Computers are meant to make our lives easier, but sometimes some of the most helpful features an OS has slip under the radar. This means that you may not be using your computer to its full potential. We’ve picked out 8 computer features across two operating systems that people should know about.

Windows 8

Aero Lite Theme

During its testing phase, Windows 8 had a theme called Aero Lite that was an excellent mix of the glass-like Aero theme and the standard Windows theme. Much to many people’s dismay, this theme was removed from the operating system when it was officially launched. However it is possible to reactivate this theme with just a few tweaks to get your Windows back to how you like it. Follow one of the many guides on Google and you will have the theme back in no time.

Customisable Icons

Before Windows 8 it was always rather difficult to switch icons, but in Windows 8 it is very simple. Right click on the library, go to “Properties” and you will find the option to change the icon. Now you can easily personalise all your libraries just how you like them.

App Groups

On the start screen, apps appear in their own groups, but these groups can be customised to organise your menu however you like. Simply drag an app tile to an empty space and it will create its own group that other apps can be added to. You can rename these groups by clicking the small button in the bottom-right of the screen and right clicking on the group.

Screenshots

Taking a screenshot on Windows has always been less intuitive than it needs to be, but that has been fixed in Windows 8. Simply press the Windows button and “Print Screen” on your keyboard to take a screen shot that will be automatically saved to your Pictures folder.

Mac OS X

Screen records

You may think that to record a screencast you will need some expensive software, but Mac OSX already has this feature built in with the QuickTime program. The option allows you to record your screen, record a voiceover and make minor edits. To do this, simply go to File and “New Screen Recording”.

Dictation

Dictation is another piece of software that you may think would be an expensive purchase, but again Mac OSX has this right out of the box. To use the dictation software, go to “System Preferences” and “Dictation & Speech”.

Dictionary

You may not think that having an easily accessible dictionary would be incredibly useful, but it certainly is! Highlight a word and press Command, Control and D on the keyboard and a popup window with the word’s definition, synonyms and the Wikipedia entry will display. This is a pretty unknown feature but it will end up being very useful!

Post on social media from Notification Centre

If you like to post on social media often then this feature will be very useful for you, but otherwise you’ll rarely ever use it! The notification centre allows you to tweet and post on Facebook right from it without having to go into the website or app. If you write a lot of posts each day then this will save you from having to go into the website each time.

Here at Tristar IT Support, we have an expert team of IT gurus who can provide IT services in london and elsewhere in the UK. If you would like any more information about the range of services that we offer, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us and a member of our friendly team will be happy to help with your enquiries.