Living with S Mode: Core Apps (Premium)

In the previous article in this series, I focused on my experiences using writing apps with Windows 10 Pro in S mode. This makes sense: I'm a writer, after all. But writing is still just part of what I do with a PC every day. And to better understand what works---and what doesn't work---with Windows 10 in S mode, it's helpful to examine the other apps I regularly use.

And it's a pretty concise list, to be honest. This is partially because I now engage in consumption activities---reading, watching videos, social media, and so on---on mobile devices for the most part. But it's also because I review different PCs pretty regularly, so I'm often moving on to the next one. I like to travel light.

And like most of you, I'd imagine, I'm also pretty set in my ways. This isn't necessarily bad: My workflow has become pretty efficient over the years, thanks to my familiarity with the tools I prefer. But it makes switching to S mode more difficult because many of the apps I prefer are not available in the Microsoft Store.

But I keep trying, which entails searching for suitable replacements in the Store and experimenting as new options become available. Frankly, very few Store apps have met my needs to date. But here's the list of apps I routinely pin to my taskbar, along with the alternatives I've chosen when using S mode.

Microsoft Store. I'm not even sure why I leave this app pinned to the taskbar, but I do, and I always place it in the furthest position to the left, next to the Start button. (On portable PCs, I usually remove Cortana and Task View from the taskbar; for now, I've left Task View on so I can more easily test Timeline.) Obviously, Microsoft Store is available in S mode, so there's no change required.

File Explorer. Here, too, there's no change required as File Explorer is also included in S mode, of course. I usually launch this app using the WINKEY + E keyboard shortcut, but I leave the app in the taskbar because I find it easier to launch a second File Explorer window via this button. (Right-click and then select "File Explorer" from the pop-up menu.)

Google Inbox. This is the first of a handful of web apps that I run via Google Chrome-based shortcuts. But since Chrome is not available in S mode, I instead use the Windows 10 Mail app, begrudgingly. This app has many shortcomings, not the least of which is its inability to configure a persistent zoom level for messages. But I still barely prefer it to using Inbox via an Edge tab.

Google Calendar. Another Chrome-based web app that is unavailable in S mode. So I use the Windows 10 Calendar app instead. This is less onerous than the Mail app, in part because I don't sit in a calendar all day. But it's also a pretty and minimalist app.

Google Chrome. Again, this application is not available in S mode, so I (of course) use Microsoft Edge instead. To date, this experience has been more positive than was the case with previous Windows 10 versions, which is heartening. ...