I'm the last person to defend Windows. There's no doubt in my mind that it's a bloated, slow, and unreliable mess of an operating system. The only thing I use Windows for anymore is as a dedicated gaming PC that never has a single mission-critical job.

While PowerToys is a fantastic open-source tool made by Microsoft, its Windows modding capabilities are fairly limited. When it comes to built-in Windows modding options, you can do stuff like bring back the Windows 10-style right-click menu (via Registry Editor), toggle transparency effects, use a limited selection of custom themes, finally move the taskbar again, and a few other things, which isn’t that bad considering they’re all available right from the get-go.

Some of the best software in the world is produced entirely by volunteers and released for free. Over the years, I’ve come to rely on many of these tools to stay productive and in control of my Mac.

One of the major Chrome alternatives is close to going away. The Browser Company has confirmed that the Arc browser will shut down on December 22, 2026 as its successor Dia nears.