The Secret to Mouse Tricks in Windows 8

"How do I do anything?" That’s the reaction of many when they first see Windows 8. Mouse and keyboard users are often baffled by the new Start screen full of unfamiliar tiles. Everything seems oriented to touch screens. But mouse users are not left out.

The secret to mousing is in the corners. The mouse still lives and here are some tricks and shortcuts for using it.

Mouse tricks on any screen

• Moving your mouse cursor to the upper right or lower right corner brings up the Charms bar.
• Moving your mouse cursor to the upper left corner opens a thumbnail of the last app you visited. You can click the thumbnail to switch back to the previous app.
• Place the mouse cursor on the lower left corner and right-click the thumbnail that is displayed to bring up the very useful Quick Access menu (also called Simple Start) If you have only opened the Start Screen, you won’t see any thumbnail. The Quick Access menu is shown on the right.
• If you want to display all your open apps (including an open Desktop), place the mouse cursor on the upper left corner. When the thumbnail for the previously visited app opens, move the mouse cursor down along the left side of the screen. Thumbnails for all your open apps should appear.

Mouse tricks on the Start Screen

• Click the minus sign in the lower right corner to reduce the Start Menu tiles to a smaller size so that all tiles can be seen on the screen at the same time. Click again to restore normal size.
• Place the mouse cursor on the lower left corner to display a thumbnail of the previous app you visited. If you have only opened the Start Screen, you won’t see anything.

Mouse tricks on the Desktop

• Place the mouse cursor on the lower left corner to open the Start Screen icon. You can click it to go back to the Start Screen.
• Right-click the Start Screen icon to open the Quick Access menu.

And there you have it. Even Windows 8 has uses for the mouse.