When you upgraded your PC to the latest Windows 10, you probably immediately noticed the new Start menu, enhanced taskbar, digital personal assistant Cortana and Quick Access in the File Explorer.
After spending some time with the operating system, you probably also discovered the new date and time flyout, battery flyout, action center, fully overhauled Settings app, the battery saver, and virtual desktop features.
By now, you are likely aware that the Start menu can be used to get results not just from the PC but also from the web using the Bing search (see how to set Google as default in taskbar search) and launch your favorite websites right from the desktop search. But you probably did know that the Start menu search can also be used as a calculator in Windows 10!
Use the Start menu search for basic calculations
Yes, the Start menu or taskbar search serves as a basic calculator in Windows 10. That is, you can use the taskbar or Start menu search box for basic calculations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, conversion, and division.
The feature comes in handy as these basic calculations can be done without launching the built-in Calculator app, meaning you save a couple of steps.
The other cool thing about this is that when you type, for example, 10 + 5 in the search box or any other numbers for calculation, Windows 10 automatically shows the result which means that you don’t need to press the equal sign key (=) on your keyboard to view the result.
Above all, the search shows calculation results instantly, meaning there is no delay.
And if you are wondering how the search calculates quickly without opening the Calculator, the search quickly sends the data to Bing search and shows the result in the search box. For those who are curious, this feature works only when the web search is enabled, which also means that your PC must be connected to the internet.
Windows 10 has plenty of small but nifty features to make your computing life a little more easier, it’s just that you need to discover and learn to use them!
Tip: The built-in Calculator opens in the standard mode, but you can change it to Scientific or Programmer mode by clicking the Hamburger menu on the top left corner of the app and selecting appropriate options. The Calculator app can also be used to convert volume, length, weight and mass, temperature, energy, area, speed, power, data, pressure, and angle.
What’s your favorite feature of Windows 10?
jan says
This still doesn’t work for me in 2020. Display language is English, but Czech distribution.
Karlstens says
It used to work for me, until I disabled cortana, bing and analytics via regedit, now the search calculator doesn’t work. Very lame Microsoft. :(
andrewww says
lol
theres no “gb” it’s “Gb” (Gigabits) or “GB” (Gigabytes)
Chris Quim says
its kind of dissappointing and dumb to think in the first place for Microsoft (and their programming team incharge of the feature), they should make it available even offline mode, using the calculator logic capabilities (simple math, conversion and stuff) without relying constant streams/ping through Bing. a 2+3 is pretty dumb to be internet stream to get a result for a need of abrupt result.
pretty dumb, iOS 9 proactive search could do the simple math without net. Hope that microsoft hears this (for the benefit of everyone esp for inconectivity to net) and take ponder of their ui design nifty failures.
Adam says
Doesn’t seem to work for me (Australia location). Entering the examples above works fine (1.5 gigabytes, 5+5 etc) but anything else typed in the same way (2+2 for example) doesn’t work at all.
Krzysiek says
It doesn’t work on my Windows 10, either. I use Polish version of the system with Polish set as the display language.
sunita kumari says
Nice discovery. Thanks very much.
admin says
Strange, it should work fine.
cile1977 says
Doesn’t work on my Win 10 (I’m in Croatia with english display language).
Peter says
This will also work for currency conversions as well.