Windows 11 - Fall In Love Again With These Free Apps

Windows 11 has been out for some time, now it is time to fall in love with it again with these free apps to help your productivity. They are available on the windows store app, or by clicking the direct links we give you in this blog from Microsoft.

Power Toys

Microsoft Power Toys was recently released to GitHub and so you can install from there or other use other ways to install, to learn more this is the link. Once you install this powerful app you will be gifted with several tools or ‘toys’ so you can finetune and streamline your experience in Windows 11 on your PC. Here is a quick rundown of some of the toys and useful application in your work life.

Always on Top

This pins a window to always appear on top of your working document, currently the Power Toys  window is pinned on top whilst we write this blog. You could pin your OneNote or notepad above your document or Excel spreadsheet to aid in entering data.

Awake

Do you hate it when you are working on something, you go to get a bathroom break and coffee and when you return your device has shut down ? This toy means you can leave your PC running a long task and it stays awake. You can set it to stay awake either indefinitely or temporarily. This means you don’t have to change the Windows power settings. It places a handy toggle in your system tray.

Color Picker

Have you found the perfect colour online? This handy toy allows you to select it and get the details in RGB, Hex and other formats. It even has an editor function to assist you to pinpoint the exact shade you are after. Useful if you are looking to match up your logo colours.

Fancy Zones

Snapping windows on your screen is a way of controlling multiple windows. This Toy makes it easy to create custom layouts.

File Locksmith

Running task manager will find which processes are running and ending a task that is causing problems. However it doesn’t tell you which program is using the processes. File Locksmith looks at what programs are using those processes and allows you to close individual processes.

File Explorer Addons

Ever since the tabs became available in File explorer it has become the go to for organising files, easily copy and paste between folders on different tabs. These addons give you previews in the preview pane for file formats not usually available on file explorer. Having these previews means you select the right files.

Text Extractor

Searching online and found a section of text you want to copy, but it doesn’t seem to let you? This OCR tool works like the windows snipping tool but for text. Useful for quoting and referencing. It copies the text and then you paste within a word document. Its not 100% but close enough to save you tying out in full yourself.

If you think these are useful, then the rest of the Toys will up your game too. Included are

• Keyboard manager - re-map your keys for different functions
• Mouse utilities - add highlight or cross hairs
• Power rename - mass rename files
• Power Toys Run - run anything with alt space
• Quick accent - add special characters to documents quickly
• Screen ruler - measure pixels
• Shortcut guide - shows you which shortcuts are on your PC
• Video Conference Mute - toggle your mic, video or both with a keystroke, regardless of which app you are in

Clipchamp

A powerful video editing software. Windows 11 added this app in the last few months and it is proving that you no longer need to pay for more expensive software. If you are making YouTube or Social media shorts or videos than this is the app for you. Edit and create by adding your logo of text in the font you require.

Adobe Photo Express

Adobe has long held court in the world of photo editing. Photo Express is a cut down version of Photoshop. You can get it free for use on your android or iPhone devices too. Combine this with Clipchamp and you have way of making professional looking images and movies for your business.

Your Phone

Linking your smartphone to your desktop has many uses. You can leave your phone on charge or in your pocket, knowing that all notifications and messages will appear on your screen. You can use most of your smartphones apps directly on your screen too. Dragging and dropping your pictures from your mobile phone into your files or documents without having to email them to yourself. You can even handle calls directly from your PC screen.

Adding this to your landline or VOIP phone means you can handle all calls without leaving your desk. Ask us about telephony solutions for you.