By the end of this lesson you will be able to
- Name the main regions of the Windows 11 desktop and say what each one is for.
- Open an app using the Start menu and using Search.
- Use the taskbar to open, switch between and pin apps.
- Open Quick Settings and the notification centre to change Wi-Fi, volume or read messages.
- Create and switch between a second virtual desktop to keep tasks apart.
The Windows desktop is the screen you see after you sign in, and everything you do on a Windows laptop starts from it. Beginners often feel lost because the same things can be reached in several ways. This lesson gives each region a clear name and a clear job, so that when someone says 'open Start' or 'click the system tray' you know exactly where to look. A note first: Microsoft changes details between versions, so your screen may look a little different from the pictures. The ideas stay the same.
The big picture: a desk with a tray along the bottom
The desktop is the main screen, like the top of a real desk. Your open windows are the papers spread on it. Along the bottom edge runs the Taskbar, a strip that holds the Start button, Search, your favourite apps and the clock. In Windows 11 the Start button and the app icons are, by default, in the middle of the taskbar, not at the left corner as in older versions. You can move them to the left in Settings if you prefer.
- Marker 1: Start button
- Marker 2: Search box
- Marker 3: Taskbar apps
- Marker 4: Widgets
- Marker 5: Status icons: Wi-Fi, sound
- Marker 6: Clock and date
- Marker 7: Recycle Bin
Read this figure as text
A simulated Windows 11 desktop with numbered callouts for Start, Search, the taskbar apps, widgets, the system tray, the clock and the Recycle Bin.
A simulated Windows 11 desktop. Callout 1 is the Start button, which opens the Start menu. Callout 2 is the Search box on the taskbar, which finds apps, files and settings. Callout 3 is the taskbar apps area, showing pinned and running apps. Callout 4 is the Widgets button, which opens a panel of small information cards. Callout 5 is the system tray, a group of small icons for Wi-Fi, sound and battery that opens Quick Settings. Callout 6 is the clock and date, which opens the notification centre and calendar. Callout 7 is the Recycle Bin icon on the desktop. An open window sits in the middle of the screen. Menu names can differ slightly between versions.
The Start menu: the front door to your apps
Click the Start button, the Windows logo on the taskbar, or press the Windows key on the keyboard. The Start menu opens. It has three areas you should know. Pinned shows a grid of app icons that you or Windows chose to keep handy. Recommended lists recently opened files and newly installed apps. At the bottom, your account name sits on one side and the Power button on the other. Click Power to choose Sleep, Shut down or Restart.
Not every app is pinned. Click All apps (top right of the Pinned area) to see an alphabetical list of everything installed. To pin an app you use often, right-click it and choose Pin to Start. Pinning only places a shortcut. It does not install or remove anything, and you can unpin it at any time.
Amina Wanjiru Power
- Marker 1: Search box
- Marker 2: Pinned apps
- Marker 3: Recommended files
- Marker 4: Account name and Power button
Read this figure as text
A simulated window showing the Windows Start menu with a pinned apps grid, a recommended list and an account and power area.
A simulated Start menu. Marker 1 is the Search box at the top, for finding an app or file by typing. Marker 2 is the Pinned area with apps such as Notepad, Settings and File Explorer; an All apps button sits at its top right. Marker 3 is the Recommended area, showing recent files such as Budget notes and Photo of the market. Marker 4 is the bottom strip with the account name on the left and the Power button on the right. Real Start menus may differ slightly between versions and may show different apps.
Search: often quicker than hunting
The Search box on the taskbar (or the Windows key followed by typing) looks for apps, files, settings and web results. Press the Windows key, type calc, and Calculator appears at the top. Press Enter to open it. Searching is usually the fastest way to open a setting whose location you have forgotten. For example, typing bluetooth finds the Bluetooth settings page.
The taskbar: pinned, running and switching
The taskbar shows apps in two states. A pinned app stays on the taskbar even when closed, so you can open it with one click. A running app has a small line or dot under its icon. A longer line usually means the app's window is the one you are using now. Click a running app's icon to bring its window forward or, if it is already in front, to minimise it. If an app has several windows open, hover over the icon to see small previews.
To pin an app: open it, right-click its icon on the taskbar, and choose Pin to taskbar. To remove it, right-click again and choose Unpin from taskbar. If you see a different wording on your version, look for the word pin. Another useful key is Alt and Tab together, which cycles through your open windows. Windows key and D together show the bare desktop and press again to bring your windows back.
The right-hand end: Quick Settings and notifications
At the right of the taskbar are small status icons for network, sound and battery, and then the clock. They hide two separate panels that people often mix up.
- Quick Settings opens when you click the group of network, sound and battery icons (or press Windows key and A). It holds switches for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, flight mode and battery saver, plus sliders for volume and brightness. Use it for quick changes.
- Notifications and calendar open when you click the date and time (or press Windows key and N). The notifications are short messages from apps and from Windows, for example 'Update ready to install'. The calendar sits underneath.
- Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, flight mode switches
- Volume and brightness sliders
- Battery saver
- Windows key + A
Change a setting fast.
- Messages from apps and Windows
- A calendar
- Clear all button
- Windows key + N
Read what happened.
Read this figure as text
A comparison of Quick Settings and the notification panel, with what each is used for and how to open it.
Two columns. Quick Settings: open it by clicking the group of Wi-Fi, sound and battery icons, or press the Windows key and A. It contains switches for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, flight mode and battery saver, and sliders for volume and brightness. Use it to change a setting quickly. Notifications and calendar: open it by clicking the date and time, or press the Windows key and N. It contains messages from apps and Windows and a calendar. Use it to read what happened and to dismiss messages. Names and layout can differ slightly between versions.
Widgets and virtual desktops
Widgets are small cards, such as weather or news, in a panel that slides in from the left when you click the Widgets button or press Windows key and W. They are optional. If you find them distracting, you can hide the button in Settings under Personalisation and Taskbar.
A virtual desktop is a second, separate set of windows on the same screen. Imagine two desks side by side in one room: on one you keep your college work, on the other your messages and music. Click Task View (the button with two overlapping rectangles, if shown) or press Windows key and Tab. Choose New desktop at the top. To switch, open Task View and click the desktop you want, or press Windows key, Ctrl and the left or right arrow. Nothing closes when you switch. Windows keeps each desktop's windows exactly where you left them.
- Word processor
- PDF reader
- Browser with notes
Focus on study.
- Messaging app
- Music player
Keep it out of the way.
Read this figure as text
A diagram showing two virtual desktops, each with its own set of windows, and an arrow showing you switch between them.
Two boxes side by side. Desktop 1, called College work, holds a Word processor window, a PDF reader window and a web browser showing notes. Desktop 2, called Chat and music, holds a messaging app and a music player. Between them is a two-way arrow labelled Windows key, Ctrl and the left or right arrow, or Task View. The note under the figure says you are still using one screen and one computer; only the windows you see change.
Safe habits while exploring
Clicking around the desktop is safe: opening Start, Quick Settings or Task View changes nothing until you press a switch. If a panel opens by mistake, press Esc or click an empty part of the desktop to close it. Avoid clicking pop-up adverts that claim your computer is infected. Real Windows warnings come from the Windows Security app and the notification area, not from a web page.
Common mistakes
✖ Instead of: Looking for the Start button at the bottom left because older guides place it there.
✔ Do this: In Windows 11 the Start button is, by default, in the middle of the taskbar. You can move the taskbar icons to the left in Settings if you prefer.
✖ Instead of: Clicking the Wi-Fi icon expecting the calendar, or the clock expecting Wi-Fi.
✔ Do this: The group of network, sound and battery icons opens Quick Settings. The date and time opens notifications and the calendar.
✖ Instead of: Dragging an app's icon to the Recycle Bin to remove it.
✔ Do this: A desktop shortcut can be deleted this way, but that does not uninstall the app. Uninstalling is done in Settings, under Apps.
If something goes wrong
- The taskbar is not visible at the bottom of the screen.
- It may be set to hide automatically. Move the pointer to the very bottom edge of the screen and it should appear. This can be changed in Settings under Personalisation and Taskbar.
- Pressing the Windows key does nothing.
- Some laptops lock that key with a function key combination (look for a key with a small Windows lock symbol). Click the Start button with the mouse instead.
- I cannot find the Widgets button or Task View button.
- They can be switched off in taskbar settings. The keyboard shortcuts Windows key and W, and Windows key and Tab, still work, or you can turn the buttons back on in Settings under Personalisation and Taskbar.
Key terms
- Taskbar
- The bar along the screen edge in Windows that shows open apps and shortcuts.
- Start menu
- The Windows menu, opened from the Start button, where you find apps, settings and the power options.
- Notification
- A short message that a program shows on your screen, such as a new email or an available update.
- Widgets
- Small panels in Windows that show quick information such as weather and news.
- Virtual desktop
- An extra empty desktop you can switch to, to keep groups of open windows apart.
Practise it for real
Reading is not the same as being able to do it. Complete these on your own computer, then tick only what you have actually done. These ticks are your own honest record: nothing checks them for you.
Tour your own desktop
Sit at a Windows laptop. Open the Start menu and find Settings. Close it with Esc. Press the Windows key, type calc and open Calculator, then close it. Open Quick Settings and hover over (do not change) the volume slider. Open the date and time panel to see the calendar. Close each panel before opening the next.
Challenge: set up two virtual desktops
Open Notepad on your first desktop. Create a new virtual desktop with Task View and open Calculator there. Switch between the two desktops three times using the keyboard shortcut. Then close the extra desktop from Task View and check that your Notepad window is still on the first one. Do not type anything private.
Knowledge check
6 questions. You need 80% to pass. Mistakes here are part of learning, and you can retry as often as you like.
Summary
- The desktop is the main screen. The taskbar along the bottom holds Start, Search, your apps and the clock.
- Start opens apps and Power options; Search finds apps, files and settings by name.
- Quick Settings (network, sound and battery icons) changes switches and sliders. The date and time opens notifications and the calendar.
- Pinning places a shortcut only. Virtual desktops keep separate sets of windows on one screen.
- Menu names can differ slightly between versions. Search is the reliable fallback.
Checklist: can you do these?
Marking a lesson as read does not prove you can do it. Skills count as demonstrated when you pass the quiz (not yet) and complete the practical tasks (not yet).
Related lessons
References and further reading
Official sources for details that can change between versions.
- Windows help and learning (Microsoft)
- Windows 11 keyboard shortcuts (Microsoft)