15 features everyone should know in Windows 11 for this back-to-school season
Here are the best Windows 11 features and apps you should know this back-to-school season.
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Windows 11includes many features to help you stay productive and focus on any task you have to accomplish, especially for schoolwork, and in this guide, you will learn 15 features that everyone should use this back-to-school season.
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For instance, the operating system offers features to organize your work and stay focused with Focus, Do Not Disturb, Snap Assist, and Desktops. In addition, you will find many built-in apps that can help you complete different tasks, such as Calculator, Voice Recorder, Snipping Tool, OneDrive, OneNote, and Microsoft To Do.
Furthermore, the Phone Link app gives you access to your contents while in your pocket or bookbag, Dynamic Lock keeps your system secure as you step away from the device automatically, and Night Light uses warmer colors on the screen to reduce eye strain at night.
Alongside the features and apps to stay focused, organized, and productive, Windows 11 also provides different ways totune your laptopto tackle every task during the school year.
Thishow-to guidewill share the best tips everyone should know on Windows 11 to stay productive this back-to-school season.
1. Focus
The only way to get work done is by focusing on the task. However, it’s challenging to concentrate nowadays as online services and apps continue to push notifications, adding unnecessary distractions.
On Windows 11, “Focus” is a feature designed to reduce notifications to minimize distractions, whether you’re working on a school project or playing games.
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Settings app
To turn on Focus to disable notifications on Windows 11, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, you can start the feature from Settings, clicking the date and time icon in the Taskbar and clicking the “Focus” button, or from the Clock app.
Clock app
To start a focus session from the Clock app, use these steps:
After you complete the steps, the session will begin, badges and app flashing alerts will be disabled, and the “Do not disturb” feature will turn on. The Clock app will switch to its compact mode with the timer on the screen.
Focus with Spotify
To configure Focus with Spotify music, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, the Focus session will start alongside playing the music from the playlist you selected.
2. Do not disturb
While in the middle of doing homework or studying, notifications can add unnecessary distractions, but you can use the “Do not disturb” option to mute all the notifications until you turn off the feature.
To disable notifications by turning on the “Do not disturb” option on Windows 11, use these steps:
After you complete the steps, the feature will stop notifications from distracting you during specific times.
3. Calculator
If part of the homework includes math problems, you can use the “Calculator” app that comes as part of the Windows 11 installation. The app is easy to use and has a wide range of features, including trigonometric functions, logarithms, and exponents. It can also be used to convert units of measurement and calculate dates. If you are looking for a powerful and versatile scientific calculator, the Windows 11 built-in calculator is a great option.
To switch modes with the Calculator app, use these steps:
Scientificprovides an advanced interface for science, engineering, and math problems.
Graphingoffers the options for solving simultaneous equations, plotting graphs, and performing tasks with variables.
Programmerallows you to calculate in binary, hexadecimal, octal, decimal numbers, and more.
Date Calculationprovides an interface to perform day calculations, such as differences between days and add and subtract days.
Once you complete the steps, you can start using the Calculator for office or school work.
4. Sound Recorder
Windows 11 also offers the Sound Recorder app that lets you quickly and easily record lectures in school, conversations, interviews, and podcasts.
To record with the Sound Recorder app on Windows 11, use these steps:
After you complete the steps, the recordings will be stored in the"Sound recordings"folder inside “Documents.”
If you use the OneNote app, you can choose to use the voice recorder feature instead of the Voice Recorder app since your recordings will sync with your notes across devices.
5.Snipping Tool
The Snipping Tool is a simple app that allows you to take screenshots on Windows 11. You can open the app and take a screenshot, or use the"Windows key + Shift + S"keyboard shortcut to take a screenshot without opening the app.
App capture
To take screenshots through the Snipping Tool app, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, you can repeat the instructions to take more screenshots.
Shortcut capture
To use the keyboard shortcut option to take screenshots on Windows 11, use these steps:
After you complete the steps, you can repeat the shortcut to continue taking screenshots faster.
Capture editing
To edit and save a screenshot on Windows 11, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, the changes you made will save on the screenshot file.
Video capture
The Snipping Tool also includes a video option that allows you to do screen recording. The only caveat is that it doesn’t have an option to record audio. However, the tool may come in handy in many situations.
To record the screen or an app with the Snipping Tool app on Windows 11, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, the recorded screen capture will be saved and available from the “Videos” folder.
6. Desktops
On Windows 11, “Desktops” is a feature that lets you organize and group your tasks more logically to help you increase productivity. This is a handy feature to expand the screen’s real state when you only have one monitor or want to separate your schoolwork from your personal tasks.
Create desktops
To create a new desktop on Windows 11, use these steps:
Navigate desktops
To move to a different desktop, use these steps:
You can also use the"Windows key + Ctrl + Left"or"Windows key + Ctrl + Right"to switch between desktops.
Move apps
To move apps to another desktop, use these steps:
While in Task View, you can also drag and drop the app to your desired desktop.
Apps everywhere
To show an app on all desktops, use these steps:
After you complete the steps, the app will appear on all the desktops.
Close desktops
To close or remove a Windows 11 desktop, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, the virtual desktop will be closed, and any running applications will transfer automatically to the next available desktop.
7. Snap Assist
Snap Assist is a feature in Windows 11 that helps you organize your windows more efficiently. You can use it to snap windows to the sides or corners of your screen perfectly aligned without having to resize or position them manually. This can save you time and help you be more productive.
Snap side by side
To snap two windows next to each other, use these steps:
If you don’t see the window thumbnail in the list, open the window manually and drag it manually to the opposite side.
You can also use the"Windows key + left"arrow keyboard shortcut to snap a window to the left orthe"Windows key + right"arrow keyboard shortcut to snap a window to the right. On a multi-monitor setup, you can twice press the right or left arrow to snap the app in a second monitor.
On Windows 11, you can also hover over the"Maximize"button to open Snap Layouts and choose where to snap the application.
You can also access the Snap Layouts menu by dragging the app to the top edge of the screen and dropping the app in the zone you want to snap it. Then the Snap Assist will guide you to continue snapping applications.
This option is available to snap two, three, and four applications. However, the number of layouts will depend on the screen size.
Snapping three apps
To snap three apps, use these steps:
After you complete the steps, you’ll end up with three windows perfectly aligned on the desktop.
Snapping four apps
To snap up to four apps, use these steps:
Also, you can use keyboard shortcuts to snap windows into the corners. For example, if you want to snap a window in the top-left corner, use the"Windows key + left arrow + top arrow."
8.Emoji panel (special characters)
If you must insert special characters, instead of searching on the web, you can use the Emoji Panel, which includes the ability to insert virtually any special character in addition to emojis, gifs, and kaomoji.
To find and insert special characters on Windows 11, use these steps:
Once you complete these steps, the special character will appear in the email, document, or social media post that you’re writing.
9. Dynamic Lock
If you plan to take your computer to school, consider enabling Dynamic Lock on Windows 11. Dynamic Lock is a security feature that locks your computer when you step away from the room automatically. The feature uses proximity technology. Once enabled using Bluetooth devices (such as a phone or wearable), if you step away from the laptop after 30 seconds, Windows 11 will lock the profile automatically.
To enable Dynamic Lock on Windows 11, use these steps:
After you complete the steps, you can step away from the desk with the Bluetooth device, and then after 30 seconds, when you return, the computer will be locked.
10. Night Light
On those days when you will be working late doing schoolwork, you should turn on the Night Light feature to minimize the chances of eye strain.
Typically, displays produce a blue light that can mess with your internal body clock, affecting the production of melatonin, causing disruption of your sleep quality, and discomfort in your eyes. The Night Light feature is meant to reduce the amount of blue light using warmer colors that can help reduce eye strain and help you fall asleep faster.
To configure the Night Light on Windows 11, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, Night Light will activate automatically in your specified schedule. Or you can turn on the feature using the"Windows key + A"keyboard shortcut and clicking the"Night Light"button.
11. OneDrive
As part of your strategy to stay productive in school, you should also consider using OneDrive to protect your files and have them available regardless of the device or location.
OneDrive is the cloud storage service from Microsoft that allows you to upload, store, and protect your school and personal files with the ability to access your contents from any location and share them with other people.
OneDrive setup
To set up OneDrive on your computer, use these steps:
After you complete the steps, files in your local folders will upload and sync automatically to your account.
12. File sharing
If you’re collaborating with other people, you don’t have to spend time emailing files back and forth, as this is a tedious process, and versioning becomes confusing. Instead, you should share the files directly from File Explorer using the OneDrive integration.
OneDrive sharing
To share a file with OneDrive, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, the other person will receive an email with a link to access the files through OneDrive.
Alternatively, you can also useNearby Sharingfor file sharing, but since you will be sending the file directly to another person, tracking changes will be more challenging. However, you can use this feature for different types of files, such as images, zips, and others.
Microsoft Edge Drop
Although you can simply upload your files to OneDrive and then access the files by signing in with your Microsoft Account on any device, sometimes you may still need to send content to yourself from your phone or another device, and that’s when Drop comes in handy.
Drop is a feature part of the Microsoft Edge experience that allows you to send files (such as an image, video, or document) and notes to yourself from any device through the web browser using your OneDrive account.
To get started with Drop on Microsoft Edge, use these steps:
After you complete the steps, the file (or the note) will be available for download from any device you are signed in with a Microsoft account.
Since the feature is part of the browser, if you already use Microsoft Edge, you don’t have to configure anything as long as you are logged in with your Microsoft account.
13. OneNote
OneNote is a digital notebook that allows you to take notes, record audio, brainstorm ideas, create lists, and sketch. It is not meant to replace word-processing apps but can be used as a supplementary tool for capturing and organizing your thoughts. You can use OneNote for school, work, or personal projects on virtually any device, including computers, tablets, and phones.
You can also share notebooks to collaborate with others, organize your notes in sections, move pages around, collect paper notes in pictures, and more.
The app is free without the need to install Office, and you can get started using these steps:
After you complete the steps, you’re ready to take OneNote to the next back-to-school season.
Getting started
The note-taking app offers the essential features of taking notes with the ribbon menu, which includes six main sections.
The"Home"tab has the most common tools, such as undo and redo, fonts, highlighter, clear formatting, and tags that you can use to create lists and mark things as important or questions.
In the"Insert"tab, you will find the tools to create tables, attach files, insert images, start a voice recording, work with mathematical equations, and more.
The"Draw"tab includes features you can use with touch and digital pen, such as panning, lasso select, ink to math, and more.
The"History"tab gives you access to page versioning and the recycle bin. You can also view recent edits and mark items as read.
In the"Review"tab, you will find the tools to make sure the contents of the page don’t include any spelling errors. You can also use the thesaurus to improve the content readability. And the “Smart Lookup” feature gives you access to a web tool for research using Bing.
Finally, the"View"tab houses tools like Immersive Reader, Zoom, page color and size, and the ability to change the page rule lines for a more real notebook experience.
Although OneNote is part of the suite of Office applications, you don’t need a Microsoft 365 subscription to use it. You can download and install OneNote from theMicrosoft Store. However, you will need a Microsoft account to sync your notes across devices (including Windows 11, 10, macOS, or web).
14. Phone Link
If you plan to take your laptop to school, consider setting up your phone with your device so you can access your text messages, notifications, and pictures without the need to get your phone out of your pocket or bookbag.
To pair your phone with your computer on Windows 11, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, you can use the Phone Link app to send and receive text messages, make and receive calls, access notifications, control features, and access your pictures gallery.
The setup process for an iPhone is similar to the one for Android, but the initial configuration may be slightly different.
15. Microsoft To Do
You can only be productive in school as long as you keep your tasks organized, and for that reason, Microsoft To Do is another must-have application.
Yes, you can create lists of things you need to do on a piece of paper or in OneNote. However, the To Do simplifies the process since it offers a task management system to create, organize, and track your tasks on Windows 11 and across devices, including iPhone and Android.
Using the Microsoft To Do app, you can create lists with different tasks, and on each task, you can set due dates, reminders, notes, steps, and more. Furthermore, you can share lists with other people, and everyone can view, add, and edit tasks at the same time.
Create lists and tasks
To get started with the Microsoft To Do app, use these steps:
After you complete the steps, you can continue creating more lists and tasks for anything you need.
Share lists
To share a Microsoft To Do list with other school friends or family, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, the list will be available to anyone who has the link to access it.
Change settings
To change the Microsoft To Do settings, use these steps.
For example, you can change the behavior when managing tasks, including the ability for the app to recognize dates and times in the tasks. You can control the smart lists that appear by default on the application, manage notifications, and more.
More resources
For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10 and Windows 11, visit the following resources:
Mauro Huculak has been a Windows How-To Expert contributor for WindowsCentral.com for nearly a decade and has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides. He also has an IT background and has achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft, Cisco, VMware, and CompTIA. He has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years.
