While most people use Bard through its website, it’s entirely possible to use it on your Windows as a Progressive Web App (PWA) on Chrome or Edge.

So let’s look at all the ways to install and uninstall Google Bard as a PWA on your Windows PC.

How to install and use Bard on Windows as a progressive web app

One of the handy things about Windows is that it lets you run almost all websites as progressive wep apps on your computer. While progressive web apps have both pros and cons, on the whole, there’re a handy utility.

You can run Bard easily as a progressive web app using the following steps below:

1. Launch the Google Chrome app.
2. Open the Bard web app on your browser.
3. Click on the Customize and Control button (the threet dots) from the top-right corner.
4. From there, select More tools and click on the Create shortcut option.
5. Now, select the Open as a window option.
6. Click on Create.

That’s it. Google Chrome will install Bard as soon as you click on Create, and from here on, you will be free to use it as a web app.

Install Bard on Edge browser as a progressive web app

To install Windows 11 on your Edge browser, follow the steps below:

• Open Microsoft Edge.
• Launch the Bard website.
• Click on the Settings and more button from the top-right corner.
• Select Apps.
• Click on Install this site as an app option.
• Now, select the Install button.

As soon as you’re done with the steps above, the Edge browser will install your browser, and you can use Bard as a Webapp from here on.

Uninstall Bard from your browsers

In case you later want to remove the PWA from your browser, you can follow the simple steps below.

For Google Chrome, here are the steps:

1. Head to Google Chrome.
2. Open the settings page:
 chrome://apps.
3. Right-click on Bard and select the Remove from Chrome option.

If this method doesn’t work for some reason, try this one instead:

• Head to the Settings menu, and select Apps > Apps & features.
• Then select the app and click on Uninstall button.
• Finally, right-click on the app, and click on the Uninstall button.

Similarly, if you’re using the Edge browser, launch the browser, and follow the steps below to uninstall your files:

• Click on the Settings and more button from the top-right corner.
• Select the Apps submenu and choose the View apps option.
• Select More Settings and then click on Manage options.
• From the Installed apps section, click on the Details button.
• Finally, click on Uninstall.

Using Bard as an app on your Windows PC

AI is all the rage these days, and Google’s Bard has made some splashes around the tech world. With the fast changes in the tech world, it makes sense to keep adapting. The methods we’ve laid down above will help you use and install Bard on your PC as a web app.

Somewhere in the back of your mind, you might have all sorts of ideas about why you, too, should have regular Windows updates. Perhaps, it’s for security reasons. Or for fixing bugs, maybe. But how and why exactly, people generally don’t have any clear ideas about this.

Don’t worry, though, as we’ve rounded up all the reasons. So let’s jump in and examine why your Windows updates such a necessary part of your overall Windows experience.

1. Security

This is the most obvious one and one of the top reasons that pop up in mind when someone wonders why they should bother with Windows updated at all.

This is especially true in our information-rich, interconnected world, where cybercriminals all over the world are constantly out on the lookout for any system vulnerabilities in software. And, since Windows is the most popular operating system on the planet, it automatically becomes one of the primary targets for hackers.

So to sufficiently minimize these external threats, it’s therefore essential you have your Windows updated regularly.

2. Fix common bugs and problems

Nothing is perfect. Probably no other thing will drill this lesson into you faster than when you lose a significant amount of your work because of some technical glitch.

And glitches and random bugs have a long history with Windows. In fact, if you have been using the Windows operating system for a while now, you might have made your peace with random bugs and errors that are part of using it.

While updates are not the panacea for all your Windows errors, if you install regular patches for common fixes and bugs, then the number of errors you encounter can certainly be reduced.

So keep your Windows updated and keep the errors at bay.

3. Get new features

While Windows updates are majorly famous for fixing security and various bugs through their patches, what’s lesser known is their role in getting new features on your system.

For instance, with AI in the rage once again, Microsoft recently hinted at introducing a new smart feature for the Snap layout. While the exact details of these new updates are still unclear, what’s important is that Microsoft, like all companies, introduces various updates to their legacy software. 


So having your Windows updated makes sure you are not left behind.

4. Improve Functionality and software and hardware Compatibility

Functionality in Windows, and your computers in general, refers to the quality or state of work performed. Basically, it means how well a machine does its job. So a good, functioning PC will always be a positive for your workflow.

Regular updates will help you improve this functionality by introducing system or software enhancements, which make your PC operate faster and more efficiently.

Similarly, application developers regularly update their tools for new features and security patches, which might require specific features from your Windows. Regular software ensures that your Windows can work well with these recent changes. Unsurprisingly, many Windows updates also include hardware updates for keeping up with any changes in new computer hardware.

Keeping your Windows updates regular

That’s about it, really. Keep your Windows adapted and make it protected against ever-present security threats, random bugs, performance issues, etc., and you will have smooth sailing in using the Windows operating system.

But seeing the same pop-ups day after day. Luckily, alternatives exsts, that will make the environment personalized for you and makes it easy to differentiate different kinds of notifications (if you have used settings to differentiate them). So, let’s jump in and look at how you can customize your notifications on a Windows PC as quickly and easily as possible.

How to customize notifications on a Windows PC

Let’s look at the different ways to customize your notifications on a Windows PC. Let’s jump right in:

1. Head to the Start menu search bar, type in ‘settings,’ and select the best match. Alternatively, press the Windows key + I button.
2. Click on System.
3. Select Notifications.
4. From here, scroll down to Notifications from apps and other senders.
5. You can then toggle on or toggle off the notification for various apps. It includes everything from your Settings, AutoPlay to Microsoft Store, and so on.

That’s it; in this way, you can enable or disable notifications on your Windows. Of course, this is by no means all that there is. For instance, if you toggle on the switch for Do not disturb, you will receive only priority notifications and alarms.

Turn on do not disturb automatically

Similar to the Do not disturb feature from above, there’s the Turn on do not disturb automatically. As it’s name suggets, if you turn this feature on, your notifications will be automatically disabled as per the specified time or some program you’d selected.

For example, to disable your notifications automatically, make sure you choose the During these times radio box and set the relevant Turn on and Turn off time for enabling and disabling your notifications. Again, make sure you’ve selected the Repeat time from Daily, Weekends, Weekends, etc.

Similarly, there are other instances when you can choose to disable your notification automatically, such as:

—When you click on the When duplicating your display.

• When playing a game.
• When using an app in full-screen mode.
• For the first hour after a Windows feature update.

Set priority notifications

Moving onto the fourth section, in Notification settings, we also set priority notifications.

To get started, click on Set priority notification. From here, you can now pick which notifications are allowed when the do not disturb is turned on, while all the other notifications remain in the notification center.

Focus

The Focus sessions help you accomplish more things by eliminating distractions. So, when you have the Focus setting turned on, your Clock app will be integrated with features like a focus timer and music integration.


When you’re in a focus session, the following changes will take place on your screen from here:

1. A focus timer will appear on your screen.
2. Taskbar apps won’t alert you.
3. Taskbar badge notifications will be turned off.
4. You will have a do not disturb setting enabled.

To start the Focus session, click on Start focus session. You can then also increase or decrease the Session duration from here on. 

You can select or check the radio boxes like:

• Show the timer in the Clock app
• Hide badges on the taskbar app
• Hide flashing on taskbar apps
• Turn on do not disturb

The feature is definitely a good one to master. In fact, we’ve even devoted a whole guide that will teach you how to enable focus assist on your Windows computer; so make sure you check it out as well.

Customizing Windows Notifications on a Windows PC

Notifications alert you about different settings or events on your PC. Customizing them in different ways—whether it’s through changing their priority, turning on the do not disturb, or even Focus sessions—can help you mix things up, and keep your Windows experience fresh. We have this artilce helped you out in tweaking the customizing your settings with ease.

When you have the Fast Startup enabled on your PC, your operating system will help you save the kernel sessions and device drivers right into your hard drive when you shut down your PC.

In contrast, when your operating system will have to reload the kernel sessions and device drivers in cases where you have Fast Startup disabled.

 So, let’s look at how you can enable Fast Startup on your Windows and save yourself from the boring wait time of slowly booting up your Windows PC.

How to enable Fast Startup on a Windows PC

Microsoft first introduced Fast Startup with Windows 8 as a replacement for the ‘hibernate’ feature from Windows 7. Fast Startup has since carried on to newer versions of Windows operating, now running in Windows 10 and Windows 11 as well.

While Fast Startup is supported in almost all modern Windows computers after Windows 8, it might not run in older, lower-end computers.

Moreover, it might also not work if you have Secure Boot disabled or if it doesn’t support the necessary hardware. You can easily check if Fast Startup is supported on your PC when you try to enable it on your PC.


 So, to enable Fast Startup on your Windows PC, follow the steps below:

1. Head to the Start menu search bar, type in “power options” and select the best match.
2. From the Control Panel, select Choose what the power buttons do from the left-hand side.
3. Then scroll down to the Shutdown settings section and check if Turn on fast startup option is available. If it’s not, then Fast Startup isn’t support on your PC.
4. But, if you see the Fast Startup option, then select the box next to Turn on fast startup (recommended).
5. From there, click on Save changes to apply the setting.

Fast Startup will be enabled, and you will have very fast bootups from here on.


 But every rose has its thorn, and Fast Startup isn’t much different. While the short time during startups is a boom for Windows users, Fast Startup can cause problems with specific programs or boot specification like dual booting, delay or failures with installing Windows updates, and generally require more disk usage.

So if you are facing problems with Windows Fast Startup, you might have to disable it.

To disable Fast Startup on your Windows, simply do the opposite of the above steps. Here’s how:

• In the Control Panel settings from above, make sure you’re in the Shutdown settings section of the Change settings that are currently unavailable option.
• From there, uncheck the Turn on fast startup (recommended) radiobox.
• Finally, click on Save changes to apply these settings to your PC.

Enabling and disabling Fast Startup on a Windows PC

Fast Startup fastens up your Windows boot-up speed by a significant margin. Hopefully, you could easily enable it following the above steps. However, we also understand that in some cases, Fast Startup might, in fact, work against you; in those cases, you follow the below steps and disable your Fast Startup settings as well.

We’ve previously covered how to back up your files using the System Restore, File History, etc. But that’s not all. Yet another, more straightforward method will do the job just as well; we’re, of course, talking about the Command prompt. 


Command prompt offers you a slew of commands to ehlp you create a backup for your files.

Let’s go over all of them one by one.

1. Robocopy

The Robocopy command is a handy Cmd command that can copy any of your Windows files with ease. 

With Robocopy you can copy all the files or subdirectories from the source folder to the destination folder, including empty directories.

To backup your files using the Robocopy command, run the following snippet in Command prompt and hit Enter:

robocopy "source folder path" "destination folder path"/e /mir /r:1 /w:1 /np /log: "log file path"

Here, replace the “source folder path” with the path of source folder in realtime; similarly for “destination folder path.” The /mir option will then mirror the source folder to the destination folder; this means the destination folder will also delete any deleted files from sources.

Also, the /r and /w parameters will specify the number of retries and wait time in case of any errors. At the same time, the /np and /log parameters specifies the progress of the backup and maintain a log file of the backup, respectively.

For example, to copy a file ‘file1’ from the Downloads folder in D: drive to E: drive, the command will be something like this:


robocopy D:\Downloads\file1 E:\ /MIR

2. XCOPY

Yet another powerful tool offered by Command prompt, the XCOPY command copies your files from one location to another. This command is handy in copying all files and subdirectories from the source folder to the destination folder, including any files and empty directories.

To run the XCOPY command, use the following format:

xcopy /s /e /h /i /y "source folder path" "destination folder path"

Again, for example, if you want to backup an entire folder from one place, let’s say, the Downloads folder in C: drive, to E: drive, you’ll run a command that will look something like this:

xcopy C:\Users\shaantminhas\Downloads E:\ /s /v

The parameters /s and /v are useful for copying directories and subdirectories and verifying each downloaded file respectively.

3. Wbadmin

Want to back up your operating system files to protect them from random corruptions and errors? 

The Wbadmin will come to your rescue here, letting you back up and quickly restore your operating systems, volume, files, or application.

Here’s how to create a backup with Wbadmin in Command prompt:

wbadmin start backup -backupTarget:<BackupDrive>: -allCritical -systemState -quiet

Type the above command in Cmd and hit Enter.

From above, replace the “BackupDrive” with the drive letter or network location where you’d like to store the backup on your PC.


 You can back up a specific file or folder with Wbadmin as well. For example, to create a backup of your drive D: in your drive F:, type in the following command and hit Enter:

wbAdmin start backup -backupTarget:D: -include:F: -allCritical -quiet

Additonally, to set a backup for your PC at a specific time, type in the following commands:

wbadmin enable backup -addTarget:<BackupDrive>: -schedule:00:00 -quiet

Here, replace “BackupDrive” with the drive letters or network letters where you’d like to store your data, and “00:00” with the time you want to perform this backup.

You can explore many other combinations like this, with the help of different parameters.

Backing up your files using the Command prompt

Keeping a regular backup of your Windows files is as essential as getting regular, timely updates for your PC. Following some of the above commands, you can back up your files using the Command prompt for good in no time as well.

Let’s look at the best ways to remove your personal information, in this case, your email address, from the login screen for good.

1. How to hide your email address from the Windows login screen with Settings app

The Windows Settings app is your recourse to fix almost all kinds of problems, big and small, on your PC. For example, you can also use it to remove your email address on Windows PC.

Here’s how:

• Head to the Start menu search bar, type in ‘settings’, and select the best match.
• Now, move to Accounts > Sign-in options.
• Under the Additional Settings option, toggle off the Show account details such as my email address on the sign-in screen switch.

That’s it; your email address details will be removed from the login screen from here on.

2. Registry Editor

While the above method is straightforward and the most recommended one, like everything in tech, it can sometimes fail. If that happens to you, you still need a way to hide the email address.

This is where the Registry editor can help.

The second way to hide your email address is by editing the Registry Editor. 

Note that before you jump in to edit the registry, we highly recommend you first create a backup for your registry. This is because even a slight error in your registry can wreck the working of your operating system.

Now that you’ve backed up your registry follow the steps below to hide your email address using the Registry editor:

1. Head to the Start menu search bar, type in ‘run’ and select the best match.
2. There, type in ‘regedit’, and hit Enter.
3. Now head to following address:

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Policies > Microsoft > Windows > System

4. Right-click on System key and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
5. Now rename the DWORD to BlockUserFromShowingAccountDetailsOnSignin.
6. Double-click the newly created DWORD and set the Value data field to 1. Finally, click on OK.

Your registry will be edited, and the email address will be hidden from the login screen moving on. From here, you’ve to restart your PC for the changes to take effect.

Hiding your email address from the login screen on Windows PC

Leaving your details, such as your email address, on your login screen can be a doorway to getting hacked later on, especially if you work at places other than your home or office. So follow the simple tricks from above and remove your email address from the login screen for good.

However, similar to any other handy tool out there, the Cmd is also susceptible to misuse. Hackers can use it to execute all kinds of havoc from afar, or if an authorized person were to get access, there are enough commands to badly damage your PC.

So, depending on your circumstances, disabling the command prompt can, in fact, work in your favor. Let’s look at the best method to do that.

How to disable the command prompt with Registry Editor

Your Windows Registry keeps a repository about all the critical data and files of Windows operating system and for other related settings on your PC. With a few changes to the Registry Editor, you can disable the Command prompt and make it inaccessible until you take back the changes.

It goes without saying that you should first take a backup of your registry. This backup will come handy if there’s some accidental data loss in your registry during the changes.

If you’re done with the backup, you can now safely move to make the changes. Here’s how you can get started:

1. Head to the Start menu search bar, type ‘run’, and select the best match.
2. In the run dialog box, type in ‘regedit’, and hit Enter.
3. Now head to the following path and hit Enter:
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows
4. Right-click on the Windows key, select New, and click on Key.
5. Name the new key system and hit Enter.
6. Now right-click on the System key, select the New submenu, and choose DWORD (32-bit) Value option.
7. Name the new key DisableCMD and hit Enter.
8. Double-click the newly created DWORD and set its value from 0 to 2. This will disable the cmd on your PC.
9. Finally, click on OK.

To make sure, all the changes get finalized, give your PC a quick restart. Now go ahead and try to launch the command prompt. If you followed all the above steps as it is, then cmd will not open up.

Disabling the Command prompt on Windows PC

Command prompt is a handy tool for power users everywhere. But, if it’s left accessible to everyone and anyone, it can be misused. Hopefully, you could easily disable the Command prompt on your PC through the above method. 

Then, to enable it again, change the DWORD value from above to 0, and save it again.

So, let’s jump right in and look at how you can hide applications on your Windows.

How to hide your applications on Windows PC

Like anything with Windows, you have more than one way to hide away your applications on a Windows PC. Depending on your suitability, you can go with any of the listed methods.

Let’s look at them both.

1. Hide From Uninstall

We’ll start with the most straightforward method first. As the name suggests, Hide From Uninstall is a free program that can help you hide any applications on your Windows computer—all with a simple mouse click or pressing a hotkey button.

To get started, head to official website and download the application from there.

Launch the application after the installation is complete. From there, follow the steps below to hide your installed apps:

1. From the main menu, right-click on any app and select Hide
 from the Programs and Features list.
2. As soon as you do this, the chosen app will have its checkmark removed.
3. Alternatively, you can hide multiple apps in a single go. Click on Edit and Select All to do that.
4. Finally, click on Hide 
from the Programs and Features list.

Your selected apps will be hidden from here on. If you change your mind later on, you can choose to show your apps once again. Click on Show under the Programs and Features list, and your apps will be back once again.

2. Hide programs through Windows Registry

The Windows Registry is a central repository of all your low-level information, settings, and configurations for your Windows settings. You can change almost all critical Windows settings through it. So, it’s no surprise that with a few tweaks, your Registry Editor lets can hide specific programs as well.

However, before you make any changes to your registry, make sure you backup your registry just in case. This is important because any data loss in your registry can leave serious probelms on your operating system.

After you have the backup down, here’s how you can get started:

• Head to the Start menu search bar, type in ‘regedit,’ and run your registry as the administrator.
• In the Windows Registry, head to the following address and hit Enter:

  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall

• If you’re using 32-bit apps on a 64-bit machine, then head to the following address:

  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall

• From the Uninstall key, locate the program you want to hide.
• In this example, we are hiding Mozilla Firefox.
• Right-click on the Mozilla Firefox folder and choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
• Rename this new value as SystemComponent.
• Double-click on SystemComponent, and enter 1 in the Value data field.
• Click on OK.

That’s it—close the Registry Editor now. Your Mozilla Firefox will be successfully hidden after this. You can repeat the process for other apps on your PC and get them hidden just as well.



Hiding your installed apps on a Windows PC

In rare cases, you might have to hide the apps on your PC. Whether it’s because you want to protect the applications on your PC from other users or because you are stuck with the old data of your leftover apps, following the above methods will get your apps hidden with any hiccups.

What’s super helpful is that you can also use it on non-Microsoft products.

If you do extensive writing on Chrome, Firefox, or any other popular web browser, then using Microsoft Editor will only take your writing up the notch. So let’s dive into how you can use Microsoft Editor.


How to use Microsoft Editor on Chrome

If you are like 65.74% of the people using web browsers today, you probably already use Chrome for all your internet surfing needs. If you write your emails, social or other posts through your browser, you need to get a writing assistant already.

This is where Microsoft Editor can help. It will fix all your grammar issues, fix mispellings, and give a boost to your writing in general.  So let’s look at how to use Microsoft Editor on your Chrome browser.

Add Microsoft Editor to Chrome

Downloading and adding the Microsoft Editor extension will be the obvious first step. Here’s how you can get started with Chrome:

1. Launch the Chrome web browser and head to the Chrome Web Store.
2. Look up “microsoft editor” in the search box and click the Add to Chrome button. The extension will be added to your browser.
3. Click on Add extension in the next prompt, and the tool will be added to your browser.
4. You might be taken to the Sign in page if you haven’t logged into your Microsoft account already. There, enter your credentials and log in to your account.
5. Select the Extensions icon from the top-right corner, and pin the Editor extension to your homepage.

You can use the Microsoft Editor on your Chrome from here on. You can simply head to your emails, start typing out what you need to, and if you make any mistake along the way on your Chrome browser, the Editor will auto-correct them for you.

Use Microsoft Editor on Word Web

If you have accessed the web version of Word before, you’ll do just fine. Nothing much has changed here, either. When you go to the home page of your Word web, if your installation went fine, you’ll find the icon of your Microsoft Editor right there under the Comments and Share buttons.

From here, you can start writing out to your heart’s content. As soon as you make a slight typo or grammatical error, the Editor will point it out to you, usually by underlining the mistake. Earlier we’d covered how you can use the Microsoft Editor in Edge, focusing on emails. You can use the Microsoft Editor on Chrome similarly here.

Using Microsoft Editor on Chrome

Microsoft Editor is one of the many tools out there that work by fixing all your writing typos and other related mistakes. The free version of the app is handy on its own and will help you with most of your tasks. If you use Chrome on your Windows even semi-regularly, we’d say trying out Editor for a while might not be a bad idea.

But the Edge browser can sometimes go overboard with its suggestions. This can be incredibly irritating if you know what you are looking for and therefore want to avoid getting distracted. Thankfully, with your Edge browser, you can eliminate these search suggestions if you no longer want to have them.

How to disable search suggestions on Microsoft Edge

Edge lets you disable automatic search suggestions in all of its different browsers, including the desktop and smartphone versions of the app. So let’s cover both versions right away.

Disabling search suggestions in Edge on your desktop

You can easily disable your search suggestions in your Edge desktop browser. Here’s how:

1. Click on the three dots from the top-right corner.
2. Head to the Settings.
3. From the left-hand side, select Privacy, search, and services.
4. Head to the Services section.
5. Then, click on the Address bar and search settings.
6. Finally, toggle off the show me search and site suggestions using my typed characters menu button.

Your additional search suggestions on your Microsoft Edge browser will be disabled from here on.

Disable search suggestion on Edge Android app

Just as you did on the Edge browser on your PC, you can similarly turn off automatic search suggestions on your Android Edge app. Here’s how:

1. Select the three horizontal dots icon at the bottom of your Android browser.
2. Click on the Settings menu.
3. Head to Privacy and Security settings.
4. Toggle off the Show me search and site suggestions using my typed characters button.

Your additional search suggestions on your Android will be similarly disabled with the app here.

Disabling search suggestions on Edge

Search suggestions are a helpful browser feature that can help you discover new information that’s tangential, if even slightly, to what you’re looking for. But you don’t always need a feature like that—naturally, this is where turning off the Edge search will make things easier for you. In fact, you can also do this with your Bing search suggestions as well.

Image via Bing Image Creator “an annoyed computer user in Cuphead cartoon style”