Windows 11 - FAQ and Tips

Welcome to Windows 11. The look and feel are a little different but functions the same. Here are some steps to complete your computer setup. If you need assistance, you can schedule an appointment with us by emailing archit@syr.edu. (Thank you to Shannon Thibault for creating the SOE page upon which this is based.)

New Look and Feel

The Windows Start button and search box are now located in the center at the bottom (instead of bottom far left). If you want it back to the left, in the Windows search box type “alignment”, then click “Controls alignment of the taskbar”. Change Center to Left.
When you click the Windows Start button, it shows pinned apps and recommended files, but you can click the “All” button in the upper right to get to the full alphabetic listing of applications.
The bottom right corner of the Start menu has the Power button to Lock, Sleep, Shutdown, or Restart the computer.

Meet Windows 11: A whole new look - Microsoft Support

Meet Windows 11 - Microsoft Support

Connecting laptop to monitor(s) for the first time after Windows 11

By default, your laptop will mirror your external display. To adjust your display to extend your desktop to your monitor(s), type Win+P on the keyboard and select Extend. Or see Change your screen resolution and layout in Windows.

Adding a Shared Mailbox to New Outlook for Windows

In the Outlook folder pane, right-click your account name, and select Add shared folder or mailbox.
In the Add shared folder or mailbox window, type the name of the mailbox you want to access.

Where is the Shared Mailbox?

There is a new folder called "Shared with me". Click on it to see the mailbox.

Adding a Shared Calendar to New Outlook for Windows

In the Outlook calendar pane, click ‘Add calendar’ your account name, and select Add shared folder or mailbox.
In the Add calendar box, click ‘Add from directory’ and then select your own account.
Next type in the person or calendar and it will appear.

Printer Setup

Note: At the initial setup you may not see printers right away.

Verify Printers are installed.
Select Start > Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners.
Select your primary printer, then select Set as default.

Adobe Installation

Note: If Adobe Creative Cloud is not installed, you must install it using the MyAccess Portal and Company Portal app (see these sections below).

Open Adobe Creative Cloud.
Login to Adobe with your SU Email and follow multi-factor authentication steps.
Locate Adobe Acrobat > Install. You may wish to also install Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, and others.
Make Adobe Acrobat the Default Viewer: Set Acrobat Reader or Acrobat as default PDF viewer.

Zoom App Configuration

Locate Zoom – Windows > All Apps.
Login with SSO.
Locate your Profile icon in upper right > click Check for Updates.
Check for updates regularly. Always a good step when you are done with Zoom after a meeting.

Zoom Outlook Plugin

In Outlook, along the left edge click the More Apps icon.
Type ‘zoom outlook’ in the search box then click on ‘Zoom for Outlook Extension’ to install it.

Dell Command Update

Note: This will install the latest firmware and drivers, and should be done monthly.

If you have an external monitor, connect it to include the display in your updates.
Use the Search box next to the Windows Start button and type Dell Command and click Dell Command Update. Or click the Windows Start button > All > Dell Command Update.
Click Check for Updates > Install Updates.
Restart your computer.

Run Windows Update

Note: This will install the latest OS updates and should be done monthly. Windows will install updates automatically if you don’t.

Use the Search box next to the Windows Start button and type Windows Update. Click Check for Updates. Or click Settings > Windows Update > Check for Updates.
Restart your computer.

Install Software - Microsoft MyAccess Portal

Note: The MyAccess Portal is used to install software applications managed by SU IT. Microsoft Office and Edge are already installed by default.

We recommend you install the following:

App-7zip
App-Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop NUL
App-Audacity
App-Google Chrome
App-Google Earth Pro
App-Kaltura Capture
App-Sassafras KeyClient
App-VLC Media Player
App-Zoom SU Meeting Client

Instructions

Login to https://myaccess.microsoft.com.
Choose “Access packages” on the left side.
Click “Request” on the application(s) you’d like to install, and then choose “Request for myself” on the next screen.
Once requested you will receive an email confirmation, which you can disregard; no further action is needed.
The apps that you have requested or already installed are listed under Active.

NOTE: Requested apps won’t install right away. If you want to force a quicker install, run a Sync using the Company Portal app (see next section for steps).

Company Portal app

The Company Portal app lets you view info about your computer and the status of software programs requested through the MyAccess Portal. Find the app under the Start button or search for Company Portal.

Sync

The “Sync” option is used to manually start any pending action, such as the installation of software requested through the MyAccess portal.

To initiate a sync:

Open the Company Portal app and go to “Settings” in the lower-left.
Click “Sync” in the Settings window.
Software will usually install within 30 minutes after running a sync.

View application install status:

Go to “Downloads & updates” in the left nav pane to view the status of applications that are installed through the MyAccess portal (or are currently installing).

How to Adjust Sound and Notifications

The default sound notification are “on”; if you’d prefer to turn them off here’s how:

Windows Settings > System > Sound > Advanced > More Sounds Settings > Sounds Tab > Uncheck Play Windows Startup Sound.
Windows Settings > System > Notifications > Click down arrow (carat) next to On to find the other settings. Uncheck “Allow Notifications to play sounds” or locate specific apps in the list below and adjust desired settings.

How to create shortcuts to taskbar

Locate the app. Click and drag to Taskbar and release.
Or locate the app > right click > click Pin to Taskbar.

How to get to the G: drive

Open File Explorer (yellow folder icon) > click the carat symbol ( > ) next to This PC and locate G:\ARCH or G:\ARCH-Filer.

Security - How to lock your computer screen when you walk away

Press the Windows logo key and the letter L together, or click the Windows Start button > Power button in bottom right > Lock.

File extensions - How to turn on file extensions (such as .docx, .pdf, .jpg)

Use the Search box next to the Windows Start button and type File Extensions. Click ‘Show file extensions in file explorer’.
Enable ‘Show file extensions’ using the On/off button:

Windows 11 Features

File Explorer - Now has Tabs

Just like we can open tabs in a web browser, File Explorer also lets you open or add new tabs. So, instead of opening multiple File Explorer windows, you can use tabs to open different folders, drives, etc., to ease your work. For this, you can use any of these three methods:

Click on the Add icon (or plus icon) available just next to a tab in File Explorer.
Use Ctrl+T hotkey.
Right-click on a folder or drive and use the Open in new tab option. A new tab will open immediately with that particular folder or drive. This option won’t be available when you have selected multiple tabs.

Alternative Sign in Options - PIN | Windows Hello | FingerPrint (not all hardware has Hello or FingerPrint)

These options allow you to login to your computer without typing your SU password and can save time. The downside is that you don’t stay as familiar with your SU password.

Settings > Accounts > Sign in Options > choose an option that you want and follow directions.

Snap layouts

How to Use Snap Layouts | Microsoft Windows

New Win Snap Layouts - Settings > System > Multitasking. You can toggle Snap windows on and off.

Three ways to launch Snap layout:

Type Windows logo key + Z.
Hover over the maximize button in the upper-right corner of your window.
Drag a window to the top center of your screen.

Multiple desktops

Stay Organized by Using Multiple Desktops | Microsoft

Microsoft Accessibility Tools

Meet Windows 11: Accessibility - Microsoft Support

Voice to Text

Quickly turn on voice-to-text dictation in most apps such as Word, Outlook, etc.

Type Windows logo key + H.