Windows files — system processes and Windows 11 guides

Switch users in Windows 11

You can switch users in Windows 11 without restarting the PC. Open the account menu, choose another account, and sign in with that person’s credentials. The account you leave stays signed in, so you can return to it later.

Press the Windows key, select your account name or picture in the menu that opens, choose the other account, and sign in.
To see which accounts exist on the PC, go to Settings → Accounts → Other users.
You can also press Windows + L or Ctrl + Alt + Del and pick another account from there.

Tags Other users

Create an image of a serene coastal village at golden hour, whitewashed buildings, ocean breeze, warm sunlight, cinematic landscape.

To create an image of a serene coastal village at golden hour, whitewashed buildings, ocean breeze, warm sunlight, cinematic landscape, you generate the picture in an image-creation tool and then apply it in Windows 11. The Windows settings page for this topic does not generate pictures. It controls how a saved image appears as your desktop background. This article covers both parts: writing the description and turning the result into your wallpaper.

Save the image to your PC, open Settings → Personalization → Background, and under Choose your desktop background pick the single-picture option and browse to the file.
Use Choose a picture fit to control whether the picture fills, fits or stretches across the screen.
Windows only displays the image. The picture itself comes from a separate image-creation tool.

Tags Background

Turn on spatial sound in Windows

To turn on spatial sound in Windows 11, open the properties of your playback device in Settings and choose Windows Sonic as the spatial sound option. Windows Sonic is a built-in spatial sound solution that can make movies and games sound more immersive. The change takes only a few clicks, and you can reverse it at any time.

Open Settings → System → Sound, select your playback device, open its properties and choose Windows Sonic under spatial sound.
If the page shows an apply button after you choose the option, select it to confirm the change.
Dolby Access and DTS Sound Unbound add other spatial sound options if you want an alternative to Windows Sonic.

Tags Sound

Get themes Windows 11

To get themes in Windows 11, you open the themes page in the personalization settings, pick one of the themes that ship with Windows, or download new ones from Microsoft’s app store. A theme bundles a desktop background, window colors, sounds, and mouse pointer style, so one click changes the whole look of your PC.

Open Settings → Personalization, select the themes page, then pick a theme or use the browse option to download more.
Downloaded themes appear in the same theme list, where you select one to apply it.
To change only the wallpaper and keep everything else, use the Background page instead.

Tags Background, Themes

Set up microphone in Windows 11

To set up a microphone in Windows 11, connect it to your PC, open the sound settings, and pick it from the list of input devices. You can then record a short test sample and adjust the input volume until your voice comes through clearly. The steps work for wired, USB and Bluetooth microphones.

Open Settings → System → Sound, then select your microphone under Input.
For a Bluetooth microphone, use the option to add a device in the same input area and follow the prompts.
Run the built-in test on the microphone’s properties page, and change the input volume if you sound too quiet or too loud.

Tags Microphone, Sound

Show desktop icons Windows 11

If your desktop looks empty, you can show desktop icons in Windows 11 with a single option in the desktop right-click menu. Icons such as This PC and the Recycle Bin are controlled separately in Settings, so this article covers both.

Right-click an empty area of the desktop, open the submenu that controls how icons are viewed, and select the option that shows desktop icons so it has a check mark.
To bring back This PC, Recycle Bin, Network or your user folder, open Settings, go to Personalization, then open the themes page and its desktop icon settings.
Hiding desktop icons does not delete anything, and you can still reach the files by opening your Desktop folder in a folder window.

Tags Background, Themes

Setting up default audio device

Setting up the default audio device in Windows 11 means telling Windows which speakers or headphones should play sound and which microphone should pick up your voice. You do both on the Sound page in Settings, with one choice for output and one for input. Apps such as browsers, video players and call apps then use these devices unless you pick something different for a specific app.

Open Settings, select System, then Sound, and choose your speakers under Choose your sound output device.
On the same page, choose your default microphone under Choose your sound input device.
To check it worked, play a sound and speak into the microphone, then adjust the volume controls if you hear or record nothing.

Tags Microphone, Sound

How to open action center Windows 11

If you are looking for how to open Action Center in Windows 11, the panel you want is now called the notification center. You can open it from the taskbar, with a keyboard shortcut, or with a swipe on a touchscreen. This article shows each method and what to do if the bell icon is missing.

Select the clock or the notification bell icon on the taskbar, or press Windows + N, to open the notification center.
If the bell icon is missing, open Settings → System → Notifications & actions and turn on Show notification bell icon.
On a touchscreen, swipe in from the side of the screen to open the same panel.

Tags Notifications

Resetting default app settings

Resetting default app settings in Windows 11 sends your file type and link associations back to the defaults, so files and links open in the apps Windows normally uses for them. It is the quickest fix when the wrong app keeps opening your files after you or an installer changed something. The reset is a single action on one page of Settings.

In Settings, go to Apps → Default apps and select Reset default apps.
Afterwards, pick your own apps again with Set a default app.
To fix only one file type, change it directly instead of resetting everything.

Tags default apps

Sign in to Microsoft account Windows 11

To sign in to a Microsoft account on Windows 11, open your account info in Settings and follow the prompts to enter your email address or phone number and your password. Once you are signed in, your PC is linked to that account, so you can use services such as Outlook.com, Microsoft 365 and Xbox with the same sign-in.

Open Settings → Accounts → Your info, then follow the prompts to sign in with your Microsoft account.
The account details at the top of that page show which account your PC is currently using, so you can confirm the sign-in worked.
To sign in on the web instead, go to account.microsoft.com and enter the same email or phone number and password.