disturb other people, you can switch this mode on and it will switch off the usual blue light that your screen emits, instead swapping to warmer colours - which are easier on the eye. 

All you have to do (on Windows 11) is go to settings on your computer, find the system and go to display. From here you can switch on the night light - and you can even set it on a schedule/ timer. 

Run multiple desktops 

If you are feeling overwhelmed by the amount of apps and tabs you have open, you may not realise that you can make multiple virtual desktops to help you organise. It is as simple as following a few quick steps and means that you can have all your work stuff set-up on one and then switch for all your personal needs. 

On Microsoft's website it explains how to create multiple desktops on one device. Find the steps for a Windows 10 computer here. 

• On the taskbar, select the Task view icon, then select New desktop.

• Open the apps you want to use on that desktop.

• To switch to another desktop, select Task view again.

Clipboard history 

Now this could be a truly game-changing feature, especially if you find yourself copying things to clipboard regularly. Windows actually stores your clipboard history and you can find it, giving you easy access to things you’ve previously copied to it. 

If your computer runs on Windows 10, all you have to do is press Windows logo key + V. From the clipboard history, you can paste and pin frequently used items by choosing an individual item from your clipboard menu. 

Pinning an item keeps it from being removed from the clipboard history to make room for new items. Which may just save you a bucket load of time at work. 

Visit Microsoft’s website for more details - including how to get clipboard history on Windows 11. 

Nearby sharing 

Have you ever been in need of quickly sharing a document or file with someone, but don’t want to go through the hassle of emailing it or adding it to dropbox or Google drive. Well, you may not realise it but you can easily send documents, photos, links to websites, and more to another Windows computer via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.

The feature is called nearby sharing - and if you have an Apple phone, it may be reminiscent of AirDrop. On its website Microsoft explains how the feature works: 

If the PC you're sharing from is running the latest version of Windows 11, you can share over Wi-Fi if the Windows 10/11 PC you’re sharing to is connected to the same private Wi-Fi network. Otherwise, you can share over Bluetooth.

To share files with a PC that’s running Windows 10, it must be running Windows 10 version 1803 or later. To find out which version of Windows you have installed, see Which Windows operating system am I running?

Dynamic Lock 

Have you ever stepped away from your laptop quickly and then realised soon after that you forgot to lock it, leaving your device at risk of prying eyes. But did you realise with the dynamic lock security feature, you never have to worry about this again. 

is a security feature that automatically locks your device when you are not around. It uses Bluetooth to pair with a phone, and locks the device when the Bluetooth signal drops below a certain level, indicating that you are no longer near your device.

This feature helps prevent unauthorised access to your device if you forget to lock it when stepping away. To enable Dynamic lock, select the checkbox Allow Windows to automatically lock your device when you're away. 

Which unexpected features have you discovered on Windows that have really caught your attention? Share your thoughts with our tech writer by emailing: [email protected].