Tech Tip

Tech Tip – Windows Timeline

The Windows Timeline feature in Windows 10 allows you to look back over the timeline of activity (in the Windows apps that are supported in the feature) so that you can stay organised, save time in finding things, and pick up where you left off.

To see your Windows Timeline:

– Press the Windows Key + Tab or click on the ‘Task View’ button in the taskbar.

– Click on any of the documents to open them.

– Click on ‘Esc’ to get out of the Timeline screen.

Tech Tip – Weather App In Windows 10

For this week’s topical tech tip, with weather conditions causing so much disruption and damage in the UK, Windows 10 provides personalised weather content to you via a desktop app:

– Type ‘weather’ in the search box (bottom left) and select ‘MSN Weather’.

– Select whether you want the temperature in Celsius or Fahrenheit and allow the app to find your exact location.

– Click ‘Start’ to see a 10-day forecast for your area or use the search box for a forecast in other areas.

Tech Tip – Deleting Your Personal Metadata From Microsoft Documents

If you really want to make sure that you fully protect your data and identity, one thing you may not know is that Microsoft Office documents store metadata which (although largely useful) could be linked back to you.  There is an easy way to stop this from happening – here’s how:

For Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint:

– Click on ‘File’ (top left).

– On the Info page, click on ‘Check for Issues’.

– Click on ‘Inspect Document’ (which opens the Inspector window).

– Make sure all the checkboxes in the Document Inspector are checked.

– Click the ‘Inspect’ button.

– A green checkmark in a circle indicates that no data of that type has been found. A red exclamation mark means it found data of this type.

– Next to that data type’s description, click the ‘Remove All’ button.

– You can also click the ‘Reinspect’ button to make sure that nothing was missed.

Tech Tip – Using WhatsApp On Your PC

If you’re working at your PC and you need to access WhatsApp without having to keep looking at your phone, there’s an easy way to use WhatsApp on your PC – here’s how:

– Open web.whatsapp.com in a browser.

– Open WhatsApp on your phone.

– Open the Chats screen, select ‘Menu’, and select ‘WhatsApp Web’.

– Scan the QR code with your phone.

– You will now be able to see your WhatsApp chats on your PC every time you open web.whatsapp.com in a browser.

Tech Tip – Automatic Back-Up

Keeping a back up of your important folders is vital and you can easily set OneDrive in Windows 10 to make automatic back-ups.  Here’s how:

– On the right-hand side of the taskbar, select OneDrive > More > Settings.

– On the AutoSave tab, select ‘Update Folders’ and select the folders that you’d like to automatically back up (sync).

– Remember, if you’re working on an important file in Word, for example, you can use the toggle switch (top left) to set AutoSave to ‘On’ so it will be automatically saved to OneDrive.

Tech Tip – Clipboard History

If you’d like to see the history of all the things you’ve attached to your clipboard in Windows 10 there’s a fast and easy way to do it. To see and to manage your clipboard items:

– Hold down the Windows key + V.  This brings up the scrollable clipboard panel listing all the items you’ve copied.

– Click on an item to paste it into your current document.

– Click on the cross symbol to permanently delete an item from the clipboard.

– Click on the pin symbol to keep an item even when you clear your clipboard history (there is a link to clear the history) or when you restart your PC.

– This feature also allows syncing across other devices so you can paste items from your clipboard to your other devices when you sign in with a Microsoft or work account.

Tech Tip – Tidy & Focused

If you’d like to quickly clean up a messy desktop in Windows 10, and if you’d like to stay focused by clearing away all open apps except for the one you’re working on, here’s how:

To hide desktop icons quickly:

– Press and hold (or right-click) the desktop.

– Select ‘View’ and ‘Show desktop icons’ – this will clear the desktop.

To get the desktop icons back, select ‘Show desktop icons’.

– To clear your workspace of all open apps except the one you’re working on:

– Select and hold the window you want to stay open.

– Give your mouse (or finger) a back-and-forth shake.

– All the other open apps will automatically minimise.

Tech Tip – Read Without Distractions

If you need to read a web page without the distractions of adverts or unwanted recommendations, Microsoft Edge in Windows 10 provides an easy way to do this.

– In Microsoft Edge (top), click on the “Reading View” icon (open book symbol).

– Alternatively, type Ctrl+Shift+R.

Tech Tip – Easy Timer In Google

If you need to complete a piece of work in within a certain time, or you’ve got a call to make or meeting to go to in an hour or two, there’s an easy timer reminder (and stopwatch) already built-in to Google.

To operate the timer:

– Type “start a timer” into Google.

– Choose “Timer” and enter the required time period (hours, minutes, seconds).

– Click on the “Start” button.

– A bleeping alarm will sound at the end of the time period you’ve selected.

– You can press “Reset” to get a new time goal.

Tech Tip – Quickly Re-Open a Closed Tab

If you have several tabs open on your browser and you accidentally close an important tab, there is and fast and easy way to re-open it.

To re-open an important tab that you’ve accidentally closed:

– Press command+shift+t on a Mac or control+shift+t on Windows PC.

– Your tab will then be restored.