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Windows 11 Field Guide

2026 Edition

This book is 100% completeLast updated on 2026-08-07
Rafael Rivera and Paul Thurrott

The Windows 11 Field Guide is a full-length e-book about the latest version of Microsoft Windows, aimed at those users who will upgrade from Windows 10 or acquire Windows 11 with a new PC.

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PDF
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766
Pages
147,368Words
About

About

About the Book

Welcome to the Windows 11 Field Guide. Like Windows 11 itself, this book is a bit different from its predecessor, the Windows 10 Field Guide. It’s been simplified, so it looks a little different, and at this early stage, it covers only the biggest changes in this release.

For this reason, it comes with a free copy of the Windows 10 Field Guide. But we will continue updating this book until it is complete, and as Microsoft improves and changes Windows 11 over time. Our expectation is that the final book will be somewhere between 500 and 1000 pages long in its PDF version.

But the Windows 11 Field Guide also shares many things with its predecessor, of course.

It is self-published, and it is an entirely independent and self-created work.

It is being written and updated transparently over time so that readers can follow its progress and get all new updates for free.

It is quite inexpensive compared to physical books and even other e-books.

It’s available in multiple digital formats—-PDF, MOBI and EPUB—-so that it will work on any device.

And perhaps most importantly, the Windows 11 Field Guide is intended as both a how-to and a reference: you can read it straight through if that’s your thing, or you can dive in and out of specific areas to learn what’s new and, in many cases, how to work around some of the limitations in this product version.

Thanks for reading!

-- Paul Thurrott and Rafael Rivera

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Author

About the Authors

Rafael Rivera

Rafael Rivera is a software engineer with 18+ years of experience working on mission critical systems for the United States Department of Defense and Intelligence Community. He is also a certified reverse engineering analyst and takes Windows apart for fun in his free time. You can reach Rafael via email or on Twitter at @withinrafael.

Paul Thurrott

Paul Thurrott is an award-winning technology journalist and blogger with over 25 years of industry experience and the author of about 30 books. He is the major domo at Thurrott.com and the host of three podcasts: Windows Weekly with Leo Laporte and Richard Campbell, First Ring Daily with Brad Sams, and Hands-On Windows. He was formerly the senior technology analyst at Windows IT Pro and the creator of the SuperSite for Windows. You can reach Paul via email or on Twitter at @thurrott.

Contents

Table of Contents

About the Book

  1. Please don’t steal our book
  2. Trademarks and disclaimers
  3. We want your feedback!
  4. Thanks!

Meet the authors

Introduction

  1. Introduction, 23H2 edition
  2. Introduction, original 22H2 edition

What’s New in 2026

  1. It’s not about version numbers anymore
  2. Shifting hardware requirements
  3. Better software updates
  4. Basic user interfaces and interactions
  5. Multitasking
  6. Files and sync
  7. Apps
  8. Microsoft Edge and web browsers
  9. Other in-box apps
  10. Videogames
  11. User accounts, security, and recovery
  12. Power user capabilities

Upgrade

  1. Understand the Windows 11 minimum hardware requirements
  2. Find out if your PC meets the minimum requirements
  3. What to do if your PC doesn’t meet the minimum requirements
  4. Upgrade to Windows 11 version 25H2

Install

  1. What you need
  2. How to proceed
  3. Clean install Windows 11

Initial Configuration and Personalization

  1. First, make sure you’re online
  2. Configure OneDrive
  3. Check that the system time is correct
  4. Configure your user account securely
  5. Ensure the PC’s disk is encrypted
  6. Rename the PC if required
  7. Check for updates
  8. Configure Windows Security
  9. Uninstall crapware and other bundled apps you don’t want
  10. Configure the display
  11. Configure power management and related settings
  12. Configure multitasking and sharing features
  13. Configure Microsoft Edge even if you’re not going to use it
  14. Configure File Explorer
  15. Configure the Desktop, Start, the Taskbar, Search, and Widgets
  16. Configure a theme
  17. Install and configure the apps you need

Customize Your Windows 11 Privacy Settings

  1. Manually configure key Windows 11 privacy settings
  2. Additional privacy settings to consider changing
  3. Completely disable Windows 11 telemetry and tracking

Customize the Lock and Sign-In Screens

  1. Defaults
  2. Customize the Lock and Sign-in screens
  3. Use the Lock screen like an interactive smart display

Desktop

  1. Defaults
  2. Customize the Desktop background
  3. Customize which icons appear on the Desktop
  4. Customize the Recycle Bin
  5. Customize the Desktop (and File Explorer) context menus
  6. Customize Show desktop

Start

  1. Defaults
  2. Customize Start
  3. Use the Quick link menu

Taskbar

  1. Defaults
  2. Customize the Taskbar
  3. Understand the Windows 11 Taskbar
  4. Access the Taskbar with the keyboard

Widgets

  1. Defaults
  2. Customize Widgets
  3. Fix the biggest problem with Widgets

Windows Search

  1. Defaults
  2. Customize Windows Search
  3. Search for files with File Explorer

Quick Settings

  1. Defaults
  2. Customize
  3. Understand Quick settings

Multitasking

  1. Clipboard
  2. Alt-Tab
  3. Task View
  4. Snap
  5. Do not disturb and Focus
  6. Task Manager
  7. Desktops

Files

  1. Defaults
  2. Customize
  3. File Explorer
  4. OneDrive

Share

  1. Windows Share
  2. Nearby sharing

Accounts

  1. Defaults
  2. Customize
  3. Why you should consider signing in to Windows 11 with a Microsoft account
  4. Use a Microsoft Work or School account with your Microsoft account sign-in
  5. Use a local account safely and securely
  6. Use multiple sign-in accounts with a single PC
  7. Presence sensing

Passkeys

  1. Why passkeys?
  2. Types of passkeys
  3. Windows 11 and passkeys
  4. Defaults
  5. Customize
  6. Choose a passkey manager and configure Windows 11 and your web browser correctly
  7. Save a passkey
  8. Sign in to a website using a passkey

Windows Backup

  1. Defaults
  2. Customize
  3. Create a backup
  4. Restore from a backup
  5. Manage your backups

Security

  1. Windows Update
  2. Windows Security
  3. Windows Defender
  4. Find My Device

Help and Recovery

  1. Quick assist
  2. Troubleshooting
  3. Recovery drive
  4. Quick Machine Recovery
  5. Point-in-time restore
  6. Reinstall Windows with Windows Update
  7. Reset This PC

Hardware Device Basics

  1. Connect a device to your PC
  2. USB
  3. Bluetooth
  4. Keyboards, mice, and touchpads
  5. Touch, pen, and tablet
  6. Printers and scanners
  7. Dynamic Lighting

Multiple Displays

  1. Understand multi-display setups
  2. Connect to a secondary display
  3. Connect to a wireless display
  4. Use another PC as a wireless display

Storage

  1. Defaults
  2. Customize
  3. Device encryption
  4. Advanced storage management

Phone Link

  1. Defaults
  2. Initial configuration
  3. Customize
  4. Phone Link
  5. Access phone features from Start
  6. Use your phone as a webcam
  7. Copy and paste between your PC and your phone
  8. Use your phone as an Instant Hotspot
  9. Copy a file between your PC and your phone
  10. Resume a phone activity on your PC
  11. View, share, and edit phone photos
  12. Access Phone Link in Widgets

Internet Connectivity

  1. Wi-Fi
  2. Ethernet
  3. Cellular data
  4. Airplane Mode
  5. Mobile hotspot

Apps

  1. App basics
  2. Microsoft Store
  3. Notifications

Copilot

  1. Defaults
  2. Customize
  3. Chat: Have a conversation with the AI assistant
  4. Discover: Your daily news feed
  5. Copilot Vision: Learn more about what you see on-screen
  6. Imagine: Create and reimagine images
  7. Library: Manage your image creations and pages
  8. Projects: Create study aids to learn more about any topic

Copilot+ PC: Click to Do and Recall

  1. Windows 11, AI PCs, and Copilot+ PCs
  2. Click to Do
  3. Recall

Microsoft Edge

  1. Addressing the elephant in the room
  2. Defaults
  3. Microsoft Edge basics
  4. Unique and notable Microsoft Edge features

Notepad

  1. Defaults
  2. Customize
  3. Format a document with Markdown
  4. Use Writing tools to help you write
  5. Restore Notepad to its classic look and feel

Screenshots and Screen Recordings

  1. Defaults
  2. Customize
  3. Snipping Tool

Paint

  1. Defaults
  2. Customize
  3. New Paint features you will see on any PC
  4. New Paint features that require a Copilot+ PC

Photos

  1. Defaults
  2. Customize
  3. View an image
  4. Edit an image
  5. Manage your photo collection
  6. Import photos and videos from your phone or another device

Media Player

  1. Defaults
  2. Customize
  3. Access and manage a local music library
  4. Access and manage a local video library

Sound Recorder, Camera, and Windows Studio Effects

  1. Sound Recorder
  2. Camera
  3. Windows Studio Effects

Clipchamp

  1. Defaults
  2. Customize
  3. Create a new project
  4. Open a previous project
  5. Name or rename a project
  6. Back up the media in a project to OneDrive
  7. Import and manage media assets for a project
  8. Arrange and edit video clips and other assets on the Timeline
  9. Preview your video
  10. Record your camera, screen, audio, or screen and camera
  11. Use the assets provided by the Clipchamp content library
  12. Add text to a project
  13. Add a transition to a project
  14. Share a project with others
  15. Export your video

XBOX PC and Games

  1. Defaults
  2. Customize
  3. Game Bar
  4. XBOX App
  5. XBOX Mode

Command Line Interfaces

  1. Defaults
  2. Customize
  3. Terminal
  4. Administrator Privileges and Sudo
  5. Command Prompt
  6. Linux
  7. Windows Package Manager

Virtualization

  1. Windows Sandbox
  2. Hyper-V Client

Reference

  1. Keyboard shortcuts
  2. Account security terms and concepts
  3. Secure your Microsoft account

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