Windows has traditionally been designed for mouse and keyboard, but Microsoft has taken steps to change that in recent years.
The tile-based interface of Windows 8 was easy to use on touchscreen devices, even if the design in general wasn’t popular. Windows 10 then introduced a dedicated tablet mode that was separate from the rest of the OS.
It was ditched with the introduction of Windows 11, but don’t let that make you think Microsoft has forgotten about tablets and touchscreen laptops – quite the opposite. The experience now is better than it’s ever been on Windows, provided you familiarise yourself with a few key features and settings.
Here are six ways you can ensure the touch experience on Windows 11 is the best it can possibly be.
Customise the on-screen keyboard
Without a physical keyboard, you’ll be relying on the on-screen equivalent whenever you need to type something. It’s worth spending some getting it looking how you’d like it.
Head to Settings > Personalization > Text input. The first option you’ll be presented with is choosing a theme – there are 15 presets, or you can create a custom one.
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From here, you can also change the size of the keyboard itself and the text displayed on it.
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There’s no way of customising it, but the Text input page also reminds you that there are dedicated keyboard buttons for emoji and voice typing.
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Add one-touch keyboard and touchpad buttons
The on-screen keyboard should appear each time you can type, but it’s not perfect. Having a button in the taskbar that can bring it up at any time can be useful. It’s also worth adding the virtual touchpad button for times when touch-based navigation isn’t working properly.
Head to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar and scroll down to the ‘System tray icons’ sub-heading. Click the toggles next to ‘Touch keyboard’ and ‘Virtual touchpad’ to turn them on.
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Turn on the touch indicator
A cursor gives a very clear indication where you’ve clicked, but it’s not always obvious when using a touchscreen device. Microsoft has a solution in the form of a ‘Touch indicator’, which shows a small circle on the screen where you’ve just tapped.
It used to be enabled automatically, but Windows 11’s 22H2 update has it off by default. To turn it back on, just head to Settings > Accessibility > Mouse pointer and touch, then click the toggle next to ‘Touch indicator’ to turn it on.
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If you want to make it even more obvious, click the box next to ‘Make the circle darker and larger’.
Automatically hide the taskbar
In general, Windows 11 tablets have smaller displays than laptops. That means less screen space to work with, so you might not want the taskbar to take up a significant amount of room. There’s also the potential problem of launching apps and settings when you didn’t mean to.
Both issues can be solved by setting the taskbar to automatically hide when not in use. If you need access at any time, you can just tap where it would normally be.
To turn it on, simply head to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar. Scroll down to ‘Taskbar behaviours’ and check the box next to ‘Automatically hide the taskbar’.
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Make use of Snap Layouts
Snap Layouts is one of Windows 11’s best features, allowing you to seamlessly slot two or more windows together on your display. It doesn’t require a trackpad or mouse, either.
Instead of hovering over, just press and hold the top of one window and drag it towards the top of the screen. You should now see a version of Snap Layouts appear – just choose one, then add another window like you usually would.
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Learn navigation gestures
Android and iOS have embraced gestures in recent years, and Windows 11 is now following suit.
The 22H2 update added five new ones that are worth familiarising yourself with. A one-finger swipe up from the middle of the taskbar brings up the Start menu, while a right to left swipe moves between ‘Pinned’ and ‘All apps’ or ‘Recommended’ and ‘More’.
Similarly, a one-finger swipe up from the bottom right of the taskbar opens the Quick Settings menu. Swiping in from the right edge to bring up the Notification Center is also smoother now.
If you’re using an app or game in full-screen mode, swiping from either edge will bring up a gripper to prevent you accidentally leaving the app. To do so, you’ll need another swipe.
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Windows 11 gestures. Within Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Touchpad, you can fully customise three- and four-finger gestures to your liking.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
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Author: Anyron Copeman, Senior Staff Writer
As the resident expert on Windows, Senior Staff Writer Anyron’s main focus is PCs and laptops. Much of the rest of his time is split between smartphones, tablets and audio, with a particular focus on Android devices.