Windows files — system processes and Windows 11 guides

Windows 11 keyboard shortcuts

Windows 11 keyboard shortcuts let you open apps, manage windows, and edit text without reaching for the mouse. Most of them combine the Windows key, Ctrl, Alt, or Shift with a letter, number, or arrow key. This article covers the most useful Windows 11 shortcut keys and the keyboard options that make them easier to use.

Open Settings → Accessibility → Keyboard and turn on Underline access keys to see which letters trigger menu commands.
If pressing several keys at once is hard, turn on Sticky keys on the same page to enter shortcuts one key at a time.
If an accessibility prompt keeps appearing, turn off its keyboard shortcut on that page.

Tags Keyboard

How do I pin display magnifier to the Start menu of Windows 11

To pin display magnifier to the Start menu of Windows 11, search for the app, open its right-click menu and choose the option that pins it to Start. Once pinned, the tile stays in your pinned apps, so you can start the magnifier with one click instead of digging through Settings.

Open the Start menu, type the app name Magnifier, right-click the result and choose the option that pins it to Start.
To change zoom and view afterwards, go to Settings → Accessibility → Magnifier.
To undo it, right-click the pinned tile and choose the option that unpins it from Start.

Tags Magnifier, Start

Record a game clip on your PC with Xbox Game Bar Windows 11

You can record a game clip on your PC with Xbox Game Bar Windows 11 using one keyboard shortcut, once the feature is switched on. Recording works for a game or any other app you are using, so it also suits showing a bug to a developer. This guide covers turning it on, choosing what audio to capture, recording, and finding the finished clip.

Go to Settings → Gaming → Xbox Game Bar, switch on the main toggle, then press Windows + Alt + R.
Press Windows + Alt + R again to stop; the MP4 clip is saved in the Captures folder inside Videos.
To record system sounds, open the overlay with Windows + G and choose the capture option that includes all audio.

Tags Xbox Game Bar

Fix problems with Xbox Game Bar on Windows 11

To fix problems with Xbox Game Bar on Windows 11, first check that Game Bar is turned on in Settings, then test the Windows + G shortcut while a game or app is in focus. If it still does not respond, review the controller settings, restart your PC, and install pending updates.

Open Settings → Gaming → Xbox Game Bar, make sure Game Bar is turned on, then press Windows + G.
If a controller button does not open Game Bar, check Game bar controller settings on the same page.
If nothing changes, restart your PC and install pending Windows updates.

Tags Xbox Game Bar

Game captures background recording settings Windows 11

The game captures background recording settings in Windows 11 are on one page in Settings. There you control how long a recording can be, how its audio is handled and how its video looks. The steps below cover each option, so you can match recordings to your PC and your habits.

Open Settings → Gaming → Captures and adjust the recording options.
If recordings affect game performance, lower Game Captures video frame rate and Game Captures video quality first.
On a work or school PC, an organization policy can manage this page.

Tags Xbox Game Bar

Keyboard shortcuts for Xbox Game Bar Windows 11

Here are the keyboard shortcuts for Xbox Game Bar Windows 11 users need most: Windows + G opens the overlay, Windows + Alt + R starts and stops a recording, Windows + Alt + M toggles the microphone, and Windows + Alt + Print Screen takes a screenshot. They only work after Game Bar is turned on in Settings.

In Settings → Gaming → Xbox Game Bar, make sure Game Bar is switched on, then press Windows + G.
Press Windows + Alt + R to start a recording and again to stop it; clips are saved as MP4 files in the Captures folder under Videos.
Press Windows + Alt + M during a recording to turn the microphone on or off.

Tags Xbox Game Bar

Open the on-screen touchpad Windows 11

To open the on-screen touchpad in Windows 11, first make its icon available in the system tray, then select that icon. The on-screen touchpad (also called the virtual touchpad) is a touchpad drawn on your screen that you can use to move the mouse pointer. It is handy on touch screens and on devices without a working physical touchpad.

Right-click the taskbar, open its settings, switch on the virtual touchpad icon in the system tray icons area, then select that icon next to the clock.
To hide it again, close the touchpad window, then switch the same virtual touchpad option off in the taskbar’s settings.
The physical touchpad has its own page under Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Touchpad.

Tags Taskbar, Touchpad

Windows 11 change desktop background color

You can change the desktop background color in Windows 11 by replacing your wallpaper picture with a single solid color. The setting lives in the personalization options of Settings. It takes only a few clicks and you can switch back to a picture at any time.

Open Settings → Personalization, open the desktop background page, choose the single-color option and pick a color.
To undo it, return to the same page and choose the picture option again, then select an image.
The Colors page changes accent colors and light or dark mode, not the desktop background color.

Tags Background, Colors

Change taskbar color Windows 11

You can change the taskbar color in Windows 11 by choosing an accent color and then telling Windows to apply it to the taskbar. Everything happens on one page of Settings, and the change is visible right away. The same steps apply whether you spell it color or colour, as in change taskbar colour Windows 11.

Open Settings → Personalization → Colors, pick an accent color, then turn on Apply color to Start, taskbar, and Notification Center.
The taskbar can only be tinted when Windows uses dark or custom mode, not light mode.
To go back to the neutral look, turn the same switch off again.

Tags Colors

Change the battery in Surface pen

To change the battery in Surface Pen, you open the pen, swap the old AAAA battery for a new one, and close it again. The way the pen opens, and which way the battery faces, depends on the pen model, and some models also have small coin cells in the cap. Once the pen is back together, you can confirm in Windows 11 that it still works.

Open the pen, replace the AAAA battery with the + end facing the direction your pen type requires, then close it; Slim Pen and Slim Pen 2 have no replaceable battery.
Pens with two side buttons also have two size 319 coin cells in the cap, and you may need to pair the pen with your Surface again afterwards.
Check the pen afterwards in Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Pen & Windows Ink.

Tags Pen & Windows Ink