Most of us assume we know our way around Windows 11. We've tweaked the wallpaper, rearranged the Start menu, maybe even poked around in the settings app a little. But beneath the familiar interface, Microsoft has tucked away a handful of features that never really get put in the spotlight — and several of them can genuinely make everyday use easier. Whether you're a longtime Windows user or you just switched over from Windows 10, here are some lesser-known tools and tricks worth adding to your toolkit.
1. Shake Your Window to Clear the Clutter
When your desktop turns into a mess of overlapping windows and you only want to focus on one, there's a quick gesture that can clean things up instantly. Grab the title bar of the window you want to keep open, then shake it side to side with your mouse — every other open window minimizes automatically. Give it another shake and they all reappear.
This trick actually dates back to Windows 7, but it's still alive and well in Windows 11. If you try it and nothing happens, it may simply need to be turned on. Head to Settings > System > Multitasking, look for the toggle labeled Title Bar Window Shake, and switch it on.
2. Customize Your Touchpad Gestures
Laptop users can get a lot more out of multitasking by fine-tuning their touchpad gestures. Windows 11 lets you assign specific actions to three- and four-finger swipes and taps — things like switching between apps, opening the notification panel, or jumping straight to the desktop.
To set it up, you will open control panel and go to Bluetooth & Devices and click on Touchpad. After that you will scroll down to Advanced Gestures. From there you can map different actions to different gestures. Once it's dialed in to your liking, switching between tasks starts to feel a lot more fluid.
3. Check Exactly How Much Screen Time You're Racking Up
If your laptop's battery seems to drain faster than it should — or you're just curious how many hours you're actually spending in front of the screen — Windows 11 has a built-in tracker for that, similar to what you'd find on a smartphone. Navigate to Settings > System > Power & Battery > Battery Usage to see a detailed breakdown of screen-on time, screen-off time, and which apps are consuming the most power. It's a handy way to spot background apps quietly draining your battery so you can shut them down.
4. Quick Access to Emojis, GIFs, and More
Sometimes a well-placed GIF communicates more than an entire sentence ever could. Windows 11 makes it effortless to drop emojis, GIFs, and even kaomojis (those expressive text-based faces, once simply called emoticons) into almost anything you're typing — chats, documents, even file names if you're feeling adventurous.
Just press Windows + period (.) and a panel pops up instantly, no setup required. It works system-wide, making it one of the more surprisingly useful shortcuts once you get into the habit of using it.
5. Mute Your Mic Without the Panic
Anyone who's ever scrambled to find the mute button mid-meeting will appreciate this one. During a call in a supported app like Microsoft Teams, Windows 11 adds a microphone icon directly to the taskbar, letting you mute or unmute with a single click. There's also a keyboard shortcut — Windows + Alt + K — that does the same thing instantly, so you don't have to hunt for the icon while someone's waiting on you to respond.
6. Bring Back the Classic Right-Click Menu
One of the more commonly missed changes from Windows 10 is the old, fuller right-click context menu. The good news is that it hasn't actually disappeared — it's just hidden by default. Hold Shift and right-click on any file or folder, or use the keyboard shortcut Shift + F10, and the full classic menu reappears, complete with options like "Send To" and "Properties" that seemed to vanish in the redesign.
7. Organize the Start Menu with Folders
Just like grouping apps into folders on a smartphone, Windows 11 lets you do the same thing in the Start menu. If you've got a cluster of related apps — say, all your streaming services or everything you use for schoolwork — simply drag one app tile on top of another to create a folder, then rename it however you like. It's a small feature, but it goes a long way toward keeping a crowded Start menu organized.
8. The Spinning Cog Easter Egg
Not every hidden feature needs to be practical to be worth mentioning. Open an app like Notepad and take a look at the small cog icon near the top of the window. Click or drag it, and you'll notice it spins. It serves no functional purpose whatsoever, but it's a small, playful detail that shows Microsoft's design team pays attention to the finer points — even ones most people will never notice.
9. Unlock "God Mode" for Total Settings Control
Perhaps the most dramatically named feature on this list, "God Mode" gives you access to virtually every setting Windows offers, all gathered into a single folder. To activate it, create a new folder anywhere on your PC and rename it using a very specific naming format (a quick search will turn up the exact folder name and code needed). Once renamed, the folder icon changes and opens into a master list of settings — many of which aren't even available through the standard Control Panel or Settings app. It's especially useful for troubleshooting or making quick adjustments without digging through multiple menus.
Final Thoughts
Windows 11 has plenty of small conveniences hiding just beneath the surface, and most of them take only seconds to set up once you know where to look. Some, like window shaking or touchpad gestures, can genuinely streamline your workflow. Others, like the spinning Notepad cog, are just fun little surprises. Either way, these features are worth exploring the next time you're looking to get more out of your PC.
Tags: Windows 11, Windows 11 tips, hidden Windows features, Windows 11 tricks, Windows 11 shortcuts, productivity tips, PC tips, Windows settings, God Mode Windows, Start menu folders, touchpad gestures, Windows keyboard shortcuts, tech tips, Windows 11 guide, computer tricks
