Dividing Up Your Screen – Computer Tip of the Day

dividing up your screen computer tip of the day

Whether you’re using a big monitor or an 11-inch laptop, you can probably benefit from learning how to divide up your screen quickly. In this blog, we’ll tell you how you can resize your screens without having to drag the windows with your mouse manually.

Computer Tip

Windows Key + Up

The Windows key + Up shortcut will maximize your current window. You can test this out for yourself by first starting with an unmaximized window.

Windows Key + Down

This shortcut will first unmaximize your window if currently maximized. If you hit it again, then the window will minimize completely.

You can now toggle back and forth by holding the Windows key and alternating between the Up and Down buttons.

Windows Key + Left

This is where things get a bit more interesting. If you hit the Windows key + Left shortcut, then you’ll reduce your current window to 50% of its former size in horizontal terms. You’ll also have the choice to pick another window, which will take up the rest of the screen.

If the screen is already in this mode, then hit the Windows key + Up shortcut so that it takes up just a quarter of the screen.

Windows Key + Right

This shortcut works the same as the previous one, just reversed. You can play around with all the different combinations to see how you can manipulate your screen.

Possible Uses

The feature itself saves you time by not having to resize the windows yourself manually. You can experiment until find an environment that works best for you.

Otherwise, dividing your screen with multiple windows is a great way to increase productivity. You don’t have to switch between windows, which is particularly annoying if you’re writing, designing, or programming. Chances are you’ve already seen friends and coworkers take advantage of this setup.

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Computer Tip of the Day: Save Your Eyes From the Computer

computer tip of the day save your eyes from the computer

Have you ever noticed that it’s difficult to fall sleep if you use your phone, computer, or tablet late at night? Do you ever think about the fact that you need to save your eyes from the computer? Although some people will argue that this is because you’re not letting your mind rest, there’s a simpler explanation involving the types of lights you expose your eyes to.

If you check out Topbulb.com, they have a lot of information regarding different color temperatures, which are measured in the unit Kelvins. Here’s what you really need to know:

  • 2700-2800K is warm light. This is the standard incandescent light bulb you see in houses and apartments.
  • 3500-4000K is neutral bright light. It’s a little cooler than warm light and the higher end of the range starts to show a bit of blue.
  • 5000-6500K is daylight. You’ll sometimes see this during daytime indoors, but it would be very much out of place during the evening. Most digital screens are set at 6500K.

Now you see the problem. Your mind is telling you one thing — that you should go to sleep — but your body is telling you something else — that it’s daytime. Your laptop screen is throwing your eyes off and keeping you up at night.

(Quick note: this is exactly why reading a book helps you go to sleep. It’s not that videos and text messages themselves keep you up, but rather that the screen messes with your eyes. Books, on the other hand, just require a dim warm light for reading.)

Fortunately, there are plenty of options to deal with this. The famous one is an app called f.lux, which controls your screen’s color temperature based on the sunrise and sunset of your geographical location. Also, Windows 10 has this feature built-in if you go to Display >> Blue Light Settings and set up a schedule.

As an added bonus, there are mobile apps for your smartphone and tablet that do the same thing. Try them out and see if it makes falling asleep easier.

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