For many students and workers, Windows is just the default way to use a computer. It’s where all your apps work as intended, where all your Microsoft Office documents sync easily, and where you play all your games. But if you peel back its layers, Windows can be a lot more than that. Power users can take advantage of hidden features, and utilities from Microsoft and third-parties to not only speed up their workflow, but to improve productivity and fix some of the most annoying quality-of-life issues that plague Windows PCs.
Control everything using the Command Palette
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
For decades, Mac users have boasted about Spotlight Search, while Windows never really offered a true alternative. Windows Search is fast, but it’s never really come close to replicating all the things Spotlight can do, especially now with the latest macOS Tahoe update. Finally, after years of waiting, Microsoft has introduced its own keyboard launcher, called Command Palette.
It’s not available by default, though. To find it, you’ll have to install PowerToys, which is Microsoft’s own set of handy utilities. Once PowerToys is running, find the Command Palette app from the sidebar, and enable it. Then, you can access it using the default keyboard shortcut, which is Windows + Alt + Space (you can customize this be whatever you like).
Once it’s set up, you can use the Command Palette to launch apps, search for files, open folders, switch between apps, open bookmarked websites or folders, and search the web. In fact, you can even run Terminal commands from here, and you can use extensions to add features. Here’s a detailed guide on the Command Palette to get you started.
Replace the File Explorer with something much better
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
The File Explorer in Windows 11 is a certified mess. It’s slower than the Windows 10 version, and it’s harder to find your way around it. If you’re as frustrated by this as I am, try installing the Files app instead. It’s an $8 app on the Microsoft Store, but can be downloaded for free from the developer’s website.
The Files app is beautifully designed, with support for theme colors. The app has a simple interface with an easy to access sidebar, tabs, dual-pane mode, and a dark mode that actually looks good. There’s also a column view from macOS and an ability to preview files without opening them.
Replace the Windows 11 taskbar and start menu
Credit: Start11
The Windows 11 update radically redesigned the taskbar and the Start menu. If you don’t like the new updates, there is a way to go back. You can install the free ExplorerPatcher app to revert back to the Windows 10 Taskbar, with full-length app names, along with the older Start menu. If you only want to change the existing Start menu (I don’t blame you), try the Start 11 app, which costs $9.99 for a single license and a year’s worth of upgrades. Start11 is an incredibly customizable Start menu replacement where you can customize everything from the layout, spacing, icon color, size, and more. You can even go back to the Windows 10 style layout, but with the look of the Windows 11 icons.
Transform how Windows 11 looks with Seelen UI
Credit: Seelen
If you’ve swapped from Mac to Windows, and you miss the Mac’s Dock and menu bar, you can get them on Windows using the free and open source Seelen UI app. It’s an app that uses web technologies to add a menu bar and a floating Dock to your screen. It also hides the Windows Taskbar by default.
Seelen is completely customizable with community themes and plugins. You can choose where to keep the taskbar, and you can make it transparent if you want (something Windows 11 doesn’t allow for). You can add community themes to completely transform how it looks and works. You can also add more features using plugins.
Make the dark mode functional again
Credit: Microsoft
The dark mode in Windows is woefully lacking, especially compared to macOS. As a power user, you might prefer to spend most of your time in dark mode, or you might want to automatically switch to dark mode as evening kicks in. By default, Windows doesn’t offer any such features. You have to go deep into Settings to enable or disable the dark theme, and that’s it.
Microsoft has a PowerToys utility called Light Switch that can solve some of those issues. With the Light Switch utility enabled, you can automatically trigger the dark theme at the time of sunset, or or a schedule that you like. Plus, it gives you a global shortcut to trigger the dark theme on the fly.
What do you think so far?
Embrace the new Snap layouts
Credit: Microsoft
Snap Layouts is a powerful hidden feature in Windows 11 that not many people use. You might be used to dragging the left edge on a window to dock it to the left half of the screen. Well, that’s just part of the Snap Layouts feature. Next time you want to arrange the windows on your screen, drag the window to the top edge, and you’ll see a new preview of all possible layout options. You can easily split your large monitor screen into three or four windows, without doing any heavy lifting. You can also access this feature by hovering over the Maximize button, or you can use the Windows + Z keyboard shortcut to bring up the Snap Layout menu.
Install and manage apps without a thousand clicks
Credit: Justin Pot
Installing apps on Windows can sometimes be its own special nightmare. You have to deal with installation wizards with dozens of steps, some of which haven’t been updated since Windows XP days. Like Linux and macOS, Windows too has a hidden package manager called Winget, a repository of apps that can be downloaded with just a single command. Yes, you need to open the Terminal to do it, but it’s really not that hard. Say you want to install Chrome: You’ll enter this in the Terminal and in a couple of seconds, the Chrome browser will be installed and ready to go, without a single extra click.
winget install Google.Chrome
Don’t like using the command line? Well there’s a GUI app for you. With the UniGetUI app, you can search for all apps or packages in the Windows Package Manager list, and download them in one click. There’s also a one-click option for updating all WinGet apps at once.
See your clipboard history
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
Windows has a built-in clipboard manager that you really should be using. Press Windows + V to bring up the Clipboard History (the first time you do this, you’ll have to enable this feature). Now, every time you copy anything on Windows, it will be stored in this list. You can go back to the Clipboard Manager at any time to copy one or multiple items from this list. You can even pin something to the top of the list, or quickly clear all history. If you’re looking for a bit more, try the Ditto app. It lets you customize how many snippets you store in your clipboard at a given time, and has a capable fast Search feature built-in.
Use Focus Sessions to better focus on your tasks
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
There’s a Focus Session feature inside the Clock app that’s basically a built-in Pomodoro timer, with distraction-free features. You can start a Focus timer for, let’s say, 30 minutes, and during that time Windows will stop all unnecessary notifications and app alerts so you can focus on your task. After a longer session, you’ll also be prompted to take a break.
Create your own custom shortcuts, for anything
Credit: Microsoft
Power users rely on keyboard shortcuts to not only speed things up but also to reduce mental overload. Once you have the muscle memory, using a keyboard shortcut to perform frequent tasks reduces a lot of friction (especially compared to hunting for buttons using a mouse). When you start using an app, spend some time trying to learn keyboard shortcuts for the most frequently used actions. For example, archiving mail, exporting documents, and so on.
But this gets more interesting once you start to remap your keys and keyboard shortcuts using the Keyboard Manager utility inside PowerToys. Here, click the Remap a Key button to get started. Now, you can map any unused key, like your Caps Lock key, or the Copilot key, to anything else (like a shortcut to bring up Command Palette, for example). Or you can remap the shortcut for Copy from Control + C, to Windows + C. Time to get creative!
