Since the late 1980s, when the mouse became the main way people invoked actions from the applications they use, the art of the keyboard shortcut has slowly disappeared. I started using a PC in the time when a pointing device was an expensive option on laptops.

So, I became pretty adept at using keyboard shortcuts. But it turns out the creators of our software still include them even though we are more likely to use a touchpad, mouse or touchscreen these days. What are some of the lesser known keyboard shortcuts you can use with Windows?

I'm still a bit of a newbie when it comes to Windows 10. I recently joined the Windows Insider Program in order to give the latest update a try. Then I started reading a bit about it and stumbled upon a article about the Windows 10 Virtual Touchpad.

Microsoft is finally driving a knife into its Windows 10 November 2018 update — the dreaded 1809 version. After May 2020, the plagued update will no longer be supported by security updates and users will be urged to move onto later models. Here's how you check whether you'll be affected.

Sharing folders between two computers on your network always feels like it’s more trouble than it’s worth. At least, there’s no guarantee that the process is going to go smoothly, and by the time you’ve troubleshot whatever’s going on, set up your share, and transferred files, well, you might as well have copied them to an external hard drive (or flash drive).

Here we go again: The latest Windows 10 patch, KB4532693, might stick you with an annoying bug. Some Windows users who have installed it have reported that their Windows user profile—and all the data and apps therein—weren’t loading when they logged in.

It sounds weird, but when you click that power button on the start menu to shut down Windows 10, you aren't shutting down Windows 10. Sure, Windows 10 goes through the motions of shutting down. And your computer sure looks like it shut down. And it sort of did, but it didn't.

In a perfect world, every new computer with Windows 10 on it—or every new installation of Windows 10—would arrive free of annoying applications and other bloatware that few people need. (Sorry, Candy Crush Saga.) It would also be free of annoying advertising. While that’s not to say that Microsoft is dropping big banners for Coke or something in your OS, it is frustrating to see it shilling for its Edge browser in your Start Menu.

There are so many Windows apps out there, that picking a list of the very best, most must-install software for your desktop or laptop feels daunting. We've pored over pages of recommendations, countless forum posts, and lots of comments to come up with this year's Lifehacker Pack for Windows, a list of software champions across four categories: productivity, internet/communications, music/photos/video and utilities.

Most Windows 10 laptops on the market come with a full version of the software pre-installed. However, some models use a version called 'S mode'. It's considered a more streamlined option with better security and speed but there's a catch — it forces you onto the worst aspects of Windows 10 with heaps of annoying restrictions. Here's how you get out of it.

Nobody likes change but, if you've steadfastly refused to upgrade your computer from Windows 7, it's finally time to make the leap.

One of the very first things I do when I’m faced with a fresh operating system is to fire up its default browse - the meh Edge or Safari - and head straight to Ninite (Windows) or macapps.link (Mac). Both sites allow you to pick and choose apps you’d like to install on your new system. Once you’ve finalised your list, you either get a custom installer (Ninite) or a Terminal command (macapps.link) you can run to quickly dump a bunch of apps on your new system.

Microsoft’s November update for Windows 10 (version 1909) added a new quick-search bar to File Explorer that was meant to help users find files on their PC. The only issue is that it didn’t work very well at launch. Numerous bugs made using the search bar much more difficult than it needed to be.

While your maths teacher (or your kid’s maths teacher) might not let them lug a laptop into their calculus class, I still think it’s awesome that Microsoft is finally giving the good ol’ Windows Calculator a boost of geekiness. If you thought “Scientific” mode was fun, you haven’t seen anything yet—coming soon, to Windows 10, is a full-fledged graphing calculator.

Everyone’s talking about Windows 7 this week. And even if you have absolutely no interest in the inner workings of your PC’s operating system, your attention has no doubt been drawn by Microsoft’s twist: The company isn’t supporting Windows 7 with security updates anymore.

One of the biggest issues holding people back from upgrading their (really) antiquated copies of Windows 7 is app compatibility. If you have some super-specific application that simply won’t (or can’t) run on Windows 10, that’s as good a reason as any to stick with a less-secure operating system. It might not be the right move, but it’s a necessary move.

A US intelligence agency, the NSA, has confirmed the existence of a major threat allowing hackers to exploit Windows 10 users by spoofing its trust certificates paving the way for malware and ransomware. Here's what you need to know.

If you’re a Windows user, all Patch Wednesdays should be important, save for those instances where Microsoft borks a patch and actually makes your Windows system worse than it was previously. Getting the latest feature and security updates for your system—mostly the latter—should be something you look forward to each month. But today’s Patch Wednesday is even more important than most.

Microsoft is finally turning off the tap for Windows 7 security updates but if you're looking to finally make the leap to Windows 10, there's a way to get it free for now. Here's how you do it.

Deadlines are scary. I know. And Microsoft has thrown Windows 7 users a big one: Update to a more modern operating system by January 15, 2020, or you’ll never receive security updates ever again. Eventually, Microsoft will even start disabling key Windows 7 services—like Internet Backgammon and Internet Checkers—throughout the year.