Microsoft surface have microsoft word

Get things done with Windows, Microsoft Office, and OneDrive

Surface Pro 6 runs the Windows you know and trust, and Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, for producing your best work. And OneDrive is included, so your files are stored safely in the cloud.

Likewise, Is Surface Pro a desktop replacement?

The Surface Pro 8 is a better desktop replacement device, but some users might be better off with a mobile operating system for some tasks.

Subsequently, Is Microsoft discontinuing the surface? Microsoft has officially announced that it will stop manufacturing the Surface 3 tablet by the end of this year. Microsoft has officially announced that it will stop manufacturing the Surface 3 tablet by the end of this year.

Is Microsoft Word free on surface? The mobile versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are free on Windows devices that are 10.1 inches or smaller, including the new Surface Go. In addition to being free versions of popular Office applications, they’re also lightweight and touch friendly.

Similarly, Does the Surface Pro 7 come with Word and Excel? Answer: Microsoft Surface Pro 7 comes with a Microsoft Office 365 30-days trial preinstalled. You need to purchase Microsoft 365 personal or family to continue using the softwares on your Surface.

Is Windows 11 better for Surface Pro?

The Surface makes multitasking on Windows 11 very effective. If you use Surface for school, office, and casual use, you can utilize multiple desktop windows to become more productive. This feature is even better because Windows 11 will keep track of all the apps you’re using and pick up from the same point.

Can a Surface Pro be used as a tablet?

Buying Options. The Microsoft Surface Pro 8 is a great professional tablet for anyone who wants to keep the core functionality of a laptop but also wants to add a stylus for taking notes or sketching out ideas.

Does Surface Pro last long?

Microsoft Surfaces would last an average of 5 years and may even last more than 10 years, given that they’re taken care of properly. In terms of battery life, Microsoft Surface laptops would last 15 hours of normal usage.

Is Microsoft Surface profitable?

And it isn’t a major growth or profit driver. Surface revenue rose just 5% to about $6.5 billion in Microsoft’s most recent fiscal year, which ended in June, and even high-end computer hardware tends to carry margins well below those of software and services.

Is Surface laptop worth buying?

TechRadar Verdict. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 might just be one of the best laptops for writers, with one of the best keyboards we’ve ever used. It could use a few more ports, but it’s an easy laptop to recommend to anyone that is going to be typing a lot.

Is the original surface still supported?

It was succeeded by the Surface 2 in 2013, with the newer Windows RT 8.1, which was also made available for the original Surface. Support for the OS will end in 2023.

How do I get Microsoft Office on my Surface Pro for free?

3 Ways to Get Microsoft Office for Free

1. Check out Office.com. Microsoft offers Office free to anyone who accesses it directly from Office.com. …
2. Download Microsoft apps. You can download Microsoft’s revamped Office mobile app, available for iPhone or Android devices, for free. …
3. Enroll in Office 365 Education.

How can I get Office 365 for free?

There are ways you can get Office 365 for free.

1. Use Microsoft Office Online.
2. Try Office 365 For Free.
3. Use Office 365 Mobile Apps For Free.
4. Get Office 365 Education Version For Free.
5. Try The Evaluation Version.
6. Get Office 365 For Free With a New PC.
7. Join a Shared Microsoft 365 Home Plan.
8. Ask Your Employer To Buy It For You.

Does Microsoft Surface come with Excel?

The Best of Windows and Office

And for a limited time, Surface Laptop comes with an offer for one-year subscription to Office 365 Personal and 1TB of free storage on OneDrive****, giving you full access to Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote.

Does the Surface Pro 7 come with a pen?

Answer: No, it doesn’t! Surface Pen or stylus isn’t included in the box when you purchase Surface Pro 7.

Does Surface Pro 7 have USB port?

The Surface Pro 7 comes standard with a USB-A and USB-C port, as well as a 3.5mm audio jack, Surface Connect, and a microSD card reader.

Will Windows 11 be a free upgrade?

How much does it cost to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11? It’s free. But only Windows 10 PCs that are running the most current version of Windows 10 and meet the minimum hardware specifications will be able to upgrade. You can check to see if you have the latest updates for Windows 10 in Settings/Windows Update.

Is there a Windows 11 coming out?

Microsoft confirmed Windows 11 would begin to rollout from October 5, 2021. This expands on a blog post by Panos Panay , the Chief Product Officer of Windows, which stated “Windows 11 will be available through a free upgrade for eligible Windows 10 PCs and on new PCs beginning this holiday.”

How much longer will Windows 10 be supported?

Microsoft will continue to support Windows 10 until Oct. 14, 2025. (The Windows 10 November 2021 update is now available.) That gives you about four years to prepare as Microsoft slowly moves its billion-plus Windows users to Windows 11.

Is Surface Pro a laptop or mobile device?

The Surface Laptop, a notebook with a 13.5-inch or 15-inch non-detachable touchscreen. The original device runs Windows 10 S by default; however, it can be upgraded to Windows 10 Pro.

Is the Surface Pro a desktop or mobile device?

The Surface Pro looks like a tablet, but it’s not a mobile device. It’s a portable device. The Surface Pro looks like a tablet, but it’s not a mobile device.

Which is better for drawing iPad or Surface Pro?

Without going into the nitty-gritty, when you compare the two devices the processor on the Apple iPad Pro is more powerful than the Surface Pro 7. With that said, both the tablets are sufficiently powerful to handle intensive drawing-related works.

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Хотя у iPad с точки зрения экосистемы есть определенные преимущества перед недавно выпущенным Surface на базе Windows RT, у продукта Microsoft тоже, разумеется, имеются определенные плюсы по сравнению с устройством Apple в некоторых важных аспектах. И одно из главных преимуществ Surface перед iPad – наличие полнофункциональной версии Microsoft Office в комплекте.

Вы могли встречать другую информацию. Что версия Office, входящая в состав Surface с Windows RT, неполноценна и ограничена, или что она доступна только для «некоммерческого» использования. Все это не вполне верно. Office Home & Student 2013 RT (дурацкое название) – вполне реальный офисный пакет, а не какие-нибудь упрощенные приложения типа тех, что входят в состав Windows Phone. Эта версия почти эквивалентна изданию Office Home & Student 2013, которое скоро станет доступно пользователям традиционных x86-версий Windows (за некоторыми исключениями, о чем ниже).

Вот что нужно знать об Office Home & Student 2013 RT.

Surface RT поставляется с предварительной версией (Preview). Со временем она будет автоматически обновлена до окончательной, продажной версии Office Home & Student 2013 RT. Но в одной из своих предыдущих статей я уже рассказывал о том, как получить обновление сразу же. Ждать не обязательно.

В пакете нет Outlook. И никогда не будет. Office Home & Student 2013 RT поставляется с полнофункциональными версиями Word, Excel, PowerPoint и OneNote 2013, а из магазина (Windows Store) можно загрузить бесплатные Metro-приложения OneNote и Lync. В состав этого продукта не входит и никогда не будет входить Microsoft Outlook. Вместо этого можно использовать приложения «Почта» (Mail), «Календарь» (Calendar) и «Люди» (People) из состава Windows RT.

Некоммерческое использование. Лицензирование Office Home & Student 2013 RT бурно обсуждалось в прессе, поскольку примечание о «некоммерческом» использовании создает такое впечатление, будто этим продуктом нельзя пользоваться для реальной работы. На самом деле, индивидуальные пользователи могут делать с Office RT все что хотят. А компании, которые хотят применять Surface (или любое другое устройство на базе Windows RT) в бизнесе, могут купить коммерческую лицензию на использование Office RT. Хорошую

статью об этом написал Эд Ботт (Ed Bott). Так или иначе, факт остается фактом: использовать Office RT для работы можно.

Недостающие функции. Один из мифов о

Office Home & Student 2013 RT гласит, что это якобы урезанная версия «нормального» пакета Office, не имеющая многих нужных функций. Действительно, некоторые функции отсутствуют, о чем я подробно писал в одной из предыдущих статей, но ничего серьезного я в этом не вижу. И вообще, скажите спасибо что Microsoft портировала Office на Windows RT/ARM – это само по себе невероятно.

Если вы до сих пор не вполне уяснили, что получаете вместе с Windows RT – бесплатно, между прочим – обязательно изучите вопрос подробно. Но главная проблема заключается в том, что в 2013 году Microsoft собирается портировать Office на iPad (и Android). Значит ли это, что преимущество Surface всего лишь временное?

Нет, вовсе нет.

Как я уже упоминал в предыдущих статьях, Office для iPad (и других сторонних платформ) будет предлагаться исключительно в рамках подписки Office 365. Другими словами, в то время как владельцы Surface с Windows RT получают Office бесплатно и навсегда, пользователям iPad придется каждый месяц за это платить, вне зависимости от того, зачем им нужен Office – для работы или для развлечения. (Напомню, что компаниям, использующим Surface RT в бизнесе, платить за Office придется в любом случае.)

Это что касается фактов. Но если можно строить предположения, то я подозреваю, что версии Office для iPad/Android будут весьма ограничены в возможностях по сравнению с Office RT и будут больше похожи на версию Office для Windows Phone или вообще на веб-приложения. Если это действительно так, и Office iPad не окажется клоном Office RT, это тоже будет большим преимуществом Surface с Windows RT. Трудно представить, что Microsoft поступит по-другому.

Но так или иначе, Surface с Windows RT в любом случае выигрывает в данном вопросе по цене. +1 в пользу Surface.

Автор: Paul Thurrott
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Оцените статью: Голосов

Let’s have a hype-free look at Microsoft’s new Surface Go tablet, Microsoft’s pricing tricks, how to buy and which model.  Also your Microsoft Office options with the Surface Go.

What is it?

Surface Go is clearly targeting the Apple iPad with the advantage of being able to run ‘real’ Microsoft Office.

Photo from Microsoft.  Retail price for this configuration is US$673 or $823 for the 8GB/128GB model.

It has a 10″ screen (1800 x 1200, 217 PPI resolution) with 10 point multi-touch. For comparison the 9.7″ iPad 2018 has better specs, 2048 x 1536-pixel resolution at 264 PPI.

The back has the nice ‘flip out’ panel that lets the Surface Go stand up.

As you’d expect, Wifi, Bluetooth, front and rear cameras, microphone, speakers.

Microsoft claims 9 hour battery life for the Surface Go.  Any battery claims from any maker should be taken for a pinch/pillar of salt.  Also remember that the non-replaceable battery will lose capacity over time.

There’s a USB-C socket which allows plenty of options for fast accessories.  The 3.5mm headphone socket is also welcome.

Storage is either 64GB or 128GB but Windows itself takes up some of that advertised space.  There’s also a microSDXC socket so there’s the possibility of adding a second ‘drive’ for additional storage.  Microsoft promotes the use of cloud storage like OneDrive but that’s not always practical.

TPM 2.0 means that Bitlocker can be easily added for better drive security.

Check out the full technical specs.

Surface Go is just the tablet device.  The combination cover/keyboard and mouse are extra and a LOT extra.  If doing a price comparison with a laptop, you need to include the add-ins.

Surface price tricks continue

Microsoft continues to fool the media and public with their pricing of Surface products.  They show Surface devices with a keyboard and sometimes mouse.  However, the headline price does NOT include the keyboard or mouse.

The much quoted price for Surface Go is US$399 or £379 in the UK but that’s without US$130 / £100 extra for the ‘Type Cover’.    That’s a 32% increase in price for a keyboard that’s, frankly, isn’t very good for regular typists.

Add another $35 for the Surface mouse and $100 for the Surface Pen.

The full kit with cover/keyboard, mouse and digital pen raises the ‘cheap’ $399 price to $673.  The 8GB/128GB model goes from $549 to $823.

Which Microsoft Office on Surface Go

Surface Go comes with the limited Windows 10 S which only allows Windows 10 apps (not external programs) will be able to run either:

• Office Mobile apps (Word, Excel and PowerPoint) or
• Office 2016 for Windows via the Microsoft Store (Office 365 plan required)

Or you can convert Windows 10 S mode into full Windows 10.  Once you’ve done that, regular Office 2016 for Windows can be installed in the usual way.

Surface Go comes with a single month of Office 365 Home.  If you buy a Surface device, take advantage of the ‘free’ month but don’t get caught paying high prices.  Microsoft uses that ‘free’ Office 365 option to trick customers into more expensive options like monthly payments or buying annual Office 365 direct from Microsoft.

What to do before buying a Surface Pro

Ideally try out a Surface Pro for yourself in store.

See how the TypeCover keyboard works for you because many people don’t like it’s feel. Keyboards can be a very personal thing, especially for those of us who spend a lot of  time typing.

Try out the Surface Pen to see how well it works for you.  Can you easily draw or handwrite with it?  Any lag or parallax error?  The Microsoft TypeCover does NOT include a holder for the Surface Pen.  In our experience, any tablet cover needs to securely hold an expensive digital pen, it’s too easy to lose otherwise.

You should be able to cut the cost and get better accessories by waiting for third-party options with better keyboards and pen holders.  That’s what savvy Apple and Surface customers do.

We’re very much inclined to the 8GB memory / 128GB model.  Modern software, especially browsers and Outlook for Windows use a lot of memory.  A 4GB Windows 10 machine will work, but it’ll run a lot more smoothly with 8GB, we changed our hardware recommendations in Windows 10 for Microsoft Office users to prefer 8GB as a minimum for Windows 10 with Office.

Similarly, a 64GB drive isn’t a lot once you’ve installed Windows 10, Microsoft Office and other software.  Photos and videos can take up a lot of space.  Microsoft’s loves to talk about using OneDrive to extend Surface device storage but that’s not always possible or practical.  The 128GB model is the better choice in our view.

Thanks for letting us know!

I’ve decided that the Microsoft marketing folks screwed up.

If they really wanted to sell Surface Pro 4 tablets and Surface Books, they would have included a free copy of Microsoft Office just like they did with the Surface 3 tablets.

It seems a bit silly to buy a Surface Pro 4 for $1,000 then have to drop another $70 to $220 to have essential apps like Word and Excel.

So, if you got a Surface Pro 4 but don’t want to spend more money to get an Office Productivity Suite, this is the post for you.

I found a pair of free alternatives to Microsoft Office that will do 95% of what you can do with it and even a few things you can’t do with Microsoft Office.

Sounds good, right? Well read on…

Note: If you are a college student, you may be able to purchase Microsoft Office with a major discount. Check with your school for details.

The first Microsoft Office alternative I’ll touch on is OpenOffice. OpenOffice has been around for a long time and acquired by the Apache foundation a couple of years ago.

It used to be that when you talked about a Microsoft Office alternative, this was the program suite you meant.

OpenOffice is an open-source software suite that includes word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, and database software. Sound familiar? Yep, it’s very similar to Microsoft Office. The main difference is that OpenOffice is 100% free. It is stored in an international open format and can even read most of the Microsoft Office file formats.

A word of caution: you will not get some of the ‘bells and whistles’ you get with Microsoft products when using OpenOffice and there are some file format limitations, for more info see this great wiki on Sharing Files with Microsoft Office Users.

Microsoft Office Alternatives for Surface: LibreOffice

LibreOffice is really just an offshoot of OpenOffice. It started a years back when OpenOffice was owned by Oracle and some people didn’t like the way things were going so, they made their own version from the OpenOffice code base.

As a result, it shares a lot of similarities including using the same names for the individual programs (like Writer which is the equivalent to Word).

In addition, LibreOffice offers what is called a portable version that can just be carried around on a USB key or MicroSD card and doesn’t need to be installed on a system to work.

How cool is that?

Microsoft Office Alternatives for Surface: Equivalents

So, now that you understand that OpenOffice and LibreOffice are really just two sides of the same coin, I’ll touch on which programs in these two suites correspond to the familiar Microsoft Office programs.

The links below will take you to the description on the LibreOffice site but the information is pretty much the same for the OpenOffice version.

• Writer is the equivalent to Microsoft Word
• Calc is the equivalent to Microsoft Excel
• Impress Is the equivalent to Microsoft PowerPoint
• Draw is the equivalent to Microsoft Visio
• Base is the equivalent to Microsoft Access

You might notice that there is no equivalent to Microsoft Outlook. This is unfortunate but unless you’re using a Microsoft Exchange server for your email there are many email clients that can fill the gap.

One of the more popular e-mail clients out there is Mozilla Thunderbird or simply use the built-in Windows 8 Mail App.

Microsoft Office Alternatives for Surface: Which one should I use?

My advice is to try them both and pick your favorite. It won’t really cost you anything but a little bit of time. After you play with them both, pick one and uninstall the other.

As I said before, neither option will be a 100% copy of the equivalent Microsoft Office program but they will all give you what you need to produce your document, spreadsheet, or presentation.

Since they’re very similar, either one will probably work for you if you can’t or don’t want to spend $$$ on Microsoft Office.

Also, don’t forget that Microsoft offers Office.com, which is an online, scaled-down option to MS Office apps. In a pinch, that will also do the job in producing a document or a spreadsheet. See, our post on Office Online for Your Surface.

Tim

Microsoft создавал Surface Duo в первую очередь для работы, поэтому в этой серии видео поговорим про то, как пользоваться на нем приложениями Office 365, Word, Excel и PowerPoint, какие есть тонкости и фишки, и чем нам во всем этом пригодится стилус Surface Slim Pen, который, кстати, очень удобно крепится к корпусу с помощью магнитов.

В целом именно мобильная функциональность всех трех приложений похожа и отличия связаны в общем-то только с их разной направленностью. Так или иначе, такой полноценный интерфейс на мобильном устройстве — это редкость, и он будет полезен всем, кому приходится работать с файлами на бегу. Это может быть как и мегакрутой занятый бизнесмен, так и студент — у меня в институте, например, просто принести или прислать текст было недостаточно, и было принципиально именно форматирование, которое обычно с телефона поправить в метро практически нереально.

Как пользоваться Surface Slim Pen в Microsoft Word на Surface Duo

На первый взгляд интерфейс приложения может смутить и показаться непонятным, так что давайте разберемся, где тут что находится.

Внизу вы увидите серую панель со знакомыми функциями: три варианта шрифта, выделитель, цвет текста, маркированный список и выравнивание по краю.

Если нажать на стрелочку, откроется более полное меню.

Во вкладке Домой находятся функции вставки, форматирования, рисования. Здесь можно включить отслеживание изменений, после которого все внесенные изменения будут записываться, их можно будет подтвердить или отклонить. Ехать на работу или домой к компьютеру для этого не придется.

Если читать в мобильном формате документ неудобно, можно открыть печатный вид, нажав на соответствующую кнопку справа наверху. Так на экране будет отображаться больше текста.

Что у нас тут по рисованию. Рисунки и заметки, внесенные от руки, отображаются только в печатном режиме, в мобильном формате рисование недоступно. Функциональность такая же, как в полной версии ворда, причем включая жесты, о которых мы рассказывали в нашем прошлом видео. Можно рисовать прямо на документе, можно вычеркивать куски текста, соединять и делить строчки и слова, выделять. Для этого во вкладке рисования включаем режим редактирования в самом низу. Единственный минус, тут не получается вписывать слова от руки.

Можно комментировать отдельные моменты в тексте. Для этого выделяем нужное и выбираем «оставить комментарий».

Как пользоваться Surface Slim Pen в Microsoft Excel на Surface Duo

Для начала я разверну таблицу на два экрана, чтобы она полностью отображалась. Конечно, можно открыть и на одном и повернуть телефон, но так, на мой взгляд, удобнее.

Нажав на букву А с карандашом вверху, мы открываем меню почти со всеми стандартными функциями, знакомыми из десктопной версии. Можно выполнять заливку, объединять ячейки, менять форматирование и добавлять столбцы и строки.

В меню вставка можно добавлять таблицы, картинки, графики и комментарии. Здесь же находится раздел с формулами.

Ну и конечно куда без рисования. Выбираем иконку с рисованием, нажимаем на «рисовать стилусом или касанием», чтобы перейти в режим рисования, а не перемещения по экрану. Жесты в экселе не поддерживаются, но все равно доступно как рисование, так и выделитель с ластиком. По поводу ластика, кстати, напомню — у стилуса Surface Pen кнопка на обратной стороне и есть ластик.

Также может пригодиться режим заморозки строк и столбцов — это удобно, если нужно всегда иметь их названия перед глазами. Это можно сделать во вкладке Вид выбрав заморозку ячеек снизу.

Как пользоваться Surface Slim Pen в Microsoft PowerPoint на Surface Duo



Иногда что-то поправить в презентации, с которой вы уже едете к клиенту, бывает невозможно. С Duo и мобильным PowerPoint такая проблема отпадает. Давайте посмотрим, что позволяет делать приложение.

Посмотрим на примере уже готовой презентации. Открываем файл. Первое, что можно и нужно сделать – выбрать слайд, который требуется отредактировать. Нажимаем на слайд, выбираем что нам нужно — можно не только редактировать, но и комментировать.

При нажатии на букву А с карандашом вверху экрана открывается функциональная панель. Здесь, помимо всего прочего, можно добавить новый слайд. Элементы слайда, как и обычно, можно перемещать, менять их размер и так далее. Чтобы ввести текст, не забудьте сначала закрыть функциональную панель, тогда откроется клавиатура.
В разделе рисования в PowerPoint есть знакомая нам по  Word функция преобразования фигур. Также доступно лассо для выделения нарисованного и написанного. Можно делать необходимые заметки прямо на слайдах.

Чтобы открыть режим презентации, нажмите на иконку с доской справа наверху. В этом режиме также можно делать пометки на слайдах. Чтобы скрыть слайд, нажмите перечеркнутую доску, чтобы закрыть режим презентации — на доску с крестиком. Duo можно подключить к экрану по Wi-Fi и показывать презентацию прямо с него.

Несмотря на то, что кому-то Duo может показаться странным или неудобным, по факту Microsoft сделал свои приложения максимально удобными для мобильной работы на двух экранах, и мы надеемся, что в будущем такой функциональностью обзаведутся все больше программ, а работа на двух экранах станет еще удобнее и многообразнее.

В России, вы можете купить Microsoft Surface Duo в нашем фирменном магазине. Теперь, с полной поддержкой русского языка!

Tablets are great for graphic design, art, gaming, and watching your favorite shows and viral video clips. Sure, your phone can do all that, but isn’t it better with a big screen? Tap or click here for the best tablets based on your needs and budget.

Prefer working on a PC? Microsoft’s Surface is a great desktop and mobile hybrid for anyone. They’re laptops when you need them and touch screen tablets when you don’t.

But what else can your Microsoft Surface do? It’s more than you think. Keep reading for tips to make Surface even more useful and help you get more out of its integrated features.

1. You can provide a real signature within Word documents

Signing up with online document signature sites and services can be annoying (and expensive). If you own a license to Microsoft Word or are subscribed to Office 365, you can sign documents inside of Word without paying for an external service.

RELATED: Before you sign a document online, look for these signs it’s a scam

Here’s how to sign a Word document using your Surface Pen:

1. Open a Word document.
2. Click on the tab at the top of Word labeled Review.
3. Select Start Inking.
4. Select the Pen Tool to sign your name. You can adjust the color and line thickness here.
5. Follow the prompts to finish.

2. Remote collaboration in real-time

Sometimes text isn’t enough to explain yourself to a colleague or classmate. Text messages and emails can lose context, so you can use Whiteboard on your Surface to communicate with others through visuals.

Microsoft Whiteboard is an official app that Microsoft’s Head of Industrial Design personally uses. Many projects require different mediums to work together.

Whiteboard is exactly what you think it is. A virtual whiteboard that feels like MS Paint and works as a collaborative tool. You can see what other users are sketching in real-time and make changes on the fly.

3. Use the Surface Pen to take screenshots

Snip & Sketch is one of Surface’s best tools. You can use this to take screenshots with your Surface Pen, allowing you to share images in Microsoft Whiteboard or hold onto them for reference.

The Surface Pen has an eraser button. Click it twice, and it will take a screenshot. You’ll be prompted to crop the image, so if you don’t want the entire webpage, you can scale it down. You can also edit the image by drawing on it to add notes or circle important details.

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4. Turn your Surface into an external monitor

If you need more screen real estate in your home office, you can temporarily use your Surface as a second monitor. Because it’s its own PC, you can quickly transfer files to your Surface if you need to grab it and head out the door, making it much more helpful than screen mirroring with a tablet.

Here is how to do it:

1. In both your primary PC and Surface, go to the search option, type in Projection Settings, and click on it.
2. Hit the Windows Key and the P key simultaneously on your primary PC.
3. You’ll get the option to Connect to a Wireless Display.
4. Select your chosen second screen from the list. In this case, it’s your Surface.
5. A prompt will appear requesting that you Always Allow this option. Click Ok to continue.
6. A code will pop up on your Surface. Enter the code into the prompt on your primary PC.
7. Press the Windows Key and the P key again to open up the Connect to a Wireless Display menu once more.
8. Under those options, select Extend from the menu.

You should now see a second desktop appear on your Surface. It will be controllable with your mouse and keyboard on your primary PC.

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5. Set your connection to metered, so you don’t rack up data fees

Your Surface can have a data plan just like your cell phone. This is extremely useful if you take your Surface with you to a remote location that doesn’t have Wi-Fi.

Windows 10 and 11 automatically set your connection to metered while using mobile data. A metered connection can save you extra fees if you use an ISP that puts a data limit on your monthly internet usage.

A metered connection still uses data, but it tells your Surface not to use up the entire bandwidth. This setting will communicate with apps on your Surface so that they don’t operate in the background and use data for unnecessary tasks.

To set a metered connection, this is what you have to do.

1. Find your Wi-Fi connection in the bottom right corner of your Surface and click on it.
2. Click on the connection you’re currently using.
3. Once you click on it, an option labeled Metered Connection will pop up. Use the on-screen button and set it to On.

This will only impact the current Wi-Fi you’re connected to. You have to set this every time you connect to a new network.

Don’t have a Microsoft Surface? Here are great options

Here are a few popular Microsoft Surface models to choose from. They range in price, depending on your needs.

A few extra things your Microsoft Surface can do

These tips are great and point out what Surface can do, but if you’re entirely new to using a Surface, here are some other things you can use it for:

• View and reply to text messages.
• Make sketches on Maps.
• Use picture-in-picture mode for multitasking.
• Scan documents and files for your OneDrive.
• Sync phone and Surface operations for excellent efficiency.

Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about Microsoft Surface products:

How long can a Microsoft Surface battery last?

Depending on how you use it, the current gen 8 Surface products last for an average of 16 hours. Brightness settings, graphics-heavy tasks such as design and other applications may reduce battery time based on what you use it for.

How much RAM does a Microsoft Surface have?

Surface models vary between 4 GB to 16 GB of RAM, depending on the generation and model. Pro models come with more RAM to help with heavy creative tasks.

Is Surface better than a traditional laptop?

In performance and functionality, Surface products are better than most laptops. Between having the option of touch screen operation or hooking up a keyboard and mouse, you also get excellent speeds and high performance. They have to compete with Apple and fare well in this regard.

Keep reading

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Microsoft’s Surface Pro lineup and the word “revamp” have rarely shared a sentence. These laptop-tablet hybrids have largely been kept alive with new processors and minor hardware upgrades over the years. The new Surface Pro 8 isn’t quite the revamp you might have hoped for, but it’s somewhere between a minor and a major refresh.

The 2-in-1 isn’t all that different from its predecessor, but its upgrades make it a worthy consideration for anyone looking for a new machine. There’s a larger touchscreen display with a 120-Hz screen refresh rate, better performance, and it comes preloaded with Windows 11. The company also nixed the Core i3 processor model, so the base Surface Pro 8 comes with a Core i5 and starts at $1,100. It might seem like a big jump from the Surface Pro 7’s $749 price, but it’s technically just $200 more when comparing the same configuration (though that’s still pricey).

This is a machine that feels like it’s hit its peak in terms of innovation. I’ve really enjoyed using it over the past week. Well, mostly. Just like the new Surface Go 3, you’ll need to keep the charger close at hand.

Bigger and Brighter All-Around

Photograph: Microsoft

The most visible change on the Surface Pro 8 is the larger touchscreen display, going from 12.3 inches to 13. Even with dozens of tabs and windows open, the screen feels roomy. 

It’s sharper too, with a slightly higher 2,880 x 1,920-pixel resolution, and a built-in Ambient Color Sensor automatically matches the screen’s color temperature to the light around you, not unlike True Tone on Apple’s MacBooks. The screen also gets brighter than ever before. All of this makes staring at the Pro 8 a little easier on the eyes, whatever environment you’re in.

Just like the newest iPhones, the screen has a 120-Hz refresh rate, which doubles the number of frames you see per second. You can read more about the tech here, but it essentially makes everything from scrolling through Twitter on Chrome to jotting down notes with the Slim Pen 2 feel incredibly smooth. Unfortunately, it really impacts battery life—more on this later—which is probably why it’s set to 60 Hz by default. You’ll have to dig through the settings menu to toggle it on.

Right above the screen is a 1080p webcam (with Windows Hello face authentication to sign in) that’s pretty good even in low light. I look crisp and clear on my Zoom calls, to the point of some insecurity. And unlike on iPads or older Dell laptops, the webcam isn’t in an awkward spot, which means you have one less thing to worry about. 

Unsurprisingly, connectivity options are slim. The Pro 7 had the benefit of one USB-A and one USB-C port on the right side of the display, but now you only get two USB-C (both Thunderbolt 4). Depending on the accessories you plug in, that’s either good or bad. What’s worse is that Microsoft axed the MicroSD card slot, though this might not be too much of an issue since it’s easy to upgrade the solid state storage drive whenever it fills up. Thankfully, the headphone jack remains.