Best Touch Shortcuts for Windows 8

Windows 8 lets you get around your workspace in myriad ways — via keyboard, mouse, and now through the touchscreen. With a touch-capable, Intel-inspired Ultrabook? like the Sony Vaio Duo 11 Convertible, navigating Windows is easier than ever. Get the most out of your Ultrabook and Windows by learning these shortcuts to some of Windows' most useful functions and features.
Open an App with Options
At the Start screen, you probably know well that tapping on a tile will open the related app immediately. But if you want to run that app with special options — similar to right-clicking on an app in Windows 7 — you can simply tap and hold the tile until the options menu pops up.

Get to System Settings Fast

No need to go hunting for the control panel when you want to make changes to your system. Just swipe from the right edge of the screen toward the middle to bring up the Windows 8 Charms menu, where you'll find the most common computer management options, including the Settings menu, which lets you tweak the way your computer works and looks.

Split the Screen
Want to get two apps on the screen at once so you can more easily multitask? Swipe in from the right or the left side of the screen, slowly. (If you want the new app to appear on the left, swipe from the left, and vice versa.) If you can't get a handle on the speed of this swipe, another shortcut to do this is swiping down from the top of the screen, then right or left, in an "L" shape.

Pin Apps to the Start Screen
Adding your own apps to the Start screen is simple, just browse to the app (or find it through the search system) and tap and hold on its icon or tile. Then, flick your finger down and a menu will pop up. Select "Pin to Start" to attach it to the Start screen. You can even pin websites you frequently visit by tapping "Pin site" from within Internet Explorer and selecting "Pin to Start." Tiles can be rearranged by tapping on them and dragging them to other positions on the Start screen.

Close an App
Not all apps have that familiar "X" button hovering at the top right of the screen — but that doesn't mean you can't close it. Close these apps by tapping and holding somewhere within the app, then dragging down toward the bottom of the screen.

Create Custom Flicks

Flicks are an easy way to get around Windows, and you can create your own flicks to help automate frequently used actions. They work much the same way as keyboard shortcuts. Open the full Control Panel and browse to the Pen and Touch menu. Tap the Flicks tab, then select the option "Use flicks to perform common actions quickly and easily." Tap "Navigational flicks and editing flicks" and tap “Customize” to create your own custom flicks.

Get Extra Options in Internet Explorer
In full-screen mode, Internet Explorer runs without visible menus or toolbars. So where do you find options like refreshing the page or finding text on the screen? Simply flick down from the top of the screen to reveal these options and more in a hidden menu.