Windows 8 is not only about touch-screen friendly features and a new user interface. It brings lot of other new features to the Windows user environment. Many users who complain about the less user friendly interface of Windows 8 probably don’t know the hidden secrets of Windows 8 that can help improve their user experience.

Windows 8 Tips: Hidden Features of Windows 8

Windows 8 Tip 1: Tweaking the number of Rows and Columns on Start Screen

By default, the Windows Start screen displays the number of tile rows on the display as per screen resolution. The following table will give you an idea of the number of tile rows as per resolution and maximum permitted by the system.

(Note: If your screen resolution is not mentioned in the table, it only means the default and the maximum tile rows permitted are the same)

For all screen resolutions, the minimum number of tile rows is 1.  If you are not happy with the number of tile rows on the Start Screen, you can reduce or increase the number by a small registry hack (as always, back-up your registry before making any changes).

1. Press Win + R
2. In the empty field of the Run dialog box, type regedit.exe
3. In User Account Control (UAC) prompt, click Yes.
4. Navigate to following registry key

HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionImmersiveShellGrid

5. In the right hand pane, double-click “Layout_MaximumRowCount”
6. In Edit DWORD 32-bit value dialog, specify the number of tile rows you want. (Note: Use the table as a guide to specify the maximum tile rows you want on the Start Screen)
7. Click OK
8. Exit Registry editor.
9. Restart the system to let changes take effect

Windows 8 Tip 2: Take Faster Screenshots

Unlike older Windows versions, you don’t have to perform two steps to save a screenshot.  In Windows 8, you just need to press Win +PrintScreen and the screenshot is saved in PNG format in your Pictures folder.

Windows 8 Tip 3: Creating App groups and naming them

If you are not happy with the Apps Group shown on the Start Screen, you can create app groups and name them as per your preference.

1. On the Start Screen, right-click the App tiles that you want to group together
2. Drag them to an open space; this action will create a new group
3. Name the group

Windows 8 Tip 4: Customizing apps in search bar

When you search for Apps in the search bar, you get a long list of apps that meet the search criteria. However, in many cases you will see numerous unwanted apps populating the search results. Windows 8 gives you the option to remove the apps that you do not want to see in search results.

1. From Desktop, Press Win + I
2. Select Change PC Settings
3. Select Search. You will see the apps that appear in search results.
4. Turn off the app that you do not want to see in search results

Windows 8 Tip 5: Enable Super Fast Startup

1. In the search bar, type “Power options”
2. click “Choose what the power buttons do”
3. Click Change Settings
4. Check the option “Turn on fast start-up”