This week's top tips

This privacy tool should be built into Windows.  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ [Windows Intelligence](#) [Windows Intelligence](#) Wouldn't it be great if Windows had a convenient little shortcut you could press to toggle your webcam and microphone on and off? Good news: It does! This isn't built into Windows itself, but it is part of Microsoft's indispensable free PowerToys package of tools. It's an incredibly useful privacy upgrade for your PC's webcam and your microphone. Today, I'll show you how to use it. ⌚ This entire email will take you two minutes to read. Remember: If you'd rather not receive these Monday tip roundups, [you can easily opt out of them](=) without affecting the rest of your subscription. ☑ [Got it — don't show this again](=)​ This week's reader suggestion 📷 This excellent little tool isn't a perfect privacy solution — it won't stop sneaky malware from peeping at your webcam, for example — but it's an excellent privacy shortcut that can give you a lot more flexibility in online meetings and video calls. 💻 This works on both Windows 10 and Windows 11. ➜ Intelligence Insider Niraj recently called my attention to Video Conference Mute, an incredibly useful tool Microsoft offers for Windows. This particular tool is considered in "legacy mode" and Microsoft may be remove it in the future, but it seems likely to stick around for a while. Here's how to set it up: First, [install Microsoft PowerToys]( if you haven't already done so on your PC. Launch PowerToys from your PC's Start menu or system tray. On the "General" pane in PowerToys Settings, click "Restart PowerToys as administrator." Then, after PowerToys restarts, select "Always run as administrator." [Click General > Restart PowerToys as Administrator.] Next, locate "Video Conference Mute" at the bottom of the left sidebar and click it. Activate the "Enable Video Conference Mute" option here. Important: I recommend restarting your PC after activating this feature. The virtual "Video Conference Mute" device may not function until you reboot. [Click "Video Conference Mute" and then toggle "Enable Video Conference Mute" on.] You can configure how this works on the Video Conference Mute settings screen here. For example, you'll want to ensure your PC's webcam is selected under "Camera." [Choose your camera under "Selected camera."] Now, to ensure this works properly, be sure to select "PowerToys VideoConference Mute" as your webcam device in whatever video-conferencing apps you use. (Don't see the device in your app of choice? You may need to restart your PC!) [Choose the "PowerToys VideoConference Mute" device in your video-conferencing applications.] You can then use some convenient keyboard shortcuts to mute and unmute your webcam and mic. They're customizable in PowerToys settings, but here are the default ones: - Mute camera & microphone: Windows+Shift+Q - Mute camera: Windows+Shift+O - Mute microphone: Windows+Shift+A [Toggling the PC's camera on and off with a keyboard shortcut.] This tool works by creating a virtual webcam device. When you "mute" your webcam, it will stop passing through the video from your real webcam device, showing a blank black image. (You can actually choose whatever image you prefer — it's customizable!) It's incredibly useful, but it's also not a perfect privacy solution: Your real webcam is still accessible to apps on your PC. Well-behaved apps will only use the webcam you tell them to, of course — but this tool is no protection against dangerous malware, which could decide to watch your real webcam even while your virtual one is blocked. Once again, [a physical privacy shutter (or a piece of tape)](=) is still a low-tech-yet-hard-to-match privacy solution. 📅 This week's Android Intelligence reader tip is all about [getting even more useful information in Google Calendar by subscribing to some excellent public calendars](=). Check it out! ​ 💡 Got a useful tip you'd like to share with other Windows enthusiasts? [Submit it here](=) — or just reply to this email and share it with me! I'd love to feature your useful advice in a future newsletter. --------------------------------------------------------------- Some tips you don't want to miss Now, a rapid-fire summary of the best useful tips from our most recent issues — just in case you overlooked something or haven't explored it yet! 📸 Take control of your PC's webcam: Webcam privacy is a big deal on modern PCs! Your PC may have physical shutters and hardware switches to turn off its webcam, and Windows has some buried features that will show you exactly which applications have been watching your webcam — well, most of them. [Take a tour of your PC's webcam privacy features to protect yourself](=). 📂 Rename files with two little-known keyboard shortcuts: Want to rename files faster? First, launch File Explorer and click a file to select it. You can press the F2 key to start renaming the selected file, type a name, and press Enter. But you can also press the F2 key, type a name, press Tab, and then fly through naming files one after another. When you press Tab, File Explorer will rename the current file with the name you typed and then move to renaming the next file in the folder. 🧹 Hide your cluttered system tray — completely: Windows 11 has an option that will hide the "^" icon from your system tray, giving you a cleaner system tray experience — no more big overflow menu of icons. To find it, right-click an empty spot on your taskbar select "Taskbar Settings." Click "Other system tray icons" in the Settings window that appears, and then toggle off "Hidden icon menu." 🙌 Finally: Unbiased + factual election news: If coverage of the approaching election makes you want to bury your head in the sand…[subscribe to 1440!](=) The 1440 humans (not AI) sift through 100+ sources to deliver ~refreshingly~ unbiased, nonpartisan election news, then send the top stories to your inbox FOR FREE each day. Get informed in just five minutes: [Join over 3.5 million Independents, Democrats, Republicans, and more reading 1440!](=) [SPONSORED] 🔎 Save time and find the best stuff to buy: A [cool new AI-powered tool called Claros]( helps you sift through endless reviews to identify the best all-around products in virtually any category — and in a matter of mere seconds. (All the interest from [our initial coverage]( caused the site to get a little wonky last week, but it seems to be back up and running properly as of this moment!) ⬆️ Give yourself a smarter Android app drawer: With about two minutes of setup, you can make your method for opening Android apps infinitely more convenient and efficient. Ready to see [the fun little secret JR stumbled onto the other day](? 🔉 Hear any web page read aloud on demand: On-the-go info-ingestors, take note: Your favorite Android device has [a handy new option for reading any web page out loud to you](=) in its entirety — an incredibly convenient power to hold when your eyes are tired or you're on the move. 👏 Unlimited phone plan for just $25/mo: Tired of flushing away up to $60 or more on your phone bill each month? Introducing the [Tello UNLIMITED plan](). For just $25/month, you’ll score unlimited calls and texts, unlimited data with 35GB of high-speed data, Wi-Fi calling, and so much more on the same great 4G LTE/5G network. All with no long-term contracts or strings attached. [Save up to 50% (or more) on your phone bill]() with Tello. [SPONSORED] * Available for U.S. phone owners only. --------------------------------------------------------------- What did you think? Was this email worth your time? Did you enjoy reading it? [Thumbs Up]() [Thumbs Down](=) Hit the thumbs-up or thumbs-down above to let me know what you think. Thanks as always for reading, and I hope you have an awesome week! Too much email? No worries: You can [opt out of receiving these roundups or unsubscribe entirely here](=). Hungry for even more? [Learn about becoming an Intelligence Insider]( to gain access to our one-of-a-kind community, power-packed advanced resources, our on-demand help desk, and tons of free apps and services.