Windows 8 Charms and Tiles

Tiles are the new way to access apps (software programs) in Windows 8. You can use them by clicking or tapping on them in the Start Screen. Tiles are larger than traditional icons, animated, and can be automatically updated.

Working with Windows 8 Tiles

Use the following information to pin, unpin, add tiles, and more.

Right-click a tile to see the tile commands. Not all commands are available for each tile.

• Pin an app - To pin an app to the Windows 8 Start page, right-click anywhere on the background of the Start screen to display the All apps icon in the lower-right corner.
  
  Click All apps to see your installed apps. Find the app you want to pin to Start, and then right-click or touch and hold it. At the bottom of the screen, click or tap Pin to Start. 
  Figure 1: Click or tap Pin to Start

• 

• Unpin an app - To unpin an app on the Windows 8 Start screen, right-click or touch and hold the app, and then click or tap Unpin from Start. The tile disappears; however, the app is still installed on the computer.

• Toggle or switch apps - Press the Windows () key and the Tab key to switch back to the most recently used Windows 8 style app. Hold down the Windows key and press the Tab key to move between the Windows 8 apps running in the background. Release both keys to launch the app.

• Add a Tile - To add a new tile to the Start Screen, click or tap the Desktop tile to go to the classic desktop. Right-click or touch and hold the program shortcut you want to add as a tile to the Start screen and select Pin to Start.

• Move a Tile - To move a tile with the mouse, click or tap it, and then drag it to a new location. 

Figure 2: Moving a tile using a mouse 

Figure 3: Moving a tile using touch 

• You can organize your tiles into groups, arrange the groups, and assign names to groups. Use the following steps.

1. To create a new group, select a tile, drag it to an open space, and drop it. You can have many groups on the Start screen. If the groups don't fit on one screen, scroll right or left to see your groups by click or tapping the scroll bar, and then dragging the bar to the bottom of the screen.

Figure 4: Creating a new group

2. To change the order of your groups, click the Zoom button in the lower-right corner of the screen.

Figure 5: The Zoom button

3. Drag the group to a new position.

Figure 6: Moving a group to a new position

4. To name a group while in a zoomed view, right-click or tap and hold the group you want to name. Then, in the lower left corner, click Name group.

Figure 7: Name a group in the Zoomed view

5. In the Name box, type a name for the group, and then click or tap Name.

Figure 8: Name the group

6. Click anywhere on the screen to return to the normal view.

Figure 9: Normal view with new group name

• Add a Folder - To add a new tile to the Start screen, click or tap the Desktop tile to go to the classic desktop. Click or tap the File Explorer icon in the Task Bar to open File Explorer.
  
  Figure 2: File Explorer 
  
  

• Right-click or touch and hold the folder (such as My Computer) that you wish to add to the Start screen and select Pin to Start.
  
  Figure 3: Pin to Start
  

  The folder appears as a Tile on the Start screen.
  
  Figure 3: New Tile
  

You can search for anything from the Start screen by typing on the keyboard. For example, to search for an HP app, type HP on the keyboard. A list of all HP apps displays.

You can also search using the Search charm:

• Press the Windows ()  + C key.
  
  Figure 1: Search charm
  

• Select Files, Settings, or Apps, depending on what you want to search for.
  
  Figure 2: Searching for an app
  

• Type the name of the app you want to open into the Search box, and then click your item in the search results to open it.
   

Many users use the control panel to perform administrative task such as creating users and uninstalling a program. You can access the control panel using any of the following three methods.

Use the Charms Bar in Desktop Mode:

1. While on the desktop, bring out the charms bar.

2. Click or tap Settings.

3. Select Control Panel.

Use the Desktop contextual menu:

1. Move your mouse cursor or swipe to the exact lower left corner until the menu appears.

2. Click or tap Control Panel.

You can also use the contextual menu to open other commonly used tools and utilities such as Device Manager, Task Manager, Disk Manager, Search and Run.

NOTE: You have to position the cursor or touch to the exact spot. Otherwise, you may get a different shortcut menu.

Use the Desktop link on the TaskBar:

If your Desktop is displayed on the Task bar, you can click or tap the desktop link and open the Control Panel.

NOTE: You can add the Desktop link to the TaskBar by right-clicking or touch-and-holding the lower left corner area and click or tap on the TaskBar.