Guide: Windows 7 Tricks
Note: Videos now updated! They are now in HD!
Windows 7 beta have been released to the public for a few weeks now (officially that is). Today I would like to share some of the cute (I call it cute because I find it entertaining) and potentially useful tricks that you can do with Windows 7. On this post, I’m concentrating on the desktop and window manager.
The New Show Desktop Button
First Off, the “Show Desktop” button. If you noticed, this button no longer appear at its usual location on the taskbar. Microsoft have moved this button to a more useful and less-annoying location, that is near the clock! See the transparent small rectangle next to the clock (on the far end)? Yes that’s your Show Desktop button!
What’s neat about this new Show Desktop button is that it have 2 functions:
- Hide all windows and show the Desktop upon clicking on it (and restore the windows back on another click)
- Make all windows transparent when you hover your mouse over the button (probably to show off your wallpaper?)
Check out the example in the video below:
Find out what else can you do with Windows 7 after the jump!
Windows Auto tile and Auto Maximize
If you have a big monitor, you might want to tile up two applications for the benefit of convenience (example, writing your report while reading wikipedia.. shhh!). Prior to Windows 7, you have to either manually re-size the windows to tile nicely on the screen, or minimize all other windows, left the 2 open and tell windows to tile them. This can be quite cumbersome especially when you really want certain other application window open as well (but not to be tiled).
Rest assured, that in Windows 7 you can simply drag the windows to either left or right edge of the screen, and voila! it will auto tile itself. If you drag it to the top edge, Windows will automatically maximize the window! Take a look at the demonstration in the video below:
The ‘Shake’ Feature
I discovered this by accident, but it is very neat feature! Most of us will have a bunch (or maybe loads) of windows open on our desktop. Sometimes you just want to see one particular window (maybe your sister came over and you need to quickly minimize that strange website that you’ve been visiting only focusing on the supposedly your school project). To do this, simple, grab the title bar with your mouse, and shake that window. Voila! all the other windows will be minimized instantly! Shake it again and the rest of the window is back. Check out the demo below:
Hopefully you’ll enjoy this simple tips for Windows 7!
How do I tile windows in Windows 7?
Many users gets confused with the new ways of arranging windows in Windows 7. Quite a number of people though Microsoft have removed the ’tile windows’ feature. Actually, the feature is still there, just that it is called differently now. To tile all your windows, right-click on the taskbar, and choose “Show windows stacked“.
That should do the trick!
I’m so going to buy Windows 7! Home premium that is. xD
This is not true – “Prior to Windows 7, you have to either manually re-size the windows to tile nicely on the screen, or minimize all other windows, left the 2 open and tell windows to tile them.”. In XP hold down CTRL and select the windows you wish to tile from the task bar. Then right-click one of the resulting selection and choose your tile option. Windows 7 seems a step back to me as it appears that you can only tile a maximum of two windows. But both are still better than OSX (shudder) which has no tiling options AT ALL.
I currently use the fake one .. I mean the transformation package .. nice !! Hahaha !!
Funny how I am JUST learning this option to tile your windows in XP and I JUST switched to Windows 7. While I like the drag to the side of the screen trick, equally fitting two windows, I want more. I wish each window I open did NOT just open on top of one another cascade style. It would be great if I for example have a folder window open in a neat box somewhere on the screen, then I open my C drive and that window (which is normally opening in the same size cascaded on top of the first folder window) then opened the same size right next to the other window. Too unorganized a feature for an OS I suppose. What about a third window, if there’s not enough room? Maybe it could be smart enough to take up what’s left of the screen real estate, perhaps only adjusting height. A windows tweaker must do something like this….
lol I spoke three seconds too soon. The same search which brought me here revealed a page that said “right click on the taskbar and choose show windows stacked” where I also discovered “show windows side by side” – may not be automatic and they are always maximized to their equal space, but good enough. Anyways thanks for the shake trick, that one was new to me.
Most are used to the alt/tab to cycle through open applications, but there is a cooler method in Windows 7. If your pc has a “windows” button, use the windows button/tab to cycle through open applications in a cool, circular slideshow presentation. It’s hard to explain, but try it and it’s pretty slick. Found it by accident.
@Jonathan
That trick can already work in Windows Vista (i think it’s called Windows Flip or something like that). But yeah, thanks for reminding!
true !
does anybody know how to pile the windows of the same application ? with xp you could right click on the app-window(s)-icon on the task bar and say "tile.."
I used to do it with browsers to have say 10 little browsers windows that self refresh (watching streamed quotes)…