Everyone likes being able to buy and unbox a shiny new gadget or fancy kitchen appliance. The only thing better than getting something new is knowing you got it for a really good price. If you’ve been eyeing something, now’s your chance to clear that cart during Best Buy’s massive outlet event. Right now Best Buy is offering deals right across the board, including on clearance and open-box products with discounts of up to 50% off. You can find TVs, laptops, phone accessories and more. Check out the entire sale selection below.
With so many pages of sale items, you may feel a little overwhelmed. To save you some time and make sure you have access to the best discounts available during this sale, we’ve rounded up a few standout deals. These are our top picks right now.
Along with the above deals, we’re also seeing significant savings on some of the best TVs on the market. There are several pages of discounts on open-box options, including the sleek Samsung Frame. The 65-inch model starts as low as $1,153 and it would make the perfect addition to any space. If you’re looking for something more budget-friendly, Best Buy has a 43-inch Insignia Fire TV starting at just $128. If you’re seeking more home appliances, you can save up to 60% on open-box options, including a Whirlpool smart top-load washer that’s currently available for $800, which is $235 off its original $1,035 price tag.
Of course, there’s no shortage of phone accessories available at Best Buy. OtterBox is a popular brand that’s often recommended by our experts. If you’re looking for a hard shell case for your iPhone 14 Plus, you can grab this OtterBox Fre case for $70.
And if you’re willing to go the refurbished route, then you have even more options. There are Apple AirPods Pro available for $170 and Beats Studio Buds Plus available for just $80. These options come with other perks, including three free months of Apple TV Plus.
Arsenal face a tough test of their title contender status on Saturday as they travel to the Amex Stadium to face Brighton in the English Premier League.
Mikel Arteta’s Gunners clocked up a fairly routine win over struggling Luton on Wednesday, but may need to dig deeper today against a Seagulls side that’s still very much in the mix for European qualification.
The hosts have registered just one victory from their last five EPL matches, but Robert De Zerbi’s side have put in some solid performances during that run and have the talent to get back to winning ways and upend Arsenal’s title pursuit.
Below, we’ll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch the game live wherever you are in the world.
Brighton vs. Arsenal: When and where?
Brighton host Arsenal at the Amex Stadium on Saturday, April 6. Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m. BST, which is 12:30 p.m. ET or 9:30 a.m. PT in the US and Canada, and 2:30 a.m. AEST on Sunday, April 7, in Australia.
How to watch the Brighton vs. Arsenal game online from anywhere using a VPN
If you find yourself unable to view the game locally, you may need a different way to watch the game — that’s where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on game day by encrypting your traffic, and it’s also a great idea if you’re traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.
With a VPN, you’re able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the game. So if your internet provider or mobile carrier has stuck you with an IP address that incorrectly shows your location in a blackout zone, a VPN can correct that problem by giving you an IP address in your correct, non-blackout area. Most VPNs, like our Editors’ Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this.
Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US, UK and Canada, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you’re streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions.
Looking for other options? Be sure to check out some of the other great VPN deals taking place right now.
Livestream Brighton vs. Arsenal in the US
Saturday’s Brighton vs. Arsenal match is streaming on USA Network, which you can access as part of your cable package or at the NBC Sports website with a valid login, and can be streamed via Sling TV and other more expensive streaming TV services.
Livestream the Brighton vs. Arsenal game in the UK
Premier League rights in the UK are split between Sky Sports, Amazon Prime Video and TNT Sports (previously known as BT Sport). Brighton vs. Arsenal is exclusive to Sky Sports, showing on its Sky Sports Main Event, Premier League and Ultra channels. If you already have Sky Sports as part of your TV package, you can stream the game via its Sky Go app, but cord-cutters will want to get set up with a Now account and a Now Sports membership to stream the game.
Livestream the Brighton vs. Arsenal game in Canada
If you want to stream Brighton vs. Arsenal live in Canada, you’ll need to subscribe to Fubo. The service has exclusive rights for this Premier League season.
Livestream the Brighton vs. Arsenal game in Australia
Football fans Down Under can watch this EPL fixture on streaming service Optus Sport, which is showing every single Premier League game live in Australia this season.
Quick tips for streaming the Premier League using a VPN
With four variables at play — your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN — your experience and success when streaming EPL matches may vary.
If you don’t see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the “search for city or country” option.
If you’re having trouble getting the game after you’ve turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs — like Roku — don’t have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you’ll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you’re using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.
All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a cable network’s sports app, you’ll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help, since both devices will appear to be in the correct location.
And remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you’re using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommend Brave.
Apple introduced iMessage reactions, called Tapback, with iOS 10 in 2016. The feature lets you react to a message in one of six ways; a heart, thumbs up or down, a “Haha,” exclamation points or a question mark. However, some people might be confused or irritated when they see someone react to their message.
Let’s say you’re texting your crush, and you react to their last message with a thumbs-up. You might simply be saying, “Sounds good!” but they might read the reaction as, “This conversation is over. Goodbye.” Congratulations, you played yourself, and now your crush thinks you hate them. But using emoji lets you quickly tell the other person what you really mean in a more direct way, and it gives you the whole emoji spectrum to do so.
Here’s how to use an emoji to react to specific messages on your iPhone.
Read more: How to Decipher Each Emoji
How to react with emoji
1. In the appropriate iMessage conversation, tap the blank iMessage bar across the bottom of your screen like you’re going to type something. 2. Tap the emoji keyboard icon — the smiley icon — in the bottom left corner of your screen. 3. Long press on the emoji you want to use. 4. Drag the emoji to the message and release it.
Now, instead of giving something a thumbs-up or an exclamation point reaction, you can give the raised hands emoji, the eyes emoji or even both. You can use multiple emoji to react to messages, pictures and gifs sent in conversations between you and another person, or in group messages.
You can also use this feature to combine emoji. To do this, you have to layer emoji on top of a sticker in iMessage. Here’s how to create your own emoji combos.
Layer emoji over stickers for fun combos
1. In the appropriate iMessage conversation, tap the plus sign (+) next to the blank iMessage bar across the bottom of your screen. 2. Tap Stickers. 3. Tap and send your chosen sticker. 4. Tap the blank iMessage bar again, then follow the above steps for using emoji reactions.
You can add as many emoji as you want to each sticker, so you could have fun and make small scenes if you wanted to. However, you can’t save these combined emoji, so you’ll have to recreate them each time. Hopefully Apple will let people save them in the future.
For more on iOS, here are the features that could be coming to your iPhone with iOS 17.5 and the features that were included with iOS 17.4. You can also check out our iOS 17 cheat sheet.
Aston Villa will be desperate to get their charge for a top-four place back on track on Saturday, as they host a Brentford side looking to ease themselves clear of the drop zone in the English Premier League.
Villa crashed to a 4-1 defeat to title-chasing Man City in midweek. That loss didn’t prove as damaging to their hopes of finishing in a guaranteed UEFA Champions League qualification place as it might, after rivals Spurs were held to a draw on Tuesday.
Brentford have won just one game from their last 10 — a run that leaves them just six points clear of the relegation zone. Bees boss Thomas Frank will be desperate to claim all 3 points here, but his team will need to make history in doing so, with the west Londoners having never won a game at Villa Park.
Below, we’ll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch the game live wherever you are in the world.
Aston Villa vs. Brentford: When and where?
Aston Villa host Brentford at Villa Park in Birmingham on Saturday, April 6. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. BST (10 a.m. ET, 7 a.m. PT in the US and Canada; and 12 a.m. AEDT on Sunday, April 7, in Australia).
How to watch the Aston Villa vs. Brentford game online from anywhere using a VPN
If you find yourself unable to view the game locally, you may need a different way to watch the game — that’s where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on game day by encrypting your traffic, and it’s also a great idea if you’re traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.
With a VPN, you’re able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the game. So if your internet provider or mobile carrier has stuck you with an IP address that incorrectly shows your location in a blackout zone, a VPN can correct that problem by giving you an IP address in your correct, non-blackout area. Most VPNs, like our Editors’ Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this.
Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US, UK and Canada, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you’re streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions.
Looking for other options? Be sure to check out some of the other great VPN deals taking place right now.
Livestream Aston Villa vs. Brentford in the US
Saturday’s Aston Villa vs. Brentford match is streaming on USA Network, which you can access as part of your cable package or at the NBC Sports website with a valid login, and can be streamed via Sling TV and other more expensive streaming TV services.
Can I livestream the Aston Villa vs. Brentford game in the UK?
No broadcaster has the rights to show this game live in the UK, due to the traditional Saturday 3 p.m. kickoff blackout, which prohibits matches being shown in the region at that time in order to protect attendances throughout the English football pyramid.
That also means that if you’re in the UK traveling for pleasure or for work, you’re unlikely to be able to watch the game like you normally would at home, thanks to geo-blocking.
There is one option to get around this, however. By using a VPN, as explained above, you can set your location to a country where the match is being broadcast and go from there.
Livestream the Aston Villa vs. Brentford game in Canada
If you want to stream Aston Villa vs. Brentford live in Canada, you’ll need to subscribe to Fubo. The service has exclusive rights for this Premier League season.
Livestream the Aston Villa vs. Brentford game in Australia
Football fans Down Under can watch this EPL fixture on streaming service Optus Sport, which is showing every single Premier League game live in Australia this season.
Quick tips for streaming the Premier League using a VPN
With four variables at play — your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN — your experience and success when streaming EPL matches may vary.
If you don’t see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the “search for city or country” option.
If you’re having trouble getting the game after you’ve turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs — like Roku — don’t have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you’ll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you’re using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.
All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a cable network’s sports app, you’ll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help, since both devices will appear to be in the correct location.
And remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you’re using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommend Brave.
Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission.Reviews ethics statement
Lori GruninSenior Editor / Advice
I’ve been reviewing hardware and software, devising testing methodology and handed out buying advice for what seems like forever; I’m currently absorbed by computers and gaming hardware, but previously spent many years concentrating on cameras. I’ve also volunteered with a cat rescue for over 15 years doing adoptions, designing marketing materials, managing volunteers and, of course, photographing cats.
ExpertisePhotography, PCs and laptops, gaming and gaming accessories
Keyboard backlight can make keys harder to differentiate
Finish shows smudges
HP gets points for style with its new 14-inch Omen Transcend model, a compact option for the compact gaming/creative crowd in the not-expensive-but-not-cheap mainstream price range. With performance suitable for high-quality 1080p or mid-quality 1440p gaming, along with a striking design, it’s a definite option to consider if you’re in the market and don’t care about a few potential flaws.
The Transcend comes in dark gray or white — the latter costs $20 extra — and can be configured in a variety of ways. The only display available is the 2,880×1,00 60Hz/120Hz dynamic-refresh-rate OLED, though. It starts at $1,500 with an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H, GeForce RTX 4050, 512GB SSD, 16GB RAM and Wi-Fi 6E. Ramping up to an RTX 4060 runs another $70; if you want to bump to a 4070, it costs another $570, because you can only get that by jumping to a Core Ultra 9 185H with 32GB RAM. A 1TB SSD adds $90, while 2TB requires $250 over the base; Wi-Fi 7 is a $40 option and Windows 11 Pro $70. All told, you can spend up to $2,450 on the laptop.
HP Omen Transcend 14
Price as reviewed
$1,700, 1,799
Display
14-inch 2,880×1800 (2.8K) 120Hz OLED 500 nits
CPU
1.4GHz Intel Core Ultra 155H
Memory
16GB LPDDR5X-7467 (soldered)
Graphics
8GB GDDR6 Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060, max 65w
Storage
1TB SSD
Ports
2 x USB-C (1 x Thunderbolt 4 with DP 1.4), 2 x USB-A 3.1, 1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x combo audio
Networking
Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200, Bluetooth 5.4
Operating system
Windows 10 Home 23H2
Weight
3.6 lbs/1.6kg
One of HP’s novelties for the Transcend 14 is a built-in wireless transceiver for the HyperX Cloud 3 wireless headset (HyperX is an HP brand), an excellent gaming headset. HP offers a bundle with the headset, but you don’t get any discount buying it that way, since it’s about the same $150 either way, and comes with the same dongle for use with other systems. It’s nice not having to worry about a dongle, but you can wait and buy it on sale if you’re on the fence. The transceiver only works with that headset, though.
We tested a middle $1,700 configuration of the laptop — the base plus 1TB SSD and Wi-Fi 7 — though HP sent the headset bundle box, so technically it’s the $1,850 version. Given the laptop’s solid but not standout performance, I’d suggest opting for a different laptop if you need more power, like the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, rather than upping to the Ultra 9/RTX 4070 config. If performance doesn’t matter all that much to you, then save some money and get the base configuration, possibly with extra storage or Wi-Fi 7.
Design
I really like the look of the Transcend 14. It’s striking without resorting to slablike, though the only RGB lighting on it is the keyboard backlight — which seems to have enough lighting for all the laptops. It’s relatively thin at 0.7 in/18mm, but looks thinner because it has rubber feet that leave some space beneath it to accommodate the air intake on the bottom. It’s not especially lightweight, about the same as competitors with discrete GPUs.
The ports are scattered on the left, right and back. There’s a decent number of them, but it’s somewhat disappointing that the USB connections are only USB 3.1: That’s got a 10Gbps transfer rate. Of course you can get 40Gbps through the rear Thunderbolt 4 port, but if you’re using it for creation as HP pitches this, I’d want two Thunderbolt ports or at least a second fast USB 3.2 connection (and you lose the one at the back for if you’re on power). If you only need the connections for attaching an external keyboard or mouse, you’re fine with the slower ports.
The touchpad is the same quality as you get with its biz and premium laptops, so no complaints there. I did notice that frequently touched areas, like the wrist rests, developed smudgeprints very quickly, a problem you likely wouldn’t have with the white model.
While the latticeless-ish (I say “ish” because the strike zones of the keys don’t extend to meet each other, instead spreading at the base to show the backlight), per-key RGB keyboard makes a striking first impression, it was only partially effective as a backlight. The LEDs are designed to illuminate the area formerly called the lattice, but the symbols on the keycaps are barely — if at all — translucent and are overwhelmed by all the color. The only way I could read the letters in the dark was to look directly down on the keyboard.
Otherwise, it’s a perfectly serviceable membrane keyboard, and the decent 1080p webcam supports Windows Hello facial recognition, and you can use both Windows Studio Effects and Nvidia Broadcast, the latter accessible though the Omen Gaming Hub software. The camera is below average in low light (noise), the exposure is meh (it doesn’t meter off your face, so you get hotspots on your forehead and cheeks) and my normally pasty-white skin looked like a creamsicle. The software addresses the noise, but neither lets you fine tune exposure or white balance. Nvidia Broadcast has a lot more controls than Studio Effects, video and audio; the latter draws less power, but the former runs on more powerful hardware. Overall, it’s pretty typical of what I’ve seen from HP, though.
Performance and display
It’s hard to screw up an OLED screen, and this one’s no exception, delivering OLED-typical high contrast and a large color gamut with colors that pop. It’s good for everyday use and reasonably accurate for most creative work. If you do need color-critical accuracy, you should tweak the calibration, since it uses a generic profile that could use some tightening.
As it is, the white point is a hair low — close to DCI-P3 at 6200K, but a little warm for the more commonly accepted 6500K. Gamma is a little high at 2.3, but that can work better than 2.2 on OLED, since it opens up the shadows, where OLED tends to clip. Like all OLED panels, it covers 100% P3, and sRGB plus 94% Adobe RGB. It doesn’t have profiles for the other color spaces, which means it extends well past the boundaries of sRGB and may render highly saturated hues inaccurately. It hits peak brightness around 400 nits in standard mode, which is good for OLED (OLED’s higher contrast means it doesn’t need to get as bright for visibility in direct light as IPS).
Color measurements
Gamut coverage
White point
Gamma
Peak brightness 10% window (nits)
Peak full screen brightness (nits)
Accuracy (DE2K average/max)
SDR
100% P3, 149% sRGB, 94% Adobe RGB
6200K
2.3
402
397
2.47/5.55
HDR
100% P3
6450K
n/a
624
617
n/a
At least in my testing, the panel far exceeded its 500 nits rated peak brightness in HDR, hitting well above 600 nits, and a white point of effectively 6500K. It looked good when mapping high-brightness content down to the screens smaller tonal range; at a brightness level of 40, it seemed to most closely approximate the correct tone curve (PQ ST2084). The audio doesn’t fare quite as well; I heard some distortion and muddiness in music, especially when the laptop was on my lap.
The screen supports dynamic refresh-rate switching between 60Hz and 120Hz, intended to save power by dropping to the lower rate when the higher isn’t needed. Like most OLED screens, it has a very high pixel-refresh rate and low persistence, so it displays very little motion blur when gaming at 120Hz.
Graphics performance ranks where expected, between the RTX 4050 and RTX 4070, making the HP generally suitable for high-quality 1080p or mid-quality 1440p gaming or mainstream creative work.
Because the laptop doesn’t support Nvidia’s Advanced Optimus architecture, you can’t force it to use the discrete GPU; the performance settings in the Gaming Hub software let you choose among Eco (always use the integrated GPU), Balanced/Hybrid (let the system choose when to use the discrete GPU) and Performance (the same as Hybrid, but allocating more power to drive the components and dynamically allocate it as needed between the CPU and GPU).
There’s always at least a tiny bit of overhead when the discrete GPU has to work in conjunction with the integrated GPU to drive the screen, which can potentially slow things down a little. The flip side is that it can be more battery efficient, and the HP’s roughly 9- to 10-hour battery life (under the very light load our tests impose) may be worth the tradeoff for some.
You can also control fan speed: It has Auto and Max settings, plus the ability to create a manual curve. The cooling system draws air from the bottom and blows it out through the back, which keeps most of the metal surfaces from getting hot. I could feel it a bit coming through the keyboard, but it never got uncomfortable. The fans can get loud, though.
Processor performance is also on par with the other laptops with Core Ultra 7 155H CPUs we’ve tested. I was hoping the pattern I’d seen with the Alienware m16 R2 of only small drops in performance on battery would hold, but it looks more similar to older Intel H processors, where it can drop a lot when unplugged.
Wrapping sufficient power for mainstream gaming and graphics work in a compact, stylish design with an OLED display makes the HP Omen Transcend a first-rate general-purpose laptop choice and solid value.
Geekbench 6 (multicore)
Acer Predator Triton 14 (PT14-51) on battery6,256Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) on battery6,734Lenovo Slim 7i 14 (2024) on battery8,011HP Omen Transcend 14 on battery8,709Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M3, 2023)12,049Lenovo Slim 7i 14 (2024)12,128Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024)13,038HP Omen Transcend 1413,053Acer Predator Triton 14 (PT14-51)13,904
Note: Longer bars indicate better performance
Cinebench 2024 CPU (multicore)
Lenovo Slim 7i 14 (2024)628HP Omen Transcend 14675Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M3)710HP Omen Transcend 14 max power788Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 2024819Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 2024 Turbo mode932Alienware m16 R2941
Note: Longer bars indicate better performance
Streaming video playback battery drain test (minutes)
Artificial intelligence chatbots are all the rage in the tech industry after ChatGPT hit 100 million users in two months, one of the fastest launches ever. Now parent company OpenAI says demand for a business-focused version of ChatGPT has seen “tremendous growth.”
In an interview with Bloomberg published Thursday, OpenAI COO Brad Lightcap said 600,000 people had signed up for ChatGPT Enterprise, a specialized subscription version of the chatbot service that includes features such as enhanced security, and the ability to read and understand additional data. Lightcap added that the figure was up from 150,000 in January, and predicted that 2024 will be “the year of adoption for AI in the enterprise.”
Read more: Introducing AI Atlas, Your Guide to Today’s Artificial Intelligence
OpenAI’s success expanding adoption of ChatGPT for business means it’s increasingly likely the technology will find its way into many of our workplaces sometime soon. OpenAI said last year that it had seen teams in over 80% of Fortune 500 companies adopt ChatGPT.
In his review of ChatGPT, CNET’s Imad Khan says, “It’s a tool that, when used in conjunction with Google and other resources, can help cut time down on research and discovery.” However, questions have to be carefully worded to get the most use out of ChatGPT. (Khan has also reviewed Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot and the Perplexity AI search engine, and he has thoughts on how they all compare.)
Not all businesses have welcomed AI with open arms, however. OpenAI is also being sued by The New York Times, which says the company used its copyrighted works without permission to help create ChatGPT.
Despite growing concerns about AI’s societal impact, many other chatbots and other AI technologies have started spreading around the world. Microsoft last year began adding AI tools to its Bing search engine and Office suite of business software, integrating features powered by its partnership with OpenAI. The company has even begun experimenting with using AI to help with customer support issues for its Xbox video game division, such as answering questions and handling refund requests.
Google similarly has begun expanding its competing AI chatbot technology across its product line, including recently adding its Gemini AI to Google Workspace. Meta, too, has introduced chatbots with “unique interests and personalities,” in addition to other AI-powered tools.
Even Apple is getting into the AI race, reportedly planning its own AI enhancements for the iPhone, which may be announced as early as this summer during the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference.
Read more: AI can’t do all our jobs for us. but we can make it a “superhero sidekick”
Editors’ note: CNET used an AI engine to help create several dozen stories, which are labeled accordingly. The note you’re reading is attached to articles that deal substantively with the topic of AI but are created entirely by our expert editors and writers. For more, see our AI policy.
Microsoft is nearing the end of its support for Windows 10, with security updates finishing on Oct. 14, 2025. You can pay to continue using Windows 10 securely, but if you want to continue to use Windows for free, it’s best you hop on over to Windows 11 if you haven’t already.
Even if you’ve never used Windows 11 before, you can quickly boot up your computer and easily use it to surf the web, watch videos and play music. All you really need is your mouse to get to where you need, but if you want to be a Windows power user, and not just a Windows novice, you should know about all the keyboard shortcuts that Windows has to offer.
In this story we’ll cover the most important keyboard shortcuts for Windows 11, many of which carry over from Windows 10 and earlier versions of Microsoft’s operating system. That includes the basics, like copying highlighted items and undoing a previous action, as well as lesser-known shortcuts, like snapping an active window into place.
You don’t need to know all of them, but there are likely a handful here that you’ll want to employ in your Windows workflow to improve your overall productivity. And if you want to check out more on Windows 11, here are nine hidden Windows 11 features and how to make Windows 11 act more like Windows 10.
Windows 11 shortcut basics
To start, here are the ones you’ll use most often.
Ctrl + A: Select all items in a window.
Ctrl + C or Ctrl + Insert: Copy selected or highlighted item (text, images and so on).
Ctrl + V or Shift + Insert: Paste selected or highlighted item.
Ctrl + X: Cut selected or highlighted item.
Ctrl + Z: Undo previous action.
Ctrl + Y: Redo action.
Ctrl + N: When File Explorer is your current window, open a new File Explorer window with the same folder path as the current window.
Windows key + F1: Open “how to get help in windows” Bing search in default browser.
Windows key + T: Cycle through the apps (including pinned apps) on the taskbar.
Windows key + [Number]: Open the app pinned in the [number] position on the taskbar. For example, if you have Edge pinned in the first position on the taskbar and you click Windows key + 1, Edge will open. If the app is already open, a new instance or window will open.
Windows key + Alt + [Number]: Open the right-click menu for the app pinned in the [number] position on the taskbar.
Windows key + D: Show or hide desktop (Windows key + , will display the desktop briefly).
Screenshots
Windows 11 also has several ways to take a screenshot, including three different keyboard shortcuts.
PrtScn: Take a screenshot of your entire screen and save it to your clipboard.
Windows key + PrtScn: Take a screenshot of your entire desktop and save it to a folder on your computer.
Windows key + Shift +S: Open Snipping Tool menu to take a screenshot of only a section of your screen.
The desktop: Windows, Snap Assist and virtual desktops
These shortcuts control how individual windows act on your desktop, including virtual desktops.
Windows key + M: Minimize all open windows.
Windows key + Shift + M: Restore minimized windows.
Windows key + Home: Minimize all windows except the selected or currently active window.
Windows key + Up arrow: Maximize selected window.
Windows key + Shift + Up arrow: Maximizes the active window vertically while maintaining its width.
Windows key + Down arrow: Minimize selected window.
Windows key + Left arrow: Snap selected window to the left half of the screen.
Windows key + Right arrow: Snap selected window to the right half of the screen.
Windows key + Alt + Up: Snap selected window to top half of the screen.
Windows key + Alt + Down: Snap selected window to bottom half of the screen.
Windows key + Shift + Left arrow or Right arrow: Move selected window to the left or right monitor.
Instead of trying to decide between a tablet or a laptop, why not have both? Two-in-one laptops can be used as a laptop or a tablet. Instead of having to switch between the two devices, you can have them both combined in one device. One of our top two-in-one budget laptops is now even more discounted. You can snag the Lenovo Flex 5i for only $420 at Best Buy, saving you a whopping $260 on its usual price. But act fast, this deal expires tonight.
The Lenovo Flex 5i is equipped with the 12th-gen Intel Core i5 processor, which is really good for multitasking. It also has a full high-definition display with a resolution of 1920×1200 giving you great picture quality for your streaming, browsing and gaming needs. And because it has a touchscreen, this extremely versatile device can be used as a tablet. It has a standard RAM of 8GB and total storage of 512GB. This device is good for regular browsing, students or other basic needs. The battery lasts approximately 10 hours, so you do not have to worry about the device running out of power in a short amount of time. Some other nice features of this laptop include a USB-C port and a fingerprint reader.
This deal expires tonight, so act quick to snag yours before it’s too late. Along with this insane deal of $260 off, Best Buy is also offering a free six-month subscription for Trend Micro internet security so you stay protected on the internet and a free one month Xbox Game Pass subscription. With all these bonuses and discounts, this deal is nearly impossible to pass up.
If you want a laptop that’s not a two-in-one device — perhaps an upgraded model with more robust features — check out our roundup of best laptop deals happening now to find the perfect fit for you at a great price.
Want to stream The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes? The odds are ever in your favor.
In mid-May, the Hunger Games prequel will be available on the Starz streaming service. The film, based on Suzanne Collins’ 2020 book of the same name, follows 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth), who’s not yet the tyrannical president seen in past films but rather “the last hope for his fading lineage, a once-proud family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol,” per an official synopsis. Young Snow must mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), a tribute from District 12. The movie depicts the 10th annual Hunger Games — Katniss Everdeen, for reference, volunteered for the 74th.
The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes will arrive on Starz roughly six months after its debut in theaters, where it earned more than $330 million at the worldwide box office. The film also stars Peter Dinklage, Hunter Schafer, Josh Andrés Rivera, Jason Schwartzman and Viola Davis. Here’s when you can stream the dystopian tale on the Starz app, and how a VPN could potentially enhance the experience.
When you can watch The Hunger Games prequel on Starz
The ad-free streaming service costs $10 a month. If you can’t wait to see what happens at the 10th Hunger Games, you can also rent The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes digitally from services like Amazon and Fandango at Home (formerly Vudu) for $6.
Netflix is streaming the four prior Hunger Games films: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay – Part 1 and Mockingjay – Part 2.
How to watch the Hunger Games prequel from anywhere with a VPN
Perhaps you’re traveling abroad and want to stream Starz while away from home. With a VPN, you’re able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the movie from anywhere in the world. There are other good reasons to use a VPN for streaming too.
A VPN is the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds by encrypting your traffic. Using a VPN is also a great idea if you’re traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins. Streaming TV can be a bit smoother with a reliable, quality VPN that’s passed our tests and security standards.
You can use a VPN to stream content legally as long as VPNs are allowed in your country and you have a valid subscription to the streaming service you’re using. The US and Canada are among the countries where VPNs are legal, but we advise against streaming or downloading content on illegal torrent sites. We recommend ExpressVPN, but you may opt for another provider from our best list, such as Surfshark or NordVPN.
Follow the VPN provider’s instructions for installation and choose a country where The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes will be streaming on Starz. Before you open the streaming app, make sure you are connected to your VPN using your selected region. If you want to stream the Hunger Games prequel on more than one device, it’s possible you’ll need to configure each one to ensure you are signed in. Go to settings and check your network connections to verify you’re logged in and connected to your VPN account. Now you’re ready to open Starz to stream.
If you run into issues with streaming, first make sure your VPN is up and running on its encrypted IP address. Double-check that you’ve followed installation instructions correctly and you’ve picked the right geographical area for viewing. If you still encounter connection problems, you may need to reboot your device. Close all apps and windows, restart your device and connect to your VPN first. Note that some streaming services have restrictions on VPN access.
If you have been on TikTok recently you might have seen the Vestaboard. It’s essentially a large messaging board that works, and sounds, like an old-fashioned railway station message board. You know the type: It has a roller full of letters that spin until they reach the one you need. What makes the Vestaboard special though is the ability to connect it to your smartphone with all the smart options that entails, from receiving messages to creating custom boards on the fly. The Vestaboard is normally $3,295 but with our exclusive code CNET300 you can knock that price down to $2,995 instead.
While the Vestaboard is not cheap it has a lot of great uses in an office, small business, or even in a large family setting. Because it can be easily adjusted on your phone, you could, for example, use it as a menu board for your coffee shop, or in an office to give out the day’s tasks to your team. It can also give you information about the weather, local news and your calendar events for the day. This makes it great as a central hub for your family home.
While some might say that it’s noisy, that’s really part of the charm. The analog motion and clacking noise harken back to a less digital age, while the smart features — some of which require a subscription — keep it feeling current. The Vestaboard is a unique messaging system that can transform a space, and with our exclusive code CNET300 you can get one for yourself for $2,995.
If the Vestaboard is out of your price range, you can always check out some of the best smart displays here at CNET.
