Windows files — system processes and Windows 11 guides

Open the on-screen touchpad Windows 11

To open the on-screen touchpad in Windows 11, first make its icon available in the system tray, then select that icon. The on-screen touchpad (also called the virtual touchpad) is a touchpad drawn on your screen that you can use to move the mouse pointer. It is handy on touch screens and on devices without a working physical touchpad.

Right-click the taskbar, open its settings, switch on the virtual touchpad icon in the system tray icons area, then select that icon next to the clock.
To hide it again, close the touchpad window, then switch the same virtual touchpad option off in the taskbar’s settings.
The physical touchpad has its own page under Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Touchpad.

Tags Taskbar, Touchpad

Windows 11 change desktop background color

You can change the desktop background color in Windows 11 by replacing your wallpaper picture with a single solid color. The setting lives in the personalization options of Settings. It takes only a few clicks and you can switch back to a picture at any time.

Open Settings → Personalization, open the desktop background page, choose the single-color option and pick a color.
To undo it, return to the same page and choose the picture option again, then select an image.
The Colors page changes accent colors and light or dark mode, not the desktop background color.

Tags Background, Colors

Change taskbar color Windows 11

You can change the taskbar color in Windows 11 by choosing an accent color and then telling Windows to apply it to the taskbar. Everything happens on one page of Settings, and the change is visible right away. The same steps apply whether you spell it color or colour, as in change taskbar colour Windows 11.

Open Settings → Personalization → Colors, pick an accent color, then turn on Apply color to Start, taskbar, and Notification Center.
The taskbar can only be tinted when Windows uses dark or custom mode, not light mode.
To go back to the neutral look, turn the same switch off again.

Tags Colors

Change the battery in Surface pen

To change the battery in Surface Pen, you open the pen, swap the old AAAA battery for a new one, and close it again. The way the pen opens, and which way the battery faces, depends on the pen model, and some models also have small coin cells in the cap. Once the pen is back together, you can confirm in Windows 11 that it still works.

Open the pen, replace the AAAA battery with the + end facing the direction your pen type requires, then close it; Slim Pen and Slim Pen 2 have no replaceable battery.
Pens with two side buttons also have two size 319 coin cells in the cap, and you may need to pair the pen with your Surface again afterwards.
Check the pen afterwards in Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Pen & Windows Ink.

Tags Pen & Windows Ink

Switch users in Windows 11

You can switch users in Windows 11 without restarting the PC. Open the account menu, choose another account, and sign in with that person’s credentials. The account you leave stays signed in, so you can return to it later.

Press the Windows key, select your account name or picture in the menu that opens, choose the other account, and sign in.
To see which accounts exist on the PC, go to Settings → Accounts → Other users.
You can also press Windows + L or Ctrl + Alt + Del and pick another account from there.

Tags Other users

Create an image of a serene coastal village at golden hour, whitewashed buildings, ocean breeze, warm sunlight, cinematic landscape.

To create an image of a serene coastal village at golden hour, whitewashed buildings, ocean breeze, warm sunlight, cinematic landscape, you generate the picture in an image-creation tool and then apply it in Windows 11. The Windows settings page for this topic does not generate pictures. It controls how a saved image appears as your desktop background. This article covers both parts: writing the description and turning the result into your wallpaper.

Save the image to your PC, open Settings → Personalization → Background, and under Choose your desktop background pick the single-picture option and browse to the file.
Use Choose a picture fit to control whether the picture fills, fits or stretches across the screen.
Windows only displays the image. The picture itself comes from a separate image-creation tool.

Tags Background

Turn on spatial sound in Windows

To turn on spatial sound in Windows 11, open the properties of your playback device in Settings and choose Windows Sonic as the spatial sound option. Windows Sonic is a built-in spatial sound solution that can make movies and games sound more immersive. The change takes only a few clicks, and you can reverse it at any time.

Open Settings → System → Sound, select your playback device, open its properties and choose Windows Sonic under spatial sound.
If the page shows an apply button after you choose the option, select it to confirm the change.
Dolby Access and DTS Sound Unbound add other spatial sound options if you want an alternative to Windows Sonic.

Tags Sound

Get themes Windows 11

To get themes in Windows 11, you open the themes page in the personalization settings, pick one of the themes that ship with Windows, or download new ones from Microsoft’s app store. A theme bundles a desktop background, window colors, sounds, and mouse pointer style, so one click changes the whole look of your PC.

Open Settings → Personalization, select the themes page, then pick a theme or use the browse option to download more.
Downloaded themes appear in the same theme list, where you select one to apply it.
To change only the wallpaper and keep everything else, use the Background page instead.

Tags Background, Themes

Set up microphone in Windows 11

To set up a microphone in Windows 11, connect it to your PC, open the sound settings, and pick it from the list of input devices. You can then record a short test sample and adjust the input volume until your voice comes through clearly. The steps work for wired, USB and Bluetooth microphones.

Open Settings → System → Sound, then select your microphone under Input.
For a Bluetooth microphone, use the option to add a device in the same input area and follow the prompts.
Run the built-in test on the microphone’s properties page, and change the input volume if you sound too quiet or too loud.

Tags Microphone, Sound

Show desktop icons Windows 11

If your desktop looks empty, you can show desktop icons in Windows 11 with a single option in the desktop right-click menu. Icons such as This PC and the Recycle Bin are controlled separately in Settings, so this article covers both.

Right-click an empty area of the desktop, open the submenu that controls how icons are viewed, and select the option that shows desktop icons so it has a check mark.
To bring back This PC, Recycle Bin, Network or your user folder, open Settings, go to Personalization, then open the themes page and its desktop icon settings.
Hiding desktop icons does not delete anything, and you can still reach the files by opening your Desktop folder in a folder window.

Tags Background, Themes