Join a Skype Meeting with Skype for Business Web App

As written on support.office.com

This article has been updated for 2020.

Skype for Business will be sunsetting on July 31, 2021. Have no fear though, as Microsoft Teams will replace it for all your communication needs and empower you to do even more.

What's Teams? Microsoft Teams is a unified communication and collaboration platform that combines instant messaging, calling, meetings, file sharing, app integration and everything you essentially need to collaborate with your team, no matter where you all are.

If you are a current Skype user, the below still applies and will until it's expired. However, new users that wish to sign up for Skype for Business will be redirected to Teams.

Whether you're new to Microsoft or have been a long time user of Skype, you should be very excited about the transition to Microsoft Teams. Skype is very limited in its capabilities - sure you can chat, make calls and have meetings, but the functionality ends there. Microsoft Teams does all of that and more. Here are some awesome features of Microsoft Teams:

• Chat: Instant message one to one or a group chat. Make it fun by sending gifs, emojis or stickers
• Meet: Easily go from a group chat to a video or audio conference in one click.  Record meetings, blur your background and share meeting notes. Just like Skype, Teams integrates with your calendar
• Call: Gone are the days of "who joined?" - you can view everyone who's on the call or make calls directly one to one
• Collaborate: Not sure where to find a file or what the latest version is? In Teams, you can access, share, and edit documents in real-time (and at the same time as another colleague)

On top of all these great features, you can organize and sort them by different "teams" - clever, right? For example, you can have a "Marketing" Team within Teams that the marketing and sales team to access collateral. You can also have an "All Staff" Team in which everyone in the company has access to. Additionally, you could have an "Executive" team where only the leadership team has access. With these different permissions, you can restrict and control which employees have access to what and keep communication and collaboration organized.

Want to learn more about the benefits of Teams? Read more about Microsoft Teams as the ultimate collaboration tool.

 

If you don’t have the desktop version of Skype for Business, or don’t have a Skype for Business account, you can use Skype for Business Web App to join a Skype Meeting from your browser.

IMPORTANT: You don't need to download or install any apps to join a Skype Meeting with Skype for Business Web App. Just select the link in the meeting request email and follow the instructions in the browser window to join.

If you're having difficulty joining, check out Trouble installing the Skype for Business Web App Plug-in?.

Join the meeting

Here are the basic steps to join a Skype Meeting from Skype for Business Web App:

1. 1. Open the meeting request in your email or calendar and select Join Skype Meeting.

   2. Enter your name on the sign-in screen and select Join the meeting.

      

   3. Follow your browser's instructions for installing the Skype for Business Web App Plug-in, which is required for audio, video, and screen sharing.

   4. Depending on the meeting options set by the organizer, you'll either join the meeting immediately, or be directed to the virtual lobby.

   5. If you're in the lobby, the meeting organizer and other presenters are immediately notified that you're waiting.

      

If you run in to trouble, or just want more detail, read on:

1. To begin, do one of the following:

   • If you have Outlook or Outlook Web App, go to your Calendar, open the meeting request, and select Join Skype Meeting.

     OR

   • Open the email with the meeting request and select Join Skype Meeting.

     TIP:  If you’re having trouble joining the meeting, open an InPrivate Browsing session in Internet Explorer and try joining the meeting again.

2. When Skype for Business Web App opens, do one of the following to join the meeting:

   • To join as a guest, enter your name and select Join the meeting.

     OR

   • To join a meeting set up by someone in your organization, select Sign in if you are from the organizer’s company orSign in if you are an Office 365 user, and then enter the same user name and password you use to sign in to your organization's network.

   TIP: Select Remember me on this computer to help speed up the join process the next time you use Skype for Business Web App. This option also gives you more choices for connecting to meeting audio the next time you join.

3. Follow your browser’s instructions for downloading and installing the plug in. For example, in Internet Explorer, select Run when you see the alert at the bottom of the browser window.

   IMPORTANT: The Skype for Business Web App plug-in is required for audio, video, and screen sharing, so you should install it even if you plan to call in to the meeting by phone. You only need to install it once.

4. In the Skype for Business Web App plug-in security alert, select Allow.

5. If a Windows Firewall security alert appears, it’s OK to select Cancel if you don’t have administrator privileges on your computer. This won't affect your meeting.

6. If you’ve already joined the meeting and the plug-in didn’t install, point to the phone icon and select Call to start the installation process.

Join the meeting with the desktop version of Skype for Business if the meeting request is from someone in your organization

If the meeting request is from a colleague or co-worker, you may be able install and use the desktop version of Skype for Business for more features and flexibility during the meeting. If your organization uses Office 365, you can install Skype for Business and other desktop apps from the Office 365 portal. Otherwise, contact your workplace technical support—typically the person who set up your Skype for Business account —for the location of the download.

IMPORTANT:

• To use the desktop version of Skype for Business, make sure Internet Explorer is your default browser.

• If you're a Mac user, we recommend that you continue to use Lync for Mac 2011.

Join with Skype for Business Web App if Skype for Business desktop is installed

In some cases you may want to join a meeting with Skype for Business Web App even if the desktop version of Skype for Business is installed.

1. In the meeting request, right-click or tap and hold the  Join Skype Meeting link, and select Copy Hyperlink.

2. Paste the meeting link into a browser address box, and add ?sl=1 at the end. For example: https://join.contoso.com/meet/patrick/ABCDEFGH?sl=1

3. Press Enter to join the meeting with Skype for Business Web App.

If you found this article interesting, you might want to check out some of our information on Microsoft Teams. Learn more about Microsoft Teams here.

Through the use of Azure Active Directory (AD) Privileged Identity Management, you can manage, control, and monitor access within your organization to resources in Azure AD, as well as other Microsoft online services such as Office 365 or Microsoft Intune.

Organizations aim to minimize the number of people who have access to secure information and resources in order to decrease the chances of a malicious user gaining access. However, users still need to carry out privileged operations in Azure, Office 365, or SaaS apps. As a result, organizations give users privileged access in Azure AD without monitoring what those users are doing with their admin privileges. Azure AD Privileged Identity Management helps to resolve the risk created by this dilemma.

Azure AD Privileged Identity Management helps you:

• See which users are Azure AD administrators
• Enable on-demand, "just in time" administrative access to Microsoft Online Services like Office 365 and Intune
• Get reports about administrator access history and changes in administrator assignments
• Get alerts about access to a privileged role
• Require approval to activate (Preview)

Azure AD Privileged Identity Management can manage the built-in Azure AD organizational roles, including (but not limited to):

• Global Administrator
• Billing Administrator
• Service Administrator
• User Administrator
• Password Administrator

Just in time administrator access

Historically, users could be assigned to an admin role through the Azure classic portal or Windows PowerShell. As a result, that user becomes a permanent admin, always active in the assigned role. Azure AD Privileged Identity Management introduces the concept of an eligible admin. Eligible admins should be users that need privileged access every now and then, but not all of the time. The role is inactive until the user needs access, then they complete an activation process and become an active admin for a predetermined amount of time.

Enable Privileged Identity Management for your directory

You can start using Azure AD Privileged Identity Management in the Azure portal. (NOTE: You must be a global administrator with an organizational account, for example, @yourdomain.com, not a Microsoft account - for example, @outlook.com - to enable Azure AD Privileged Identity Management for a directory)

1. Sign in to the Azure portal as a global administrator of your directory.
2. If your organization has more than one directory, select your username in the upper right-hand corner of the Azure portal. Select the directory where you will use Azure AD Privileged Identity Management.
3. Select More services and use the Filter textbox to search for Azure AD Privileged Identity Management.
4. Check Pin to dashboard and then click Create. The Privileged Identity Management application opens.

If you're the first person to use Azure AD Privileged Identity Management in your directory, then the security wizard walks you through the initial assignment experience. After that you automatically become the first Security administrator and Privileged role administrator of the directory.

Only a privileged role administrator can manage access for other administrators. You can give other users the ability to manage in PIM.

Privileged Identity Management admin dashboard

Azure AD Privileged Identity Manager provides an admin dashboard that gives you important information such as:

• Alerts that point out opportunities to improve security
• The number of users who are assigned to each privileged role
• The number of eligible and permanent admins
• A graph of privileged role activations in your directory

Privileged role management

With Azure AD Privileged Identity Management, you can manage the administrators by adding or removing permanent or eligible administrators to each role.

Configure the role activation settings

Using the role settings you can configure the eligible role activation properties including:

• The duration of the role activation period
• The role activation notification
• The information a user needs to provide during the role activation process
• Service ticket or incident number
• Approval workflow requirements - Preview

Note that in the image, the buttons for Multi-Factor Authentication are disabled. For certain, highly privileged roles, we require MFA for heightened protection.

Role activation

To activate a role, an eligible admin requests a time-bound "activation" for the role. The activation can be requested using the Activate my role option in Azure AD Privileged Identity Management.

An admin who wants to activate a role needs to initialize Azure AD Privileged Identity Management in the Azure portal.

Role activation is customizable. In the PIM settings, you can determine the length of the activation and what information the admin needs to provide to activate the role.

Review role activity

There are two ways to track how your employees and admins are using privileged roles. The first option is using Directory Roles audit history. The audit history logs track changes in privileged role assignments and role activation history.

The second option is to set up regular access reviews. These access reviews can be performed by and assigned reviewer (like a team manager) or the employees can review themselves. This is the best way to monitor who still requires access, and who no longer does.

Azure AD PIM at subscription expiration

Prior to reaching general availability Azure AD PIM was in preview and there were no license checks for a tenant to preview Azure AD PIM. Now that Azure AD PIM has reached general availability, trial or paid licenses must be assigned to the administrators of the tenant to continue using PIM. If your organization does not purchase Azure AD Premium P2 or your trial expires, mostly all of the Azure AD PIM features will no longer be available in your tenant. You can read more in the Azure AD PIM subscription requirements

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Our team of certified technical experts have helped to digitally transform hundreds of businesses through Microsoft’s powerful tools and innovations, with specialized precision and multiple decades of experience.

Learn more about our Microsoft Dynamics solutions here. 

How to Connect Dynamics 365 to Power BI

By Ben Ward (2017)

With the release of the latest Dynamics 365 API, analysts can now connect Dynamics 365 to Power BI and download data up-to five times faster compared to the previous version of the API. This is great news to any analyst who is looking to mine, analyze and visualize large data sets hosted in Dynamics 365. This is especially helpful to those who are trying to analyze email sends for an organization as these data sets can exponentially grow.

To connect Dynamics 365 to Power BI, log in to Dynamics 365 and go to Settings > Customizations > Developer Resources and copy the Service Root URL.

It will look like this:

https://yourdomainname.api.crm.dynamics.com/api/data/v8.2/

Power BI will then connect to the Dynamics 365 environment specified and return a list of available tables.

The Ultimate Guide to Pivot Tables

Using Microsoft Excel to your full advantage is the most efficient way to manage data, organize numbers and names, and crunch numbers.  Excel has a million awesome tools for you to use, but the key is knowing how to use them.  Pivot Tables are a great start to keeping data organized - and saving you a lot of headache. This 12-part comprehensive guide covers everything from preparing your data to sorting and filtering to formatting your table. To learn the in's and out's of using Pivot Tables on Excel, click the link below to download a free guide.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD 

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Windows 10 Tip: Import data from another browser to Microsoft Edge in one step

By Elana Pidgeon as written on blogs.windows.com

Here’s how to import your data:

In Microsoft Edge, click on the three dots in the upper-right-hand corner, then on Settings.

Under “Import favorites and other info,” click the “Import from another browser” button. Then, choose the browser from which you’d like to move your data.*

Have a great week!

*Microsoft Edge can import browsing history, passwords, and other data only from Internet Explorer and Google Chrome. Favorites can be imported from Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer and 360.

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Learn more about professional services provided by Managed Solution

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To Learn More about Professional Services, contact us at 800-208-3617

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The new Office.com gets first major update

 By Tom Batcheler as written on blogs.office.com

Back in April, we started rolling out a new Office 365 home page experience that provided a redesigned environment for commercial, education and home users to collaborate and work across every device. The update also delivered improved access to recent files and folders and introduced a new platform for faster delivery of innovative features.

We’re now rolling out new changes that will greatly increase the ease of navigating apps and improve access to frequent and recently opened documents. These changes started rolling out in December and will continue through early 2017.

Get back to your online documents

We know that your best work can take time, so we improved access to your unfinished documents. Users will now see additional controls within the “Recent documents” list to let users filter by document type across Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. Have a document that you go back to frequently? Pin it to the list so it’s always just a click away.

Know what’s coming up

We made it easier to see what’s coming up at a glance. Get an in-depth view of the day’s meetings and quickly respond to or join Skype for Business calls with one click. Enhanced people pictures help you build stronger connections with coworkers and help you keep track of your different teams and projects.

Stay on top of tasks

Create, view and complete tasks directly on Office.com that stay in sync across Outlook on all your devices. Need to add more details to a task? Double tap to open in Outlook Tasks to add additional details.

Try it out: Windows 10 in the classroom

As written on technet.microsoft.com

Are you an educator? If so, use this guide to learn how to use the Windows 10 operating system in your classroom. Discover how to personalize devices running Windows 10 for use in the classroom and use the built-in apps to make learning more productive and effective. The advanced user features in Windows 10 help you run and manage apps in your classroom to achieve your learning objectives more easily than other operating systems and even previous versions of Windows.

Review the lab environment

There is an online lab environment that you can use to perform the exercises in this lab. This lab environment contains all the virtual machines, users, and files that you need to complete these exercises. You can use this lab environment without charge and it is available online at all times.

Perform the following steps to access the lab environment online:

1. In Microsoft Edge or Microsoft Internet Explorer, browse to TechNet Virtual Lab: Teacher Try-It-Out.

   Note: If you are already signed in using your Microsoft account on Microsoft Edge or Internet Explorer, then you can go to step

2. On the TechNet Virtual Labs page, click Sign In.

3. On the Sign in page, enter your Microsoft account and corresponding password, and then click Sign in.

4. On the TechNet Virtual Labs page, click Launch Lab. TechNet Virtual Labs builds the lab environment and displays the lab environment once completed as shown in Figure 1.

The Content tab (as shown in Figure 1) contains the step-by-step instructions for completing the lab exercises.

The Machines tab (as shown in Figure 2) contains the list of virtual machines that you will use in the lab exercises.

The Support tab (as shown in Figure 3) in the lab environment lists information about the lab environment and provides access to frequently asked questions about the lab interface.

Sign in to, and personalize, Windows 10

So, you just received your new Windows 10 device. What's the first thing you'll do? Sign in. In this section, you learn how to configure your Windows 10 sign-in experience and customize it for yourself or your students.

Configure sign-in

You can sign in to Windows 10 by using a traditional password, a PIN, a picture password, or the facial-recognition capabilities in Windows Hello.

Use a PIN to sign in to Windows 10 instead of your password (similar to the PIN or password you use on your mobile device). Or, use Windows Hello, which allows a Windows 10 device to recognize you through digital imaging, such as Kinect for Windows or the Intel RealSense sensor. (Note that because no such device exists in this virtual environment, the Windows Hello feature will be disabled, even if you define a PIN.)

Windows Hello integrates with Microsoft Passport to allow other software to leverage the Windows Hello sign-in page. For example, a public website could use Microsoft Passport to authenticate a user who signed in through Windows Hello.

Finally, you can set up a picture password instead of a traditional password. With this feature, you define gestures on a picture that you can use to uniquely identify yourself.

Perform the following steps on the WIN10 virtual machine (VM) signed in as Lori Penor with a password of Passw0rd:

1. Click Start (as shown in Figure 4), and then click Settings.

 

1. In SETTINGS, click Accounts.
2. In ACCOUNTS, click Sign-in options.
3. Review the options, specifically, the Passwordoption, which allows you to change your password.
4. Under PIN, click Add.
5. In First, verify your account password, in Password, type Passw0rd, and then click OK.
6. In the Set up a PIN dialog box, in New PIN and Confirm PIN, type 1234, and then click OK.
7. Under Picture password, click Add.
8. In Create a picture password, in Password, type Passw0rd, and then click OK.
9. In Welcome to picture password, click Choose picture.
10. In the Open dialog box, go to Pictures, click PicturePassword, and then click Open.
11. In How's this look, click Use this picture.
12. In Set up your gestures, select the three gestures that you will use as your picture password. The simplest gesture is to use three mouse clicks (or touches) on the tips of three of the flower petals (as illustrated in Figure 5).
    Figure 5. Location of gestures on a picture password
13. In Confirm your gestures, repeat the three gestures that you just selected (as shown in Figure 5).
14. In Congratulations, click Finish.
15. Close Settings.
16. On the Start menu, click Lori Penor, and then click Sign out (as shown in Figure 6).
    Figure 6. Location of the Lori Penor account on the Start menu
17. Sign in as Lori Penor by using the gestures you created.
    

    Note: If you are unable to sign in with the picture password, you can still sign in by using Lori Penor with a password of Passw0rd.

18. Personalize the lock screen and account pictures

In Windows 10, you can personalize the lock screen to show app status and provide essential information, even when the device is locked. This information is similar to the notifications you see on a Windows Phone device's lock screen. You can also add a picture to your account, which helps identify you as the owner of the device.

Perform the following steps to personalize the lock screen and account pictures:

1. On the Start menu, click Settings.
2. In SETTINGS, double-click Personalization, and then click Lock screen.
3. Under Choose an app to show detailed status, click the plus sign (+), and then click Calendar (as shown in Figure 7).
   Figure 7. Lock screen settings
4. Under Choose apps to show quick status, click the second plus sign (+), and then click Mail.
5. Under Choose apps to show quick status, click the third plus sign (+), and then click Alarms and Clock.
6. In Settings, click back (as shown in Figure 8), and then click Accounts.
   Figure 8. Back button in Settings
7. In Accounts, click Your account.
8. In Your account, under Your picture, click Browse.
9. In the Open dialog box, go to Pictures, click LoriPenorPicture, and then click Choose picture. The picture for Lori Penor is displayed.
10. Close Settings.

Explore Microsoft Edge

One of the important new Windows 10 features is Microsoft Edge, a web browser that provides an enhanced user experience over other web browsers, allowing you to take notes by using your finger, stylus, or mouse and keyboard on web pages. You can save your notes, and then look at them anytime. You can also share your notes with other users.

Microsoft Edge builds on the reading features found in Internet Explorer by providing Reading view, which allows you to view web pages in an easy-to-read format. Microsoft Edge also allows you to create a reading list, where you can identify web content that you want to read in the future. In addition, Microsoft Edge is the default PDF reader in Windows 10.

Note: You can determine the name of a Microsoft Edge icon by hovering the mouse pointer over the icon or right-clicking the icon (as shown in Figure 9).

Figure 9. In Microsoft Edge, hover over or right-click an icon to see its name.

Figure 10 identifies the icons on the menu bar in Microsoft Edge. Use Figure 10 as you perform these tasks to help identify the icons.

Figure 10. Microsoft Edge menu bar icon names

Explore note taking in Microsoft Edge

In Microsoft Edge, you can make notes on any web page displayed in the browser by using your finger or a stylus on touch devices or a mouse and keyboard on non-touch devices. You can then share these notes with other teachers or students.

Perform the following steps to explore note taking in Microsoft Edge:

1. On the taskbar, click Microsoft Edge.
2. In Microsoft Edge, on the menu bar, click Hub, click Favorites, and then click Microsoft Edge - The Browser for Doing (as shown in Figure 11).
   Figure 11. Microsoft Edge Hub and Favorites.
3. On the menu bar, click Make a Web Note.The Make a Web Note menu opens, as shown in Figure 12.
   Figure 12. The Make a Web Note menu in Microsoft Edge
4. On the Make a Web Note menu, click Pen.
5. On the web page, click and drag the pen to draw a circle around the Introducing Microsoft Edge heading, as shown in Figure 13.
6. On the Make a Web Note menu, click Highlighter.
7. On the web page, click and drag the highlighter to highlight The brand new browser for doing text, as shown in Figure 13.
8. On the Make a Web Note menu, click Add a typed note.
9. On the web page, click next to the Introducing Microsoft Edge heading to create an empty note (as shown in Figure 13).
10. In the note, type Need to increase the font for this heading, as shown in Figure 13.
    Figure 13. Web page with notes
11. On the web page, click next to the coffee cup in the picture.
12. In the note, click Delete (the trash can icon).
13. On the Make a Web Note menu, click Eraser.
14. On the web page, click the highlighting to remove it from The brand new browser for doing.
15. From the Make a Web Note menu, click Save Web Note.
16. In Name, type Notes on Microsoft Edge home page, and then click Add.
17. From the Make a Web Note menu, click Share.
18. Review the information in the Share panel, and then click elsewhere to close the Sharepanel.
19. From the Make a Web Note menu, click Exit.
20. In Microsoft Edge, open a new tab.
21. On the menu, click Favorites, and then click Notes on Microsoft Edge home page. The webpage with your web notes opens. You can see all the notes and highlighting you made earlier in this section.
22. Close the tab.
23. Leave Microsoft Edge open for the next section.

Explore reading features in Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge has many features for reading web content. Often, web pages are cluttered with advertisements and nonessential information. Reading view in Microsoft Edge eliminates the advertisements and any nonessential information from the content so that you can read it in a concise manner. Reading view retains the pertinent graphics and pictures associated with the content.

Microsoft Edge also has a reading list, which is similar to the familiar Favorites found in both Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer. The reading list is specifically designed to help you and students keep track of web content that you want to read at a later date. The process of adding items to your reading list is similar to adding a Favorite website.

Perform the following steps to explore Microsoft Edge reading features:

1. In Microsoft Edge, open a new tab and browse to http://www.msn.com/news.
2. Review the content on the page, and then choose a news article.
3. In the news article you're reviewing, on the menu, click Add to favorites or reading list.
4. In the drop-down panel, click Reading list, and then click Add. You can use the Microsoft Edge reading list to keep track of content that you want to read.
5. On the menu, click Reading View.
6. Leave Microsoft Edge open for the next section.

Explore Microsoft Edge PDF print and read functionality

You can print web content to PDF in Microsoft Edge (or in any other Windows 10 app). You can also read PDF files in Microsoft Edge. In this section, you browse to web content, print the page to PDF, and then view the PDF in Microsoft Edge.

Perform the following steps to explore Microsoft Edge PDF print and read functionality:

1. In Microsoft Edge, on the menu bar, click Hub. Click Favorites, and then click Windows 10 Specifications.
2. On the menu bar, click More actions, and then click Print (as shown in Figure 14).
   
   Figure 14. Print menu option on the More actions menu
3. In the Print dialog box, in Printer, select Microsoft Print to PDF, and then click Print. Windows 10 displays a notification about the .pdf file being stored in the Documents folder.
4. Close Microsoft Edge.
5. In File Explorer, go to Documents, and then double-click Windows 10 Specifications - Microsoft.pdf.
6. Review the .pdf file in Microsoft Edge.
7. Minimize Microsoft Edge.

Explore the Mail and Calendar apps

Another improvement in Windows 10 are the redesigned Mail and Calendar apps. Both apps have been reimagined to provide a better user experience for both touch and mouse users. Also, both apps more closely model the familiar Microsoft Outlook user experience.

Explore the Mail app

Microsoft has made several user experience improvements in the Windows 10 Mail app. One of the design goals for the Mail app is to have a great user experience for both mouse and touch users, and the app now more closely resembles Outlook.

Perform the following steps on the WIN10 VM to explore the Windows 10 Mail app:

1. On the Start menu, click Mail.
2. In the Mail app, click Add account.
3. In the Choose an account dialog box, select the type of account for your personal email account.
4. Add your email account based on your personal information.
5. When you have added your email account, on the Accounts page, click Open inbox.
6. In the Inbox, select various email messages and view them in the reading pane. The menu interface at the top of the app provides a touch- and click-friendly experience for accessing email.
7. Click Settings (the gear icon) in the lower left portion of the Mail app.
8. In Settings, click Accounts, and then click back.
9. In Settings, click Options.
10. Under Notifications, select the Show a notification banner check box.
11. Under Notifications, select the Play a sound check box, and then click away from the Settings panel to close the panel.
12. Minimize the Mail app.

Explore the Calendar app

As with the Mail app, Microsoft redesigned the Calendar app for easy click or touch. Like Mail, the Calendar app now more closely models the calendar user experience in Microsoft Office.

Perform the following steps on the WIN10 VM to explore the Calendar app:

1. On the Start menu, click Calendar.
2. On the Accounts page, click Open calendar.
3. On the menu, click Day.
4. On the menu, click Work week.
5. On the menu, click Week.
6. On the calendar displayed in the left panel, click a day 2 weeks in the future.
7. Click New event.
8. In the new event, in Event name, type Project Update Meeting.
9. In Location, type 12th Floor Conference Room.
10. In Start, select 11:00 AM.
11. On the menu Save & Close.

The event is saved and displayed in the calendar. As with the Mail app, you can see that the Calendar app is optimized for mouse and touch, providing a user experience that mirrors Outlook.

Access apps, data, and information

You can access your apps, data, and information by using the Windows 10 Start menu, Cortana, and the taskbar. In this section, you learn how to access your apps, data, and information more quickly and easily than in previous versions of Windows.

Start apps by using the Start menu

The new Start menu in Windows 10 is an elegant blend of the Windows 7 Start menu and the Windows 8.1. Start screen. Perform the following steps to start apps from the Start menu:

1. Click Start, and then click All apps.
2. In the list of apps, scroll down to Microsoft Office 2013. Expand Microsoft Office 2013, and then click Word 2013.
3. Close Microsoft Word 2013.
4. On the Start menu, click All apps.
5. Click above the list of apps (which brings up an alphanumeric matrix).
6. In the alphanumeric matrix, click M. Expand Microsoft Office 2013, and then click Excel 2013.
7. Close Microsoft Excel 2013.
   

   Note: Starting apps by using the Start menu in Windows 10 is similar to the user experience in Windows 7 for keyboard and mouse users.

8. Press Windows logo key+A to open the Windows 10 Action Center.
9. In the Action Center, click Tablet mode.
10. Click Start. The Start menu now takes up the entire screen, just like in Windows 8.1. In tablet mode, Windows 10 converts to a touch-friendly user interface (UI). Although you made this change manually, Windows 10 can automatically detect whether the device is in tablet mode, a feature called Continuum.
11. In the upper left corner of the Start menu, click the menu icon (three horizontal lines). The same UI you saw previously for keyboard and mouse interaction appears.
12. Press Windows logo key+A to open the Windows 10 Action Center.
13. In the Action Center, click Tablet mode. The Start menu reverts to the keyboard-and-mouse-friendly UI. Again, you made this change manually, but in a convertible device (such as the Surface Pro 3) this change would happen automatically if you added or removed the keyboard.
14. Click anywhere on the screen to close the Start menu.

Find apps, data, and information by using Cortana

Cortana allows you to search your local device and the Internet for apps, data, and information. You can access Cortana by using your keyboard or by voice command. Perform the following steps to find apps, data, and information by using Cortana:

1. On the taskbar, in Search the web and Windows, type Word. Cortana returns a list of results. At the top of that list is the locally installed copy of Word 2013.
2. On the taskbar, in Search the web and Windows, type LoriPenor. Cortana returns a list of results. At the top of that list is the LoriPenorPicture.png file that you selected earlier for the user profile.
3. On the taskbar, in Search the web and Windows, type Windows 10. Cortana returns a list of results, including local files that have Windows 10 in the name, web searches that relate to Windows 10, and apps in the Windows Store that relate to Windows 10.
4. On the taskbar, in Search the web and Windows, type What is the cube root of 55. Cortana returns the correct answer (3.80295246).
5. On the taskbar, in Search the web and Windows, type Distance between Los Angeles and New York.
6. Click the first item in the list of results. Cortana opens Microsoft Edge. The first result in Bing is by Bing Maps, showing the driving distance between Los Angeles and New York (2,778 miles).
7. Close Microsoft Edge.

You can perform these same tasks by using voice commands on devices equipped with a microphone.

Manage apps on the Start menu and taskbar

Managing apps on the Start menu and taskbar is again a blending of the Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 user experiences. You can pin apps to the Start menu (just as you could with the Windows 8.1 Start screen), and you can pin apps to the taskbar (just as you could in Windows 7). Perform the following steps on the WIN10 VM to manage apps on the Start menu and taskbar:

1. On the desktop, right-click Recycle Bin, and then click Pin to Start.
2. Click the Start menu. The Recycle Bin appears as a tile on the Start menu.
3. On the Start menu, right-click Recycle Bin, click Resize, and then click Small. Windows 10 displays the Recycle Bin tile as a small tile.
4. On the Start menu, right-click People, and then click Pin to Taskbar. The People app appears as an icon on the taskbar.

Run and manage apps

Running and managing apps in Windows 10 is more intuitive than in previous Windows operating systems. Desktop and Windows 10 Universal apps are treated as equals in Windows 10. Windows 10 introduces Snap Assist, which helps you snap multiple apps on your desktop for optimal viewing. Finally, Windows 10 supports virtual desktops, which allows you to have multiple logical groupings of apps so that they are easier to manage and use than on a single desktop.

Manage running apps

Perform the following steps on the WIN10 VM to manage running apps:

1. On the taskbar, restore the Mail app that you minimized earlier.
2. In the upper right corner of the app, view the Minimize, Restore, and Close buttons. Then, click Restore. (You may remember that Windows 8.1 apps only started in full-screen mode and took up the entire desktop. In Windows 10, these apps behave more like a traditional desktop app and are similar to the user experience in Windows 7 desktop apps.)
3. In the upper left corner, on the title bar, right-click Mail. The standard Windows system menu appears, with the Restore, Move, Size, Minimize, Maximize, and Close options.
4. Minimize the Mail app.

View multiple apps

You can view multiple apps in an optimal visual arrangement by using the Windows 10 Snap Assist feature. Perform the following steps on the WIN10 VM to view multiple apps:

1. Restore the Mail app.
2. Click the Mail app title bar, and then drag the title bar to the left side of the desktop. When the mouse pointer hits the edge, a visual queue lets you know when to release. The Mail app is snapped to the left side of the desktop.
3. In the list of apps on the right side of the display, click the Calendar app. The Calendar app is snapped to the right side of the display.
4. Click the Calendar app title bar, and drag it to the top of the desktop. The Calendar app is maximized.
5. Minimize all apps.

Manage virtual desktops

Virtual desktops in Windows 10 provide you with another layer of productivity when you're running multiple apps. You can use Windows 10 virtual desktops to give the appearance of running your apps on multiple systems. For example, you could have one virtual desktop dedicated to working on grades while using another virtual desktop to present information to your students.

Perform the following steps on the WIN10 VM to manage multiple virtual desktops:

1. On the taskbar, click Task view. In Task view, you can see the list of apps running in your current desktop. You can click any of the apps to bring that app into focus.
2. In the lower right portion of Task view, click New desktop. Desktop 2 is added to the list of desktops.
3. In Task view, click Desktop 2.
4. On the taskbar, click Word 2013.
5. On the taskbar, click Task view.
6. In the lower right portion of Task view, click New desktop. Desktop 3 is added to the list of desktops.
7. On the Start menu, click Store.
8. On the taskbar, click Task view.
9. In Task view, click Desktop 1. The original desktop appears.
10. Press Windows logo key+Control+Right Arrow to move to Desktop 2.
11. Press Windows logo key+Control+Right Arrow to move to Desktop 3.
12. Press Windows logo key+Control+Left Arrow to move back to Desktop 2.
13. On the taskbar, click Task view.
14. Close Desktop 2. Any apps running in a desktop that you delete are automatically moved to another desktop. For example, notice that the apps running in Desktop 2 moves to another desktop.
15. Open the new Desktop 2.

You can use the Windows shortcut keys, your mouse, or touch to move quickly and easily between virtual desktops. Use virtual desktops to keep track of your different tasks and apps so that you can be more efficient and effective.

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Windows 10 Tip: Use Cortana above your lock screen

By Elana Pidgeon as written on blogs.windows.com

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