An Easy Guide to Fixing Libvlc.dll Error

Code 0x800488AB – What is it?

The Error Code 0x800488AB will appear when a user is in the Windows 10 Mail app and has provided an Outlook.com e-mail address. The mail app will give a message that the “account information is out of date” and it does provide an option to fix the issue. After clicking the Fix button, this error code will show up to the user. Common symptoms include:

• A dialog box will appear with the Error Code 0x800488AB
• Microsoft Windows 10 Mail App will not retrieve (or subsequently send) mail
• User cannot delete and re-add the Outlook email account in the Windows 10 Mail app
• User can still access and log in to various Microsoft websites, including logging into the Outlook Mail website

Solution

Error Causes

This error can be caused by a few different actions of the user when they have changed a password or a PIN number to access their Outlook mail. This error does have a relatively easy fix after the cause is determined and where the break-in information has occurred. A few of the causes may be:

• If the user changes their password on the Microsoft website and uses the alternative PIN login method to access the Mail App.
• The log-in information on the Microsoft website does not match the login information on the Windows 10 App.
• The login information was changed on the Microsoft website and was not updated to reflect on the Windows 10 Mail app.

The Microsoft website and Microsoft Mail app do not share the knowledge of the change in login credentials, therefore the log-in credentials appear to be incorrect when trying to access the Microsoft Mail app. It should be noted that a user may bypass the password option if they log in to the Microsoft Mail app while using the alternative PIN log-in method, thus still leaving the password undetected.

Further Information and Manual Repair

As is the case with all new technology and having a few wrinkles, the release of Microsoft Windows 10 is not left out. There have been a few discussions of errors and bugs, including Error Code 0x800488AB. As of right now, there are three different methods that can be utilized by any at-home user. These methods are rather simple and make sense when the problem has been identified.

Method 1:

Run the built-in Windows Store Apps troubleshooter:

1. Press the Windows Key and then type ‘troubleshoot’ and hit Enter
2. Select “View all” on the left panel and run the “Windows Store Apps” troubleshooter from the list displayed and see if it works.

Method 2:

Use the System File Checker tool to repair corrupted or missing system files:

1. Click Start.
2. Type cmd, and then press CTRL+SHIFT+ENTER to open the elevated command prompt (I.e. Command prompt with administrative rights).
3. The User Account Control window should appear, be sure that the action it exhibits is correct, and then press the Continue button.
4. Type or copy-paste the below command line into it without quotes:

“Sfc /scannow”

Method 3:

1. Press the Windows Key
2. Search for "Credentials Manager"
3. Click on Windows Credentials
4. Look for any reference to your windows account (generally your @outlook.com is listed)
5. Delete them.
6. Then select your account at the top of the start menu and select Log Out.
7. If using a Pin Code, switch to type input and put your password into the box.

When you go to Mail, and select "Fix Issues" it will detect your password and your account should sync with new emails. In some cases, depending on why this particular error code was caused, you may have to use a powerful automated tool to have it resolved.

Windows Updates are checked for their validity every time they are downloaded from Microsoft servers just like how browsers check websites for a valid certificate. And so if you got an error message saying, “ Some update files aren’t signed correctly, error code 0x800b0109 ” while trying to update your computer, it indicates that the Windows service was unable to verify the validity of the Windows Update. To fix this error, you can try out the options prepared in this post.

Option 1 – Reboot your computer and try again

Save your work and reboot your computer and then try checking for updates again. In some cases, all you need is a restart to fix errors like error code 0x800b0109.

Option 2 – Try to update Windows after an hour or so

There are times when the issue is from Microsoft’s end. It could be that there’s some issue with Microsoft’s server so it would be better if you give it an hour or so before trying to run Windows Update again.

Option 3 – Try running the Windows Update Troubleshooter

Running the built-in Windows Update troubleshooter is one of the things you can first check out as it is known to automatically resolve any Windows Update errors like Error 0x8007001E. To run it, go to Settings and then select Troubleshoot from the options. From there, click on Windows Update and then click the “Run the troubleshooter” button. After that, follow the next on-screen instructions and you should be good to go.

Option 4 – Delete the contents in the Temporary folder

You can also try deleting the contents in the Temporary folder – all the downloaded, pending, or failed Windows 10 updates. You can do that using the simple and easy steps below.

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Then type “%temp%” in the field and press Enter to open the Temporary folder.
• After that, select all the folders and files within the Temp folder and delete all of them.

Option 5 – Clear the contents in the Software distribution and Catroot2 folders

• Open the WinX Menu.
• From there, open Command Prompt as admin.
• Then type in the following command – don’t forget to hit Enter right after typing each one of them.

net stop wuauserv net start cryptSvc net start bits net start msiserver

• After entering these commands, it will stop the Windows Update Service, Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS), Cryptographic, and the MSI Installer
• Next, go to the C:/Windows/SoftwareDistribution folder and get rid of all the folders and files thereby tapping the Ctrl + A keys to select them all and then click on Delete. Note that if the files are in use, you won’t be able to delete them.

After resetting the SoftwareDistribution folder, you need to reset the Catroot2 folder to restart the services you just stopped. To do that, follow these steps:

• Type each one of the following commands.

net start wuauserv net start cryptSvc net start bits net start msiserver

• After that, exit Command Prompt and restart your computer, and then try to run Windows Update once more.

Option 6 – Install the updates in a Clean Boot State

You might want to try putting your computer in a Clean Boot state and then install Windows Updates again without any trouble. During this state, you can start the system with a minimum number of drivers and startup programs that will surely help you in isolating the root cause of the issue.

• Log onto your PC as an administrator.
• Type in MSConfig in the Start Search to open the System Configuration utility.
• From there, go to the General tab and click “Selective startup”.
• Clear the “Load Startup items” check box and make sure that the “Load System Services” and “Use Original boot configuration” options are checked.
• Next, click the Services tab and select the “Hide All Microsoft Services” check box.
• Click Disable all.
• Click on Apply/OK and restart your PC. (This will put your PC into a Clean Boot State. And configure Windows to use the usual startup, just simply undo the changes.)
• After that, try to install the Windows Updates or upgrade again.

If you have encountered the “YOU ARE NOT AUTHORIZED TO ACCESS THIS WEB PAGE AS PER THE DOT COMPLIANCE” error while trying to visit a website using either Firefox or Chrome browser, then read on as this post will guide you on how you can fix this error. Apart from this error message, you might also see an alternative message that says, “Web Page Blocked! The page you have requested has been blocked because the URL is banned as per the Government Rules”. When you get any of the aforementioned error messages when visiting a website, this means that it has been marked. It is mostly recommended to not access the site as it might be blocked for some illegal reason. However, if you are certain that the website is legitimate and safe and you believe that it has been blocked by accident, then you can check out the given methods in this post to unblock and access the blocked or restricted website. There isn’t actually a straightforward way to remove the restriction on the website or the DOT compliance. And it won’t matter what browser you use as you will still get the same error. Thus, the best way to go about this issue is for you to bypass the ISP restriction. But before you proceed, keep in mind that the ISPs (Internet Service Providers) can block any website when a request goes through their servers.

Option 1 – Try changing the DNS

If the request to access the website does not go through the ISP’s DNS server, you might have a chance in accessing it by changing your DNS settings. You can try using the Google Public DNS.

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Then type “inetcpl.cpl” in the field and hit Enter to pull up the Internet Properties.
• After that, go to the Connections tab and select the LAN settings.
• From there. Uncheck the “Use a Proxy Server” option for your LAN and then make sure that the “Automatically detect settings” option is checked.
• Now click the OK and the Apply buttons.
• Restart your PC.

Note: If you are using a third-party proxy service, you have to disable it.

Option 2 – Try to install a Proxy Extension

You could also try installing a Proxy extension or Proxy software as it could also help you access the website you are trying to open as it allows you to access the blocked websites by routing the request through their server. Aside from that, it can also hide it from ISPs to make them look like the content is coming from the proxy servers.

Option 3 – Try using a VPN connection

There are instances when the network that your computer is logged on might have blocked your access to the website you are trying to open and so to fix it, you can try to use a VPN connection. There is a lot of free VPN software out there but just make sure that you install a trusted one. Once you’ve connected using VPN, try to open the website again and see if you can now access it.

Option 4 – Check the Windows Host file

You can also try to cross check the Windows Hosts file to find out if the website you are trying to open has been blocked because if it is, then it’s no wonder why you’re getting the ERR CONNECTION TIMED OUT error in Chrome. There are instances when some third party application modifies the file and add some websites to the block lists. So if the website is indeed blocked, you need to remove it from the list.

Option 5 – Try to contact your ISP

If none of the options given above worked, then you can try to contact your ISP as there are times when DOT clears a website, the ISPs are still blocking it. Thus, it’s probably better if you reach out to them and ask them to unblock the website from their end.

0x800ccc7d - What is it?

0x800ccc7d is an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) error message code that occurs in applications like Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express. The error message is displayed as: ‘ unknown error 0x800ccc7d- secure sockets layer ’. Many offices use Microsoft Outlook for email communication and sending instant messages within the office. This is a highly functional application that enables users to interact with peers efficiently, manage contacts, journals, and reminders. However, the error 0x800ccc7d may hamper your ability to send and receive emails efficiently. Therefore it is advisable to repair it right away.

Solution

Error Causes

The error 0x800ccc7d is triggered by the following causes:

• Damaged profile in Outlook
• Incorrect email account settings
• The Outlook installation is corrupt and damaged. This usually happens due to issues in hard disk storage.
• The outgoing SMTP server does not support secure connections

Further Information and Manual Repair

If you come across 0800ccc7d error code while using Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express, then don’t you worry! This problem can be easily resolved. In fact, it is so easy to repair that you can do it by yourself even if you are not a technical expert. Here are some ways to fix the 0800ccc7d SSL Outlook error:

Solution 1: Use Scanpst.exe

You may not know this but Microsoft offers an inbuilt Outlook Repair tool. This tool is technically known as Scanpst.exe. This tool is useful when you need to repair Basic header corruption. However, it may not be the best choice if the problem is big and complex.

Solution 2: Reset Your Outlook Settings

Sometimes this error message may occur when the STMP server requires authentication or does not recognize the senders' email addresses. In this scenario, you should check your Outlook settings to make sure that your STMP username and server are correct. For this follow this procedure:

• Go to the Tools menu and then click on Accounts
• Now click on your email account then check its properties
• Click general and make sure that your email address is created in your account’s control panel. If not, then edit and create.
• Next, click servers and see if the box next to the option that says My server requires authentication is checked or not. If not, then check it to resolve the error.

Solution 3: Disable any Anti-Virus

Another alternative to resolve this error is to disable any Anti-virus or Firewall you have installed on your PC. Once you disable it then try sending or receiving the email again. This usually works.

Solution 4: Download 0x800ccc7d Repair Tool

The fourth solution available to resolve this issue is by downloading the 0x800ccc7d repair tool. Though it is similar to Microsoft Outlook built-in scanpst.exe tool, but as compared to it the 0x800ccc7d repair tool is a highly functional tool. There are many 0x800ccc7d repair tools available but we recommend you to Restoro. This tool is a third-party tool that can deal, scan, and fix 0x800cc7d error in no time. What makes this repair tool an excellent choice is that it can repair all broken PST files and emails, recover Outlook items, retrieve deleted files, recover password-protected data, split files to recover oversize PST files, and more. To access and install the 0x800ccc7d repair tool all you need to do is download it here and install it on your PC. Now run it to scan errors. Once the errors are scanned, hit the repair tab to resolve. So, next time when you experience the error 0x800ccc7d, try using these solutions to fix the problem right away!

Every time a new drive or any storage device is connected to a Windows 10 computer, the operating system tends to allot a drive letter to it automatically. Not only that, as the OS also maps the location of the drive which helps it point the letter to the exact port location of the drive and serve requests from the user. As a result, it builds up a bit of cache as per the pattern in which the user uses the storage of the computer. This whole process is known as “Auto Mounting” which works for hard disks or optical drive readers that are connected using the SATA ports and even for USB drives that are connected using the USB ports. There are several ways you can enable or disable the Auto-Mount feature in Windows 10. You can do it using the MountVol tool or the Registry Editor or the Diskpart utility. Before you proceed, it is recommended that you create a System Restore point first so that you can always undo the changes you made in case anything goes wrong.

Option 1 – Enable or disable Auto Mounting via MountVol tool

In this option, you will be using the mountvol command in the Command Prompt. Refer to the steps below.

• Tap the Wins key once and type in “command prompt” in the field.
• From the search results, right-click on Command Prompt and select the “Run as administrator” option to run it with admin privileges.
• Next, type the following command and tap Enter to enable the Auto Mount feature:

mountvol /E

• On the other hand, if you want to disable the Auto Mount feature, type the following command instead:

mountvol /N

• After that, type the command below to remove all the previously assigned drive letters:

mountvol /R

• Finally, restart your computer.

Option 2 – Enable or disable Auto Mounting via Registry Editor

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Then type “Regedit” in the field and tap Enter to open the Registry Editor.
• After that, navigate to this registry key: ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesmountmgr
• Next, look for a DWORD named “NoAutoMount”. If you can’t find a DWORD with that name then simply create a new DWORD with the same name and make sure that the base is selected to Hexadecimal.
• Now double click on that DWORD and change its value to 0 if you want to enable it, otherwise, input 1 as its value to disable it.
• Restart your computer.

Option 3 – Enable or disable Auto Mounting via Diskpart utility

• Tap the Wins key once and type in “command prompt” in the field.
• From the search results, right-click on Command Prompt and select the “Run as administrator” option to run it with admin privileges.
• After opening Command Prompt as admin, type the following command and hit Enter to launch the Diskpart utility:

diskpart

• After that, a User Account Control prompt will appear. Just click on the Yes button.
• Next, type the following command and hit Enter:

automount

• Following the command you entered, you will an output that either says, “Automatic mounting of new volumes enabled” or “Automatic mounting of new volumes disabled” which means you can use it to check the status of Auto Mount.
• Now if you want to enable the Auto Mount feature, type the following command and tap Enter:

automount enable

• And if you want to disable the Auto Mount feature, just enter the following command:

automount disable

• To remove all the assigned letter and history of drives that were connected previously, type the following command:

automount scrub

• Finally, restart your computer.

System Interrupts are operating system processes that function as an alert system for the CPU. So whenever a scenario needs the attention of the CPU, it alerts the CPU about it. In turn, the CPU suspends what it is doing, saves it, and then takes care of that important job and once that job is completed, it resumes back to what it was doing. This indicates that although System Interrupts appears as a process, it’s actually not. As a matter of fact, it is like a manager that reports to the CPU about all interrupts that happen on a hardware level, e.g. hardware interrupts. And if there are lots of interrupts, this means that there might be various errors occurring on a hardware level. As a result, it may take a lot of system resources. And if you consider disabling System Interrupts, stop right there as your computer will almost become useless without it. So if you see System Interrupts consuming high CPU usage in your Windows 10 computer, you can fix it without having to disable it and cause more problems. If System Interrupts takes up more than 5 to 10% of CPU, then you definitely have a problem. This could be happening due to some hardware or driver issue. The first thing you can do is to try rebooting your computer once and see if the issue comes back or not. High CPU usage of System Interrupts is a huge backlog for the CPU and it stays in the loop. If a simple system restart didn’t fix this issue, here are some suggestions you can try.

Option 1 – Try to update the hardware drivers

As stated, the problem might have something to do with hardware drivers so you can try to update these drivers and see if it works.

• Reboot your computer into Safe Mode with networking support.
• Tap the Win + R keys on your keyboard to open the Run dialog box.
• After that, type “devmgmt.msc” in the field and hit Enter or click OK to open the Device Manager.
• After opening the Device Manager, update all the outdated Hardware drivers on your computer.
• Next, right-click on all the driver entries that are appropriately labeled, and then click the Update driver option.
• Now restart your PC and check if the BSOD error is fixed or not.

Note: On the other hand, if a recent update has caused the System Interrupts high CPU usage, then you might want to roll back your hardware drivers to their previous versions. You can check with the Windows Update History to check out any recent updates as well as the previous ones.

Option 2 – Try to disconnect and reconnect all hardware and cables

A lot of users reported that they were able to fix the problem by disconnecting and reconnecting cables and hardware like scanners, printers, cameras can help in fixing the problem. In addition, you can also boot your computer in a Clean Boot State so that you can find the problematic hardware by hit and trial method. Refer to the steps below to do so:

• Log onto your PC as an administrator.
• Type in MSConfig in the Start Search to open the System Configuration utility.
• From there, go to the General tab and click “Selective startup”.
• Clear the “Load Startup items” check box and make sure that the “Load System Services” and “Use Original boot configuration” options are checked.
• Next, click the Services tab and select the “Hide All Microsoft Services” check box.
• Click Disable all.
• Click on Apply/OK and restart your PC. (This will put your PC into a Clean Boot State. And configure Windows to use the usual startup, just simply undo the changes.)

Option 3 – Try to enable or disable Hardware

If you do not want to remove hardware, you can just disable them using the Device Manager. Note that this can also be applied to the internal hardware.

• Tap the Win + X + M keys to open the Device Manager.
• Next, navigate to the device you want to disable.
• Then right-click on it and choose to disable the device.

Note: Make sure that you disable one device at a time and then give it a couple of minutes and check if there are any changes in the CPU usage to pinpoint the hardware. And if there is no change, you need to enable the device you’ve just disabled and then proceed to disable the next hardware device. If there are changes, then it’s probably the culprit. Just keep in mind that you must no disable any device that is needed to keep your system up and running.

Option 4 – Try to update the BIOS/UEFI

Updating the BIOS/UEFI can help you fix the high CPU usage of System Interrupts but as you know, BIOS is a sensitive part of a computer. Even though it is a software component, the functioning of the hardware depends on it largely. Thus, you must be careful when modifying something in the BIOS. So if you don’t know much about it, it’s best if you skip on this option and try the other ones instead. However, if you are well-versed in navigating the BIOS, then follow the steps below.

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Next, type “msinfo32” in the field and press Enter to open System Information.
• From there, you should find a search field on the bottom where you have to search for the BIOS version and then press Enter.
• After that, you should see the developer and version of the BIOS installed on your PC.
• Go to your manufacturer’s website and then download the latest version of BIOS on your computer.
• If you are using a laptop, make sure that you keep it plugged in until you have updated the BIOS.
• Now double click on the downloaded file and install the new BIOS version on your computer.
• Restart your computer to apply the changes made.

Option 5 – Run the Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter or the Performance Troubleshooter

Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter:

• The first thing you need to do is click on Start and then on the gear-like icon to pull up the window for Settings.
• After opening Settings, look for the Update and Security option and select it.
• From there, go to the Troubleshoot option located on the left-hand side of the list.
• Next, select Hardware and Devices from the list and open the Troubleshooter and run it. Once it is doing its job, wait for it to complete the process and then restart the system.
• After the system restarts, check if the problem’s now fixed. If not, refer to the next option given below.

Performance Troubleshooter:

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Type “exe /id PerformanceDiagnostic” in the field and hit Enter to open the Performance troubleshooter.
• Then click on Next to get started. Wait until the process is completed.

As you know, the Mobile Hotspot feature is used to share the internet connection with other devices using Wi-Fi signals. These Wi-Fi signals are later caught by other devices using their Wi-Fi and then the internet connection is shared once they are connected. However, recently, some users reported that their devices weren’t able to see the Wi-Fi network even if their Wi-Fi is on. This kind of problem could be caused by several factors but one of the main ones include the frequency at which the Wi-Fi network is being broadcasted. If you are one of the users who are currently facing this problem, read on as this post will guide you on what you can do if the Mobile Hotspot or Wi-Fi connection does not show up or is not detected on your Windows 10 device. In most cases, there are only two frequencies at which a Wi-Fi network is broadcasted. They are broadcasted either at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. The ones that are broadcasted at 5 GHz need specific hardware since it is a newer technology compared to the ones at 2.4 GHz. There are several other pieces of equipment as well as electrical appliances that operate at 2.4 GHz that includes microwaves as well which causes disruption in the signal strength of the Wi-Fi network. Moreover, aside from signal interruption, this issue with the mobile hotspot might also have something to do with the network-related drivers in your computer. Thus, to fix the problem, here are some suggestions you should follow.

Option 1 – Try toggling the Network band or the frequency at which the Wi-Fi network is broadcasted

• First, open the Windows 10 Settings app and then navigate to Network & Internet > Mobile hotspot.
• From there, click on the Edit button located under the Network name, Network password, and Network band.
• After that, set the Network band to be at 2.4 GHz and then click on the Save button.
• Once done, restart the Mobile hotspot in your Windows 10 device as well as the Wi-Fi connection of the device that’s trying to connect to the hotspot.

Option 2 – Try running the Network Adapter Troubleshooter

If the first option didn’t work, you might also want to run the Network Adapter Troubleshooter. You can use it to troubleshoot the problem with the Mobile hotspot, to run it, follow these steps:

• Open the Search bar on your computer and type in “troubleshoot” to open the Troubleshoot settings.
• Next, scroll down and select the “Network Adapter” option from the right pane.
• Then click on the Run Troubleshooter” button.
• After that, your computer will check for any possible errors and will pinpoint the root cause of the problem if possible.

Option 3 – Try updating the Network adapter driver

As mentioned, the problem could also be due to the network-related drivers. So it probably might be the reason why you’re mobile hotspot did not appear or was not detected. That’s why it is recommended that you update the Network adapter driver and to do it, refer to these instructions: Follow the steps below to update your Network Adapter Driver:

• Tap the Win + R keys to launch the Run window and then type in the “MSC” command and hit Enter to open the Device Manager window.
• From there, expand the list of all the network drives and update each one of them.
• Restart your PC and see if it helped in fixing the issue with the mobile hotspot.

Note: If updating the network drivers didn’t help in fixing the problem, you can also try to uninstall the very same drivers and restart your Windows 10 PC. After that, the system itself will reinstall the drivers you just uninstalled. Alternatively, you can also download and install the drivers from the manufacturer’s website directly.

There are many times when you have to change the ownership of a folder or a file so that other users can use them as well or if you want to transfer files to them, or an old account has been removed and all the files need to be assigned to a new user. Windows 10 keeps all these files locked under the account by default which created a folder or file. So unless a user is an admin or if the file belongs to that particular user, other users won’t be able to access or edit the file. So if you want to change the ownership of a folder or a file, then you’ve come to the right place as this post will guide you on how exactly you can do that.

To get started, make sure to follow the instructions provided below carefully.

Step 1: First, you need to open File Explorer by tapping the Win + E keys. Once you’ve opened it, navigate to the folder or file that you want to change the ownership. Step 2: Right-click on the folder or file and click on Properties and then go to the Security tab. Step 3: From there, click on the Advanced button located at the bottom right part of the window to open the Advanced Security Settings of the folder or file. Step 4: As you can see, the current owner will be listed with the Change link available next to the “Owner” label. Now click on this link to open the Select User or Group window. Step 5: After that, click on the Advanced button once again and click on the “Find Now” button to see the list of all the users as well as groups that are available in the computer. Step 6: Then select the user you want to give ownership to and click on the OK button and then click the OK button once more to save the changes made. Step 7: This will take you back to the Advanced Security Settings window but this time, the owner will be changed to whoever user you’ve selected. But you’re not done yet as you still have to check two additional options to help you completely transfer the ownership of the sub-folders as well as the files. You have to check the checkbox of the following options:

• Replace owner on sub-containers and objects
• Replace all child permission entries with inheritable permission entries from the object.

Step 8: After that, you need to click the Apply and OK buttons to confirm and save the changes made. This will completely transfer the ownership of the file. However, there is still one last thing you have to do – you have to go back to the Advanced Security Settings window to remove the access of any other user on the folder or file. Once you’re there, remove the existing user to make sure that the only assigned user has the access to the folder or file.

Keyboard shortcuts are undeniably one of the most utilized ways and are helpful in maximizing productivity through the various applications at top speed in Windows 10. It offers the option to create custom keyboard shortcuts that allow users to launch apps, and even websites, instantly. There are already tons of keyboard shortcuts that are built-in in Windows 10 but in case you don’t know, you can actually create new ones. Doing so is not a difficult task and in this post, you will be guided on how you can exactly create custom keyboard shortcuts in your Windows 10 computer. Most users would create desktop shortcuts or pin the apps in the taskbar to speed up the process of working on their computers. It is an easy task to do since you can easily do it by dragging an app from the Start Menu to the desktop or by simply right-clicking on the executable app and selecting the “Create Shortcut” option. However, doing so would take physical effort and there are times when you have to minimize all the apps to get to the desktop so you can click the shortcut and this is where the Custom Keyboard Shortcuts come in handy. You can create Custom Keyboard Shortcuts in Windows 10 for various programs – from the traditional desktop apps to the new universal apps – you can fling in a shortcut so that you can instantly open them faster compared to when doing it manually and besides this also wouldn’t affect any of the ongoing system activity. To get started, you need to follow the steps provided below carefully.

To add Custom Keyboard hotkeys to a program and website desktop shortcuts, here’s what you have to do:

Step 1: First, you have to right-click on the app or website and select Properties. Step 2: After that, go to the Shortcut tab and from there, you will see the “Shortcut key” textbox which allows you to enter a new or custom keyboard shortcut for the app or website. Step 3: In the textbox field, input your preferred letters to set up the new hotkey. Keep in mind that this custom shortcut has to be combined with the Ctrl + Alt keys which means that if you want to select “N”, you have to tap the Ctrl + Alt + N keys. Step 4: Once done, click on the Apply and OK buttons to save the changes made and then close the window. Step 5: After that, tap the newly created keyboard shortcut, Ctrl + Alt + N keys again to open the app or website you’ve set up earlier.

To add Custom Keyboard hotkeys to a desktop app or an independent program that can be installed using direct download, here’s what you have to do:

Step 1: First, open the Start Menu and look for the icon/tile of the required app in the menu. However, if you are not able to find the desired app, then just click on the All Apps option to navigate through all the apps that are installed on your PC. Step 2: Once you find the app, just right-click on it and select More and then click on the “Open file location” option. Step 3: This will open a new window with the shortcut icon. Right-click on the app’s shortcut icon and select Properties. Step 4: This will open the Properties window where you can add the shortcut combination. Keep in mind that just like the previous method, the custom shortcut has to be combined with the Ctrl + Alt keys. For instance, if you select E, then you also have to set a keyboard shortcut that includes Ctrl + Alt, so it will be, Ctrl + Alt + E. Step 5: Once you’re done, click on the Apply and OK buttons to save the changes made. You should now be able to use the custom shortcut key you’ve set.

As in previous Windows 10, inside Windows 11 also when you press the ALT + TAB key combination you will get a preview of all running applications along with all Browser tabs so you can go through them and pick the one you want to switch to. Alto, I personally am a big fan of alt-tabbing, I must admit that I am not a big fan of having multiple browsers tabs on screen when I do press key combo. Luckily there is a very easy way to turn this feature off. Turning browsers tabs thumbnails off

1. Press ⊞ WINDOWS + I to open settings
2. Click on System in the sidebar
3. Scroll down and select Multitasking
4. Find Alt + Tab section and click on the drop-down menu
5. Pick Open Windows Only
6. Close settings

Now when you press the ALT + TAB key combination you will still see your browser but only an active tab in it instead of all tabs as different preview thumbnails.