In one of our previous tutorials, we've learned How to use Snipping Tool. Another small utility that can make our lives easier is Sticky Notes, a tool which allows users to create short notes. The notes are arranged in a stack on the desktop, similar to paper sticky notes. You can put notes anywhere you want on your desktop. You can format their text, paint them in a variety of colors and easily resize them. In this tutorial I will show you how to do all of this. Just click on read more to find out.

NOTE: Sticky Notes is available in the Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate editions of Windows 7. If you've got a Tablet PC or a touchscreen, Sticky Notes supports pen and touch input.

Where to find Sticky Notes

Windows 7 offers several ways to access Sticky Notes. You can go to Start Menu, choose the Accessories folder and then select Sticky Notes.

Another way is to type the word sticky in the search box of the Start Menu and choose Sticky Notes.

The first note will open and look similar to the one below.

How to create a note

The interface is very simple and easy to use. To create a note, just start writing using your keyboard or stylus.

To create a new note, just click on the New Note button or use keyboard shortcut CTRL+ N.

The result will be the creation of a blank note as shown below.

You can also create a note by right-clicking the application's icon in the taskbar and selecting New Note.

How to delete a note

To delete a note, click on the 'Delete Note' button or use the keyboard shortcut CTRL+D.

A confirmation dialog will appear which offers you the option to never be asked again when performing this operation. If you wish to disable this confirmation dialogue, check the option 'Don't display this message again'.

You have to distinguish between 'Delete note' and Close Sticky Notes. When you close Sticky Notes from the taskbar, the notes that you have created remain the next time when you open the application. They will be displayed again, exactly in the same place and form as they were when you closed it.

How to customize a note

The application offers some customization options like resizing, changing the background color or formatting the text.

To change its size, drag it from its bottom right corner.

You can change the color of the notes to help you organize them. The choices available are: Blue, Green, Pink, Purple, White, or Yellow. To do this, right-click on the note to bring up the color options menu and select the color you desire.

As you can see below, Sticky Notes will immediately change the color of the selected note.

The application offers the possibility to format also the text, with the help of the keyboard keys. Just select the text and press one of the following keyboard shortcuts, to get the desired formatting:

• Bold: Ctrl+B
• Italics: Ctrl+I
• Underline: Ctrl+U
• Strikethrough: Ctrl+T
• Bullet list: Ctrl+Shift+L
• Bigger font: Ctrl+Shift+>
• Smaller font: Ctrl+Shift+
• Capitalize (or otherwise) highlighted letters: Ctrl+Shift+A
• Right Align: Ctrl+R
• Center align: Ctrl+E
• Left Align: Ctrl+L
• Single line space: Ctrl+1
• Double line space: Ctrl+2
• 1.5 line space: Ctrl+5

Conclusion

Sticky Notes is a very friendly application which allows you in just in a few steps to add notes to your desktop. They will remain on your desktop as long as the application is running and each time you open it, your latest written notes are restored.

If you have any questions about this tool, don't hesitate to leave a comment and we will do our best to help.

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