Articles about Windows 11 utilities

It is only too easy to dismiss something that is less than perfect, that does not meet your every need or desire, as crap. It is an accusation that is frequently leveled at Windows 11, and now there is something you can do about it.

The bluntly named Crapfixer does exactly what the name suggests -- fixes those niggling issues, the crap, that makes Windows 11 annoying. It’s not entirely dissimilar to CCleaner, and that’s something the developer points to as a source of inspiration. So let’s take a look at Crapfixer Rebirth Version and see what it can do for you.

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One of the changes in Windows 11 that continues to generate lots of complaining is the removal of a vertical taskbar option. Microsoft decided that it wanted everyone to have their taskbar anchored to the bottom of the screen, and that was the end of that.

But not anymore. Now there is a way to vertically align your taskbar in Windows 11, giving you the chance to make better use of a widescreen/ultra-widescreen monitor’s available space. It doesn’t matter whether your preference is for the left or the right -- both are possible.

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Microsoft has released an update for PowerToys that fixes a slew of bugs as the company strives for stability in its utility collection.

The release of PowerToys v0.67.1 comes within a week of the last major update to the much-loved software which saw the addition of a new quick access system tray launcher. This time around, there are big fixes for FancyZones, Power Toys Run and more.

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It is finally time for not only a new build of PowerToys, but also for the arrival of a pair of completely new utilities. Microsoft has released PowerToys 0.64.0 complete with two new tools, File Locksmith and a HOSTS file editor -- as well as the option to backup PowerToys settings.

These are both utilities that we learned about relatively recently, and it seems that the PowerToys development team has been busy working to bring them to users as a soon as possible. So, what are the new tools all about?

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Brace yourself for a new PowerToys utility. Microsoft's developers are busy working away on a new tool called File Locksmith which will be welcomed by anyone who has ever been greeted by a message informing them that a file cannot be deleted because it is being used.

File Locksmith will add a new entry to the context menu in Windows 11 -- "What's using this file?". The tool will then reveal which processes are using the file in question.

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It is only a few days since Microsoft unleashed PowerToys v0.61.0 , bringing a slew of "quality of life improvements" to the much-loved collection of utilities. Now the company has released version 0.61.1 which will be of particular interest to Windows 11 users.

Despite lacking new features per se, PowerToys v0.61.1 remains an important release because of the issues that it addresses. Users might be longing for new features, but this development cycle is about improving what's already in place before more is added.

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It is only a week since Microsoft released PowerToys v0.60.0, complete with various changes, fixes and additions -- many of which were focused on Windows 11. Now the company has pushed out the PowerToys v0.60.1 update with a handful of important fixes.

Microsoft describes this as a patch release, but this almost makes it seem unimportant when that is very much not the case. It addresses compatibility issues that existed with PowerRename and ImageResizer in Windows 11, as well as fixing context menu problems and crashes.

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Microsoft has released PowerToys v0.60.0, and while the company says that this is a release cycle that focuses on stability and improvements, this does not really convey how significant an update it is -- particularly for Windows 11 users.

Among some of the biggest changes and additions are a new zone identification technique for FancyZones, and rounded corner support for AlwaysOnTop. There are also new entries in the Windows 11 context menu for PowerRename and Image Resizer, making these utilities even easier to access. But things do not end there.

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Microsoft has released the latest update to its PowerToys utility collection, complete with a massive changelog. Taking the software up to version 0.57.0, the latest release makes numerous improvements to PowerToys Run as well as the ever-popular FancyZones.

With PowerToys v0.57.0, Microsoft has taken steps to address an issue with Outlook PDF previews. There are also updates for ColorPicker, Always on Top, Video Conference Mute and much more.

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We've already had a few updates for PowerToys this year, and Microsoft has even treated us to a selection of new utilities for 2022. Now the company has released PowerToys v0.56.1, and it's another significant update.

Sadly, there are no new toys to play with in this particular release, but there have been some important changes, fixes and updates to existing utilities. Three especially noteworthy changes include a massive increase in the number of zones that can be created in FancyZones, huge changes to Find My Mouse, and a switch to VS 2022 with the .NET 6 upgrade. There are also big changes for various other PowerToys utilities.

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Making good on its recent promise to add a new mouse tool to PowerToys, Microsoft has released a new version of the utility collection complete with the addition of Mouse Pointer Crosshairs (previously previewed as Inclusive Mouse). But it doesn't end there -- there are two more new tools to explore as well!

The release of PowerToys v0.55.0 also sees the addition of two new add-ons for Explorer. For developers, there is now support for 150 file type previews, as well as a new tool for generating STL file format thumbnails.

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Just days after the release of PowerToys v0.53.1 which included the new Always On Top utility, Microsoft has unleashed an update it describes as "important".

With PowerToys v0.53.3, Microsoft addresses three problems reported by users. The trio of troubles concerns PowerToys Run, so anyone using this particular utility should grab the update as soon as possible.

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The first PowerToys release of 2022 is here, and it is a strong start to the year. With the release of PowerToys v0.53.1, Microsoft has not only added a new utility in the form of Always On Top, but has also made lots of fixes, changes, additions and improvements to the existing tools in the suite.

Among the other notable additions to this release are new supports options in the File Explorer preview pan, and the arrival of web searching from PowerToys Run. Microsoft says that "the v0.53 release cycle was designed for a maintenance sprint but with some amazing community support, it is loaded with greatness" -- and there certainly is a lot of greatness to explore.

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With the current PowerToys release cycle, Microsoft had vowed to work on stability and optimization, and the company is making good on this promise.

It is only a couple of weeks since the release of v0.47.0 of the utility collection, but now there is another update to install. This time around, there are fixes for PowerToys Run, FancyZones and Shortcut Guide.

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Microsoft has released an update to PowerToys, taking the utility collection up to version 0.47.0. Although the company has said that this release cycle would be focused on stability updates and optimizations, installer updates, general bug fixes, and accessibility improvements, there's still a welcome change for the Shortcut Guide tool.

Perhaps more interestingly, there is also news about the next experimental release -- PowerToys v0.48 -- which will appear just before the rollout of Windows 11 begins.

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