Microsoft’s built-in apps come pre-configured on your Windows 8 tablet to meet the needs of the widest audience. But once they live on your tablet, take some time to make sure they cater to your specific needs, not the needs of the masses. In fact, these customization tricks apply to most apps, whether they came with Windows 8 or through the Windows Store app.
To customize an app, follow these steps:
- You can bring up the app bar by sliding your finger a little up from the bottom of the screen or a little down from the top of the screen.
Different apps treat their app bar differently. Some place their rolls along the bottom; Others drop it from above. Some do both.
2. When the app bar appears, click its buttons to customize the app according to your needs.
Bring up the app bar in the News app, for example, and the top app bar offers three options.
Bing Daily: The equivalent of a browser’s home button, a click on that button takes you back to the news app’s front page. (It’s called Bing Daily because Microsoft’s search engine, Bing, stores it with news on the Internet.)
My News: Click here to customize your news with topics that interest you. To get started, click on the plus sign inside the Add new section box; When the Add Section screen appears, type in a favorite topic. Click the Add button, and the My News section will collect stories on this topic. Refer here for the latest news on this specific topic.
Put quotes around your topic to include more than one word. For example, type “Brussels sprouts” to see news only about today’s trendy vegetables. Without the quotes, the app brings news about Belgium and power additions.
Sources: Want to read information from one favorite source? Tap the Sources option to read news from a specific new outlet, including The New York Times, USA Today, Time Magazine, Fox News, and major networks.
After customizing the news app to meet your own interests, try these other tips for customizing other apps for your tablet:
Traveling to a certain city? Open the Travel app, bring the Charms bar with a swipe in from the right edge of the screen, and tap the search icon. Type your destination and hit the search key. When the travel guide shows your destination, swipe up from the bottom edge of the screen and tap Pin to Start to place your personalized travel guide on the Start screen.
Add your stock portfolio to the Finance app by bringing up the app bar, clicking the watchlist button, and pressing the plus sign to add stock symbols. After adding your portfolio, click on any of the stock symbols to see detailed information about the historical value of the stock.
Usually the Weather app knows your current location, but bring up the app bar, tap Places, and tap the plus button to add other cities. It’s easy to know the weather where your relatives live or where you travel a lot.
Bring up the app bar in the Sports app, and you can add your favorite teams, as well as go to news dedicated to football, basketball, baseball, hockey, golf, racing or soccer. Not interested in a specific sport? Click the “All Sports” button in the app bar, select the sports you don’t like, then click the “Remove” button to cancel the coverage for that sport.
If you don’t see any way to customize your app in its app bar menu, bring up the Charms bar and tap on the Settings icon. When the Settings pane appears, check the menu near the top edge. Some options allow you to change or customize the behavior of your app.