Using the familiar desktop In the desktop, you can use all kinds of apps and programs—from specialized software to any of the apps from the Windows Store. You can pin your favorite apps and programs to your taskbar so you can get to them quickly, and you can also personalize the desktop with different shortcuts,
backgrounds, colors, and
themes.
No matter how you want to use your PC, you can switch quickly between apps, windows, and Start screen right from the desktop.
Getting back to the desktop
There are a few ways to get back to the desktop from anywhere on your PC. You can do any of the following:
- Open Start and then tap or click the desktop tile on the Start screen.
- Press Windows logo key
+ D on your keyboard.
- Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, and then tap Search.
(If you're using a mouse, point to the lower-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer up, and then click Search.).
Enter desktop in the search box, and then tap or click Desktop in the results.
Apps on the taskbar
The taskbar is where you can switch between apps you have open and can pin apps you use often so you can open them right from the desktop.
You can typically find the taskbar at the bottom of the desktop, but you can get to it from anywhere on your PC by moving your mouse pointer below the bottom edge of the screen.
© 2014 Microsoft
