Do you think you’ve completely discovered all the utilities on your laptop? Get ready to be amazed. Laptops have been the go-to devices for productivity and fun for years. Most of us have explored many nooks and crannies of our laptops, but there are still quite a few things we don’t know our laptops can do.
Amazing unknown things your laptop can do
Go dark:
Dark mode has become a common feature, and Mac and Windows have joined in. MAC has planned to release its macOS Catalina OS later this year, which comes with an automatic dark mode on a scheduling feature. Other mac versions like macOS Mojave already have a dark mode feature that you can activate manually by opening the Apple menu, selecting system preferences, and choosing general and dark.
Windows users also have this feature, and you can activate it by clicking settings on the start menu then select personalization, colors, and finally, dark. These setting should affect both the OS and the various apps running on top of it in most cases.
Do not disturb:
This feature originally came out just for the phones, but now it’s available on laptops too. On Windows, click on the cog icon on the start menu, choose system then focus assistant to configure how you want your notifications to work. The mode itself can be launched from the action center. This will stop or reduce the way your laptop keeps on notifying you of things that you want to ignore, and then it becomes quite intrusive.
This can also be done on your Mac by opening up the Mac menu then choose system preferences, notifications and finally, do not disturb to schedule the feature. An easier way to do this is by holding down the option key then click on the notification icon to temporarily turn on do not disturb until you turn it off.
Remote access:
This function’s on an idea very similar to a power of attorney, so it should be given to people you really trust. This feature allows individuals to access and work on your laptop even when they aren’t in the room. This helps save a lot of time and stress when you’re trying to do multiple tasks at the same time.
Stream games from your console:
You can use your laptop to stream games from your PS4 or Xbox One on the same Wi-Fi network, and this has been possible for years. To do this, all you need is the right software installed on your laptop, and you will be good to go in no time.
For PS4 users, you can use the PS4 remote play software for both Windows and Mac, while Xbox users need either the Xbox app that comes with Windows or Onecast for MacOS, which will cost you $20 after your free trial has expired.
Mirror your screen wirelessly:
You must have seen something like this in a movie, and you wonder how is it done or if it is possible. If you want to get your windows screen onto another bigger screen without using a cable, open action center then choose connect to see a list of wireless devices supporting Miracast. You can also cast your screen using the cast feature in chrome.
Mac users can simply use AirPlay. Click the AirPlay button on your menu bar and see the list of Apple compactable TV’s. Chrome is also an alternative here. Click cast from the Chrome menu, choose cast drop desktop, and you can now mirror your mac display to any chromecast or chromecast compactable screen.
