Top Windows apps to boost your productivity
Tags: windows, beginners, tutorial, productivity
Published: 2021-04-24 08:05:31

# Getting Started

👋🏻 Hey **Swift Readers**, to keep it simple for you, you can skip the introduction and directly jump to apps by [clicking here](#apps)

# Introduction

Since I remember using computers 💻 , I've been a windows 🐱‍💻 user (Except for a few Linux distro switches). I always wanted to improve my experience and I always looked for interesting applications to improve my productivity.
I've been developing for years and I'm still eager to find applications to improve my productivity both for general and development purposes.

# More to come!

Many of the apps listed in this article are very feature-rich. I'm doing this as part of a series in which I'll be thoroughly discussing the best possible use cases and setups for each of these applications and their plugins to help you become a productivity god!!
So Stay tuned for updates on this series 😄

---

<a name="apps"></a>

# Applications

So, I have compiled a shortlist of windows applications that I use regularly to increase my productivity. ✌🏻
The majority of the applications listed here are open source, and their repositories are also related if you want to contribute.

> Click on the links below to jump to a particular app
> Moreover, Important links are present at the first line of each app for faster usage

-   [**PowerToys**](#powertoys)
-   [**Windows Terminal**](#windows_terminal)
-   [**Auto Hot Key**](#auto_hot_key)
-   [**Everything**](#everything)
-   [**Quick Look**](#quick_look)

---

<a name="powertoys"></a>

## Power Toys

**_Links_**

-   [Power Toys Github](https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys)
-   [Download | Releases Page](https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/releases)

**_What it does?_**

This is a utility application created by Microsoft. "Windows machine utilities to optimize efficiency," according to Microsoft's description.

**In a Nutshell**, This small application bundles many fantastic productivity features into a single package that would otherwise require the installation of several individual applications, such as an advanced color picker, Fancy Zones, Keyboard Manager, Power Rename, and much more!
<br/>

![Power Toys HomeScreen](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/g5elbr5t7rkhvnarcj9f.png)

<figcaption> Power Toys Application</figcaption>

![Power Toys Color Picker](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/y2mungewj0nvg30kox9s.png)

<figcaption> Color Picker </figcaption>

Above is just one example of what you can achieve with power toys, a full guide will be posted soon!

---

<a name="windows_terminal"></a>

## Windows Terminal

**_Links_**

-   [Windows Terminal](https://aka.ms/terminal)
-   [Windows Terminal Preview](https://aka.ms/terminal-preview)
-   [Windows Terminal Github](https://github.com/microsoft/terminal)

**_What it does?_**

It is another Microsoft product that aims to combine all terminals into a single modern, fast, reliable, and effective terminal.

It works for shells such as Command Prompt, PowerShell, and WSL.

Some of its features are having multiple tabs, panes, and Unicode support, as well as UTF-8 support for all you emoji🤪 fans out there.

But what sets it apart is that it has a GPU-accelerated rendering engine to speed it up and we can also build custom themes and designs for our command line.

![Windows Terminal in Action](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/f5wt1ar075hc10bycbng.png)

<figcaption> Windows Terminal in Action </figcaption>

> NOTE: The windows terminal will not look exactly like the image above when it is first installed. The full customization and configuration guide will be available soon!

---

<a name="auto_hot_key"></a>

## Auto hotkey

**_Links_**

-   [Auto Hot Key](https://www.autohotkey.com/)
-   [Auto Hot Key Github](https://github.com/Lexikos/AutoHotkey_L)

**_What it does?_**

It is simply a macro-creation and automation utility, that allows users to automate repetitive tasks.

They have their own custom scripting language used to program .ahk (auto hotkey) script files.

At its most potent, this is a very strong tool, and we can achieve incredible results with it. From extending a basic abbreviation to automating the whole system

![Auto Hotkey in Action](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/9f464p3mlijht6flcro6.png)

<figcaption> Auto Hot key in Action </figcaption>

Above is an example of a very simple script that can help you achieve simple automation, but you can look at this post to better understand the Auto Hotkey!

---

<a name="everything"></a>

## Everything

**_Links_**

-   [Everyhting](https://www.voidtools.com/)
-   [Everything Forums](https://www.voidtools.com/forum/)

**_What it does?_**

One thing we may all agree on is that Windows search sucks, and while it has improved significantly, it is still far from perfect.

"Everything," on the other hand, is a sophisticated search engine that immediately locates files and directories.

![Everything in Action](https://www.voidtools.com/support/everything/Everything.Search.Window.png)

<figcaption> Everything in Action </figcaption>

The example above shows how you can search for something, but wait for the full guide for more amazing integrations of everything that can make your life even easier.

---

<a name="quick_look"></a>

## Quick Look

**_Links_**

-   [Quick Look](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/quicklook/9nv4bs3l1h4s)

**_What it does?_**
According to their own description, "QuickLook enables a very quick preview of file contents by pressing the Spacebar"

And it does just as it says, bringing up the fast preview functionality of Mac OS inside Windows.

It supports a wide range of major image, video, text, and other file formats!
It will be a game-changer in terms of saving time when previewing files in windows.

![Quickly previewing an Image file](https://store-images.s-microsoft.com/image/apps.17552.14405803611253731.f98cdd0b-804a-4451-892c-8f66e59e65a4.4ecde082-1946-4f39-89d2-400bf4c8e0ea?w=672&h=378&q=80&mode=letterbox&background=%23FFE4E4E4&format=jpg)

<figcaption> Quickly previewing an image file </figcaption>

![Quickly previewing a video file](https://store-images.s-microsoft.com/image/apps.32960.14405803611253731.fc2b537f-239d-421a-964c-8f3a1b77a1af.e8a73cc7-4874-4db2-a60a-dfbbef550fcf?w=672&h=378&q=80&mode=letterbox&background=%23FFE4E4E4&format=jpg)

<figcaption> Quickly previewing an video file </figcaption>

---

# What's next?

First and foremost, thank you for reading. If you've made it this far, *leave a reaction to show your support!*

Check on series updates for complete guides on these individual applications and to further improve your experience with Windows.

Furthermore, feel free to **leave a comment with any additional productivity tools for Windows** that you use on a regular basis, and let's have a healthy discussion over there. 😄