Microsoft PowerToys

Pros

• Allows UI customization
• Provides numerous features lost in newer versions of Windows
• Lightweight & fast

Cons

• Users could make unwanted changes by mistake
• Overwhelming number of options

Microsoft PowerToys is a collection of user interface controls that allows users to make changes that Windows wouldn't otherwise allow them to. For instance, users could open a command prompt at any spot along their directory tree or manipulate the autoplay system that defines what Windows does with new devices you plug into your machine.

Perhaps the biggest draw is the fact that PowerToys can allow you to change the way that mouse focus works. Windows normally requires users to click on a window to focus it. In Unix-based operating systems, the opposite has often been the case. You simply need to slide your mouse cursor over a window to focus it. Users can rely on PowerToys to change this policy, which may prove especially useful for those who are running the Windows Subsystem for Linux and want to make sure that all of their applications will work the same way regardless of what it's written for.

Users who might have tried to install complicated desktop conversion packages might instead want to rely on PowerToys as well, because the app works seamlessly with their existing Windows installation. Microsoft based it on traditional widgets that are baked into the operating system, so it makes all of its changes quickly and without slowing your machine down. In most cases, you shouldn't have to worry about additional memory consumption either.

PowerToys makes alterations at the UI-level, so it doesn't need to run some kind of extension in the background. You might even find an extra widget in the Control Panel, which allows you to further customize the way Windows works.

Pros

• Allows UI customization
• Provides numerous features lost in newer versions of Windows
• Lightweight & fast

Cons

• Users could make unwanted changes by mistake
• Overwhelming number of options