Accessing Settings in Windows 8.1

Accessing Settings in Windows 8.1: Video

This video shows accessing Settings in Windows 8.1.

How to Access the Settings in Windows 8.1: Overview

You can access the settings in Windows 8.1 by clicking the “Settings” button within the Charm Bar. To show the settings for the currently displayed app on your computer, roll your pointer to the upper-right or lower-right corners of the Windows 8.1 screen until the Charm Bar appears. Then roll your pointer over the Charm Bar until it appears solid. You can also open it by swiping in from the right edge of a touch screen, or by simply pressing the Windows + C keys on your keyboard. Then click the “Settings” button within the Charm Bar to display the settings for the currently displayed app in a pane at  the right side of the window.

At the top of the “Settings” pane you can click the links shown to access settings for the currently displayed app within Windows 8.1. For example, if viewing the Start screen settings, then these commands are “Personalize,” “Tiles” and “Help.” However, if viewing the Desktop settings, then these choices are “Control Panel,” Personalization,” “PC info” and “Help.” You will see the name of the currently displayed app followed by the different settings available for that app at the top of the “Settings” pane.

At the bottom of the pane you will see icons that represent general computer settings. These include the internet connection, audio, display settings, notification settings, power settings, and default language. At the very bottom of the pane, you can click the “Change PC settings” command to display all of your available computer settings in a full-screen app window. If you simply want to hide the “Settings” pane without making any changes, click back into the middle of the screen again to hide the “Settings” pane.

If you click the “Change PC settings” command at the bottom of the “Settings” pane, you will see the “PC settings” app window appear. Here you can adjust your computer’s settings to customize your Windows 8.1 experience. Within this window, you can click the categories shown at the left side to change the various settings within that category to the right. The categories shown for laptop and desktop devices include “PC and devices,” “Accounts,” “SkyDrive,” “Search and apps,” “Privacy,” “Network,” “Time and language,” “Ease of Access,” and “Update and recovery.”

In the pane at the right side of the “PC settings” window you can see basic personalization options shown and you can click the “View recently used settings” command to display recently accessed settings here so that you won’t need to find those settings again within the setting categories to change a recently changed setting again. In the lessons within this chapter, we will discuss changing these settings within the setting categories to customize your Windows 8.1 experience.

When you have finished changing any settings that you want to set within the “PC settings” app and want to close the “PC settings” app, click and hold down or tap and hold down at the top of the app window and then drag the application to the bottom of the screen to close the “PC settings” app window.