4 Free Windows Tools to Cut Mouse and Keyboard Switching: Kando, PowerToys, Flow Launcher and Vimium

The author's claims about feeling faster are personal impressions. Nothing in the available evidence measures time saved or ergonomic benefit. Treat this as a convenience and preference upgrade, not a proven productivity gain.

Kando: a pie menu that opens under your cursor​

Kando is a free, open-source pie menu for Windows, macOS and Linux. You press a shortcut and a ring of icons opens at the cursor. You flick toward an item to run it.

The project's site says it works with mouse, stylus, touch or controller input. It lists Windows 10/11 as supported. That matters for anyone who also uses a touchpad or a tablet.

What changed in version 3.0​

Kando 3.0.0 was released on 23 September. The release notes say each menu item can now trigger a sequence of actions, which enables workflows. Windows installers and ZIP packages are available for both x64 and ARM64.

Kando's configuration docs describe the building blocks:

• A workflow is an ordered list of actions.
• Actions include closing the menu, closing a submenu and adding a delay. The docs also cover other types, such as setting clipboard text, simulating a hotkey, running a macro, opening files or URIs, and running a shell command.
• Menu conditions can match the focused app name, the window name, or the cursor's screen area.
• An app-name match is case-insensitive. A value starting with a slash is treated as a regular expression.

The author's examples are personal setups, not built-in defaults:

• A signature item copies two lines of text, closes the menu and presses Ctrl+V.
• Other items open Downloads, snap windows and trigger the Win+Shift+S screenshot shortcut.
• A separate Excel menu offers AutoSum, filters and today's date.
• The author bound the menu's shortcut to the Forward button on a Logitech MX Master 3S through Logi Options+.

The same shortcut can open different menus in different apps. That is the feature worth trying first.

Two practical warnings​

Shortcut collisions. The author says Kando's default Ctrl+Space is also Excel's "select column" shortcut. They changed it to Ctrl+Shift+Space in the menu's Shortcut field. Pick a trigger that doesn't clash with the apps you use most.

Back up before upgrading. The 3.0.0 release notes warn that the version upgrades your configuration files to a format that isn't backward compatible. Back them up if you might want to return to an older release. Kando's docs say the settings live in two JSON files, config.json and menus.json. You can back them up manually or with buttons in the general settings dialog.

The 2.3.1 hotfix prepared for this. Per its release note, Kando now refuses to load settings files created by newer versions, which should prevent corrupted files when downgrading from 3.0.0.

On the Logitech comparison: the author says Logitech has its own Actions Ring overlay for MX mice. They find it handy if you only use Logitech hardware, but prefer Kando because its keyboard trigger also works on a laptop touchpad. No feature-by-feature comparison is available, so that remains one user's reasoning.

PowerToys: Mouse Utilities and Keyboard Manager​

Most people install PowerToys for FancyZones or the color picker. The author's gains came from two less-celebrated areas.

Mouse Utilities​

Microsoft's documentation covers the three features the author uses:

• Find My Mouse. It puts a spotlight on the pointer. Microsoft says you can activate it by pressing Ctrl twice, using a custom shortcut, or shaking the mouse. The activation method can be left Ctrl twice, right Ctrl twice, shake, or a custom shortcut. A click or keypress dismisses it.
• Mouse Jump. It shows a preview of your screens so you can click where the pointer should land. In the current WinUI 3 interface, keyboard commands select a monitor, not a point within it. Number keys 1 to 9 pick a monitor, and Left and Right cycle through them. The activation shortcut is customizable.
• CursorWrap. The pointer leaves one screen edge and reappears on the opposite side. Settings include wrap mode (vertical, horizontal or both) and an option to disable wrapping while dragging. You can also disable it on single-monitor setups. Wrapping can be limited to times when you hold Ctrl or Shift.

The Win+Shift+D and Win+Alt+U shortcuts in the original piece are the author's configuration. Don't assume they're defaults on your machine.

Keyboard Manager​

Keyboard Manager can remap keys and shortcuts, either globally or for one app. It can also map a key or shortcut to a text sequence. The author's examples:

• Ctrl+Alt+E opens Excel.
• Ctrl+Alt+S types an email sign-off.
• In Chrome only, Ctrl+Shift+W behaves like Ctrl+W, so a slipped finger closes a tab instead of the window.

Microsoft's docs add several details that help with setup:

• App-specific mappings use process names, not friendly names. Edge is "msedge," for example. You can find a process name with Get-Process in PowerShell or tasklist in Command Prompt.
• Shortcut remaps must start with a modifier (Ctrl, Shift, Alt or Win) and end with a non-modifier key.
• Shortcuts can be remapped to start an app or open a URI.
• Win+L and Ctrl+Alt+Del are reserved by Windows and can't be remapped.
• Remapping the Win, Ctrl, Alt or Shift keys can break gestures and some special keys.

Limits to know about​

• PowerToys must be running in the background with Keyboard Manager enabled for remaps to apply.
• Keyboard Manager doesn't work on password screens, including the sign-in screen.
• If an app is elevated and PowerToys isn't, the remap won't work in that app. Running PowerToys as administrator is the documented fix.
• Microsoft says to avoid Keyboard Manager while gaming because key interception can affect FPS.
• Some apps that also hook the keyboard can interfere. Disabling and re-enabling Keyboard Manager is the suggested fix.
• If you remap the wrong thing, you can close PowerToys or disable Keyboard Manager to stop it quickly.

Flow Launcher: a keyboard-first search bar​

Flow Launcher is a free, open-source Windows launcher. Its repository describes it as a quick file search and app launcher with community-made plugins. In the author's setup it opens with Alt+Space. It finds apps and files, and it also does quick math. The author says typing 1250*0.18 returns 225.

The author uses these action keywords daily:

• > runs a shell command, such as > ipconfig.
• s jumps to Windows settings, as in s bluetooth.
• kill closes a stuck app, as in kill notepad.
• youtube starts a YouTube search without opening the browser first.
• pm install browses the plugin store.

These are the author's reported usage. Keywords depend on installed plugins and your configuration, so check your own setup before relying on them.

The Alt+Space conflict​

PowerToys' own launcher now uses a different shortcut. Command Palette, introduced in PowerToys v0.90, launches with Win + Alt + Space. It replaced PowerToys Run as the default launcher. Reporting from Windows Latest says the old Run tool can still be turned on from settings.

Microsoft's documentation says PowerToys Run uses Alt+Space by default. If you run it alongside Flow Launcher, both claim the same hotkey. The fix is to disable PowerToys Run or change one shortcut, as the author advises.

Is Flow Launcher better than Command Palette? That is the author's opinion, based on action keywords and the plugin store. Command Palette is extensible too, and Microsoft says it is built to launch apps, run commands and search files. Which one fits comes down to the keyword habits you form.

Vimium: click links without the mouse​

Vimium isn't a Windows app. It's a browser extension that borrows its shortcuts from the Vim text editor. The author says it works in Chrome, Edge and Firefox. That store availability wasn't independently checked here.

The reported keys:

• f shows letter hints on links and buttons. Type the letters to click.
• Shift+F does the same in a new tab.
• j and k scroll.
• Shift+H and Shift+L go back and forward.
• x closes a tab, Shift+X restores it, and Shift+T searches open tabs.
• ? shows the full list of shortcuts.

Mappings can be customized, so the in-extension help is the authority. Vimium's own README adds one boundary: browser-created new-tab pages need a separate companion extension if you want Vimium to work there. The author adds that Vimium doesn't run on browser settings pages or extension stores, which is a general browser restriction on extensions.

Which one should you try first?​

A sensible approach is to add one tool at a time. Keep only the shortcuts you can remember, and check each against your existing apps for conflicts before it becomes muscle memory. The author's own next step is AutoHotkey for custom keyboard shortcuts, but that is a bigger commitment than any of these four.

The hardware upgrade can wait. All four tools are free, but each has a learning curve and its own conflicts, so budget a week or so of adjustment. Back up Kando's config before upgrading, keep PowerToys running, and watch for the shared Alt+Space hotkey.