Windows 11 added useful tools that are easy to miss. Turn these on once:

1. Snap layouts — hover over the maximise button (or Win+Z) to arrange windows in grids.
2. Clipboard history — Win+V; pin text you paste often.
3. Emoji and symbols panel — Win+. includes ₹, ©, arrows and GIFs.
4. Voice typing — Win+H in any text box, including Hindi.
5. Focus sessions — Clock app → Focus, with do-not-disturb built in.
6. Text from any image — Snipping Tool text actions (guide).
7. Virtual desktops — Win+Tab; one for work, one for personal.
8. Storage Sense — Settings → System → Storage: auto-clean temp files and the Recycle Bin.
9. Nearby sharing — send files to another Windows PC without a pen drive.
10. Night light — Settings → Display, scheduled for evenings.
11. Dynamic lock — locks the PC when your paired phone walks away.
12. Quick settings — Win+A for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, brightness and more.

More shortcuts: Windows shortcuts for every day.

The ones worth setting up on day one

If you only do three things on a new Windows 11 laptop, make it these.

Clipboard history (Win+V)

The first time you press Win+V, Windows asks to turn it on. After that, the last 25 things you copied are one keystroke away — text, small images, even the GSTIN you copied an hour ago. Pin the ones you paste daily (bank details, your address, standard email lines) so they survive restarts.

Snap layouts for two-screen work on one screen

Hover over the maximise button, pick the half-and-half layout, and put Excel on one side and the PDF you are copying from on the other. Win+←/→ does the same from the keyboard. Snap groups remember the pair, so clicking the taskbar icon brings both back.

Voice typing in any box (Win+H)

It is better than most people expect, including for Hindi. For long emails, speaking a rough draft and then editing is often faster than typing.

Small settings with a big effect

• Settings → System → Power: set the screen to turn off after 5 minutes on battery; laptops last noticeably longer.
• Settings → Privacy → General: turn off advertising ID and “suggested content”.
• Settings → Apps → Startup: switch off apps you don’t need at login — the single biggest fix for a slow start.
• Taskbar settings: hide Widgets and Chat if you never use them; move the Start button to the left if the centre bothers you.

When a feature isn’t there

Some features arrive through updates and differ by edition. If Snipping Tool has no text-extraction button, update it from the Microsoft Store; if clipboard sync across devices is missing, you need to be signed in with a Microsoft account. Work laptops may have features disabled by your IT team — that is policy, not a fault.