Goodbye, Charms Bar! Microsoft Finally Drops One of Windows 10’s Most Annoying Features
You may not even remember the Charms Bar at this point, but it was once one of Windows 10’s most annoying features. If you don’t know what it was, it was the menu that appeared whenever you hovered your mouse in the corner of your screen or pressed Windows+C on your keyboard. This menu allowed you to control settings, search for apps, and more—but it always seemed to appear at the worst possible time and get in the way of whatever you were doing on your computer.
What is it?
If you’ve ever used a Windows 10 PC, you’re probably familiar with the Charms Bar- a toolbar that appears on the right side of the screen when you move your mouse to the top or bottom right corner. The Charms Bar contains shortcuts to features like the search function, settings, and power options. But as of the latest Windows 10 update, the Charms Bar is no more!
How it got started
When Microsoft first released Windows 8 back in 2012, they included a new feature called the Charms Bar. This bar was designed to give users quick access to common functions like search and settings. However, it quickly became one of the most hated features of the operating system. Users found it annoying and confusing, and it didn’t work well with traditional desktop applications. It also took up valuable screen space. To make matters worse, there were plenty of reports that it would occasionally crash the entire operating system.
Microsoft finally listened to their user base and removed this unused feature in Windows 10 Creators Update earlier this year. With the removal of the Charms Bar, many old tasks have been given more screen real estate. For example, instead of opening Control Panel by clicking on its icon in the Start Menu, you can now just press Ctrl+Alt+Esc. The Windows 10 Taskbar has also received an update with several improvements for making multitasking easier and faster than ever before.
Issues with using it
The Charms Bar was one of the most controversial features of Windows 8, and it carried over into Windows 10. The main issue with it was that it was very intrusive and disruptive. It would pop up in the middle of what you were doing, and you had to take your hands off the keyboard to use it. This made it very difficult to use for power users who were used to using the keyboard shortcuts. Another issue was that many programs on the taskbar wouldn’t show up in the list of options when you hovered over them. That meant you couldn’t perform tasks like minimizing a window or opening File Explorer without touching the mouse button, which some people found annoying.
The demise of the Charms Bar
The Charms Bar was one of the most controversial features of Windows 8, and it carried over into Windows 10. But after years of complaints, Microsoft is finally getting rid of it. That’s right: Starting with the next major update to Windows 10, coming in October, you won’t be able to access the Charms Bar from the desktop. It’ll only be available on tablets running Windows 10 or laptops that have touch screens enabled. You’ll still find a search button at the top-right corner of your screen though, so you can search for something across your PC or just within an app. And if you’re using a mouse, there are keyboard shortcuts like Ctrl+Shift+C (or Cmd+Shift+C) that will also do the trick.
