The Six Windows Tips & Tricks We Use Most Often
Windows 10 / Windows 11

Here are a few Windows tips we use almost every day. These tips save time and are super easy, and we’re going to share them with you. These tips work in both Windows 10 and Windows 11.

1: Bring up the Lock Screen

Pressing the Windows key plus L brings up the lock screen in Windows 10 and Windows 11.  If you use a password, Windows Key + L will “lock” your Windows PC until you enter your password or PIN.

2: Make any word or phrase a hyperlink

If you want to create a hyperlink out of a word or a phrase, like “Visit our InfoAve Website“, it’s super easy to do. Highlight the word or words you want to make into a hyperlink and press CTRL+K. A dialog will appear. In the dialog type or paste the URL (website address) and press Enter. If you did that correctly, the word or words you highlighted will now be a clickable hyperlink. This works with most word processors and email programs. It also works in Gmail. Try it!

3: Open a new instance of a program with just the click of your mouse

Did you know that on most computer mice, you can click the scroll wheel? You can, and we call it the “middle mouse button”. If you middle-click on the taskbar icon of an open program, a new instance of that program opens. Try it. This works with Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Notepad, File Explorer, Thunderbird, and many other programs. This will work with any program that allows multiple instances to run.

4: Open the Task Manager with a keyboard shortcut

Just press CTRL+SHIFT+ESC, and Task Manager will open.

5: Hide all open windows in a hurry

If you want to hide all open windows on your desktop quickly, press the Windows Key plus the M key. To reopen them again, press Windows Key+SHIFT+ M.

6: Get the full right-click menu on Windows 11

By default, Windows 11’s right-click context menu is truncated; you have to click “Show more options” to see the entire menu. If you want to see the full context menu without clicking “Show more options”, just hold down the CTRL key while you right-click a file or folder.

A Simple Multitasking Trick
Windows 10 / Windows 11

Did you know that in Windows 10 and 11, the Windows key + Tab key shortcut shows all your open programs on your desktop?  That’s right! When you use the Windows key + Tab key shortcut,  you can see all open programs on your desktop at once.

Let’s take a look…

If you’re using Windows 10 or 11 and you want to see how many programs you have open, just press and hold the Windows Key and tap the Tab key. And you can click on any “thumbnail” and bring that program or app into focus. You can also close any of the programs by clicking on the “X” in the top-right corner of any of those open programs/apps without bringing them into focus… that’s correct, you can close any open program or app from its “thumbnail” on the desktop you see when you use the Windows key + Tab key shortcut. 

How to Bring Back the Old Notepad in Windows 11
Windows 11

For decades, Notepad was a distraction-free, plain-text editor. Then, Microsoft deprecated WordPad. Now, Microsoft is trying to turn Notepad into WordPad. If you miss the days when Notepad was a simple text editor that didn’t offer text formatting, didn’t remember your last session, or offer to rewrite your sentences with AI, you can easily restore the “old” Notepad.

It’s easy to turn the “new” Notepad back into its old self. You don’t need to download any third-party software or dig into the Windows Registry. You simply need to flip three specific toggles in Notepad’s Settings menu.

Step 1: Turn Off “Formatting”

The first section in the new Notepad Settings is Formatting. By default, the “nwe” Notepad tries to support rich-text elements like bolding, italics, and lists, which can interfere if you are using Notepad to strip formatting from web text, turn formatted text into plain text, or write clean code.

Open Notepad and click the Gear Icon in the top right corner.

Locate the Formatting toggle at the very top of the list.

Switch it to Off.

Result: The formatting toolbar disappears, and Notepad turns into a simple, plain text editor.

Step 2: Change “When Notepad starts”

The second section controls how the app launches. The “WordPad-style” behavior is to reopen every tab and file you had active when you last closed the app. To return to a clean start:

In Notepad Settings, find “When Notepad starts.”

Click the arrow to the far right of “When Notepad starts”. Change the setting from “Continue previous session” to “Start new session and discard unsaved changes.”

Now, every time you open Notepad, you get a single, empty document rather than a cluttered row of old tabs.

Step 3: Remove “Copilot” (AI Features)

The final section at the bottom of the settings menu is dedicated to Copilot and Generative AI. This integration adds “Rewrite” and “Explain” buttons to your toolbar and right-click menus, which may be a privacy concern or a visual distraction for many users.

Scroll to the bottom to find the Copilot (or “AI Features”) toggle.

Switch it to Off.

Result: All AI-assisted buttons and prompts are stripped from the interface, leaving you with only your text.

By following the steps above, you’ve effectively “downgraded” the Notepad. Your Notepad is now once again a fast, “dumb,” and reliable plain text editor. 

Want more tips, tricks, and information?

We have thousands of Windows tips, tricks, and more on our InfoAve website.

Subscribe to our free InfoAve Daily newsletter.

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The Helium Browser – A Cloudeight Freeware Pick

In the world of browsers, Helium is the “antidote” to the so-called “modern”, AI-obsessed, useless–feature-heavy modern browsers like Chrome, Edge, and even Brave.

If you are looking for a browser that feels refreshingly simple and clean, like browsers used to feel, I’m pretty sure you’ll love Helium.

Helium is already gaining a loyal following, and after using it and importing all my bookmarks from Firefox and Chrome, I can see why.

It’s a Better Browser; It’s Even Braver than Brave

Helium is built on Ungoogled Chromium. Its goal is to provide the speed and compatibility of Chrome without any of the Google telemetry, background data collection, AI chatbots, or “crypto-bloat” found in Brave. Helium is “zero-request” software—meaning when you open it, it doesn’t “phone home” to any server until you actually type a URL.

Helium’s Interface Is What Most People Want: Basic and Simple 

The first thing you’ll notice is the Compact user interface. The tab and address bars are significantly thinner than Chrome’s, giving you more vertical space to see the actual website.

• The Good Stuff: It’s incredibly fast and “snappy,” even on older machines. It uses all your favorite Google Chrome Extensions.

• The Catch? None for me, really. There are no themes or fancy icons. Customization is very limited. If you like colorful themes or lots of widgets on your homepage, you won’t find them here. Helium is basic browser – like browsers used to be.

2. Helium’s “No-Nonsense” Features

Helium doesn’t just strip things away; it adds a few clever features:

• Native uBlock Origin: This is great for everyone: pre-installed uBlock Origin. Unlike other browsers that use their own (sometimes very biased) ad-blockers, Helium ships with a full, uninhibited version of uBlock Origin pre-installed. As you may already know, uBlock Origin is a Cloudeight favorite.

• Split View: You can open two pages side-by-side in a single window—perfect for comparing products or watching a tutorial while you code.

• Offline!Bangs: Borrowing from DuckDuckGo, you can type !w to search Wikipedia or !gh to open GitHub directly from the address bar.

• Private Extensions:/span> It proxies your requests to the Chrome Web Store so Google doesn’t know which extensions you are downloading. And all Chrome extensions work with Helium.

3. OK, So What’s Missing?

Because Helium is laser-focused on privacy and minimalism, it lacks several “standard” features that might make it a tough daily driver for some:

• No Built-in Password Manager: By design, it does not save passwords. This is a great security feature. You must use a third-party tool like Bitwarden.

• No Cloud Sync: There is no “Helium Account” to sync your bookmarks between your phone and computer.

• No DRM (Yet): As of March 2026, many users report issues with Netflix, Prime Video, or Spotify because Helium strips out the “DRM Blobs” required to play protected media.

• Auto Updates: While the Mac version has auto-updates, Windows users often still have to manually download new versions from the Helium website.

The Bottom Line

This is for those of you who want a browser that’s just a browser. It’s for those who don’t want AI integration or a bunch of bells and whistles.  If you’re tired of apps that feel like a puzzle or waste your time with crazy, unnecessary stuff, you’ll feel right at home with Helium. It’s built for the computer user who takes privacy seriously and wants a simple browser that simply works. And busy professionals who need things to work correctly the first time, every time, without needing a manual, will be more than happy with Helium.

It’s a privacy browser that beats Brave by a long shot and makes the DuckDuckGo browser seem slow.

If you’re looking to ditch the bells and whistles and the ever-intrusive AI that all those “modern” browsers seem to be piling on, then Helium is a great choice. If you want a browser that makes your life easier instead of more complicated, Helium might be exactly what you’re looking for.

You can read more about and/or download Helium here.