A cluttered Windows desktop, while it could be better with a little bit of discipline, is partly not your fault. It usually comes from too many windows, too many repetitive tasks, and too few tools for managing them. Three Microsoft-made utilities can fix that, and none of them costs anything.

Windows 11’s right-click menu has been cluttered for a long time now. There are delays when opening a file menu and an overload of options added by Windows and installed applications. Now, Microsoft is finally fixing this by rolling out a redesigned context menu and giving users greater control over which commands appear. The update also brings layout choices that make the menu adaptable to individual preferences.

Windows 11 looks considerably more modern than its predecessors, with a redesigned Start menu, rounded corners, and a Settings app that brings many controls together. But spend enough time using it, and the fresh coat of paint starts to give way to familiar bits of older Windows. From legacy Control Panel windows to context menus that feel like they belong to another era, the operating system doesn't always feel like one joined-up experience.

For years, Windows 11 has handled camera and microphone access for desktop apps like a master key—flip the switch and every program gets in, or none do. Microsoft is finally working on a solution for the latest Windows 11 Insider build. The new privacy controls allow you to decide which desktop apps get to use your camera and microphone, one at a time. If you use an Android phone, you'll find the per-app permission settings feel familiar. This matters because camera and microphone access can reveal more than you might expect across varied software.

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.

Windows has a habit of getting in your way just when you're trying to get something done. Whether it's an update at the wrong time or a driver that refuses to cooperate, you might be tempted to disable a security feature and call it a day. Before you do, though, there are six Windows features you should think twice about switching off.

I follow the straightforward Task Manager route to disable anything I don't plan to use as soon as I log on. It saves some boot time and stops distractions.

Say you want to copy a file to another folder on your Windows PC, but not for backup purposes. If you just want to have the same file appear in multiple folders, you don’t have to copy it the usual way, where each copy takes up the full amount of storage space. What you can do instead is hard link it, which makes the same file show up in another folder, indistinguishable from the original, with the benefit of this “copy” not using any extra storage.

I have a number of Windows computers around my home. Some are media centers, others handle my outdoor cameras and smart home, and some are just for basic office work. I’m also the person in my circle of friends and family who gets the call when there is a technology problem. Basically, this means I’m working on other people’s PCs pretty frequently. I don’t particularly enjoy having to install the same group of apps on every machine I’m working on, especially when the PC isn’t mine. Having portable apps on my thumb drive means I don’t have to.

Although its reputation has taken a hit in recent years, File Explorer is still a decent file manager, especially if you use it as an auxiliary option alongside your main one. In my case, Total Commander has been my Windows file manager of choice for more than two decades, but I’ve been using File Explorer more and more lately since it’s generally better suited for working with images, and I juggle tons of them every day.

Once, putting Windows on the Internet without installing antivirus was practically inviting disaster.

Today I want to take a closer look at a set of tweaks and adjustments that can help you preserve battery life during emergency scenarios. Most battery-saving advice focuses on reasonable tasks that do have an impact, but this time we'll push it further.

Windows 11 sends a surprising amount of information about your PC to Microsoft every single day. If you dig through the Settings app, you'll find that there isn't even a single place where you can shut it all off—at best, it is a patchwork of toggles you can disable. In many cases, the telemetry, account requirements, and, increasingly, the AI features, aren't things you can uninstall or even disable. They're integral parts of the operating system.

Countless Windows apps have come and gone over the years. As our computing needs changed, some were replaced by better alternatives, while others simply became obsolete as new technologies emerged. Here are some iconic Windows apps you probably used regularly but haven't thought about in years.