7. Discovering, Using, and Sharing Favorite Apps
This chapter shows you how to use and update apps in Windows 10 by teaching these tasks:
From the moment you first power up your Windows 10 computer or device, you’ll notice that the operating system comes with a number of apps you can use. As your experience with Windows 10 grows, you’ll no doubt add more and more apps that fit the way you work and the type of entertainment and activity (such as games) you enjoy in your free time. You can find thousands of apps in all sorts of categories in the Microsoft Store.
Because Microsoft’s ultimate goal is a unified interface that works seamlessly across all kinds of computers and devices, the apps in the Microsoft Store are known as universal apps that are designed to work consistently across all types of computing formats. For example, the Netflix app is a universal app, available in desktop, tablet, Xbox, and phone versions, all of which work similarly so you know what you’re doing no matter which technology you’re using. Microsoft says that for universal apps, the code behind the scenes is 80 percent the same from device to device—there’s only a 20 percent difference involved in fitting the app for the phone, your tablet, or your Xbox.
This chapter introduces you to working with the apps on your computer or device and shows you how to find, download, and update apps from the Microsoft Store.
Getting Started with Apps
Windows 10 includes a number of apps you can use as soon as you fire up the operating system. You’ll find what you need to check and send email, set appointments on your calendar, connect with others through messaging, catch up on the latest in your favorite social media accounts, and open Microsoft Edge for some mindless browsing. These apps give you a good start on the types of tasks you want to accomplish in Windows 10, but this is only the beginning. You can download literally thousands of apps from the Microsoft Store, and developers are posting new apps there all the time.
The Windows 10 Start menu does a good job of giving you access to all the apps installed on your computer or tablet. On the right side of the menu, you see app tiles, which provide bits of information like what the weather looks like today, how many unread emails you have, or what the latest headlines are. On the left side of the menu, you see the apps you’ve used most recently, and you can scroll through an alphabetical list of your installed apps to find the one you want.
Checking Out Your Apps on the Start Menu
The Start menu actually does a good job of organizing many different apps into one relatively small, easy-to-access space. When you click or tap the Start button, you can choose apps in the following ways:
Click or tap a recently added app.
Choose an app from the Most Used list.
Tap or click the name of an app in the alphabetical list. (Scroll down to see more.)
Click or tap the app tile for the app you want to open.
Click or tap an app icon in the taskbar.
Pinning Apps to the Start Menu and the Taskbar
As you look through all the apps on the Start menu, you might discover a few you’d like to add to the app tiles on the right side of the menu. You can also add apps you use often to the taskbar at the bottom of the screen. You can pin new apps easily—and unpin apps you no longer need—by following these steps:
Click the Windows Start button to display the Start menu.
Scroll through the app list if necessary to locate the app you want to use, and then right-click it.
Click Pin to Start if you want the app to be added as a tile to the app grid in the Start menu.
Alternatively, click More and click Pin to Taskbar to add the app to the taskbar at the bottom of the screen.
Finding and Starting Apps
When you have dozens—or even hundreds—of apps installed on your computer or device, finding the specific one you want can be difficult. Luckily, you can use the Windows 10 Search box to quickly locate the app you’re looking for.
Finding an App
The Search box in the taskbar has a dual purpose; it calls Cortana to your aid in finding information, events, and activities you’re looking for. You can also use Search as a traditional Search tool, and it is a powerful one. Search quickly does a comprehensive search of your computer or device—including online storage—and produces a results list that shows apps, settings, files, and more. Here’s how to use it to find the app you want:
Click in the Search box on the taskbar.
Type the name of the app you’d like to find.
Click or tap the app name in the results list that reflects the app you want to launch.
Launching an App from the Start Menu
Microsoft gives you a couple of options for launching apps from the Start menu. You can click the link in the list on the left or click the tile that represents the program you want to run. As you learned earlier, you can also launch an app you’ve pinned to the taskbar.
Click the Start button to display the Start menu.
Click the program you want to launch.
Moving, Grouping, and Removing Apps
You can organize the apps available on the Start menu so that you can find them easily. This could involve moving apps around on the menu, grouping them in ways that make sense to you, or removing ones you don’t need. If you remove an app from the Windows 10 Start menu, you aren’t removing it from your computer altogether; you are simply taking it off the menu.
Moving Apps on the Start Screen
You can rearrange the apps on the Start menu to better fit the way you work.
Select the app you want to move by clicking and holding it.
Drag the app tile to the new location. When you release the app tile, the other app tiles are rearranged to make room for the new app tile position.
Creating an App Group
Notice that the Windows 10 Start menu includes a couple of “islands” of app tiles, with some grouped together with a little space between groups. You can change the way the groups are organized by moving app tiles from one group to another or by creating your own groups.
Click and hold the tile you want to move.
Drag it to the space between one of the app groups on the Start menu, and release the tile. A horizontal bar appears to show you where the tile will be placed when you release it.
Grab other apps, drag them to the same space, and release them. Windows adds space around the group so that you can see it easily as a group.
Naming App Groups
After you’ve created your app groups, you can further organize them by assigning a group name that appears on the Start screen. You can give your groups any name you like and change the name as often as it suits you.
On the Start menu, click in the blank area above the app group. A text box opens.
Type a name for the group.
Click outside the text box (or press Enter). The name appears above the group you selected.
Removing an App from the Start Menu
If you want to remove some of the unnecessary apps that appear on the Start menu by default, you can do that easily and give yourself a little extra room.
Click the Start button to display the Start menu.
Right-click the app tile you want to remove. A list of app options appears.
Click Unpin from Start to unpin the app so that it is still installed on your computer but not visible as an app on the Start menu.
Working with Apps
In early versions of Windows, the “windows” in which your programs appeared were decidedly pronounced. You could always see the window frame—including the title bar, the Close box, the scrollbars, and the status bar at the bottom—no matter what task you might be performing. With Windows 8 came the advent of “modeless” or “windowless” windows. The idea is to create a more transparent computing experience so you aren’t quite so aware of the periphery of what you’re doing and you can focus wholeheartedly on your work inside the window.
In Windows 10, you see modeless windows only if you’re using Tablet mode. In that mode, being able to use the entire width and breadth of the screen becomes important. You can swipe in to display the window border, but by default, you see borderless windows on your tablet.
On the desktop, however, you see the familiar window borders, complete with title bar, Quick Launch toolbar, Close box, status bar, and more.
Exploring an App Window
Depending on whether you open an app in Desktop mode or Tablet mode, the app might appear in the Windows 10 modeless style or in the more traditional desktop style. Here’s a quick look at some common features of app windows:
Title bar—The title bar of the window displays the icon of the program in the far left, as well as tools in the Quick Launch bar.
Window controls—In the upper-right corner of the program window are three tools to change the state of the window. Minimize reduces the window to the taskbar; Restore Down reduces the window to its previous smaller size (or, if the window is already at a smaller size, it changes to Maximize, which makes the window full size); and Close, which closes the file and, if no other files are open for that program, closes the program as well.
Ribbon—The ribbon is a feature common to some legacy programs, offering the tools and options you need for working with various programs. You instead might see a menu bar listing menu names close to the top of the window. You can click a menu name to display a list of tools you can use in your program.
Scrollbars—Depending on the size of your file and the type of program you are using, you might see horizontal and vertical scrollbars.
Work area—The work area of the window is the place where you write documents, create worksheets, edit photos, and more. The file you open and work with appears in the work area.
Exploring a Windows 10 Universal App
Windows 10 universal apps have a new and improved look that makes the tools easy to find and the screen easy to navigate. The title bar and window tools (Minimize, Restore, and Close) are at the top of the screen. Along the left edge of the screen is the Expand button that “rolls out” the names of tools shown horizontally down the left side of the display.
Working with an App
Virtually all universal apps have some consistent features you can work with by following these steps, which use the Weather app as an example.
Click the Start button to open the menu.
Click the Weather app. The app opens fully on your screen.
Click the menu button in the upper left. The menu opens, showing you the names of the various tools in the toolbar on the left.
Click Settings. The settings for the Weather app appear.
Click the arrow to return to the main Weather app window.
Snapping Apps
Snapping apps enables you to arrange two or more apps open on the screen at once.
You can snap up to four apps depending on your screen’s resolution, arranging them by dragging them with your finger, using the mouse, or using the keyboard (the Windows key and the arrow keys) to position the apps where you want them to appear.
Key Combinations for 2×2 Display
To place the app |
Use these keystrokes |
Upper-left corner |
Win + left arrow, Win + up arrow |
Upper-right corner |
Win + right arrow, Win + up arrow |
Lower-left corner |
Win + left arrow, Win + down arrow |
Lower-right corner |
Win + right arrow, Win + down arrow |
To make use of this feature, open the apps you want to use and drag each one to the corner in which you want it placed. Windows 10 positions each app in that quadrant of the screen so that you can work with them side by side.
Although Microsoft calls this feature 2×2—meaning two apps horizontal and two apps vertical—you don’t have to have four apps open to use it. You can grab and “snap” an app into place on one side of the screen and do the same with another so you have two apps tiled on the screen. Or you can do the same with three apps—two on one side and one on the other. The feature is designed to be flexible, so experiment and see what’s most comfortable for you.
Closing Apps
One of the jarring things about the earliest versions of Windows 8 was that you didn’t need to close any app you had opened; there was no Close tool, and apps not in the current focus were said to go into suspension so they weren’t using any active memory. That idea was just too bizarre for many Windows users.
So now, in Windows 10, the Close box is part of every app you work with, no matter what.
Closing Selected Apps
When you’re ready to put away an app you’ve been working with, closing it is a simple matter. Follow these steps:
Select the app you want to close if you have more than one app displayed on the screen.
Click or tap the app’s Close box.
Using the Task Manager
You can also close open apps using the Task Manager.
Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete and click Task Manager to display the Task Manager window. (You can also right-click the taskbar and select Task Manager from the shortcut menu that appears.)
Select the app you want to close.
Select End Task to close the selected app.
Getting Apps from the Microsoft Store
The Microsoft Store is the place where you’ll find all kinds of apps, games, media, and more to extend your digital experience whether you’re using a computer, tablet, or phone. The Store includes lots of free apps as well as apps and media you can purchase. You can buy and watch seasons of your favorite TV shows, find and stream new music, even purchase and read ebooks—right in Windows 10.
You display the Microsoft Store by clicking the Store app on your Start menu or on the taskbar. When the Store opens, you see a number of suggested and popular apps (just in case you’re in a shopping mood). You can also search for specific apps in the Store, browse through apps in different collections, take a look at the top-rated apps, get information about the apps you’ve already purchased and downloaded, and more.
As you scroll down the Store page, you’ll see that it displays a number of categories, including Today’s Deals, Picks for You, Most Popular, Top Free Apps, Top Free Games, New Movies, Top-Selling TV Shows, New Books, and Collections. At the far right of each category is a Show All link. Click the link, and the Store displays all available apps or games in that category.
Searching for an App
To search for an app within the Microsoft Store, open the Store app and use the Search tool that appears in the upper-right corner.
Display the Microsoft Store.
Click in the Search box and type a word or phrase you want to search for. The Microsoft Store displays a short list of direct matches.
To see a broader range of results, click the magnifying glass. A results page appears, showing you all the apps and games that match your search phrase.
Refine the search by clicking the drop-down boxes and choosing options that further narrow the search results.
Review information about the app, including the price and the average user rating.
Click a tile to display more detailed information about the specific app.
Reviewing and Installing an App
You can easily install an app you’ve found by tapping or clicking it, reading the description (and perhaps the user reviews, too), and then clicking the Install button. Don’t forget to check the price, which appears just below the Install button in the top-left corner of the screen.
Find the app you want to view in the Microsoft Store and click the app tile. The app page opens.
Scroll through the app information and decide whether you want to install the app.
Click Get to start the installation. Windows 10 shows you the status of the installation.
Click Pause to suspend the download.
Click the X to cancel the installation.
Managing Your Apps
You can use the Microsoft Store app to see which apps you’ve purchased and installed, and you can easily update, install, or remove them as needed.
Display the Microsoft Store by clicking the Store app in the Windows 10 taskbar.
Click the See More button. A list of options appears.
Click Settings to change the way the Store displays information.
Click Purchased to see a list of all the apps you’ve purchased from the Microsoft Store.
Click My Library to see all the apps you’ve purchased and installed across all your Windows devices.
Click Downloads and Updates to see which apps you have that are ready for downloading and installing.
Overseeing Your Finances in the Microsoft Store
The Microsoft Store also makes it easy for you to keep an eye on how much you’re spending. You can access your account within the Microsoft Store and make any changes you need to on the fly.
Open the Microsoft Store and click Account at the top of the screen.
Click Purchased. The Order History page of your Microsoft account appears.
Review the recent transactions connected to your Microsoft account.
Click the Close box when you’re finished reviewing your transactions.
Uninstalling Apps
To free up space on your hard drive and allow room for other programs, you can easily remove apps you no longer need.
Display the Start menu and locate the app you want to uninstall.
Right-click the app or app tile to display the options menu.
Click Uninstall. Windows 10 displays a message box asking you to confirm the removal of the app.
Click Uninstall, and Windows 10 removes the app.