Windows 10 for Dummies

Time-tested advice on Windows 10

Windows 10 For Dummies remains the #1 source for readers looking for advice on Windows 10. Expert author Andy Rathbone provides an easy-to-follow guidebook to understanding Windows 10 and getting things done based on his decades of experience as a Windows guru. 

Look inside to get a feel for the basics of the Windows interface, the Windows apps that help you get things done, ways to connect to the Internet at home or on the go, and steps for customizing your Windows 10 experience from the desktop wallpaper to how tightly you secure your computer.  

• Manage user accounts

• Customize the start menu

• Find and manage your files

• Connect to a printer wirelessly

Revised to cover the latest round of Windows 10 updates, this trusted source for unleashing everything the operating system has to offer is your first and last stop for learning the basics of Windows!

Andy Rathbone is a respected Windows guru whose expertise has been helping Windows users for more than 25 years. He is the author of all editions of Windows For Dummies, which has sold millions of copies and is the bestselling computer how-to book of all time. Andy answers Windows questions and shares insight at www.andyrathbone.com.

Introduction 1

About This Book 2

How to Use This Book 3

Touchscreen Owners Aren’t Left Out 4

And What about You? 5

Icons Used in This Book 5

Beyond the Book 6

Where to Go from Here 6

Part 1: Windows 10 Stuff Everybody Thinks You Already Know 7

Chapter 1: What is Windows 10? 9

What is Windows, and Why Are You Using It? 9

What’s New in Windows 10? 12

What’s So Different about Windows 10? 15

Why Does Windows 10 Keep Changing? 16

Can My Current PC Still Run Windows 10? 17

The Different Flavors of Windows 10 18

Chapter 2: Starting with the Start Menu 19

Being Welcomed to the World of Windows 20

Understanding user accounts 22

Keeping your account private and secure 23

Signing up for a Microsoft account 26

Figuring Out the Windows 10 Start Menu 27

Toggling between Tablet and Desktop mode 30

Launching a Start menu program or app 31

Finding something on the Start menu 33

Viewing, closing, or returning to apps 34

Getting to know your free apps 35

Adding or removing Start menu items 38

Customizing the Start menu 39

Exiting from Windows 44

Temporarily leaving your computer 44

Leaving your computer for the day 46

Chapter 3: The Traditional Desktop 49

Finding the Desktop and the Start Menu 50

Working with the Desktop 51

Launching apps with the Start menu 53

Jazzing up the desktop’s background 54

Toggling between Tablet mode and the desktop 56

Dumpster diving in the Recycle Bin 58

Bellying Up to the Taskbar 59

Shrinking windows to the taskbar and retrieving them 61

Switching to different tasks from the taskbar’s Jump Lists 62

Clicking the taskbar’s sensitive areas 62

Opening the Action Center 66

Customizing the taskbar 67

Setting Up Virtual Desktops 69

Making Programs Easier to Find 72

Chapter 4: Basic Desktop Window Mechanics 75

Dissecting a Typical Desktop Window 76

Tugging on a window’s title bar 77

Navigating folders with a window’s Address bar 79

Finding commands on the Ribbon 80

Quick shortcuts with the Navigation Pane 82

Moving inside a window with its scroll bar 84

Boring borders 85

Maneuvering Windows around the Desktop 86

Moving a window to the top of the pile 86

Moving a window from here to there 87

Making a window fill the whole desktop 87

Closing a window 88

Making a window bigger or smaller 88

Placing two windows side by side 89

Making windows open to the same darn size 90

Chapter 5: Storage: Internal, External, and in the Cloud 91

Browsing the File Explorer File Cabinets 92

Getting the Lowdown on Folders 96

Peering into Your Drives, Folders, and Other Media 97

Seeing the files on a drive 97

Seeing what’s inside a folder 100

Creating a New Folder 101

Renaming a File or Folder 103

Selecting Bunches of Files or Folders 104

Getting Rid of a File or Folder 105

Copying or Moving Files and Folders 106

Seeing More Information about Files and Folders 108

Writing to CDs and DVDs 111

Buying the right kind of blank CDs and DVDs for burning 111

Copying files to or from a CD or DVD 112

Working with Flash Drives and Memory Cards 115

OneDrive: Your Cubbyhole in the Clouds 116

Setting up OneDrive 117

Changing your OneDrive settings 120

Opening and saving files from OneDrive 122

Customizing OneDrive for different devices with OneDrive Files On Demand 123

Accessing OneDrive from the Internet 126

Part 2: Working with Programs, Apps, and Files 129

Chapter 6: Playing with Programs, Apps, and Documents 131

Starting a Program or an App 132

Opening a Document 134

Saving a Document 136

Choosing Which Program Should Open Which File 138

Navigating the Microsoft Store 141

Adding new apps from the Store app 142

Uninstalling apps 145

Taking the Lazy Way with a Desktop Shortcut 146

Absolutely Essential Guide to Cutting, Copying, and Pasting 147

The quick ’n’ dirty guide to cut ’n’ paste 148

Selecting things to cut or copy 148

Cutting or copying your selected goods 149

Pasting information to another place 151

Chapter 7: Finding the Lost 153

Finding Currently Running Apps and Programs 153

Finding Lost Windows on the Desktop 155

Locating a Missing App, Program, Setting, or File 156

Searching with Cortana 159

Asking Cortana questions 160

Finding a Missing File inside a Folder 161

Finding Lost Photos 164

Finding Other Computers on a Network 164

Chapter 8: Printing and Scanning Your Work 167

Printing from a Start Menu App 168

Printing Your Masterpiece from the Desktop 170

Adjusting how your work fits on the page 171

Adjusting your printer’s settings 173

Canceling a print job 175

Printing a web page 176

Troubleshooting your printer 178

Scanning from the Start Menu 180

Part 3: Getting Things Done on the Internet 183

Chapter 9: Cruising the Web 185

What’s an ISP, and Why Do I Need One? 186

Connecting Wirelessly to the Internet 187

Browsing the Web with Microsoft Edge 190

Moving from one web page to another 192

Making Microsoft Edge open to your favorite site 193

Revisiting favorite places 195

Finding things on the Internet 196

Finding More Information on a Website 197

Saving Information from the Internet 198

Saving a web page 198

Saving text 199

Saving a picture 199

Downloading a program, song, or other type of file 200

Chapter 10: Being Social: Mail, People, and Calendar 201

Adding Your Accounts to Windows 202

Understanding the Mail App 204

Switching among the Mail app’s views, menus, and accounts 204

Composing and sending an email 207

Reading a received email 209

Sending and receiving files through email 211

Managing Your Contacts in the People App 213

Adding contacts 215

Deleting or editing contacts 216

Managing Appointments in Calendar 217

Chapter 11: Safe Computing 221

Understanding Those Annoying Permission Messages 221

Staying Safe with the New Windows Security Center 222

Avoiding and removing viruses 224

Avoiding phishing scams 226

Setting up controls for children 228

Part 4: Customizing and Upgrading Windows 10 233

Chapter 12: Customizing Settings in Windows 235

Finding the Right Switch 236

Flipping Switches with the Windows Settings App 237

System 238

Devices (adjusting mice, keyboards, scanners, and other gadgets) 244

Phone 248

Network & Internet 250

Personalization (changing your PC’s look and feel) 250

Apps 255

Accounts 256

Time & Language 257

Gaming 258

Ease of Access 258

Search 260

Privacy 260

Update & Security 261

Chapter 13: Keeping Windows from Breaking 263

Backing Up Your Computer with File History 264

Finding Technical Information about Your Computer 268

Freeing Up Space on Your Hard Drive 270

Setting Up Devices That Don’t Work (Fiddling with Drivers) 272

Chapter 14: Sharing One Computer with Several People 275

Understanding User Accounts 276

Changing or Adding User Accounts 277

Adding an account for a family member or friend 278

Changing existing accounts 282

Switching Quickly between Users 283

Changing a User Account’s Picture 285

Setting Up Passwords and Security 287

Signing in with Windows Hello 289

Chapter 15: Connecting Computers with a Network 293

Understanding a Network’s Parts 294

Setting Up a Small Network 296

Buying parts for a network 296

Setting up a wireless router 297

Setting up Windows computers to connect to a network 298

Sharing Files with Your Networked Computers 300

Setting your home network to private 300

Sharing files and folders on your private network 303

Accessing what others have shared 305

Sharing a printer on the network 307

Sharing with Nearby Sharing 307

Turning on Nearby Sharing 308

Sharing files with Nearby Sharing 309

Part 5: Music, Photos, and Videos 311

Chapter 16: Playing and Copying Music 313

Playing Music with the Groove Music app 314

Handing Music-Playing Chores Back to Windows Media Player 317

Stocking the Windows Media Player Library 320

Browsing Windows Media Player’s Libraries 323

Playing Music Files in a Playlist 326

Controlling Your Now Playing Items 327

Playing CDs 329

Playing DVDs 330

Playing Videos and TV Shows 330

Creating, Saving, and Editing Playlists 332

Ripping (Copying) CDs to Your PC 333

Burning (Creating) Music CDs 335

Chapter 17: Fiddling with Photos (and Videos) 337

Dumping Photos from a Phone or Camera to Your Computer 338

Taking Photos with the Camera App 341

Linking Your Phone with Your PC through the Your Phone App 343

Viewing Photos with the Photos App 345

Viewing your photo collection 346

Viewing photo albums 349

Viewing a slideshow 351

Copying digital photos to a CD or DVD 352

Part 6: Help! 355

Chapter 18: The Case of the Broken Window 357

Toggling between Tablet and Desktop Mode 358

The Magic Fixes in Windows 359

Resetting your computer 359

Restoring backups with File History 363

Windows Keeps Asking Me for Permission 367

I Need to Retrieve Deleted Files 369

I Need to Fix Broken Apps 369

My Settings Are Messed Up 370

I Forgot My Password 372

My Computer is Frozen Solid 373

Chapter 19: Strange Messages: What You Did Does Not Compute 375

Add Your Microsoft Account 376

Choose What Happens with This Device 376

Did You Mean to Switch Apps? 377

Do You Want to Allow This App to Make Changes to Your Device? 378

Do You Want to Save Changes? 379

How Do You Want to Open This? 379

Threats Found 380

How Do You Want to Open This File? 381

We’re Not Allowed to Find You 382

Reconnect Your Drive 382

You Don’t Currently Have Permission to Access This Folder 383

Chapter 20: Moving from an Old PC to a New Windows 10 PC 385

Hiring a Third Party to Make the Move 386

Buying Laplink’s PCmover program 386

Visiting a repair shop 388

Transferring Files Yourself 389

Chapter 21: Help on the Windows Help System 393

Getting Started with Windows 10 394

Contacting Support 395

Microsoft’s paid support options 396

Microsoft’s free support options 396

Part 7: The Part of Tens 401

Chapter 22: Ten Things You’ll Hate about Windows 10 (and How to Fix Them) 403

Windows 10 Keeps Changing! 403

I Want to Avoid the Apps! 404

Pruning apps from the Start menu and your PC 404

Telling desktop programs, not apps, to open your files 406

I Want to Avoid the Desktop! 407

I Don’t Want a Microsoft Account 408

Windows Makes Me Sign in All the Time 408

The Taskbar Keeps Disappearing 409

I Can’t Line Up Two Windows on the Screen 410

It Won’t Let Me Do Something Unless I’m an Administrator! 411

I Don’t Know What Version of Windows I Have 412

My Print Screen Key Doesn’t Work 412

Chapter 23: Ten or So Tips for Tablet and Laptop Owners 415

Turning on Tablet Mode 416

Switching to Airplane Mode 417

Connecting to a New Wireless Internet Network 418

Toggling Your Tablet’s Screen Rotation 419

Adjusting to Different Locations 420

Backing Up Your Laptop before Traveling 421

Accessing the Mobility Center 422

Turning Calculator into a Road Warrior Tool 422

Index 425

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