Windows guides
How to Check if Your PC Is Compatible with Windows 11
Check Windows 11 compatibility with Microsoft PC Health Check and verify the key requirements, including TPM 2.0, UEFI, Secure Boot capability, RAM, storage, and CPU support.
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Windows guides
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Windows guides
How to Change the Desktop Background in Windows 10 and 11
Change your Windows desktop background to a picture, solid color, slideshow, or supported Windows Spotlight background, and adjust how images fit the screen.
Windows guides
How to Schedule Windows Update Restarts in Windows 10
Use Active Hours, restart scheduling, and pause controls in Windows 10 to reduce interruptions from Windows Update. Includes current end-of-support guidance.
Windows guides
How to Roll Back a Driver in Windows 10 or 11
Roll back a recently updated Windows driver through Device Manager, and learn what to do when the Roll Back Driver button is unavailable.
Windows guides
How to Batch Rename Files in Windows with PowerRename and PowerShell
Use Microsoft PowerToys PowerRename or PowerShell to preview and apply advanced bulk file-renaming rules in Windows 10 and 11.
Windows guides
Can You Install Windows 11 Without TPM 2.0? What Microsoft Supports
Understand the Windows 11 TPM 2.0 requirement, what an unsupported installation means, and what to check before attempting any hardware-requirement workaround.
Windows guides
How to Allow Apps Through Windows Firewall
Allow a trusted app through Windows Firewall in Windows 10 or 11, understand private and public network profiles, and avoid opening unnecessary ports.
Windows guides
How to Disable Background Apps in Windows 10
Control which supported Windows 10 apps can run in the background, reduce unnecessary activity, and understand which desktop apps are not affected by the Background apps privacy setting.
Windows guides
How to Run Linux on Windows with WSL
Install Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) on Windows 10 or 11, choose a Linux distribution, update WSL, and access Windows files from Linux.
Windows guides
How to Dual Boot Windows and Linux on the Same PC
Prepare a Windows PC for a Windows-and-Linux dual boot, protect your data, handle BitLocker correctly, and use the Linux installer’s supported alongside-Windows option when available.
Windows guides
How to Create a Guest-Style Account on Windows 11
Create a separate standard local account in Windows 11 for temporary users without enabling the built-in Guest account, which Microsoft recommends leaving disabled.
Windows guides
How to Rename Multiple Files at Once in Windows Using File Explorer
Quickly rename a group of files in Windows 10 or 11 with File Explorer, plus learn when Microsoft PowerRename is a better choice.
Windows guides
How to Disable Startup Apps in Windows 11 for Faster Boot
Use Windows 11 Settings or Task Manager to stop nonessential apps from launching when you sign in and identify high-impact startup items.
Windows guides
How to Activate Windows 10 or Windows 11
Check Windows activation status and activate Windows 10 or 11 with a digital license or valid product key. Includes current Windows 10 support context.
Windows guides
How to Disable Startup Programs in Windows 11: Startup Folders and Autoruns
Find startup programs that do not appear in the normal Windows 11 Startup list by checking Startup folders and, for advanced troubleshooting, Microsoft Sysinternals Autoruns.
Windows guides
How to Replace PowerShell with Command Prompt in the Windows 10 Win+X Menu (Historical)
Historical Windows 10 instructions for switching the Win+X menu from Windows PowerShell to Command Prompt. This setting does not describe the current Windows 11 menu.
Windows guides
How to Boot Windows 10 into Safe Mode
Step-by-step Windows 10 Safe Mode instructions using Windows Recovery Environment, including Safe Mode with Networking and recovery-media options.
Windows guides
How to Configure Windows 10 Update Notifications with Group Policy
Use the Configure Automatic Updates policy in supported Windows 10 editions to notify before downloading updates instead of silently downloading them.
Windows guides
How to Export or Back Up the Windows 10 Registry
Back up a Windows 10 registry key or export the registry before making advanced changes, and learn how to restore the saved .reg file.
Windows guides
How to Create a Virtual Switch in Hyper-V on Windows 10
Create an external, internal, or private Hyper-V virtual switch in Windows 10 and attach virtual machines to the network you need.