Windows 8 Getting Started - Return to Desktop on PC

The article in this series about Windows 8 research gave us a sniff of our familiar PC desktop. In fact, it still exists in Windows 8. It's just not the first area we have contact with in session entry. The new “Modern UI” style takes precedence. But if you consider yourself a demanding user of your computer with multitasking needs, the "old" desktop and its features are a must!

After all, the desktop is still widely used for displaying widgets, folders and shortcuts, making it faster to use and access files on your computer. It is true that we can simply skip this procedure by using commands like Win + E, which takes us to the operating system file explorer, yet we can only include the desktop in our Windows 8 series.

Windows 8 Getting Started Series Tutorials:

Show me my desktop!

Getting back to the desktop on your PC is simple, really. The desktop mosaic on the start screen, or the shortcut Win + D offer immediate access to the desktop. The desktop still has customizable wallpaper, document and application icons, and even the taskbar. What disappeared was the start menu, or rather its icon, because now we have the "start screen" and "charm bar" which are "equivalent". What's more, there are apps coming up that give us a start menu. Not exactly the original, but one with similar features, like StartDock's Start 8. The taskbar generally works the same as it did in Windows 7.

It is still possible to pin programs to the taskbar, however it will have to be done through the "Start Screen" and only for programs that run on the desktop. Windows 8 applications cannot be pinned to the taskbar. Posting applications is simple. In the "Start Screen" select the application with the right mouse button. The app bar is presented with the pin to taskbar option. By clicking, the application icon is placed on the taskbar.

Looking at the app bar for the app, there is an additional set of very useful options.

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