The Microsoft Surface doesn’t come with a great manual. In fact, it doesn’t even come with everything you need to make it complete. Today though, I found the 68 page Surface User Guide. It contained several hidden Microsoft Surface tips and tricks that nobody bothered to mention! Below are the some gems that are tucked away.

But first, a quick tip to give you an extra 8GB of hard drive space! Using DiskPart, you can delete the unneeded recovery partition. To do so, launch an administrative command prompt (by using this shortcut key). Then type the following:

diskpart

select disk 0

list partition

Your recovery partition should be partition 5.  Now type:

select partition 5

delete partition override

You should now have an extra 8 GB which can be extended into your Primary (Windows) partition. Without further wait, the Surface Tips and Tricks list is below:

1. The Surface Pro Power Supply (48 watt) works on the RT as well. The RT Power Supply (24 watt) will work for the Pro but charging will take longer.
2. Google stopped supporting Exchange ActivSync. If you have a GMail account, Microsoft has a work around for you here. – Page 6
3. When in sleep mode, Surface RT will maintain a wireless connection. Pro will not. – Page 20
4. When the Type/Touch keyboard is folded back (as if you are using it as a Tablet), Surface locks the keyboard to prevent accidentally typing. Very clever design! – Page 26
5. RT will automatically wake up when you open the keyboard away from the screen. Why the Surface Pro doesn’t, I don’t know… – Page 26
6. The trackpad (on both Keyboards) is multitouch! – Page 27
7. Tapping once on the trackpad is a left click. Tap twice to right click. – Page 27
8. You can scroll by sliding two fingers on the trackpad. This is for horizontal and vertical scrolling. – Page 27
9. The Surface Pro pen is pressure sensitive. The harder you press down – the larger you will draw or write. – Page 29
10. Microsoft doesn’t discriminate against left handed people! If needed, you can search for “Specify which hand you write with” in the control panel to change to a left handed layout. – Page 29
11. Surface RT does support printers but they must be Windows RT certified. These printers will always automatically install. – Page 47
12. If prompted for a firmware update, be sure to connect your type/touch keyboard. If applicable, the firmware for the keyboard will also update. – Page 61
13. To use function keys (F5 for refresh) on the Touch Cover, just press FN plus the key above the number row. EX: FN + Search Button = F5. The type cover has the function keys labeled.
14. To take a screenshot (Print Screen), press the Windows Key (on the screen, not the keyboard) + the volume down button. The screen will dim for a second.

That’s it! Those are the 14 hidden Microsoft Surface tips and tricks that I just learned. To make your Mirosoft Surface complete, check out the list of 5 gadgets that you must have.

If you want to learn more about the Surface and how it will make your life easier, then subscribe to DeployHappiness and get great weekly tips (plus your free guide to the Windows 8 Administrative Start Menu)!

Special Thanks to :

• Microsoft for their Surface Getting Started Guide
•  Kayla for tip 14!
• Maarten for the update on tip 1!