Windows 8 - first look

If you buy a new computer, it's likely to come with Windows 8. On this page you can find out:

• How Windows 8 differs from previous versions of Windows.
• How to use Windows 8 with the keyboard, a mouse or gestures.
• What features Windows 8 has if you need screen magnification or a screen reader.

A new look

Windows 8 is a big change over previous versions of Windows. It combines two quite different areas:

• A desktop, similar to previous versions of Windows 7, and
• A new Windows 8 interface which is designed to be easy to use with a touch screen.

Although the two areas look and act quite differently, both can be used with a keyboard, mouse or touch screen.

In this way, Microsoft hope that Windows 8 will be used both on traditional desktop and laptop computers, and also new tablet computers and smartphones.

There are three versions of Windows 8 available for purchase:

• Windows 8 is aimed at home users
• Windows 8 Pro is aimed at business users, and adds encryption and remote connection
• Windows RT is aimed at tablet users, and adds encryption and a special version of Office 2013. It doesn't allow desktop apps to be installed.

Start screen

When the computer starts up, it shows the Lock screen with the time, date, network and (if appropriate) battery status at the bottom left.

Press any key on the keyboard, click the mouse or swipe up from the bottom of the screen to show the sign-in screen if there is more than one account or a password is needed. When the sign-in screen has been dealt with, the Start screen appears.

The Start screen takes up the whole screen and contains shortcuts to apps (programmes) and Windows features.

Each shortcut is a coloured block containing an image and the name of an app. These shortcuts are called tiles. Tiles for Windows 8 apps can be different sizes and colours. They can also show information related to the app. For instance, the Calendar tile shows the next appointment.

Tiles are arranged on the screen in groups of rows and columns. They are large, so not many fit on the screen at any one time. The list of tiles scrolls horizontally. To move around the list:

• Keyboard: use the arrow keys to move from one tile to the next
• Mouse: scroll the wheel, or use the scroll bar at the bottom of the screen
• Touch screen: drag the screen to the left or right.
• Using Narrator, press CapsLock + RightArrow to move sequentially through all the tiles.
• Using Window-Eyes 8, press Insert + DownArrow to move sequentially through all the tiles, or Insert + RightArrow to jump to the next group.

You can leave the Start screen by opening an app, or pressing Windows + D to move to the desktop.

When the Start screen is not visible, it can be opened in a number of ways, including:

• Keyboard: press the Windows key
• Mouse: move the mouse to the bottom left corner of the screen and left click when the Start icon appears
• Touch screen: swipe from the right hand edge of the screen, then tap the Start icon.

Searching the Start screen

It is possible to search for a programme or feature from the Start screen. Although there is no edit area visible, if you start typing, a search begins. By default the list of results is restricted to apps, which you can DownArrow through. If you are looking for a Setting or File, there are two ways to change your search.

• Do a search as above, but after typing your search term, Tab once to a list and DownArrow to Settings or Files, then press Enter.
• Instead of searching from the Start screen, press Windows + Q, Windows + W, or Windows + F to set your search to Apps, Settings or Files respectively. Then your search will be restricted to these areas.

Restoring the Start menu

A number of third party applications exist that re-introduce the familiar Start menu. One example is the Classic Shell. With Classic Shell you can:

• Choose a Start menu that resembles the Windows 98 one-column view, or an XP/Vista/7 default with two columns,
• Choose whether to have a visible Start button on the desktop, and how this is activated, and
• Choose whether to skip the Start screen and go straight to the desktop with the computer starts.

Classic Shell also has similar retro settings for Internet Explorer and File Explorer.

One thing to bear in mind with these kinds of applications is that they are designed for mouse users, and may work poorly or not at all with the keyboard.

Windows 8 and desktop apps

The Windows 8 interface (previously called "Metro") is used for the Start screen which replaces the Start menu that appeared in previous versions of Windows. It is also used for Windows 8 apps like Mail, Calendar, People and Messaging.

The desktop interface is used for traditional apps like Word, Excel, Windows Media Player and Windows Defender.

Internet Explorer can be used with either a desktop or a Windows 8 interface.

Windows 8 apps

Windows 8 apps differ from desktop apps in a number of significant ways:

• They run full screen. It is possible to have two apps open side by side, but the second app can only take up a narrow column at one side of the screen.
• Each app screen consists of a small number of large elements.
• They have no menus or dialogues. Instead, many app features are accessed through a toolbar which does not appear on screen by default.

To open the toolbar for a Windows 8 app:

• Keyboard: press Windows + Z
• Mouse: right click an empty part of the screen
• Touch screen: swipe up from the bottom of the screen, or down from the top (don't swipe all the way from the top to the bottom, as that will close the app!)

There is no close button on a Windows 8 app, because when you have finished with one app, you can just move to another app. The app you have left is suspended, so it does not use any of the computer's resources. If left long enough, it will be automatically shut down. However, it is possible to close an app:

• Keyboard: press Alt + F4
• Touch screen: swipe down from the top of the screen to the bottom
• Mouse: move the mouse into the top left corner of the screen. If another app is open, a thumbnail of it will appear. Click this and the second app will become active and a thumbnail of the first app will appear. Right click and choose "close".

Desktop apps

From the Start screen, you can select the desktop app or press Windows + D to move to the desktop. Once on the desktop, you can press the Windows key to toggle between the Start screen and the desktop.

Desktop apps can be started from the Start screen, or pinned to the desktop Taskbar and then started from the desktop interface. The desktop interface and desktop apps can contain a lot of information - the Taskbar and notification areas are on screen all the time, and multiple application windows can be open as well.

There is no Start button on the desktop interface - this catches a lot of people out!

Desktop apps look and act just as they did in previous versions of Windows. An app can contain a working area, menus, toolbars and ribbons. Many of these are small, and a keyboard or mouse is needed to use them - fingers are just too large, so the desktop interface is difficult to use with a touch screen.

Charms

Charms are used to present options or allow you to search. For anyone familiar with previous versions of Windows, they act in a similar way to dialogue boxes, which do not appear in the Windows 8 interface.

There are five charms which appear as a vertical list at the right side of the screen when you:

• Keyboard: press Windows + C
• Mouse: move the mouse pointer into the top right or bottom right corner of the screen
• Touch screen: swipe in from the right hand edge of the screen

Each charm also has a keyboard shortcut. See below for these and other useful Windows keyboard shortcuts.

The Search charm lets you search for an app, setting or file.

The Share charm lets you send information from the app you're in to other people.

The Start charm takes you to the Start screen or, if you're already on the Start screen, returns you to your last app.

The Devices charm lets you send information to other devices, for instance a printer or TV.

The Settings charm allows you change settings for the current app and for the PC. This is one place from which you can shut down the PC.

File Explorer

Windows Explorer has been renamed to File Explorer, and the menu system has been replaced with a ribbon. It can be opened with the shortcut Windows + E from the desktop or the Windows 8 interface.

Accessibility

The Windows Magnifier has not changed, but the full screen mode now works with all themes, including high contrast colour schemes. Magnifier can be started with Windows + Plus and closed with Windows + Escape.

The choices for screen colours have been simplified, and are only available for high contrast themes. It is not possible to change the colours for Start screen tiles except by choosing a high contrast theme, in which case all the tiles take on the same background and font colours.

Within the Ease of Access Center, it is now possible to set Narrator, Magnifier and high contrast themes to load at or after the sign-in screen.

Current versions of NVDA and JAWS include some support for Windows 8. New versions of ZoomText, Supernova and Window-Eyes with Windows 8 support are expected soon.

Narrator

Narrator has been considerably beefed up for Windows 8. It has better quality voices, is more responsive, and has many more keystrokes.

You can now start Narrator at any time after the sign-in screen with a single keystroke, Windows + Enter. It's also possible to start or stop Narrator with Windows + Control + U at any time, including on the sign-in screen.

All Narrator commands use the CapsLock key with one or more other keys. For example, to quit Narrator, press CapsLock + Q.

Narrator is able to read much of the information on the screen in the Start screen and Windows 8 apps. For instance, you can press CapsLock + Right to move through all the tiles on the Start screen, regardless of their arrangement.

Narrator works very will in the ribbon of apps like WordPad, File Explorer and Office apps, and has keystrokes to move by link, heading and table in Internet Explorer. It does not work with the document area of current Office apps, but will apparently work with Office 2013 when it becomes available.

It is easier to use some Windows 8 apps than others with Narrator. Here are some basic pointers:

• There are two ways to move around a screen, with the Tab key (Tab to move forward, Shift + Tab to move backward), and with CapsLock + arrows (RightArrow to move forward, LeftArrow to move backward).
• You may have to experiment with these methods to see which works best for a particular app. It may be that a mixture of the two is required to reach every part of a screen.
• Press Windows + Z to access the toolbar in an app, then Tab to move around its contents.Press Windows + Z again to dismiss the toolbar and return to the app screen.
• Some shortcuts work in apps. For instance, Control + N creates a new message in mail, or appointment in Calendar. However, it does not create a new contact in People.

Help for Windows 8 says "Narrator provides basic screen-reading capabilities so you can use Windows when you don't have a more comprehensive screen reader. Narrator isn't designed to read content in all apps." In other words, although Narrator in Windows 8 is impressive on the Start screen and some apps, there are still situations where you may need to use another screen reader.

Shutting down Windows

It's possible to shut down Windows from the Settings charm or from the desktop. Here is how to do both from the keyboard.

To shut down Windows from the Settings charm:

• Press Windows + I to open the Settings charm
• Press DownArrow until you reach "Notifications"
• Press RightArrow until you reach "Power"
• Press Space to open the Shut down menu
• Press DownArrow until you reach "Shut down"
• Press Enter

To shut down Windows from the desktop:

• Press Windows + D to go to the desktop
• Press Alt + F4 to open the Shut Down Windows dialogue
• If necessary, press UpArrow or DownArrow until you reach "Shut down"
• Press Enter

Keystrokes

Windows 8 contains many keystrokes. Here are some that you may find useful.

• Windows to open the Start screen
• Windows + Enter to start Narrator after the sign-in screen
• CapsLock + Escape to quit Narrator
• Windows + Control + U to start or stop Narrator at any time
• Windows + Plus to start Magnifier and then increase magnification level
• Windows + Minus to decrease magnification level once Magnifer is running
• Windows + Escape to quit Magnifier
• Windows + U to open the Ease of Access Center
• Windows + C to open the list of charms
• Windows + I to open the Settings charm
• Windows + Q to open the Search charm and look for apps
• Windows + W to open the Search charm and look for settings
• Windows + F to open the Search charm and look for files
• Windows + H to open the Share charm
• Windows + K to open the Devices charm
• Windows + Up to maximise a desktop app
• Windows + Left/Right to snap a desktop app to one half of the screen
• Windows + Z to open the toolbar for a Windows 8 app
• Windows + L to go to the Lock screen (requires account passward to continue)
• Windows + D to move to the desktop
• Windows + E to open File Explorer
• Windows + PrintScreen takes a screenshot and saves it in the Pictures folder
• Windows + B to move to the first item in the desktop Notification area
• Windows + T to move to the first item in the desktop Taskbar
• Windows + 1 through to 0 to start one of the first 10 apps pinned to the Taskbar
• Alt + Windows + 1 through to 0 to open the jump list of one of the first 10 apps pinned to the Taskbar