Understanding the Windows 8 Charms Bar on Your Surface

The Charms bar in Windows 8, an icon-filled strip that appears along the screen's right edge, works throughout your Surface, from the Start screen to the desktop.

You'll find yourself constantly summoning the Charms bar to move quickly from one place to another, as well as to search and send information other places.

To summon the Charms bar, slide your finger inward from the screen's right edge. The Charms bar appears, with its five icons:

• Search: Tap this, and a Search pane appears, letting you direct your search to various areas, including your apps, files, and settings. Icons for apps also appear on the Search pane's lower half, letting you search through apps. You can direct a search for DeNiro to the Netflix app, for example.

• Share: When you want to share what you're seeing with friends, tap the Share icon. The Share pane appears, listing all the apps capable of sharing what you're seeing.

• Start: Tap this for a quick way to return to the Start screen.

• Devices: This gateway to devices attached to your Surface lets you send your screen's contents to your printer, for example, or view your screen on an attached projector or TV.

• Settings: Tap this to see all of your settings, different ways to change either the app you're seeing, or your Surface's general behavior.