This week's top tips

Go beyond browser bookmarks  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ [Windows Intelligence](#) [Windows Intelligence](#) I love a good Windows application, but so many things are only available on the web on a PC. That's why I'm always looking for better ways to integrate those websites with my Windows desktop. This week's reader-submitted tip is about exactly that — how to get website shortcuts pinned to your Start menu for easy access to your favorite sites. Let's get to 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](=)​ Have a minute or two to fill out our [reader survey](? Your responses will help us better understand who's actually reading our newsletters, and you'll be entered for a [chance to win one of two $50 gift certificates to your choice of Amazon or Best Buy](! This week's reader suggestion ⭐ We normally save our favorite websites in our browsers — but why not pin them straight to your Start menu for easy access? (This tip will give you shortcuts on your desktop, too, if you like.) ➜ Windows Intelligence reader Dan H. sent in a tip for conveniently creating Start menu shortcuts in Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge. (Unfortunately, Firefox doesn't provide an easy way to get those shortcuts on your Start menu.) 💻 This works on both Windows 10 and Windows 11. In Google Chrome, head to the website you want to pin to your Start menu, then click the menu at the top-right corner of the window (it looks like three stacked dots), point to "Save and Share," and select "Create shortcut." Using another browser instead of Chrome? Here are some tips: - Microsoft Edge: Click the menu button at the top-right corner of the window, and select More tools > Pin to Start. That's it! - Brave browser or another Chromium-based browser: Select menu > More Tools > Create shortcut instead. Then, follow the rest of the instructions for Chrome. [Click Chrome's menu button, point to "Save and share," and select "Create shortcut."] Give your shortcut the name you want to see in the Start menu. If you want the website to appear in its own special browser window with its own separate taskbar icon, check "Open as window." Otherwise, leave the box unchecked and the website will open in a normal browser tab. Then, click "Create." [Name your shortcut and click "Create."] You'll get a shortcut on your desktop. Look for the desktop shortcut — you can press Windows+D to quickly see your desktop. (If you don't see any desktop icons, right-click your empty desktop and select View > Show Desktop Icons.) Right-click the website shortcut you created and select "Pin to Start." [Right-click your desktop shortcut and select "Pin to Start."] The shortcut will appear in the Pinned section at the top of your Start menu (on Windows 11) or in the app tiles at the right side of your Start menu (on Windows 10.) Done! To unpin the shortcut, just right-click it in your Start menu and select "Unpin from Start." [A website shortcut pinned to the Start menu on Windows 11.] Using Microsoft Edge? This is even easier. Just go to the website you want to pin to your Start menu, click the menu button at the top-right corner of the window, and select More tools > Pin to Start. That's it! 📲 This week's Android Intelligence reader tip covers [a time-saving typing trick to type special characters on your Android phone's keyboard](). Check it out! 🎁 Share your knowledge, get a free gift in return Hey — let's feature your advice next! If you've got a useful shortcut you rely on, an off-the-beaten path application that makes your life easier, or any other Windows-related suggestion you'd like to share with your fellow Windows Intelligence readers, [share it with me here](=). If I end up using your tip in a future issue, I'll send you a [free month of ​Intelligence Insider membership]() as a special thank you gift for your submission! --------------------------------------------------------------- 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! 📞 Troubleshoot PCs remotely with Quick Assist: Microsoft's Quick Assist app provides a simple, fast, and free way to quickly connect to a remote PC for troubleshooting. It's a great screen-sharing and remote-control tool anyone can use in a few clicks. Here's [how to get started with Quick Assist](=). 📝 Take notes with Microsoft's Sticky Notes app: OneNote is a great note-taking application, but Microsoft has a much simpler solution called Sticky Notes — and it syncs across all your Windows PCs and other devices. You can [install the Sticky Notes app from the Store](=) for a simple and streamlined note-taking experience on Windows. ⌚ Focus with the built-in Pomodoro timer: The Clock app on your PC has a surprisingly full-featured Pomodoro-style timer feature for productivity. Launch the Clock app from your Start menu, select "Focus Sessions," and configure your productivity session. Windows will automatically mute notifications during this time, and you can connect your Spotify account to automatically start playing the right music for your session. For the Pomodoro method, start a 25 minute session and work until Windows tells you it's time to take a break. ☕️ When you need caffeine, you drink espresso… But when you need important tech news in just 5 minutes, you [read Techpresso](. The baristas of tech and AI, Techpresso culls through 60+ media sources daily to deliver you the top headlines. And unlike espresso, it’s totally free. Subscribe to Techpresso with one click to [get your daily tech news roundup](. [SPONSORED] 🗺️ Share any location in just three words: A classic (and oft-forgotten!) site called [What3Words]() lets you identify any specific place in the world — whether it has an actual address associated with it or not — in just three words. It's a handy way to share exact locations with anyone without relying on any platform-specific mapping setup. 🔎 Upgrade your Android search setup: Google's talkin' up its spiffy new Circle to Search system for on-demand visual searching on a Pixel 8 or Samsung Galaxy S24, but you can bring that same smart concept onto any Android device this minute — with about [two minutes of simple setup](=). 🪄 Discover some fresh Android 14 awesomeness: If you've got the latest Android version on your favorite Android gadget, JR's got some good stuff for you. His [new guide to off-the-beaten-path Android 14 tips]( is overflowing with interesting, easily overlooked operating system treasures — and even if you're still waiting for the update, it's well worth your while to hang onto for the future. 📖 Save up to 95% on ebooks: Ready to dive into a great new book? [BookBub](=) helps you spend less time searching and more time reading by sending you personalized ebook recommendations — based on your preferences — for up to 95% off. [Subscribe for free](=) and read your new book on any device. [SPONSORED] * Available for U.S. residents 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.