Windows 11

How to Reinstall Microsoft Print to PDF After Deleting it Accidentally

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reinstall microsoft print to pdf printer in windows 10

Windows 10 and 11, as you know, includes the Microsoft Print to PDF virtual printer built-in that can print (convert) documents to PDF format from any application.

reinstall microsoft print to pdf printer in windows 10

Microsoft Print to PDF is a handy tool in Windows 10/11. In the previous Windows Operating Systems, users needed to use a third-party tool or virtual printer driver to convert documents or web pages to PDF. Most users, including me, have been relying upon the Cute PDF Writer driver or similar drivers supplied with PDF reader applications — e.g., Adobe Acrobat or Fox It Reader. And don’t forget Microsoft’s own Office Add-in: Microsoft Save as PDF or XPS.

Interestingly, many Windows 10/11 users accidentally delete Microsoft Print to PDF and wonder how to restore it. This post explains how to restore/reinstall the Microsoft Print to PDF printer if you’ve accidentally deleted it.Read more

How to Save Windows 10/11 Spotlight Wallpapers

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Windows Spotlight brings to you some fantastic images that are worth storing. Unfortunately, at present, Windows 10/11 doesn’t have a GUI option to save these lock screen wallpaper images; this has to be done manually or using a custom app or script. This post tells you how to save Windows Spotlight lock screen images automatically or manually.Read more

Pin Recent folders (Recent Places) to Explorer Navigation Pane in Windows 10/11

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recent places shell command windows

The Recent Places shell folder that appeared under the Favorites area in the navigation pane in the earlier Windows OS is not shown in Windows 10 and 11. Windows 10/11’s Quick access (which replaces Favorites) shows the “Frequently” used folders rather than the “Recently” opened folders.

The Recent Places shell folder still exists in Windows 10 and 11. Recent Places, now known as Recent folders, is handy in Explorer and Common File Open/Save dialog boxes in various applications. Today’s post shows you how to do the following things:

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Windows Photo Viewer Opens Multiple Windows When Multiple Files are Selected

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windows photo viewer multiple windowsYou may be wondering why Windows Photo Viewer, which previously opened images in a single window instance when multiple files were selected and previewed, is now opening up separate windows or instances–one for each image file selected.

The Windows Photo Viewer multiple instances problem usually seen in Windows 10 or 1 is not due to any design change, and no functionality is broken. It’s a simple file type association setting and fixing it that can straighten things up.

Selecting multiple files in a folder, right-clicking, and selecting preview should open a single Windows Photo Viewer window, and the user can cycle through the chosen set of images using the arrow keys. This is the expected behavior, and that’s how Windows Photo Viewer worked in the earlier OS.

You don’t have to read the next section if you’re not looking for an explanation for this problem. Proceed straight to the Solution part.
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Remove Quick access and User Folders from File Explorer in Windows 10/11

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Quick access, introduced in Windows 10, replaces the Favorites feature present in the earlier versions of Windows. It lets you pin your favorite folders, and it also lists frequently accessed folders.

In addition, File Explorer in Windows 10/11 by default displays the special user folders at the top, as well as in the navigation pane pinned under This PC. The shell folders namely 3D Objects, Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures, and Videos show up above the fold. These folder icons clutter the view, and push the disk drives category down below, which some users dislike.

This article tells you how to remove Quick access and also hide the special user folders from This PC view — both from the right pane as well as from the navigation pane.

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How to Update Microsoft Defender and Run a Quick Scan in One Go

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windows defender command-line switches

The Microsoft Defender command-line utility MpCmdRun.exe is mostly used to schedule scans and update the definitions. The MpCmdRun.exe command usage info can be obtained by running MpCmdRun.exe with “/?” or without any parameter.

However, it doesn’t mention a useful switch that updates Defender signatures and runs a Quick Scan at once.Read more

Send To Menu Empty or Shows Only “Bluetooth Device”

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send to menu shows only bluetooth device

When right-clicking a file and clicking the Send To menu in Windows, only the Bluetooth Device shortcut may be displayed, although the other shortcuts, including the default ones, such as Compressed (zipped) folder, Desktop (create shortcut), Mail Recipient, are intact in the user’s Send To folder.

send to menu shows only bluetooth device

On some systems, the Send To menu may be completely blank:

send to menu is completely empty

Let’s see how to fix these issues.

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How to Restore Windows Photo Viewer in Windows 10 and 11

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Windows Photo Viewer is one of the things that gets removed or hidden from access after upgrading to Windows 10. The new Photos app takes charge as the default handler for image files in Windows 10 and Windows 11.

The good news is Windows Photo Viewer application still exists in the same location in Windows 10 and Windows 11. But what is removed is only its registration.

windows photo viewer thumbnail image

Windows Photo Viewer is a lightweight app similar to the Office Picture Manager and Windows Live Photo Gallery, both of which are discontinued by Microsoft. But, Windows Photo Viewer remains an integral part of Windows 10/11.

Windows Photo Viewer is powered by a single DLL file named photoviewer.dll located in the C:\Program Files\Windows Photo Viewer directory in Windows 11 and earlier OS.

photoviewer.dll file information
Windows Photo Viewer – photoviewer.dll in Windows 10 version 21H1.

For example, this command-line will open a file named D:\sample.png using Windows Photo Viewer:

rundll32.exe "%ProgramFiles%\Windows Photo Viewer\PhotoViewer.dll", ImageView_Fullscreen d:\sample.png

Now, all we need to do is add Windows Photo Viewer file association settings to the registry. If you’re not a fan of the new Photos app, you can restore the missing Windows Photo Viewer registration in Windows 10 and 11.
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