Print to the Microsoft XPS Document Writer
The XPS Document Writer allows you to create .xps files using any program that you can print from in Windows. Print to the XPS Document Writer when you want to create, send, and share or publish documents that you do not want other people to modify, or when you want to print a document or display it online exactly as it appears on your screen. It's also a good idea to create an XPS document for files that contain graphics or illustrations that might otherwise display differently in print than online or on computers with different monitors.

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View, pause, or cancel printing
After your document or photo has started to print, you can pause or cancel it in the print queue. The print queue shows you what's printing or waiting to print. It also displays handy information such as print status, who's printing what, and how many pages are left to be printed. Watch this video to learn how to pause or cancel printing.

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What is the XPS Viewer?
An XPS document is any file that is saved in the XML Paper Specification, or .xps, file format. You can create XPS documents (.xps files) by using any program that you can print from in Windows; however, you can only view XPS documents by using an XPS Viewer, such as the one included in this version of Windows.

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Printing tips: Learn how to print labels, envelopes, and more
Do you tear your hair out when trying to print labels, greeting cards, or anything more complicated than a standard letter-sized document? If so, you're not alone. For many people, printing odd-sized or specialty items is difficult. That's because it's so easy to make a mistake. Feed envelopes into a printer in the wrong direction and they come out printed upside down or sideways. Fail to enter the correct brand, size, and product number of your labels and you can waste a whole expensive sheet of them. And just try to print a homemade, multisided, folded greeting card correctly the first time. It's not so simple! Here are some helpful tips and links to more information:

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Working with files and folders
A file is an item that contains information-for example, text or images or music. When opened, a file can look very much like a text document or a picture that you might find on someone's desk or in a filing cabinet. On your computer, files are represented with icons; this makes it easy to recognize a type of file by looking at its icon.

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XPS documents: frequently asked questions
Here are answers to some common questions about XPS documents. What is an XPS document? How do I create an XPS document? How do I view an XPS document? How can I verify and protect an XPS document?

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Choosing print options
Double or single sided. Grayscale or color. Landscape or portrait. These are just some of the options you might see when you print. This article describes common Windows printing options and how to select them. Remember, your printing options depend entirely on the printer model and software application you're using. Consult the manual that came with your printer or program for more details. Watch this video to learn how to choose print options.

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Print a test page
After installing a printer, it's helpful to print a test page. A test page does two things: It provides visual confirmation that your printer works; it can also contain useful troubleshooting information, such as details about the printer driver. Watch this video to learn how to print a test page.

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Take a screen capture (print your screen)
Sometimes it's easier to show someone what you're seeing on your computer screen instead of explaining it. In Windows, one easy solution is the PrtScn key. When you press it, an image of your screen is copied to the Clipboard. This is called a screen capture or screen shot. To print the screen capture or send it to someone in an e-mail, you'll first have to paste it into Paint or some other image-editing program and save it. Watch this video to learn how to print your screen.

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Fonts: frequently asked questions
Here are answers to some common questions about fonts. What's a font? What font types are included in Windows? Where can I find more fonts? How can I make on-screen fonts clearer? How can I make sure that the text I print looks the same as it does on my screen? Why do the fonts in my file look different when I open the file on another computer? Should I be aware of any issues when installing fonts?

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View and print picture thumbnails
A thumbnail is a tiny preview version of a picture. Viewing your pictures as thumbnails makes it easier to scan your collection at a glance. You can also select a bunch of picture thumbnails and print them on a single page. Photographers call this a contact sheet. Even in the digital age, contact sheets offer a handy visual reference to photos archived on disc or within specific folders. Watch this video to learn how to view and print picture thumbnails.

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Print a picture
With Windows Photo Viewer, you can make prints of your digital photos. If you don't have a printer handy, you can use Windows to order prints online. Watch this video to learn how to print a picture.

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Picture printing: frequently asked questions
Here are answers to some common questions about printing in Windows Photo Viewer. How do I change print sizes in Windows Photo Viewer?What does the "Fit picture to frame" option do? What happens if I try to print a single picture on a template with room for several pictures? Why do settings such as paper size and print quality change from time to time? What's a contact sheet? How does paper type affect my printing results?

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Copy and paste a file
When you copy and paste a file , you're making a duplicate of the original file that you can then modify independently of the original file. If you copy and paste a file to a different location on your computer, it's a good idea to give it a different name so that you'll remember which file is new and which file is the original. Watch this video to learn how to copy and paste a file.

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Working with digital pictures
Photo printing once required a darkroom or a professional photo lab not to mention advanced training. But in the last decade, digital cameras and computers have revolutionized the field of photography, making it possible for anyone to print photos at home. In this article, you'll learn how the tools in Windows can help you view, organize, and print your digital pictures.

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Open a file or folder
You can open a file or folder in Windows to perform a variety of tasks, such as editing the information in a file or making a copy of a file or folder. To open a file, you must have a program that is associated with it. Typically, this is the same program that was used to create the file.

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Insert text into a Journal note
The main function of Windows Journal is using your tablet pen to write notes on your Tablet PC, but you can also add typed text or text from a document or other file to mark up in Journal.

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How to View or Print Your Homegroup Password
If you have forgot your Windows 7 homegroup password, then this will show you how to view or print it to see what it is again. You must have this password to be able to join a computer to your homegroup.

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Why can't I print?
Here are solutions to some common problems with printing. My printer doesn't print. I see an error message about "spooler" problems. I want to add a network printer, but it's not offered in the Add Printer wizard. I can't find a printer that I want to add in the Network folder.

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Why can't I print to a printer in my homegroup?
There are several reasons why you might not be able to print to a homegroup printer:

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What are permissions?
Permissions are rules associated with objects on a computer or network, such as files and folders. Permissions determine whether you can access an object and what you can do with it. For example, you might have access to a document on a shared folder on a network. And even though you can read the document, you might not have permissions to make changes to it. System administrators and people with administrator accounts on computers can assign permissions to individual users or groups.

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What is a hidden file?
Although you usually can't see a hidden file, it's an ordinary file in all other respects. You can choose whether a file is hidden or visible by changing its properties. Here's how to do this:

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How to Manually Sync Your Offline
When you make a network file, or all files in a network folder, available offline, Windows creates a copy of the file or folder on your computer. This is called an offline file. The next time you disconnect from the network, you'll still be able to open, modify, and save the file the same way you would if you were still connected. And when you do connect to the network again, Windows will automatically sync the offline file on your computer with the corresponding file on the network for the latest changes.

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How do I prevent a file from syncing to a device in Windows Media Player?
If your device syncs automatically with Windows Media Player and you want to exclude a particular file from syncing to the device, you can choose to skip the file. You have several options for skipping files: deleting the file from the device, removing the file from a playlist that automatically syncs to the device, and removing a file that has an error condition.

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Rename a file
One way to rename a file is to open the program that was used to create the file, open the file, and then save it with a different name. However, there's a quicker way:

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Change the properties for a file
File properties are details about a file, such as author names, tags, or the date when a file was last modified. Properties make your files easier to find and organize. For example, you can search for a file by one of its properties. You can also use libraries to arrange files by a property. If you're browsing the Documents library, for example, and you want to see the most recently changed files first, you can arrange the files by the Date modified property.

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Fax or e-mail a scanned document
After you scan a document or picture, you can use Windows Fax and Scan to e-mail or fax it to someone.

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Change a picture's file type (file format) using Paint
Although digital pictures come in a variety of file formats, many of the pictures on your computer probably use the common JPEG format. This is the file format most digital cameras use to save good-quality images without creating large files. In addition, many programs can open pictures that are saved in the JPEG format. However, you might have pictures (or drawings) that you want to convert and save as a different type of picture file. When you save a picture in a different format, the original picture isn't replaced; instead, a new picture file is created and saved.

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Codecs: frequently asked questions
Here are answers to some common questions about codecs. What is a codec? Which codecs are included with the Player? Why do I get a message that says my computer is missing a codec? How do I find a codec? What is a DVD decoder? Why can't I play a file at work that I can play at home? I installed a missing codec, but I still can't play the file. Why? How do I tell which codecs are installed on my computer? How do I tell which codec was used to compress a file and what format a file is in? Are codecs and file formats the same?

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Enable or Disable the Use Of Offline Files
If you work with files on a network, you can make the files available offline so you can access them even when your computer is not connected to the network. This is especially useful if you use a laptop to connect to a workplace network. When you make a network file, or all files in a network folder, available offline, Windows creates a copy of the file or folder on your computer. This is called an offline file. The next time you disconnect from the network, you'll still be able to open, modify, and save the file the same way you would if you were still connected. And when you do connect to the network again, Windows will automatically sync the offline file on your computer with the corresponding file on the network to update it.

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Why can't I delete a file or folder?
Here are answers to some common questions about problems you might encounter when deleting files and folders. What might prevent me from deleting a file or folder? What does it mean if I try to delete a file and I see an error that the file is in use? Sometimes after I delete all the files in a folder, the folder still remains. How do I delete the folder?

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Find a file or folder
Windows provides several ways to find files and folders. There isn't one best way to search you can use different methods for different situations. Learn: To find a program or file by using the search box on the Start menu; To find a file or folder by using the search box in a folder or library; To find a file by using search filters; To expand a search beyond a specific library or folder.

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Save a file
While you're working with a file in a program, you should save it frequently to avoid losing data unexpectedly due to a power failure or other problems.

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Convert a hard disk or partition to NTFS format
The NTFS file system provides better performance and security for data on hard disks and partitions or volumes than the FAT file system used in some earlier versions of Windows. If you have a partition that uses the earlier FAT16 or FAT32 file system, you can convert it to NTFS.

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Using special characters (Character Map): frequently asked questions
Here are answers to some of the most common questions about using special characters and Character Map. What is a special character? What is Character Map? How do I open Character Map? How do I insert a special character into a document? What is a private character? How do I create a private character? How do I insert a private character into a document? How do I search for a character by name? How do I search for a character by Unicode category? How do I search for a character by Unicode value? How do I search for a Chinese, Japanese, or Korean character by the way it sounds?

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Move and copy files using drag and drop
A common way to move or copy a file or folder is to select it and drag it to another location. For example, you can drag a file to the Recycle Bin to delete the file, or to a folder to copy or move it to that location.

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Getting started with printing
You can print almost anything with Windows: documents, pictures, webpages, or e-mail. This article is designed to introduce new computer users to common printers and the basics of printing in Windows.

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Prevent changes to a file by setting it to read-only
Setting your important or personal files to read-only can help protect them from unintentional or unauthorized changes. When a file is set to read-only, it can't be changed.

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File and printer sharing: frequently asked questions
Here are answers to some common questions about file and printer sharing in Windows 7. What are the different file sharing options in Windows? How do I share files stored in individual folders? How do I share files stored in the Public folder? How do I share files using a homegroup? What is printer sharing and how do I do it?

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Change the program that opens a type of file
If you double-click a file in Windows and it opens in the wrong software program, follow these steps to choose the program you would prefer to use. You can change this setting for an individual file, or you change this setting so Windows opens all files of the same type in the software program you choose.

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