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If you’ve used Windows XP, Vista, and 7 for the last 10 years, it will definitely take time to get used to keyboard-and-mouse Windows 8 — but it will grow on you, I assure you (though Matthew Murray definitely disagrees). One of the biggest gripes that we’ve heard over the last few months, since the release of the Developer Preview, is that Windows 8 is effectively two completely different interfaces rammed together — and this is true, but, if you’re a power user, just think about it for a moment: How often do you use the Start menu in Windows 7? If you’re like me, you pin apps to the taskbar. I have now been using Windows 8 for two days, and I’ve used the new Start Screen only a handful of times. Except when searching for apps, I have managed to avoid the Start Screen entirely — and even then, when I do hit the Windows key, the transition is a lot less painful than I thought it would be.
In short, you might actually enjoy Windows 8 on the desktop. It’s perfectly normal to have misgivings about something that appears to be incredibly different, but in actuality, if your primary Windows tasks are gaming, word processing, or doing something else “desktoppy,” Windows 8 is very, very similar to Windows 7. Better yet, because Microsoft must ensure that Windows 8 works well on low-powered laptops and tablets, Windows 8 is fundamentally faster and more efficient than Windows 7. On a high-powered desktop rig, Windows 8 flies!What follows is ExtremeTech’s ultimate guide to Windows 8 on the desktop. It is basically a list of tips and tricks that we’ve collected over the last few months of using the Developer Preview, and now the Consumer Preview. Suffice it to say, you should probably install Windows 8 before you continue; or at least virtualize it in VirtualBox.
Keyboard shortcuts
First and foremost, if you haven’t historically been a fan of keyboard shortcuts, you must use them in Windows 8. By making the interface more touch-friendly, some features — like the power button — are now much harder to get to with the mouse. Fortunately, Microsoft has added a few keyboard shortcuts that mostly ameliorate the pain.- Alt-F4 — In one of the best changes since Developer Preview, you can now close Metro apps using Alt-F4!
Windows Key-I — This pops up the new system tray, which slides in from the right. If you hit Space or Enter, the Metro control panel opens. If you hit Up then Enter, you can shut down the computer. (This is the fastest way to shut down or restart!)- Windows Key — If you have a multi-monitor setup, popping up the Start Screen with the Windows Key is actually rather painless, and an excellent way to check on your mail, instant messages, and so on. Tapping Windows Key again hides the Start Screen and returns you to the previous app (could be the Desktop, or another Metro app). If you start typing the name of an app from the Start Screen, Windows will automatically start looking for it (just like Windows 7)
- Windows Key-F — If specifically want to search through files, rather than apps, use Windows-Key-F. Windows Key-W searches settings.
- Windows Key-C — One of the most annoying menus to get to in Windows 8, with a keyboard and mouse anyway, is the Charms menu. Fortunately, you can also use Windows Key-C, and then the arrow keys.
- Alt-Tab — Alt-Tab, believe it or not, app switches through Desktop and Metro apps. This can take a bit of getting used to.
- Windows-Tab — This cycles through your Metro apps. I know, you’re probably devastated: The 3D “Aero Flip” from Windows Vista and 7 is no more!
- Windows Key-Z — In a Metro app, this opens the App Bar (i.e. the app’s menu). Unfortunately there aren’t any keyboard shortcuts for selecting items from the App Bar, but hopefully they’ll be added before retail release.
- Windows-Page Up — This switches which screen the Metro interface (i.e. the Start Screen and any Metro apps) appears on. The switch is very rapid (it’s kind of fun to just hit Windows-Page Up over and over…) Obviously, this is only useful if you have a multi-monitor setup.
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