## Optimize Your Windows 10 Experience With A Few Secret Tricks

Do you know all there is to know about Windows 10? As Winnipeg’s computer repair resource, our Support Heroes have spent a lot of time learning about, working with, and developing a deep understanding of Microsoft’s latest operating system. Below are a few of our favourite “secret” tricks to optimize your experience:

## **How to Use Emojis and Special Characters**

Using special characters in your text can be a hassle if they aren’t displayed on your keyboard, and until recently Windows required its users to memorize the ANSI codes, which were numeric codes that needed to be entered into the numeric keypad.

Luckily, Windows 10 provides an easier option: using the Touch Keyboard. If you’re using a PC which doesn’t display your Touch Keyboard, just open the Taskbar and click on the Customization Menu, then click on Show Touch Keyboard.

You’ll now see a new button to the left of the clock on the right-hand side of the Taskbar, which will allow you to use the on-screen keyboard. This special keyboard allows you to:

•   See variations of a letter (such as ü, ù, and ú)

•   Access a keyboard layout comprised of symbols by clicking on the ‘&123’ button

•   View emojis and emoticons by clicking on the Smiley Face button

## **Access Cortana’s Secret Calculator**

Older versions of Windows required you to open an app to do basic calculations, but in Windows 10 you can perform calculations easily using this ‘secret’ step:

•   Click on the Windows key

•   Type your equation or formula into the Search box which appears

•   Be as complex as you want. Cortana will automatically group calculations in parentheses if necessary.

•   View the results of your formula in the top of the Search results list

•   Keep in mind that the calculator will vanish (along with the results) if you click away, so make sure to write down your result before closing the window.