What Software Can Boost Your Efficiency on Windows?
1. PowerToys (Microsoft's Official Tool)
This software is definitely underrated; most people have no idea about its capabilities. It's like Microsoft's hidden gem.
When many hear it's a Microsoft tool, they often assume it's just bloatware, but it's actually a powerful suite with loads of efficiency-boosting features:
- PowerToys Run: A super launcher (trigger it with Alt + Space)
- Text Extractor: OCR to convert screenshots to text
- Keyboard Manager: Customize hotkeys or remap keys
- Quick Accent: Hold down a key to automatically type special characters (like those in French or German)
- Always on Top: Keep a specific window on top
There are many practical features worth trying out; you'll definitely enjoy using it.
It's odd that Microsoft hasn't integrated these features directly into the system. It’s likely that the current system codebase is so messy that nobody wants to touch it.
2. Geek Uninstaller (Uninstallation Tool)
This is a powerful uninstallation tool that completely removes software, including leftover files and registry entries. It has a clean interface and is easy to use, making it far more efficient than the built-in uninstaller.
3. SpaceSniffer (Lightweight Disk Analyzer)
Anyone using Windows knows that no matter how big your hard drive is, it gets filled up quickly with files you didn’t even realize were there.
SpaceSniffer helps analyze disk space; it's fast and lightweight.
Once you've analyzed your disk, you can delete unnecessary files, freeing up space.
Before discovering SpaceSniffer, I had to manually open folders to find what could be deleted, which was a hassle.
4. uTools (Handy Launcher)
This is an absolute efficiency booster. With file search, translation, OCR, screenshot capabilities, clipboard management, and a ton of plugins, you'll find it hard to stop using it.
It's like Alfred for Windows.
What’s great is how easy it is to use. Just hit Win + Space to quickly access the features you want.
If you have some programming knowledge, you can even develop your own plugins, and launching them is super easy.
Although there’s a membership system, the free version is more than sufficient.
5. NoTab (My Own Browser Extension)
This is a bit of a self-promotion (oops), but it’s my own browser extension, and I find it quite useful. I use it every day.
NoTab lets you preview link content on the current page without juggling a bunch of tabs, making it perfect for quickly viewing information on platforms like Zhihu, GitHub, Reddit, and Google.
It also supports quick translation and search functions.
You can accomplish everything right from one page.
It’s pretty great, so I encourage friends from Zhihu to give it a try: https://notab.pro/
6. LocalSend (LAN File Transfer Tool)
A lightweight and fast tool for transferring files over a local network. It can handle large files as well as text, making it super convenient. It supports multiple platforms, meaning you no longer have to open WeChat to transfer files with the file assistant.
7. PotPlayer (Video Player)
An easy-to-use video player with strong compatibility that supports various video formats, offering powerful decoding capabilities and a rich set of playback options.
Just to highlight one feature that leaves most players in the dust: While most video players cap playback speed at around 3x, PotPlayer can go up to 12x.
This makes it fantastic for quickly finding information or skimming through video content. When I was involved in video editing for a while, I relied on that 12x speed to source and review clips.
8. EarTrumpet (Volume Management Tool)
The built-in volume management on Windows is quite lacking, but EarTrumpet allows you to adjust the volume for each individual application, which is very useful.
This is ideal for those who frequently attend meetings.