The latest version of Windows has quickly become entrenched — well, perhaps that is the wrong word, given that Windows 7 is still continuing to hold the lion’s share of the market, even growing. But there is still a lot about Windows 8.1 that many users haven’t yet discovered because Microsoft has a bad habit of hiding features away.
One of those is the ability to create a playlist by utilizing Bing, the Microsoft-owned search engine, which is integrated into the operating system.
First you will need to fire up Bing in Internet Explorer and search for an artist you wish to listen to. Now, head to the Charms menu, which you can access by moving the mouse pointer to the top or bottom corner of the right side of your screen.
Click on the Share button (it’s second down from the top), and choose Music. You’ll notice there’s a Music option there to create a playlist based on the artist you’ve searched for, which can come in handy when you’re checking out the best new band of the week.
Once you’ve selected this, your music will begin streaming right from your computer’s speakers. You don’t get control over the song, but that’s fine, as it makes a nice random playlist.
Conclusion
It’s a good free way to get a nice stream of music going. You will need to use both IE and Bing, and do so from the Start screen in Windows 8.1, otherwise the process doesn’t work.