This App Makes WINDOWS So Much Better!

Why the folks at Microsoft refuse to make at least some of these utilities available natively in Windows is beyond me.
But, PowerToys is a set of utilities that will make you feel like you’re using a better version of Windows.
Once you install them, I guarantee you’ll soon have your own little set of favorites that you just won’t be able to live without.
Chapters:
0:00 PowerToys
0:31 Crop and Lock
2:18 Always on Top
2:50 File Locksmith
3:28 Game
4:03 Mouse Utilities
4:56 Peek
5:28 Text Extractor
6:13 Paste As Plain Text
6:50 Quick Accent
7:13 PowerRename
8:29 Awake

[@Soguwe]

With crop and lock, you can just crop the media controls of your preferred music streaming app and always have them on top of the display Very useful

[@Blox117]

the whole thing is useless. they dont let you use a single key to do stuff. cant be bothered to press a bunch of keys ill never remember

[@Soguwe]

@@Blox117 there's a very limited amount of keys on the keyboard and most of them have something that's supposed to happen when you press them Having one-key shortcuts won't work Git gud

[@Blox117]

@@Soguwe sorry that youre poor and cant afford more keys. hope it gets better bud

[@Soguwe]

@@Blox117 how's the weather under your bridge?

[@Lusc1nt]

​@@Blox117memory issue and skill issue 😂

[@larsiparsii]

Found out about it a week ago when I needed some widths of something on screen. It has a lot of features, and not having to resolve to 3rd party programs for a colour picker, etc. is so nice

[@AshLordCurry]

A lot of the utilites in powertoys are/were actually from third party, they're credited on the software, it's so cool

[@redbeard_raccoon]

Crop and Lock is particularly handy for applications that don't take advantage of Dark Theme, so you can have content from an application without being blinded. For instance, I use it for my secondary monitor which has an ONVIF camera, but the application I'm using for my camera ONLY has white background.

[@unclecomrade_yt]

I'm using it for the long time now. My favorite is Run. It eliminated the need for desktop icons for me. It's not like they were that usual to me anyway, as when I needed to launch another application, it was from within another application or applications grouped.

[@aliarslan752]

Run isnt power toys specific. You get it with windows automatically.

[@unclecomrade_yt]

@@aliarslan752 I didn't mean Run called via Win+R, I meant PowerToys Run. It's different. It's like a combination of global search plus usual windows Run. And some other neat features peppered in, like an ability to quickly calculate stuff, search the web, use tags to search by specific categories, run commands, etc.

[@gnuMan]

Sure you do.. but PowerToys Run is so much more than that. And it does a better job than the shitty search module in Windows.

[@LaxmannDhotre]

just so you know, run uses same search indexer as windows search

[@unclecomrade_yt]

@@LaxmannDhotre While it uses the same indexer, the results are much more consistent and relevant. Plus, it's faster.

[@ryanasazaki1291]

The Quick Accent is such a handy feature for writers like me who dealt with a lot of transliterations of languages that needed those accented glyphs while still in the English keyboard, such as pinyin or romaji for Mandarin and Japanese respectively. More OS needed that! In older operating systems, I'll either have to copy the accented glyphs one-by-one off from a unicode website, or I'll have to use weird shortcut key combination to get those if it's even supported.

[@JV-pu8kx]

Character Map, on Windows. Keycaps on Mac.

[@ryanasazaki1291]

​@@JV-pu8kx Still not as fast as the new feature, you'll have to search for it if you can't remember the placement. I use Adobe Illustrator regularly and it has the Glyphs map feature too, and it is way worse with actual CJK typefaces where there's thousands of Kanji characters.

[@triki-beats]

bro !!! Im litterally going to cry :( You just ended the pain that I used to live for my 1 year of work: - crop a window - always on top - modify a portion of the name of multiple files. - paste without formatting - text extracting from images I deal with a massive number of log files including .dlt, .log, .dat, .pcap and i need to organize them with a specific naming pattern. I run testcases using automation server, so i need to monitor a small portion of a window and make it always on top. I use calculator in programmer mode and it dosent support always on top. Sometimes, a team mate sends me a screen shot with a long log line, so i need to write it all :( I follow this channel since 4 years, and i always learn from it, THANK YOU :)

[@txic.4818]

another prod in cyber👍

[@dacueba-games]

Great video! Some of these are very useful.

[@CensoredByYouTube.]

You know what would really make Windows *So* Much Better? Being able to have two directories open side-by-side in a File Explorer window... like we could with XTree in *DOS* 30+ years ago.

[@FlamespeedyAMV]

Microsoft sucks too much nowadays to even remember about that

[@RealTimeFilms]

What about dragging an explorer window to the left side and then doing the same thing and dragging the second window to the right side ? Both windows will snap to their places.

[@wit_ef8853]

The “What’s using this app?” is a miracle sent from god

[@Pepsolenel]

The accent one should have been available for decades! I hope they make it native to windows when it comes out of beta!

[@YuJay]

I like the Crop and Lock, Extract Text, Paste as Plain text and File Lock smith. Crop and Lock will be very hand for Streaming when you want to crop a specific part of a program to place on OBS.

[@gigachad6844]

The only problem with Power Toys is that it feels sluggy, slow and takes a lot of RAM

[@Anonymous-sh2qu]

For real or else i would have been using it all day, other than that its actually great.

[@high-captain-BaLrog]

faster first word latency Ram modules and higher capacity in dual channels and gen 5 nvme

[@ultrat00n]

@@high-captain-BaLrogwhat?

[@internetexplorer7880]

As a developer, the SVG preview tool is also a good tool

[@AhmedDawoud]

The power rename is way more useful than what you showed, you can go more in-depth with the regex and choose only numbers to be changed or certain characters or a set of ones

[@yt-sh]

regex is cool, thanks for the tip

[@n4_ku]

Still limited. I use Advanced Remaner and it lets you write your own script for more complex file re-naming.

[@microsoftsarker]

very informative video Bro. Many many Thanks

[@servus6267]

For me the advanced Windowssizer is a gamechanger, espacialy when you use a 21:9 screen vertical like me.

[@banml5919]

quick accent and always on top display are the best things i have found yet man

[@Dataanti]

kind of suprised the find my mouse thing even exists in power tools. ive known about this setting since windows XP, its usually just in the pointer options, same place where you can set windows to leave a mouse trail

[@user-wp8cp8gj8s]

Good information. Thank you

[@sppindrgold1981]

Great breakdown video.👍👍

[@Zakronyx]

Text Extractor is so nice it's the first one that came to mind as a favourite

[@AutoSia]

yep especially when websites won't let you copy or highlight the text.

[@Zakronyx]

@@AutoSia Exactly it's very annoying when they do that. Even have a text extractor on my phone very nice too

[@ThePowerRanger]

Been using them for a long time, don't want use Windows without them.

[@adfinemrising]

some of these things actually use system resources (like cpu and memory) in a noticeable manner. it's probably why it's not on the default install of windows. although i wish they can be in it, separately (and not all in one). coz it causes lag on low end PCs

[@doniherald7745]

This is looks awesome!

[@maverickbonato8164]

The file locksmith bro... I had so many times things I had absolutely no idea where they were open and that didn't let me do anything with them, made me go crazy and just unplug my pc one time, wish I knew this sooner xD

[@alexzendermarunsai]

Crop and lock can be useful if you want to overlay specific part of your apps/screen in OBS.

[@SquirtleBaiano]

yeah, its quicker and easier to set up than to crop it manually on OBS

[@dylan.t180]

Very helpful

[@nimbus2146]

looked like just another clickbait. glad i didnt skip. you just earned another subscriber

[@Aliisgoingsomewhere]

Very very useful

[@SaarlaneKretiin]

holy shit some of these tools, especially the quick peek feature, so much value.

[@kuromiLayfe]

reason some or most of the powertoys features are not natively in windows is mostly because they are build for windows developers and can conflict with native assemblies (as these conflicts get resolved over time they will end up in the windows itself.)

[@Rz_B]

exceptionally Usefull 🙌

[@samxyh95]

Finally I get a reason why I can update to Windows 11 with this these kind of smart tools.. Cheers my friend. Stay Strong 😊

[@chmtech]

You can use PowerToys on Win 10 as well. Cheers

[@NaddlyC]

​@@user-ip3zi5mb6lyou know it's not as simple as that for most users lol

[@d_sellers1]

PowerToys was originally for Windows 95...

[@kipters]

The reason they aren't bundled in windows is that in that case powertoys update would be tied to windows updates, making it a separate app makes it way simpler to support multiple OS versions and update them independently from the OS

[@aibel99]

I found about 2 of these partially useful but thanks for sharing

[@imaginative-monkey]

My favorites: Run, Power Rename, Paste as plain text, Mouse utilities (find my mouse) and File locksmith

[@JV-pu8kx]

File Locksmith has been needed since Windows XP!

[@umuturkell]

text extractor is awesome. I wish I knew before. It is similar to Google Lens but more practical.

ctrl shift v is the shortcut for EVERY APP. since it's a system shortcut, not an app one

[@samitechcookie9758]

The real cursor has to be the one with bottom shadows, above the 'B' of "Impossible"... lol jk Anyways, very nice narrating and positive vibes in ur vids! Subbed! :)

[@Khanh1200]

Wow, in the File Explorer, you had all my beloved music.

[@LeiffNathanAMendoza]

TRULY AWESOME

[@alamjim6117]

MS is slowly integrating these features in Windows. Like that text extractor feature is included in the newest Windows build.

[@LeonAlkoholik67]

OCR (the technology for extracting text) technically has been around in Windows for many years at this point. It always has been accessible for developers to use from the WinAPI, but it's just one of many functionality that does exist in the OS but not officially used in any program by Microsoft themselves...

[@EvilMmM]

now this is a good video!

[@AmadeusMoon]

1:26 The crop and lock i actually find really useful when I am reading documentation I do not need to see the ads and comments and what not and have a huge window when I am only reading 1/3 of its size.

[@zeonos]

The mouse cursor Windows 10/11 is so small, i changed to Popy cursor and then have it set to size two, that makes it much easier to find.

[@parasvaid5898]

what was that instant search feature in the start of your video..is that some application or some integrated feature ?

[@Yharim.]

amazing!

[@Jean-bs5ip]

We still a very good app to edit the actual Context Menu, everybody just shows how to get the old one. I like the new one better but I wanna add my entries. If you have winrar installed you know what I mean, I wanna be able to have Send to without having to go back to the old context menu

[@samjiman]

My favorite PowerToy is PowerToy's Run.

[@IamPoojan]

2:36 These sounds are from Windows Vista/7, Nostalgic

[@yuriianno7146]

You made my life easier. Thank you!

[@yuriianno7146]

although cropped window doesnt refresh the image of META TRADER, sadly =(

[@rumali_roti7406]

How did he get the search dock at the beginning of the video, is this Windows 11 feature?

[@nx_studio]

Quick accent would be SO useful on laptops and keyboards without a number pad... impressive that this is not a native feature as it is on Mac

[@isvaraov]

I always remember when early Windows 10 had an option to hide the names of the files in any folder within the right click options menu then they removed it.

[@NaitorStudios]

I love the fact that Microsoft is using the Speech sound effects just like me when I need a placeholder sound while programming :V

[@bionborys1648]

What about resource consumption when using these apps/utilities? Are they memory-hogs? How many of these apps you can you use simultaneously before Windows freezes? Anyway, just a few questions.

[@RtqoopbFl9WpIP9fULuihzt6Sk4t9u]

I've been using PowerToys for a couple of years on an old dual core 2 thread PC from 2013 and I gotta say it doesn't take a lot of resources. Sure there are some minor hiccups when you use a lot of apps or play games with it but it's not noticeable if you're using a PC with like 4 CPU threads. For my old PC it maybe around 1% CPU usage but for PCs with better CPUs the usage is lower than 1% (task manager will just show 0%). As for RAM, I rarely see it go above 200MB to 400MB. Pretty sure many people have good enough PCs nowadays so the performance impact is just negligible or nothing. Oh extra note: the CPU usage is when it's doing nothing in the background, just waiting for user interaction. When you use its features, the CPU usage is quite reasonable. Uses as much CPU as Windows main UI when you do something like open the start menu or action centre.

[@bionborys1648]

@@RtqoopbFl9WpIP9fULuihzt6Sk4t9u Great info, thx. Will try it out.

[@Jamee-jg7qr]

@5:29 Thats useful something I need many times before.

[@Straypuft]

"Why the folks at Redmond refused to make them natively" These are the same guys who took away our taskbar customization that we have to use an app called Explorerpatcher and most Windows updates tend to kill that apps full functionality or mess something up every time an update is pushed out. Its like they dont like us customizing our taskbar... I require quick launch and ungrouped taskbar items(no official reason, just personal preference.)

[@Raekh_]

4:02 your mouse pointer is a bit above the exclamation mark (6 mouses to the top, 6 mouses to the right)

[@popeye69420]

the find the cursor one is already in the vanilla windows

[@Cryptocurrency69]

Can you share the link of the wallpaper at 4:11 please? Thanks! ( If link sharing in the comments isn't possible then I'll be glad if you put up the link in the description :D )

[@KillaCyst]

mouse without borders is amazing

[@mng7872]

I thought the pointer was hidden at the bottom edge of the taskbar but turns out it was some dust on my monitor lmao

[@Avowned]

What is that audio visualizer you used when talking in between?

[@Saiyaman93]

6:13 I use ctrl+shift+v a lot and I never seen an app which does not respect that shortcut. Does anyone know what app might beniefit from PowerToys shortcut?

[@VaibhavShewale]

been using this for years

[@nathanacreman632]

I've yet to find a single app where plain text paste wasn't already control+shift+v. What apps are you using where this isn't the case?

[@univera1111]

Pls do a video on free alternative of PrimoCache or primocache similar in power toy.

[@phil_aesthetics]

ok that's all cool and all but how do you get that search bar in the middle of the screen?

[@ADITYA3GAME]

What is the shortcut to the search bar that you start typing on?

[@glt918]

I just want to know what them is this and where can i find it or something similar to it

[@Plsdfghjk]

as a genshin player crop and lock is very useful for farming materials xd

[@StNashable]

3min in I'm sold

[@samarthkapuria]

I actually found the pointer location in a second! The size was smaller and it just immediately caught my eye looking distinct. I'm happy

[@zafuro]

drop a link on that sick cursor 'pape brah

[@phoqueme]

wow wtf... i wish i knew about this app back when i was in college 2 years ago lol would've been a huge help

[@JohnVanderbeck]

To be fair MS HAS kind of made some of them part of windows. In Win 11 the Zones kind of made its way into the mainline OS. Not exactly, but mostly.

[@nildesperandum2034]

THX

[@fridrichbaker4026]

What is that search feature at 0:02 ?

[@clickbaitpolice9792]

are you using some kind of theme? How does your desktop look like that? And how are you searching for files like that?

[@chmtech]

I’m not running any custom theme. It’s just a dark wallpaper, and all the UI elements are set to have a dark tone themselves. Regarding the searching, assuming you’re referring to the first scene in the video, it is a search launcher that comes with PowerToys.

[@meyers0781]

This make it doesn't look like Windows 11 anymore but more like a Windows inspired OS tailored to users.

[@Cyrisus]

PowerRenames true power reveals itself when you delve into regular expressions. It can be a REAL lifesaver then.

[@billyguthrie3176]

why didn't they include something like the option to change font size and make them bold.

[@RAZR_Channel]

It's been about 30 years of windows and windows 3.11 was more reliable than any windows version today

[@Likemea]

please elaborate , i am curious

[@ww1flyingace263]

You're out of your mind

[@RAZR_Channel]

@@ww1flyingace263 No I'm not... the reason is.. it was a radically different time. Things were mire simple. But most of all MS had to be a product people liked or they could choose apple. After achieving basically market domanice people are dependent on it (incuding me for many years). I waited on windows 7 for at least 5 years before W10 was finally usable (after years of shadow building through windows updates). That's why win10 sucked for about 70% of it's lifetime... it was never actually built like Win 7 was. Microsoft was and basically still is in a position to do whatever they want. But in the last 18 months they are losing market share by the second. And I don't think they care because they are persuing other things..

[@cadelepski5161]

Utter nonsense.😂

[@RAZR_Channel]

@@cadelepski5161 Of you're going to get all Heated up about it... it's time for you to get a sanity check. It's just an OS discussion... hardly something to get worked up about...

[@iansarmiento23]

Found it when I tried to keep a window always on screen

[@K.Parth_Singh]

Day 21 of asking to make a video on how turing machine works.

[@probablynotmyname8521]

Is focus follows mouse back?

[@yogindras4402]

Will this app be utilising cpu or ram all the time?

[@udp1073]

Powertoys? That was a name of a boxed software (it was on three 3,5 floppy iirc) that MS relesed a couple of months after releasing win95… wow… yeah.. i am that old… lol… nice memories though

[@blinkforever_and_ever]

How to get that search widget on the desktop??

[@ccost]

2:23 what is that sound effect

[@popeye69420]

6:31 ctrl+shift+v works everywhere

[@iampradippp]

Nice

[@pistolao_vr]

You got me at the "File Locksmith". I get fucking PISSED when i'm trying to delete files and it won't let me!

[@robertg7249]

0:55 streaming?

[@ArashG]

super uesless!

[@K.Parth_Singh]

Day 15 of asking to make a video on how turing machine works.

[@iamSephirothGaming]

This work on Windows 10?

[@univera1111]

I knew window was gonna grow belistics on Linux.