Four Ways to Customize Windows 10

Microsoft clearly wants everyone to upgrade to Windows 10.  If you have already made the jump, here are four ways you can tweak Microsoft's latest OS:

1) Pin It - The start menu is the compromise between the start screen tiles of Windows 8 and the start menu of Windows 7.  However, you can make a tile for almost anything.  Do you have a folder you go to regularly?  Create a shortcut tile.  Do you keep changing a particular setting?  Turn that setting's page into a tile.  To create a tile, just right click whatever you want on the tile and look for a "Pin to Start" option.

2) Make It Yours - Windows 10 includes a variety of options to customize its look.  You can start with the Personalization section of the Settings app (available on the Start Menu).  You might also want to look at the Properties section of the Taskbar.  (Right click on the taskbar and select properties.)

3) Sign Out Quicker - One of my complaints with the Windows 10 start menu is that the Sign Out option is so far away from the button.  (If you don't know where it is, you click the user account name at the top to access it.)  However, you can accomplish the same thing with two different keyboard options.  If you only want to lock the screen, you can use Windows+L to quickly lock the screen.  If you want to completely sign out, you can go to the desktop and then use Alt+F4 to bring up a list of options, including sign out, shut down, and restart.

4) Save Some Space - When upgrading to Windows 10, Windows saves the details of your previous Windows installation in case you want to revert back to it.  However, this installation can cost you a substantial amount of storage space (sometimes as much as 20 GB).  The Disk Cleanup application can remove these files for you.  Go to the search box and type Disk Cleanup, and then check the options for "Previous Windows Installations" and "Temporary Windows Installation Files".