Category: Windows

On October 20, 2021, Microsoft announced the first preview of their Android apps experience into the Windows Insider Program. For Dev, Beta and Release Preview Channel users in the United States on eligible devices running Intel, AMD and Qualcomm platforms, they can install Amazon Appstore to download and run Android apps. However, lots of Android apps are not available on Amazon Appstore. The good news is that Windows 11 allows you to sideload Android apps, so you can still enjoy apps and games not available through Amazon Appstore. After reading this article, you’ll learn how to sideload Android apps on Windows 11.

Before starting

Before you dive right into sideloading Android apps, you’ll need to:

• Enable virtualization
• Enable Hyper-V
• Join Windows Insider Program

Note: If you already have Amazon Appstore up and running on your Windows 11 computer, you can skip this part, because your machine has enabled virtualization and Hyper-V.

To enable virtualization

If you’re not sure whether you’ve enabled virtualization on your Windows 11 PC, just follow the instructions below to check:

1. On your keyboard, press Ctrl, Shift and Esc and the same time to open Task Manager.
2. Navigate to the Performance tab. In the CPU section, you’ll see the virtualization status on your machine.
   

If you haven’t enabled virtualization yet, you’ll need to enable it from the UEFI firmware (BIOS) settings. Here’s how to do it:

1. Shut down your machine from the Start Menu, then wait a few seconds and turn it back on.
2. When you see the boot screen, follow the on-screen instruction to press the correct key on your keyboard to enter the BIOS menu. (depending on your computer manufacturer, you may need to press F2, F10 or F12 key to enter the BIOS menu)
   
3. Once you’ve entered the BIOS setup, find the Virtualization field and change the value to enabled, or check the box next to Virtualization to enable it.
   

To enable Hyper-V

Hyper-V is Microsoft’s hardware virtualization product that allows you to create and run a virtual machine on your computer. To sideload Android apps on Windows 11, you need to have Windows Subsystem for Android installed, which requires Hyper-V to be enabled.

Note: Hyper-V is built into Windows as an optional feature — there is no Hyper-V download.

Hyper-V requirements

• Windows 11 Enterprise, Pro, or Education.
• 64-bit Processor with Second Level Address Translation (SLAT).
• Minimum of 4 GB memory.

Follow the steps below to enable Hyper-V on your Windows 11 computer:

1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R at the same time to invoke the Run command box. Enter optionalfeatures and press Enter to open the Windows Features window.
   
2. Check the boxes next to all the Hyper-V related features. Then click OK.
   
3. Restart Windows 11 and Hyper-V will be enabled.
   

Install Windows Subsystem for Android

Next, you need to install Windows Subsystem for Android on your Windows 11 computer. If you’ve installed Windows Subsystem for Android, just skip step 1-2.

1. Launch Microsoft Store and search for Amazon Appstore. Click the Install button to install Amazon Appstore.
   
2. To get the Amazon Appstore work on your Windows 11 machine, you’ll be required to download the Windows Subsystem for Android from Microsoft. Click Download to start downloading.
   
3. Once downloaded, click Open Amazon Appstore to launch Windows Subsystem for Android.
   
   
4. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key, and type android to search for Windows Subsystem for Android. Click on the best match result to open the Windows Subsystem for Android settings.
   
5. Set the Subsystem resources to Continuous, then turn on Developer mode. Note the IP address displayed on the Developer mode tile.
   

Download Android Platform Tools

After you enabled virtualization and installed Windows Subsystem for Android on your computer, you need to download the Android SDK Platform tools to sideload Android apps on your Windows 11 machine.

Just follow the steps below to download the Android SDK Platform tools:

1. Go to the official Android Studio SDK Platform tool page.
2. Click on Download SDK Platform-Tools for Windows.
   
3. Check the box next to I have read and agree with the above terms and conditions, then click Download Android SDK Platform-Tools for Windows to start downloading.
   
4. Once downloaded, locate the downloaded .zip file. Right-click on it and select Extract all… to extract the .zip file.
   
5. Download the Android app installation package and save it to the platform-tools folder. If you don’t know where to download the .APK file, you can go to apkpure.com.
   
   

Sideload Android apps on Windows 11 PC

Now, you can start sideloading Android apps on your Windows 11 machine. Here’s how:

1. Right-click on the platform-tools folder and select Open in Windows Terminal.
   
2. Execute the command below to connect with Android Debug Bridge (ADB):
   .\adb connect <IP address>
   Note: you need to replace the <IP address> placeholder with the IP address displayed on the Developer mode tile in the Windows Subsystem for Android settings.
   
3. After you see “already connected to <IP address>“, execute the command below to install / sideload the Android app:
   .\adb install "your app.apk"
   Note: you need to replace your app.apk to the file name of the .apk file you downloaded.
   
   
   Wait a few seconds, and the .apk file will be successfully installed on your Windows 11 computer.
4. To launch the Android app you just installed, simply press the Windows logo key, and click on its icon.
   
   
   

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That’s it! Now you’ve successfully sideloaded Android apps on your Windows 11 computer. Feel free to drop a line in the comment area below if you have any questions or suggestions on this topic. Thanks for reading!

The Windows Run command box is a easy way to access Windows settings, tools and apps. It’s a built-in feature in Windows OS since Windows 95. Through the Windows Run command box, you can easily open any Windows settings, tools or apps in just 2 steps. Once you’re familiar with these Run commands, you’ll be more productive when working on a Windows 11 computer.

This post collects a complete list of Run commands that you can use in Windows 11. Most of them can also be used on Windows 10, 8.1 and even Windows 7.

TOC

• How to access the Run command box
  • Use the keyboard combination
  • Right-click on the Start menu
  • Search for Run
• Most-used Run commands for Windows 11
• Control Panel Run commands
• Windows 11 Settings Run commands
  • Windows 11 Settings – System
  • Windows 11 Settings – Bluetooth & devices
  • Windows 11 Settings – Personalization
  • Windows 11 Settings – Apps
  • Windows 11 Settings – Accounts
  • Windows 11 Settings – Time & language
  • Windows 11 Settings – Accessibility
  • Windows 11 Settings – Privacy & security
  • Windows 11 Settings – Windows Update
• Run commands for folder locations
• IP config commands
• Other useful Run commands

How to access the Run command box

There are more than one way to access the Run command box. Here I’ll introduce three different methods to access it:

1. Use the keyboard combination

The easiest way to open the Run command box is use the keyboard combination. Simply press the Windows logo key and R at the same time on your keyboard, the Run command box will pop up.

2. Right-click on the Start menu

You can also access the Run command box via the Start menu. Just right-click on the Start menu, then select Run.

3. Search for Run

You can also simply press the Windows logo key on your keyboard and type run. Then select the top result to open the Run command box.

Most-used Run commands for Windows 11

Below is the list of most frequently used Run commands that can help you access the most popular apps and settings in Windows 11 in just 2 steps.

Action	Run command
Open Command Prompt	cmd
Open Control Panel	control
Open Registry Editor	regedit
Open File Explorer	explorer
Open Services utility	services.msc
Open Local Group Policy Editor	gpedit.msc
Open the System Configuration dialog box	msconfig
Open the Temporary files folder	%temp% or temp
Open Device Manager	devmgmt.msc or hdwwiz.cpl
Shuts down your computer	shutdown
Manage Windows Power options	powercfg.cpl
Open the DirectX Diagnostic Tool	dxdiag
Open Resource Monitor	resmon
Open Performance Monitor	perfmon.msc
Open Computer Management console	compmgmt.msc or compmgmtlauncher
Access Network Connections	ncpa.cpl or control netconnection
Open the current user profile directory	.
Open the Users folder	..
Open Remote Desktop Connection	mstsc
Access File Explorer Options	control folders
Turn Windows Features On/Off	optionalfeatures
Check Windows Version	winver
Open Disk Partition Manager	diskpart
Open Disk Defragmenter utility	dfrgui
Open Windows Mobility Center (available only on laptops)	mblctr
Access Mouse Properties	main.cpl or control mouse
Access Windows Defender Firewall	firewall.cpl
Open System Properties window	sysdm.cpl
Open any website	Enter Website URL
Open Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool	mrt

Control Panel Run commands

Here is the list of Run commands that can help you access different part of Control Panel or control applets directly:

Action	Run command
Access Sound properties	mmsys.cpl
Access Devices and Printers properties	control printers
Open Add a Device Wizard	devicepairingwizard
Open Time and Date properties	Timedate.cpl
Open Region properties – Language, Date/Time format, keyboard locale	intl.cpl
Open Fonts Control Panel folder	Fonts
Open Internet Properties	Inetcpl.cpl
Open Keyboard Properties	main.cpl keyboard
Open Mouse Properties	control mouse
Open Administrative Tools (Windows Tools) folder in Control Panel	control admintools
Access Security and Maintenance Control Panel	wscui.cpl
Control Display settings (in Windows Settings)	desk.cpl
Control Personalization settings (in Windows Settings)	Control desktop
Manage current user account	control userpasswords or control.exe /name Microsoft.UserAccounts
Open User Accounts dialog box	control userpasswords2
Create a System Repair Disc	recdisc
Create A Shared Folder Wizard	shrpubw
Open Shared Folders window	fsmgmt.msc
Create a System Repair Disc	recdisc
Open Task Scheduler	Control schedtasks or taskschd.msc
Access Windows Firewall with Advanced Security	wf.msc
Open Data Execution Prevention (DEP) feature	systempropertiesdataexecutionprevention
Access System Restore feature	rstrui
Access Performance Options	systempropertiesperformance
Access Pen and Touch options	tabletpc.cpl
Control Display Color Calibration	dccw
Adjust User Account Control (UAC) Settings	UserAccountControlSettings
Open Microsoft Sync Center	mobsync
Access Backup and Restore control panel	sdclt
View and Change Windows Activation settings	slui
Open Windows Fax and Scan utility	wfs
Open Ease of Access Center	control access.cpl
Install a program from the network	control appwiz.cpl,,1

Windows 11 Settings Run commands

In this part, you’ll find a complete list of Run command that helps you access the settings in the Windows 11 Settings app.

Windows 11 Settings – System

Action	Run command
Open Settings app home page	ms-settings:
Open Display settings	dpiscaling or ms-settings:display
Open Sound settings	ms-settings:sound
Manage Sound Devices(Input/Output Devices)	ms-settings:sound-devices
Open Sound Mixer settings	ms-settings:apps-volume
Open Sound Mixer dialog box	sndvol
Adjust Sound Mixer settings	ms-settings:apps-volume
Open Notifications settings	ms-settings:notifications
Open Focus assist settings	ms-settings:quiethours
Change Power & Battery settings	ms-settings:batterysaver-settings or ms-settings:powersleep
Open Storage Settings	ms-settings:storagesense
Configure Storage Sense	ms-settings:storagepolicies
Open Nearby Sharing options	ms-settings:crossdevice
Configure Multitasking	ms-settings:multitasking
Open Windows Activation settings	ms-settings:activation
Open Windows Troubleshoot Settings	control.exe /name Microsoft.Troubleshooting or ms-settings:troubleshoot
Open Recovery settings	ms-settings:recovery
Open Projecting to this PC settings	ms-settings:project
Open Remote Desktop settings	ms-settings:remotedesktop
Open Clipboard settings	ms-settings:clipboard
Open About settings page	ms-settings:about
Adjust Graphics preference settings	ms-settings:display-advancedgraphics
Change the Night light settings	ms-settings:nightlight
Change where new content is saved	ms-settings:savelocations

Windows 11 Settings – Bluetooth & devices

Action	Run command
Open Devices settings	ms-settings:connecteddevices or ms-settings:bluetooth
Open Printers & Scanner settings	ms-settings:printers
Open Touchpad settings	ms-settings:devices-touchpad
Open AutoPlay settings	ms-settings:autoplay
Open Cameras Settings	ms-settings:camera
Open Pen and Windows Ink settings	ms-settings:pen
Open Your Phone settings	ms-settings:mobile-devices
Open USB settings	ms-settings:usb
Open Mouse settings	ms-settings:mousetouchpad

Windows 11 Settings – Network & internet

Action	Run command
Open Network & Internet settings panel	ms-settings:network
Connect and manage WiFi settings	ms-settings:network-wifi
Manage known Wi-Fi networks	ms-settings:network-wifisettings
Manage Ethernet Network settings	ms-settings:network-ethernet
Add, connect, and Manage VPN	ms-settings:network-vpn
Open Mobile Hotspot settings	ms-settings:network-mobilehotspot
Set up a dial-up internet connection	ms-settings:network-dialup
Open Proxy settings	ms-settings:network-proxy
View Network Status	ms-settings:network-status
Open Airplane mode (Wireless/Bluetooth) settings	ms-settings:network-airplanemode or ms-settings:proximity
View data usage	ms-settings:datausage

Windows 11 Settings – Personalization

Action	Run command
Open all Personalization settings	ms-settings:personalization
Customize Background settings	ms-settings:personalization-background
Customize Color settings	ms-settings:personalization-colors or ms-settings:colors
Customize Start Menu	ms-settings:personalization-start
Choose which folders appear on Start next to the Power button	ms-settings:personalization-start-places
Customize Lock Screen	ms-settings:lockscreen
Add or change Fonts	ms-settings:fonts
Open Taskbar settings	ms-settings:taskbar
Change Themes	ms-settings:themes
Open Device Usage settings	ms-settings:deviceusage

Windows 11 Settings – Apps

Action	Run command
Open Apps and Features settings	ms-settings:appsfeatures
Open Default apps settings	ms-settings:defaultapps or computerdefaults
Open Offline maps settings	ms-settings:maps
Configure Optional features	ms-settings:optionalfeatures
Open Apps for websites settings page	ms-settings:appsforwebsites
Download Offline maps	ms-settings:maps-downloadmaps
Open Video playback settings	ms-settings:videoplayback
Configure Startup Apps	ms-settings:startupapps

Windows 11 Settings – Accounts

Action	Run command
View all Accounts settings	ms-settings:accounts
View Your Accounts Info	ms-settings:yourinfo
Access Email & app accounts settings	ms-settings:emailandaccounts
Open Family & other users account settings	ms-settings:family-group or ms-settings:otherusers
Set up a kiosk	ms-settings:assignedaccess
Open Windows Sign-in Options	ms-settings:signinoptions
Access Work or School accounts	ms-settings:workplace
Open Windows backup (Sync) settings	ms-settings:sync or ms-settings:backup
Open Dynamic lock settings	ms-settings:signinoptions-dynamiclock
Open Windows Hello setup	ms-settings:signinoptions-launchfaceenrollment
Open Windows Hello Fingerprint setup	ms-settings:signinoptions-launchfingerprintenrollment
Open Windows Hello Security Key setup	ms-settings:signinoptions-launchsecuritykeyenrollment

Windows 11 Settings – Time & language

Action	Run command
Open Date & Time settings	ms-settings:dateandtime
Open Language and Region settings	ms-settings:regionformatting
Open Typing and keyboard settings	ms-settings:typing
Open Speech settings (Speech language, Microphone, Voices)	ms-settings:speech

Windows 11 Settings – Accessibility

Action	Run command
Open Accessibility settings	utilman
Open Text size settings	ms-settings:easeofaccess-display
Change Text Cursor settings	ms-settings:easeofaccess-cursor
Open Visual Effects settings	ms-settings:easeofaccess-visualeffects
Open Mouse Pointer and Touch settings	ms-settings:easeofaccess-mousepointer
Open Magnifier settings	ms-settings:easeofaccess-magnifier
Open Color Filters settings	ms-settings:easeofaccess-colorfilter
Change Contrast settings	ms-settings:easeofaccess-highcontrast
Open Narrator settings	ms-settings:easeofaccess-narrator
Start Narrator after/before sign-in	ms-settings:easeofaccess-narrator-isautostartenabled
Open Accessibility Audio settings	ms-settings:easeofaccess-audio
Access Closed Captioning options	ms-settings:easeofaccess-closedcaptioning
Open Keyboard settings	ms-settings:easeofaccess-keyboard
Open Mouse settings	ms-settings:easeofaccess-mouse
Change Speech recognition settings	ms-settings:easeofaccess-speechrecognition
Open Eye Control settings	ms-settings:easeofaccess-eyecontrol

Windows 11 Settings – Privacy & security

Action	Run command
Open Privacy settings	ms-settings:privacy
Open Windows Security settings	ms-settings:windowsdefender
Mange Activity history across devices and accounts	ms-settings:privacy-activityhistory
Open Find My Device options	ms-settings:findmydevice
Open developers options	ms-settings:developers
Access General Windows permissions	ms-settings:privacy-general
Open Online Speech recognition settings	ms-settings:privacy-speech
Open Feedback & diagnostics settings	ms-settings:privacy-feedback
Open Inking & Typing personalization settings	ms-settings:privacy-speechtyping
Open Search Permissions settings	ms-settings:search-permissions
Open Windows Searching settings	ms-settings:cortana-windowssearch
Open Automatic online file downloads permissions setting	ms-settings:privacy-automaticfiledownloads
Open File System access settings	ms-settings:privacy-broadfilesystemaccess
Open Calendar access settings	ms-settings:privacy-calendar
Open Phone Call access settings	ms-settings:privacy-phonecalls
Open Call history access settings	ms-settings:privacy-callhistory
Open Contacts access settings	ms-settings:privacy-contacts
Open Unpaired devices access settings	ms-settings:privacy-customdevices
Open Documents Library access settings	ms-settings:privacy-documents
Open Email access settings	ms-settings:privacy-email
Open App Diagnostics access settings	ms-settings:privacy-appdiagnostics
Open Location access settings	ms-settings:privacy-location
Open Messaging access settings	ms-settings:privacy-messaging
Open Microphone access settings	ms-settings:privacy-microphone
Open Notifications access settings	ms-settings:privacy-notifications
Configure Account info access for apps	ms-settings:privacy-accountinfo
Open Pictures library access settings	ms-settings:privacy-pictures
Open Radio control access settings	ms-settings:privacy-radios
Open tasks access settings	ms-settings:privacy-tasks
Open Videos library access settings	ms-settings:privacy-videos
Open Voice Activation access settings	ms-settings:privacy-voiceactivation
Open Camera Access settings	ms-settings:privacy-webcam
Open Music Library access settings	ms-settings:privacy-musiclibrary

Windows 11 Settings – Windows Update

Action	Run command
Open Windows Update settings	ms-settings:windowsupdate or ms-settings:windowsupdate-action or control update
Open Windows Update Advanced options	ms-settings:windowsupdate-options
View Windows Update History	ms-settings:windowsupdate-history
View Optional updates	ms-settings:windowsupdate-optionalupdates
Schedule the restart	ms-settings:windowsupdate-restartoptions
Open Delivery Optimization settings	ms-settings:delivery-optimization
Join the Windows Insider Program	ms-settings:windowsinsider

Run commands for folder locations

The Run commands below can help you quickly visit various Windows folders:

Action	Run command
Open Recent files Folder	recent
Open Documents Folder	documents
Open Downloads Folder	downloads
Open Favorites Folder	favorites
Open Pictures Folder	pictures
Open Videos folder	videos
Open Specific drive or Folder location	Type Drive name followed by a colon (e.g. D:) or Folder path (e.g. E:\Bin\Books)
Open OneDrive folder	onedrive
Open all Apps folder	shell:AppsFolder
Open Windows Address Book	wab
Open App Data folder	%AppData%
Access Debug Folder	debug
Open current user directory	explorer.exe .
Open Windows Root Drive	%systemdrive%

IP config commands

ACTION	RUN COMMAND
Display information about IP configuration and the address of every adapter.	ipconfig/all
Release all local IP addresses and loose connections.	ipconfig/release
Renew all local IP addresses and reconnect to the internet and network.	ipconfig/renew
View your DNS cache contents.	ipconfig/displaydns
Delete DNS Cache contents	ipconfig/flushdns
Refresh DHCP and Re-register your DNS Names and IP Addresses	ipconfig/registerdns
Display DHCP Class ID	ipconfig/showclassid
Modify DHCP Class ID	ipconfig/setclassid

Other useful Run commands

Action	Run command
Update Group Policy Settings	gpupdate
Switch Projector display	displayswitch
Open Gaming mode settings	ms-settings:gaming-gamemode
Access Presentation Settings	presentationsettings
Control Windows Script Host Settings	wscript
Connect to a wireless display	ms-settings-connectabledevices:devicediscovery
Open Event Viewer	eventvwr.msc
Open Certificate Manager	certmgr.msc
Launch Driver Verifier Utility	verifier
Open Local Security Policy Editor	secpol.msc
Configure Game Controllers	joy.cpl
Open File Signature Verification Tool	sigverif
Backup and restore user names and passwords	credwiz
Open System Properties (Advanced Tab)	systempropertiesadvanced
Open System Properties (Computer Name Tab)	systempropertiescomputername
Open System Properties (Hardware Tab)	systempropertieshardware
Open System Properties (Remote Tab)	systempropertiesremote
Open System Properties (System Protection Tab)	systempropertiesprotection
Open Trusted Platform Module (TPM) Management tool	tpm.msc

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That’s it! The Run box remembers all the commands you executed. So, the next time you want to use the Run command, you only need to type the first letter to select the command.

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Abstract vector created by vectorjuice – www.freepik.com

If you failed to download or install a certain Windows 11 update via Windows Settings, don’t worry. You can still download the official standalone update package from the Microsoft Update Catalog site and manually install it on your computer.

Microsoft Update Catalog, what is it?

The Microsoft Update Catalog is a service from Microsoft. It’s a website that offers updates for Windows computers running Windows 2000 SP3 and later operating systems including Windows 11. It’s a one-stop location for finding Microsoft software updates, drivers, and hotfixes.

Is it safe to download from Microsoft Update Catalog?

It’s safe to download from Microsoft Update Catalog, because the Microsoft Update Catalog site uses secure HTTPS links:

HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) an internet communication protocol that protects the integrity and confidentiality of data between the user’s computer and the site.

https://developers.google.com/search/docs/advanced/security/https

How to manually download and install Windows 11 updates from Microsoft Update Catalog

It’s quite easy to download and install Windows 11 updates from Microsoft Update Catalog.

Before visiting the Microsoft Update Catalog site, you need to find the KB number of the Windows update that you need to download manually.

For example, if you need to download the 2021-11 Cumulative Update for Windows 11, then you can google it’s KB number first (which should be KB5007262).

Once you got the KB number of the specific Windows update, you can follow the steps below to download and install the Windows update:

1. Go to the Microsoft Update Catalog site.
2. Enter the KB number of the Windows Update you want to download into the search box. Then Click the Search button.
   
3. In the search result page, you may find more than one Windows update available. You need to select the one that suits your system type and click the Download button.
   
4. In the download window that pops up, right-click the Windows Update package and to start downloading.
   
5. When the download is completed, locate the downloaded Windows Update package, then double-click on it to start installing it manually.

Note: If you’re using Chrome to download the Windows Update package from the Microsoft Update Catalog site, you may find that Chrome would block the download. The block may be triggered by the Safe Browsing with Enhanced Protection feature in Chrome. But don’t worry. The Windows Update package provided in the Microsoft Update Catalog is virus-free.

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That’s it! Hopefully, after reading this article, you’ve learned how to manually download Windows 11 Update. If you have any questions or suggestion on this topic, you’re more than welcome to leave us a comment below. Thanks for reading!

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Technology illustrations by Storyset

Running into Error code 0x8007007f when trying to upgrade to Windows 11 with Windows 11 Installation Assistant? If so, you’ve landed on the right page. Although it’s quite annoying, you should be able to fix this issue easily after reading this article!

What is Error Code 0x8007007f

According to many Windows 10 users, the Error code 0x8007007f would appear while they’re using the Windows 11 Installation Assistant tool to manually upgrade to Windows 11.

During the upgrading process, the Windows 11 Installation Assistant app would through out a message, which reads: “Something went wrong. Select Try again, and if that doesn’t work, contact Microsoft support for help. Error code 0x8007007f”.

This error code seems to appear exclusively among the users who were trying to use the Windows 11 Installation Assistant.

Possible causes of the Error code 0x800700f

At the time of writing, Microsoft has not revealed the exact cause of the Error code 0x8007007f appeared in the Windows 11 Installation Assistant. It’s believed that insufficient administrator permission, corrupted system files or outdated drivers are the possible causes of this error.

How to fix Windows 11 Update Error Code 0x8007007f

If this issue persists after you selected Try again, here are more fixes for you to try. You may not have to try them all; just work your way down through the list until you find the one that works for you.

1. Run Windows 11 Installation Assistant as administrator
2. Disable third-party antivirus
3. Update your graphics driver
4. Perform SFC scan
5. Upgrade to Windows 11 with the ISO file from Microsoft

Run Windows 11 Installation Assistant as administrator

Before trying any other fixes, running Windows 11 Installation Assistant as administrator first. To do so:

1. Right-click on the file Windows11InstallationAssistant.exe and select Run as administrator.
   
2. Select Yes in the UAC prompt to allow Windows 11 Installation Assistant to run with Administrator privilege.
   
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to start installing Windows Windows 11.

See if this issue persists. If this fix doesn’t work, try the next one, below.

Disable third-party antivirus

The built-in Windows Defender is good enough to protect your computer. If you have any third-party antivirus installed on your PC, it’s best to disable or uninstall the third-party antivirus software before you launch the Windows 11 Installation Assistant, as many third-party antivirus may interfere with the installation assistant.

To uninstall your antivirus software, follow the steps below:

1. Close the antivirus software if it’s running on your PC.
2. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R at the same time to invoke the Run dialog, then type control and press Enter to open Control Panel.
   
3. On the Control Panel window, select Uninstall a program under the Programs section. It will open the Programs and Features window.
   
4. Find your third-party antivirus software among the program list. Right-click on it and click Uninstall/Change. Then follow the on-screen instructions to uninstall it.
   

Launch Windows 11 Installation Assistant and see if this issue reappears. If you still running into this error, try the next fix, below.

Update your graphics driver

Perform SFC scan

This issue may occur when there are some important system files corrupted. If you are not sure whether there is any system file corruption or not, you just need to run System File Checker (SFC). By Running SFC, you can fix any system file corruption from the the resident component store.

To run SFC, follow the steps below:

1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R at the same time. Type cmd and press Shift, Ctrl and Enter at the same time to invoke an elevated CMD.
2. In the CMD window, execute the following command:
   sfc /scannow
   Note: this command doesn’t require Internet access.
   

Check if the Windows search issues persists after the SFC command is executed.

If this doesn’t help, you may need to use DISM command tool to repair the Windows Component Store itself. To do so, just follow the steps below:

1. In an elevated CMD, execute the following commands one by one (note: this command require Internet access):
   DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
   
2. Restart Windows 10 after all the commands are executed and see if this issue get fixed.

Normally this should resolve all issues. If the issue reappears, you can run SFC again to fix potential system file corruption and verify that the DISM command tool was successful in repairing the errors.

Upgrade to Windows 11 with the ISO file from Microsoft

If you’re still unable to upgrade to Windows 11 using the Windows 11 Installation Assistant, you may need to consider using Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO) file to upgrade to Windows 11.

To download the Windows 11 ISO file from Microsoft, go to the Download Windows 11 page.

In the Download Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO) section, select Windows 11 and click the Download button below to start downloading.

Once downloaded, you can use the ISO file to install Windows 11 on your computer.

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That’s it! If you have any questions or suggestions on this topic, feel free to drop a line in the comment area below.

Online illustrations by Storyset

If you want to completely disable Microsoft Edge from opening any webpages, URLs in Windows 11, the whole process will be much more cumbersome than Windows 10. But don’t worry. You’ve landed on the right page! In this article, we’ll guide you through this lengthy process.

Why does Microsoft make it much harder to change your default browser

Microsoft justifies these changes as allowing Windows 11 users to have more control over default apps, and they are implementing customer feedback to customize and control defaults at a more granular level.

After the release of Windows 11 build 22483 and 22494, Microsoft makes it more and more difficult to change the default browser in Windows 11. Now, you can no longer use applications like EdgeDeflector to bypass Microsoft Edge. If you need to process the microsoft-edge:// protocol in Windows 11, you have no choice but to use Microsoft Edge.

What’s worse, Windows 11 doesn’t allow you to uninstall Microsoft Edge from Control Panel, and if you force uninstall it, Windows will open a new UWP window displaying an error message, instead of letting you use other third-party browsers like Chrome and Firefox.

How to completely disable Microsoft Edge in Windows 11

To completely disable Microsoft Edge in Windows 11, you’ll have to manually assign each file type to work with the desired browser first, then run two command in CMD to uninstall it. It can take a minute or two to complete the whole process, and here’s how to do it:

Step 1: Change default file types and link types

This option won’t disable Microsoft Edge, but it will change all the file associations and prevent Microsoft Edge from opening these files and links.

1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and I at the same time to open Windows 11 Settings.
2. Select Apps on the left panel, then go to Default apps > Microsoft Edge.
   
3. For the following file types or link types, click to select a browser of your choice form the overlay window.
   
   File types:
   .htm, .html, .pdf, .shtml, .svg, .webp, .xht, .xhtml
   Link types:
   FTP, HTTP, HTTPS
   

Step 2: Uninstall Microsoft Edge using Command Prompt

Just as mentioned above, in Windows 11 you cannot uninstall Microsoft Edge in Control Panel. You have to uninstall it in Command Prompt, and here’s how to do it:

1. Launch Microsoft Edge and go to Microsoft Edge Settings > About Microsoft Edge.
2. In the Edge about page, highlight the version number (just the number) and press CTRL + C to copy its version number into your clipboard. Then you can paste it into a notepad document for safe keeping.
   
3. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R at the same time to open the Run dialog. Type cmd and press CTRL, Shift and Enter and the same time to launch Command Prompt as administrator.
   
4. In Command Prompt, execute the following command:
   
   cd %PROGRAMFILES(X86)%\Microsoft\Edge\Application\[VERSION]\Installer
   
   Note: you need to replace [VERSION] with the actual Microsoft Edge version number. (in my case, it is 96.0.1054.34)
5. Execute the following command to uninstall Microsoft Edge:
   
   setup --uninstall --force-uninstall --system-level
   

Wait a second and Microsoft Edge will be uninstalled from your Windows 11 computer.

If you need to reinstall Microsoft Edge in the future, just search for Microsoft Edge in Microsoft Store to download and install it on your computer.

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That’s it! Hopefully after reading this article, you’ve learned how to disable Microsoft Edge on your computer. If you have any thoughts, suggestions or questions on this topic, feel free to leave me a comment below. Thanks for reading!

If you happen to forget your Wi-Fi password, don’t worry. You can easily find the Wi-Fi password of any saved network on your Windows 11 computer. After reading this article, you’ll learn how to find your Wi-Fi password on Windows 11 quickly and easily!

View Wi-Fi password in Control Panel

Note: This only works when your computer has already connected to your Wi-Fi network. If your computer doesn’t connect to the Wi-Fi network, you need to try finding Wi-Fi password via Command Prompt / PowerShell. If you haven’t changed the default password or just reset your router, simply look at the back of your modem to get the default password.

Here’s how to do it:

1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R at the same time to invoke the Run dialog. Type ncpa.cpl and press Enter to open the Network Connections window in Control Panel.
   
2. Double-click on the Wi-Fi network your computer has connected to to view its status.
   
3. Click Wireless Properties to continue.
   
4. In the Wireless Network Properties window, navigate to the Security tab. Check the box next to Show characters to view the Wi-Fi password.
   

Find Wi-Fi password via Command Prompt / PowerShell

You can also view Wi-Fi password using Command Prompt or PowerShell. This method allows you to find the password of any Wi-Fi network you connected to previous.

Note: this method won’t work if you have clicked the Forget option to forget the network you connected to previously.

To view Wi-Fi password via Command Prompt, follow the steps below:

1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R at the same time to invoke the Run dialog. Type cmd and press Enter to open Command Prompt.
2. In Command Prompt, type the command below and press Enter to get a list of all the wireless network profile saved on your computer:
   
   netsh wlan show profiles
   
   
3. Now run the command below to get the Wi-Fi password for a specific Wi-Fi SSID:
   
   netsh wlan show profile name=“NETGEAR_5G” key=clear | find /I "Key Content"
   
   Note: you need to replace NETGEAR_5G in the command above with the Wi-Fi SSID you wan to view the saved password for.
   

You’ll see the Wi-Fi password next to the Key Content field in Command Prompt.

If you prefer to use PowerShell, follow the steps below to find all the Wi-Fi passwords saved on your Windows 11 computer:

1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and type powershell. Press Enter to open Windows PowerShell.
2. Copy and paste the command below and press Enter to run the command.
   
   (netsh wlan show profiles) | Select-String "\:(.+)$" | %{$name=$_.Matches.Groups[1].Value.Trim(); $_} | %{(netsh wlan show profile name="$name" key=clear)} | Select-String "Key Content\W+\:(.+)$" | %{$pass=$_.Matches.Groups[1].Value.Trim(); $_} | %{[PSCustomObject]@{ PROFILE_NAME=$name;PASSWORD=$pass }} | Format-Table -AutoSize
   
   

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That’s it! Hopefully, this article helped you find the Wi-Fi password on your Windows 11 computer. Feel free to drop a line if you have any questions or suggestions on this topic. Thanks for reading!

Vectors created by freepik – www.freepik.com

Recently, we’ve seen many Windows 11 users complaining that File Explorer starts crashing randomly, or becomes unresponsive. If you happen to run into the exact same issue, don’t worry! You’ve come to the right place. This article lists the latest fixes that will definitely help you resolve this issue.

Try these fixes

1. Restart Windows Explorer
2. Check for Windows updates
3. Run System File Checker and DISM tool
4. Uninstall a recent update
5. Adjust File Explorer Options

Restart Windows Explorer

Sometimes, you just need to restart File Explorer to get it back to the normal state. To restart File Explorer, follow the steps below:

1. On your keyboard, press Ctrl, Shift and Esc at the same time to open Task Manager.
2. Under the Processes tab, select Windows Explorer and click Restart.
   

See if File Explorer works again. If this fix didn’t work for you, try the next fix, below.

Check for Windows updates

Microsoft constantly releases Windows updates to fix bugs, add new features and enhance performance. Maybe there is a bug in the current build of Windows 11 that cause File Explorer to stop working, and a Windows update is required to fix this issue.

If restarting File Explorer didn’t fix this issue, you can follow the steps below to check for Windows updates:

1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and I at the same time to open the Windows Settings.
2. Click Windows Update in the left panel, then click Check for updates to see if Microsoft releases new Windows updates.
   

If there are new Windows updates available, let Windows download and install the latest udpates. See if this issue persists after you installed the latest Windows updates.

If Windows tells you that you’re up to date after you clicked the Check for updates button, try the next fix, below.

Run System File Checker and DISM tool

Uninstall a recent update

If File Explorer keeps crashing after you installed a recent Windows update, you may also try uninstalling that update to see if this issue get fixed. To uninstall a Windows update, follow the steps below:

1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R at the same time to open the Run dialog. Type (or copy & paste) the command line control /name Microsoft.WindowsUpdate and press Enter to open the Windows Update window.
   
2. Click Update history and scroll down to the Related settings part. Click Uninstall updates to continue.
   
3. In the Installed Updates window that pops up, double-click the most recent update and select Yes to uninstall the update.
   

See if File Explorer crashes again after you uninstalled the recent Windows updates. If File Explorer works properly, congratulations! You’ve fixed this issue.

Adjust File Explorer Options

Some Windows 11 users resolved the File Explorer crashing issue after they adjusted File Explorer Options. If none of the fixes above works, try adjusting File Explorer Options:

1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and type file explorer options. Select File Explorer Options to open the File Explorer Options window in Control Panel.
   
2. Under the General tab, click the drop-down menu to set Open File Explorer to This PC. In the Privacy section, click the Clear button to clear File Explorer history.
   
3. Click OK the apply the changes.

See if this fix works. Normally, after adjusting File Explorer Options, the File Explorer won’t crash again.

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Hopefully, one of the fixes above helped you fix the File Explorer not responding / keeps crashing issue. If you have any questions or suggestions on this issue, feel free to drop a line in the comment area below. Thanks for reading!

Windows 11 is available for Insiders now, and on October 5, 2021, the free upgrade to Windows 11 will begin rolling out to general public who have eligible Windows 10 PCs. Although Windows 11 brings brand new UI design and some improved features, many users are still experiencing performance issues.

If Windows 11 is running slow on your PC, don’t worry. It’s fairly easy to speed up your Windows 11 computer. After reading this article, you should be able to tune your Windows PC for better performance easily!

Try these fixes

There are many things you can try to speed up your Windows PC. Just work your way down through the list and you should be able to speed up your Windows 11 PC easily!

1. Troubleshoot Windows 11 Performance
2. Change power settings
3. Disable transparency effects
4. Adjust Windows 11 for best performance
5. Disable startup apps
6. Close background apps
7. Clean temporary files
8. Run Storage Sense
9. Defrag your hard disk

Troubleshoot Windows 11 performance

Before trying anything more complicated, run Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool first to find and troubleshoot Windows 11 performance issues. Here’s how to to it:

1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R at the same time to invoke the Run dialog box. Copy and paste the following command and press Enter to open the System Maintenance window.
   %systemroot%\system32\msdt.exe -id MaintenanceDiagnostic
2. Click Next and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the remaining steps.
   

When this tool completes troubleshooting, it would locate the problems that decrease your PC performance and resolve the problems automatically or provides you a way to fix the problem.

If this tool didn’t find any problems, or your computer is still sluggish, try the next fix, below to change power settings.

Change power plan

A power plan is a collection of hardware and system settings (like display brightness, sleep, etc.) that manages how your computer consumes and conserves power. By default, you can pick from 3 predefined plans: Balanced, Power saver and High performance. Most PCs are using the Balanced power plan by default. You can follow the steps below to change the power settings on your PC:

1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R at the same time to open the Run dialog. Type powercfg.cpl and press Enter to invoke the Power Options window in Control Panel.
   
2. If the High performance power plan option is available, Switch your power plan to High performance.

If the High performance option is not available on your PC, you can follow the steps below to change advanced power settings:

1. On the Power Options window, click Change plan settings next to your current power plan.
   
2. Click Change advanced power settings.
   
3. Expand Processor power management and set both Minimum processor state and Maximum processor state to 100%.
   
4. Click OK to save and apply the changes.

See if this fix works. If Windows 11 is still running slow on your computer, try the next fix to disable transparency effects.

Disable transparency effects

Those visual effects in Windows 11 really make the new OS look modern and elegant. However, it also put a lot of burden on old computers and may even cause them to become sluggish. You can follow the steps below to turn off transparency effects and animation effects:

1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and search for visual effects.
   
2. Select Visual Effects from the list of search results.
3. Turn off the toggles next to Transparency effects and Animation effects.
   

See if your computer becomes faster after you disabled those visual effects. If this fix didn’t improve much, try the next fix to adjust Windows 11 for best performance.

Adjust Windows 11 for best performance

Windows OS allows you to select the settings you want to use for the appearance and performance of Windows on your computer, and just like Windows 10, you can easily adjust Windows 11 for best performance. Here’s how to do it:

1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R at the same time to open the Run dialog. Copy and paste %windir%\system32\SystemPropertiesPerformance.exe and press Enter to open the Performance Options window.
   
2. Under the Visual Effects tab, select Adjust for best performance.
   
3. Click OK to save and apply the changes.

If your PC still runs slowly, continue to the next tip.

Disable startup apps

If there are too many programs loading at startup, it would affect the boot speed of Windows 11 and may even slows the system. We suggest that you keep your startup programs to a minimum and only add the important ones.

It’s quite easy to disable and manage the startup programs on your computer, and here’s how to do it:

1. On your keyboard, press Ctrl, Shift and Esc at the same time to open Task Manager.
2. Navigate to the Startup tab and rank these startup programs by startup impact.
   
3. Select the programs you want to disable from loading at startup and click the Disable button at the bottom.
   

Normally, the boot speed of your computer will improve after you disabled some unnecessary startups.

Close background apps

Background apps may also slow down your computer, especially when the RAM of your PC is insufficient. However, not all the apps require to be running in the background, as they may consume huge resources and make your Windows 11 PC run slowly.

You can follow the steps below to close background apps:

1. On your keyboard, press Ctrl, Shift and Esc at the same time to open Task Manager.
2. Select the background apps you want to close, then click End task to close it.
   

For the apps from Microsoft Store, you can also set the background apps permission to Never to avoid the app running in background. Here’s how to do it:

1. Right-click on the Start button (the Windows icon) and select Apps and Features.
   
2. Right-click on the vertical three dots next to the app and select Advanced options.
   
3. In the Background apps permissions section, click the drop-down menu under Let this app run in background and select Never.
   
4. Repeat the steps above for other apps that you don’t want to consume system resources in background.

Clean temporary files

The temporary files (temp files) are files created to store information temporarily. After a program is closed, the temp files are deleted. However, sometimes those temp files will not be deleted automatically after you uninstall programs from your computer, unless you restart your PC. If you often neglect the restart request, the temp files would accumulate, which will slow down your computer.

To make your Windows 11 run faster, you should get rid of these files. Here’s how to do it:

1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R at the same time to open the Run dialog. Type %temp% and press Enter to open the Temp folder.
   
2. Press Ctrl and A on your keyboard to select all the files in the Temp folder, then press Del to delete all of them.
3. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and I at the same time to open Windows Settings, then go to System > Storage > Temporary files.
   
4. Check the box in front of the file type to select the file types you want to remove, then click the Remove files button to delete the files you selected.
   

Note: Please double check whether the file you selected is the one you want to delete.

Run Storage Sense

As a built-in feature in Windows 11, Storage Sense is designed to keep Windows 11 running smoothly by keeping your storage optimized. It’s a silent assistant that works on your behalf with very little setup.

The Storage Sense feature is enabled by default, and you can follow the steps below to check if this feature is turned on:

1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and I at the same time to open Windows Settings.
2. Go to System > Storage. In the Storage management section, make sure the toggle next to Storage Sense is turned on. Then click on Storage Sense to view its settings.
   
3. In Cleanup of temporary files section, ensure you check the box next to Keep Windows running smoothly by automatically cleaning up temporary system and app files.
4. Make sure the toggle under Automatic User content cleanup is turned on.
   
5. In the Configure cleanup schedules section, you can configure when to run Storage Sense and when to delete files in your recycle bin and your Downloads folder.
6. In the Locally available cloud content, you can configure when to remove unused cloud-backed content from your device.
   
7. If you’d like to run Storage Sense immediately, scroll down to the bottom and click the Run Storage Sense now button.

See if your computer becomes faster after running Storage Sense.

Defrag your hard disk

The storage space will get fregmented as you use your hard disk drive. When this happens, it will slow down the Windows 11 OS that installed on the hard disk drive, since it will take more time for the system to find information stored on the hard disk.

By defragging your hard disk, you reorganize the data stored on the hard drive so that the related pieces of data are lined up in a continuous fashion, which helps the drive to find information faster. In short, defragmentation improves your computer performance.

You can follow the steps below to defrag your hard disk:

1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and type defrag. Select Defragment and Optimize Drives. The Optimize Drives window will pop up.
   
2. Select the drive you want to defrag, then click the Optimize button to start defragging.
   

Normally, after optimizing the hard disk drive, your computer will run faster. If you want to boost the performance of your computer, it’s recommended to install Windows 11 on a solid-state drive (SSD).

Recently, many Windows 11 insiders in both Dev and Beta Channels have been reporting that the Windows 11 Taskbar is not working on their PC. After they restart Windows 11, the Start menu and Taskbar were unresponsive, and the Windows Settings and other areas of Windows 11 OS wouldn’t load. All they see on their screen is a barren desktop. No Start menu, no Taskbar. If you’re running into the exact same issue, don’t worry. You should be able to fix it easily after reading this article.

Official solution from Microsoft

According to Microsoft, you can use the following steps to get back into a working state on your PC:

1. On your keyboard, press Ctrl, Alt and Del at the same time and choose to open Task Manager.
   
2. Click on More details at the bottom of Task Manager to expand Task Manager.
   
3. Go to File > Run a new task.
   
4. In the Run dialog, type cmd and press Enter to open a CMD window.
   
5. Copy and paste the follow command line to the CMD window:
   reg delete HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\IrisService /f && shutdown -r -t 0
   
6. Press Enter to execute the command. Your PC should reboot.

After rebooting, everything should be back to normal.