One of the most important features in Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 are the Charms. "Charms"... in Windows? It sounds strange! Right? Actually, they are not that hard to understand. To help you out, we will share how to access them, what they do and how to use them.
How to Access the Charms
Simply put, Charms are a set of shortcuts to common tasks, available anywhere in the system. There are several ways to access the Charms in Windows 8 and Windows 8.1. You can use the keyboard, the mouse or touch:
- Keyboard: press the Windows key + C.
- Mouse: go to the bottom or top right corner of your screen, and then move your cursor up or down to access the charms.
- Touch: swipe from the right edge of the screen towards center.
The Charms are available from anywhere, no matter if you are on the Start screen or on the Desktop. The only scenario when you cannot access them is when running full-screen desktop applications such as games.
The Charms are 5 buttons: Search, Share, Start, Devices and Settings. When you access them, a notification panel also shows up in the lower left side of the screen.
This shows the time, day, date, the status the Internet connection and the battery, when using a laptop or tablet. One might expect that clicking the notification panel is possible. Well, it's not... the notification panel cannot be touched :).
The first rule to remember about Charms is that they are contextual. You can do different things with them depending on the apps you are running and where you are in Windows 8 and Windows 8.1. Let's take each charm, one by one and see how it can be used.
How to Use the Search Charm
This charm does exactly what one would expect: searches for stuff. When using it directly from the Start screen, you can search for installed applications, settings and files. In Windows 8.1 you can also search for content from the web, using Bing.
In Windows 8, if you access it from any app, it will return contextual results, relevant to that app.
For example, if you use it while in the Music app, the results you get are songs, albums or artists.
Using the Search charm in Internet Explorer will start a web search using the default search engine - Bing.
In Windows 8.1, search is no longer contextual. It doesn't matter if you search while using an app from the Windows Store or you perform a search from the Start screen. It always displays the same results. However, you no longer need to filter the results, like in Windows 8. All results are displayed automatically.
If filtering the results is useful to you, there are some filters that you can use. They are different than in Windows 8 though.
To learn more about how search works in Windows 8.1, I recommend that you read this article: Introducing Windows 8.1: How Does Search Work & How to Use It?.
To start searching while on the Start screen (both in Windows 8 and Windows 8.1), simply type the search term you want to use. By default, the Search charm will display the results. You can then filter the results by clicking or typing on the filters displayed by the Windows.
Keyboard shortcuts: Windows + Q when you want to search for apps (in Windows 8) or anything (in Windows 8.1), Windows + W to search for settings and Windows + F for to search for files.
How to Use the Share Charm
This charm works only when used with apps from the Windows Store and it used to share items using other apps. These items can be web addresses (links), multimedia files (photos, video, music, etc), files from the SkyDrive, etc. Items can be shared via e-mail or with people from your People app. In Windows 8.1 you can also use this charm to take screenshots and share them using a Windows app.
In Windows 8, trying to use the Share charm on the Desktop or from desktop applications will get you to nowhere, as it will only say that "Nothing can be shared from the desktop".
However, in Windows 8.1 you can use the Share charm on the Desktop, but only to take screenshots and share them using Windows apps.
This charm is especially useful when browsing the web, or when using the SkyDrive app. For example, you can use it to quickly share links: you found an article you like on 7 Tutorials and you want to share it with your friends. Bring up the Share charm and choose how you would like to share it: by Mail or with the People app, on the social networks you are connected to (Facebook, Twitter etc).
In Windows 8.1, the Share charm works the same way but it will give you an additional option: if you click or tap the arrow displayed near the item you want shared, you will access a menu that includes the option to take a screenshot of what you want to share.
Keyboard shortcut: Windows + H.
How to Use the Start Charm
This charm opens the Start screen or, if you are already on the Start screen, it will open your last accessed app (it works only with Windows apps and not with desktop applications).
Keyboard shortcut: The Windows key.
How to Use the Devices Charm
This charm lets you use devices attached to your computer and send data to them from the app you are using. As with other charms, Devices is useful when used with apps from the Windows Store.
To learn how it works, let's share an example: you are using Windows 8 and you want to print an article from our website. Use the Devices charm to see the devices available for interaction, including your printer.
Click or tap on the printer, set how you want things printed and click or tap Print.
In Windows 8.1 the Devices charm has been improved and it offers more ways of interaction with your devices:
- You can play the item you selected (an .mp3 file or a video) on a media device that's connected to your network or your Windows 8.1 device.
- You can print content to any of your installed printers.
- You can project the content displayed in your app to a second screen or a projector.
Keyboard shortcut: Windows + K.
How to Use the Settings Charm
This charm shows contextual shortcuts to settings available for the apps you are using and some system-wide available settings, like: network, sound, screen brightness, notifications, power and language, plus a link to the PC Settings. The contextual settings are shown at the top and the system-wide settings at the bottom.
While running Desktop applications, you get the same set of settings for every one of them but, if you run Windows apps, these settings change for each app.
This charm is the only way to access all the settings available for Windows Store apps. In this charm you will find the necessary links to to access Help and About information, set Permissions and configure the different parameters available for an app.
Keyboard shortcut: Windows + I.
Conclusions
The Charms in Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 can prove to be very useful when interacting with apps and the operating system. Don't hesitate to follow our examples and make some experiments of your own, to get you familiarized with the Charms and be productive when using apps.
Discussion (17)
8.1 sucks…they made an icon in the ‘Settings’ on the Charm(less) Bar unavailable–see the icon on the bottom which is shadowed out. That button on 8.0 allowed me to place a photograph on the Start Menu before the login screen. I had 8.0 and did NOT want 8.1–only these idiots apparently didn’t understand English: every time the option to “upgrade” (got the sarcasm?) to 8.1 I selected “Remind Me Later”. WHY wasn’t there an option to just simply say No! No! No!? I do NOT want 8.1! What happened is that the upgrade automatically started without my permission. Now I can’t use the option to tweak my Start Screen with a pic of my fiancé’ and me. Again, the icon shows as ‘unavailable. What are these “experts” (e.g expert idiots) at Microsoft thinking? How DARE they automatically give me an update I don’t want.
Thank you, Vicki–you aren’t alone in hating 8.1 With the update forced upon me, I feel that I’ve been assaulted.
HATE Windows 8.1!!!!!!
I accidently swiped the print from apps and now I can’t change figure out how to stop that from happening and I want to reset printer to be able to print from anywhere. Also my properties on printer show to print in color yet it prints grayscale. Using Windows 8.1 and my printer is HP Photosmart 7510 series. Can someone please help me! Thank you.
thank you for the information-i have windows 8 and have been constantly advised to ‘upgrade’ to 8.1 … my experience with 8 and the pointless interruptions called ‘charms’ only confirms if that distraction is still a basic component of windows 8.1 – i definitely do NOT need … sigh & yawn … another oxymoron called an ‘upgrade’.
Very interesting site, but, I can not link my new SKY router to our laptop. I’m having to link up with a Ethernet cable. Tried everything, but no joy. Desperate.
BeeJay
Updating to windows 8.1 did work! My older Kodak printer practically updated itself and now I can easily print from the charms and from my phone to the printer. The HP printer was harder and had to be set up by an HP tech and it took longer than I would have supposed since it was a newer printer. The eprint service is not active though…so a new challenge. Thanks 7tutorials!!
I strongly recommend that you look for another printer that doesn’t have such issues.
So that would mean that all the time I spent on line with the HP guy, he could have fixed the problem and they actually told me it was the fault of windows….I can still take this computer back to Costco. I am sure that Costco would like to know! The HP printer is also fairly new so there should have been no problem.
All I can tell you is that your issue is not a common, widespread issue. The Charms work in Windows 8 even for printing from apps. I have not met anyone having issues like those you described. Also, personally, I did not have such issues but then again, I am using Canon printers instead of HP.
This problem is related to your specific hardware and drivers.
Will upgrading to window 8.1 fix the charm for printing from apps
I have been online with HP for hours. It does not matter what website I am on the devices charm app will show my printers, but nothing will print. The only way I can print is to view in desktop and control P. HP has given me these instructions that apps from the store cannot print either. I can do a windows + screen shot and then go to my pictures and print the photo of the screen. Also windows mail does not open a message so the whole page with all messages listed prints from the screen shot. Very disappointed with the devices/printers charm as it does not work
I suspect this is a problem with HP drivers. I have a Canon printer and I was able to print from any apps, at all times.
I cannot get ‘context sensitive’ menus as in your example above with the printer from a webpage. All I get is “Nothing can be sent from the desktop”. I was using IE to do it as I thought since I use Firefox that’s what was causing the problem. Maybe it’s because IE is not my default browser.?? Any thoughts?
Thanks
Did you use the “metro” version of IE? The “Nothing…. desktop” message means that you are using the desktop version of IE. The “metro/app” IE is available only if you make IE your default browser.
Thank you for the reply. I thought that may be the case. I might stick with my Firefox for the moment.
Da1 wh do wht h like n like wht h do
These ‘Charms’ are extra sensitive. They are always popping into my screen if I get near them. Its very annoying and disruptive.