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Author: Sergey Tkachenko

Sergey Tkachenko is a software developer who started Winaero back in 2011. On this blog, Sergey is writing about everything connected to Microsoft, Windows and popular software. Follow him on Telegram, Twitter, and YouTube.

How to disable Charms Bar completely in Windows 8.1

Despite the Charms Bar being an annoyance on the Desktop, in Windows 8.1, Microsoft has only decided to allow users to disable the top left corner (also known as Switcher) and the top right corner, so when you point your mouse pointer to those corners, the Metro Charms Bars will not annoy you. However, the bottom right corner remains. If you find no use for the Charms Bar especially on the Desktop, you might be interested in disable that bottom right corner too.

In this article, we will look how to use settings in Windows 8.1 to disable active corners. Also, we will look at a workaround to disable the bottom right corner.

Winaero Charms Bar Killer

Specially for touchpad users: if app "does not work" for you, please refer to this article: How to disable Metro edge swipes and touch charms bar gestures for trackpads (touchpads) in Windows 8.1 and Windows 8

Even if you recently switched to Windows 8.1, you probably noticed new features which allow you to disable top left corner, top right corner and skip Start screen to boot directly to Desktop. Those options are accessible inside properties of the taskbar:

However, there is still no way to rid of Charms Bar completely. For example, the bottom right corner can't be disabled using OS settings. So I decided to fix it and made this simple app: Winaero Charms Bar Killer

This app can kill the top left corner, the top right corner and the bottom right corner in Windows 8.1 and Windows 8. This can be handy for Windows 8 users too since they do not have options to disable those active corners.

How to open the Win+X menu on a touch screen

The Win+X menu is one of the handy features of Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 on the desktop. When you press the Win+X hotkey on the keyboard, it appears in the bottom left corner.

Win+X Menu

It contains quick links to the main control panel items, some administrative tools and provides quick access to the command prompt or PowerShell. Additionally, in Windows 8.1 it allows you to quickly sign out, shutdown and restart.

On a tablet with a touch screen, you might need to open that Win+X menu, but without a keyboard or a mouse, you may not be aware how to access it. Here's how to access it.

How to copy process details from the Task manager in Windows 8.1 and Windows 8

Windows 8's completely new Task Manager has many changes compared to the Task Manager in Windows 7 and below. Now, it features a simplified mode, and the advanced mode has more detailed performance information. There's added management of startup apps with a very useful "startup impact" calculation feature. But one of the real improvements is that you can now easily copy detailed information of an application or service with the modern Task Manager of Windows 8.1/8 with a quick and easy keystroke. Let's see how.

How to copy text from dialog boxes in Windows 8.1

Sometimes, while using Windows, you need to copy the text from the some message box which appears on your screen. For example, some application may show you an error message or crash details. In such a scenario, you would want to copy its text to the clipboard so you can paste it in Google's search box or into your Instant Messaging software to discuss it with your friend or support engineer. Well, here's a trick that you may not be aware of.

Create a shortcut to open Skydrive Metered options in Windows 8.1

Skydrive Metered options in Windows 8.1 is a set of settings which allow you to control Skydrive's behavior when you are on a metered connection. You can enable or disable one or few settings to prevent SkyDrive from using your metered connection as it can be expensive. For example, you can disable file upload and synchronization while you are roaming. These settings are a part of the Modern PC Settings application, but you can create a shortcut to open them directly with one click.

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