100 Windows 41-50 tips and tricks

 

 

41. Print to PDF

You can now save documents as PDFs without any third-party software as both the Modern apps and the traditional desktop programs offer the option as part of their standard printing options.

42. Mail gestures

The new Mail app in Windows 10 supports a couple of gestures for common tasks. Click on the gears icon in the app to bring up the Settings and switch to Option section.
Now enable the 'Swipe actions' option and use the pull-down menu to define actions for the left and right swipe gestures.

43. Make Cortana respond to voice commands

For a hands-free operation, click on the Cortana search bar, select Notebook from the left menu, choose Settings, and enable the 'Let Cortana respond to "Hey Cortana"' option.
Now repeat the phrase anytime to activate Cortana.

44. Make Cortana respond only to you

You can now ask Cortana to respond only to your voice. Head back to the Settings in the Notebook and press the 'Learn my voice' button and speak the phrases to teach Cortana your voice.

45. Cortana natural language search

Since Cortana can understand natural language you can use it for complex search tasks. For example, ask Cortana to 'Find pictures from August' and the intelligent assistant will rummage through your local and online files and apply the appropriate filters to fetch results.

46. Offline maps

Save time and money when searching for directions on the go by downloading an offline version of a map. Head to Start > Settings > System > Offline Maps and then click the Download maps button.
Now you can drill down to the geographic region you're interested in to download the map.

47. Share your preferences with Cortana

You can get better recommendations if you let Cortana know your preferences. For example, open Cortana's Notebook and head to Eat & Drink to define your choice of cuisine, price range and more.
Now repeat the process for other sections as well.

48. Send an email with Cortana

You can also use Cortana to send an email hands-free. Say 'Send an email to [Name]' followed by the message.
Cortana searches for the [Name] in the People app and composes the email with the text you spoke. If you don't wish to make any changes, say 'Send'.

49. Manage contacts

A contact in the People app can include an email address, work/home address and more. And depending on what information has been added to the contact, you can use the app to launch a Map view of the address or compose an email to the contact.

50. Cortana in Edge browser

Cortana can also help you as you browse the Internet. To enable it in Microsoft Edge, go to Settings > Advanced Settings >View Advanced Settings and under 'Privacy and Services' enable 'Have Cortana Assist Me in Microsoft Edge'.