powertoys

Windows has a reputation for backward compatibility and an enormous third‑party ecosystem, but when a single Microsoft‑maintained GitHub project — PowerToys — houses a set of small, polished utilities that tens of millions of users rely on daily, it’s fair to ask: why aren’t these eight features...

Microsoft is finally closing a small but persistent Windows 11 usability gap by delivering an automatic theme scheduler — via PowerToys — that will switch between light and dark modes on a clock, or at local sunrise and sunset, with per-surface control and offset tuning. Background / Overview...

Microsoft is adding a long-requested quality-of-life feature to Windows 11 via PowerToys: an automatic, schedule-driven switch between Light and Dark themes — a small addition on the surface that closes a glaring usability gap and gives advanced users precise control over how and when the OS and...

I began using Windows 11 in beta in 2021 and, over several major releases, learned a handful of practical, time‑saving adjustments that turned the upgrade from “annoying compatibility shuffle” into a smoother daily driver — and those same five fixes are the heart of Tom’s Guide’s quick primer...

Microsoft’s PowerToys is about to fill a longstanding personalization gap in Windows 11 by adding an official, first‑party module to automatically switch between Light and Dark themes on a schedule — a small feature with outsized user demand and a few important caveats to understand...

Microsoft has quietly pushed out PowerToys v0.94.2 to stamp out a stubborn installer regression that left some users unable to upgrade or install the utility suite from GitHub, winget, or the Microsoft Store, restoring a critical path for distribution and deployment. Background PowerToys has...

Microsoft pushed a small but crucial PowerToys patch this week — version 0.94.2 — to unblock installs that had been failing with a bootstrapper error, restoring successful installs from GitHub, winget, and the Microsoft Store and stopping a rollout-wide headache for power users and IT teams...

Microsoft’s recent nudge to users — asking “what do you miss most in Windows?” — is more than a PR moment; it’s a revealing sign that the company is wrestling with conflicting priorities for Windows 11: glossy AI capabilities and the long list of everyday quality‑of‑life features that power...

I stopped treating my Windows 11 PC like a personal to-do list and let five small automations do the boring, repetitive work — the result felt like a genuine speed boost in my daily flow. Overview Windows 11 is fast when it’s doing the heavy lifting, but it’s the tiny, repeated tasks — opening...

Windows 11’s built‑in Search is useful — until it isn’t: slow responses for non‑indexed folders, a cluttered home panel, and inconsistent results have driven many users to lightweight launchers and desktop search tools that return answers in milliseconds. This piece examines six of the fastest...

Windows 11’s built‑in search can be handy, but for many power users it’s long felt sluggish, cluttered with web suggestions, and inconsistent when dealing with non‑indexed folders or massive file collections — which is why dozens of lightweight, keyboard‑first launchers and indexers have sprung...

Google’s experimental Windows app aims to remove the friction of switching windows to look something up — a floating, Spotlight‑like search bar you summon with Alt + Space that can search local files, installed apps, Google Drive, and the web, and that folds in Google Lens and the company’s AI...

Windows 11’s dark mode finally has a practical, reproducible setup that makes the whole desktop — not just a handful of modern apps — feel cohesive, and the path to get there mixes built‑in settings, small automation tools, and a few targeted third‑party utilities that fill the remaining gaps...

Microsoft Copilot is now a standard part of the Windows 11 experience for many users, but getting it running — and keeping it under control — still trips up a lot of people; this guide walks through exactly how to access Copilot, install it where necessary, troubleshoot common problems, and lock...

Windows 11 hides a surprising number of high-impact productivity tools beneath its clean new interface — features that can shave minutes off repetitive tasks, reduce interruptions, and make multi-app workflows feel effortless once you know where to look. This piece walks through the most useful...

Windows 11’s keyboard shortcuts are not just a convenience—they’re the backbone of a faster, less distracted daily workflow for power users and knowledge workers alike, and a recent roundup that distilled “73+” essential combinations crystallizes why learning a compact set of keystrokes pays...

Windows 11’s keyboard shortcuts are the single easiest way to turn everyday tasks into near‑instant actions — and learning them now matters more than ever as Windows 10 approaches its end of support and organizations and consumers prepare to migrate. Background Windows 11 ships with a broad set...

PowerToys already solves dozens of small-but-annoying Windows problems for power users, and the five wishlist items proposed by the community capture practical, high-impact improvements that could make the suite even more indispensable. Background / Overview PowerToys began life as a set of...

Microsoft has added two ultra-simple keyboard shortcuts to Windows 11 that insert an en dash (–) and an em dash (—) directly into any text field, a small but meaningful productivity tweak rolling out to Insiders now and destined for a wider release later. Overview Microsoft announced that...

Microsoft has quietly begun fixing one of Windows 11’s most persistent visual annoyances: the long-neglected file operation (copy/move/delete/permission) dialogs are finally receiving proper dark‑mode styling in Insider preview builds, and the work is rolling out in stages rather than as a...