Hey all you Windows users – this one is for you. I have a bunch of tricks that may come in handy.

First one is called Timeline. It’s basically like a browser history for all your desktop programs, showing files you’ve opened previously in chronological order. Go there by clicking on the Window and Tab keys.

Virtual desktops finally became native in Windows 10 after years of popularity on Linux operating systems but Microsoft’s hidden away the once-prominent feature as the years have passed. To start one on your own, click the Task View icon in Windows 10’s taskbar to summon your Timeline and select the tiny +New desktop text at the top left of the screen. Once you’re set up, use the same Task View interface to swap among open virtual desktops in the bar that appears at the top of the screen.

The new Cloud Clipboard lets you copy text on one PC, then paste it on another. To start using it, head to Start > Settings > System > Clipboard and flip both toggles to the on position.

Sometimes you need to share text among multiple PCs, and inevitably, it’s when you can’t put hands on your trusty flash drive. Enter Nearby Sharing, another recent Windows 10 addition that uses the power of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to let you wirelessly share files and hyperlinks with local PCs. Simply right-click a file, select the Share option and pick the destination local computer. The recipient will receive a Windows pop-up notification showing the transfer. You’ll need to set up Nearby Sharing before you can use it, and your computers need Bluetooth capabilities to take advantage of the feature. If you meet that requirement, head to Start > Settings > System > Shared Experiences and turn on the option to “Share across devices.” You can choose whether the sharing feature works with any nearby PC or only ones tied to your own Microsoft account.

Your Recycle bin and Downloads folder are the silent space-eaters on your Windows PC. Over time, they can each bloat to gigabytes and gigabytes in size. Windows 10’s Storage Sense helps to purge unwanted files in those locations automatically when specific, user-defined scenarios are met. Head to Start > Settings > System > Storage to enable Storage Sense, then fine-tune the settings by clicking the Change how we free up space automatically link.

Sometimes you don’t want to lose what you’ve left behind. Windows 10’s awesome, yet obscure, File History feature keeps recoverable records of every change you’ve made to a document, taking backup snapshots of your Libraries, Desktop, Contacts, and Favorites every hour (though the frequency can be tweaked).

If you need to reclaim deleted text from a previous version of a file, File History has your back. You’ll need to dedicate a secondary drive to File History, but it can be either internal storage or a portable drive.

Send your computer-related questions to mauimist8669@yahoo.com.