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PC Secrets of Power Users: Little-Known Shortcuts & Tools

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PC Secrets of Power Users: Little-Known Shortcuts & ToolsMastering a computer is less about raw hardware and more about knowing the right tricks. This article gathers lesser-known shortcuts, utilities, and workflow tweaks power users rely on to save time, reduce friction, and get more done with less effort. Whether you use Windows, macOS, or Linux, you’ll find practical tips and tools that are easy to adopt and deliver immediate payoff.

1. Mindset and workflow principles

Before tools: optimize how you think about work.

  • Use the ⁄20 rule: identify the 20% of tasks that produce 80% of value and automate or streamline them first.
  • Focus on context switching costs: grouping similar tasks reduces mental overhead.
  • Build reproducible environments: scripts, dotfiles, and containers prevent repeated setup work.

2. Universal productivity shortcuts

These work across platforms or have equivalents on each OS.

  • Clipboard history — save multiple items instead of one. Windows: built-in Clipboard History (Win+V). macOS: third-party apps like Paste or Raycast; Linux: Clipman, ClipIt.
  • Quick app launchers — replace Start menu/dock with fuzzy search. Windows: PowerToys Run; macOS: Spotlight or Alfred; Linux: Ulauncher, Albert.
  • Window tiling and snapping — manage windows without dragging. Windows: Win+Arrow keys; macOS: Magnet, Rectangle; Linux: i3, Sway, or built-in tiling in GNOME/KDE.
  • Multi-cursor editing — edit several places at once. VS Code/Sublime: Ctrl/Cmd+Click; many editors support column selection.
  • Keyboard-driven workflows — learn to keep hands on the keyboard: text expansion (aText, TextExpander, espanso), macros (AutoHotkey on Windows; Hammerspoon on macOS).

3. Windows-specific power tricks and tools

  • PowerToys

    • FancyZones for custom window layouts.
    • PowerToys Run for app/file quick launching.
    • Keyboard Manager to remap keys and create shortcuts.

  • Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)

    • Run Linux tools and shells inside Windows. Great for dev work, scripting, and package-managed utilities.

  • Sysinternals Suite

    • Process Explorer for detailed process info.
    • Autoruns to inspect startup items.
    • RAMMap and Process Monitor for deep troubleshooting.

  • File and folder shortcuts

    • Use mklink to create symbolic links and junctions for flexible folder organization.
    • Compact.exe and VHDs for storage tricks.

  • Command-line power

    • Windows Terminal with tabs, panes, and custom profiles.
    • winget for package management (install apps quickly).
    • Use PowerShell profiles to script startup behavior and shortcuts.

4. macOS-specific power tricks and tools

  • Spotlight and Alfred

    • Use Alfred for workflows, clipboard, snippets, and deeper automation.

  • Hammerspoon

    • A Lua-based automation engine to script window management, hotkeys, and system behavior.

  • Homebrew

    • The de facto package manager for macOS; installs CLI tools and apps.

  • Automation with Shortcuts and Automator

    • Chain actions across apps without code; integrate with scripting for advanced flows.

  • Quick Look previews

    • Tap Space for instant previews of files, PDFs, images, and even code with plugins.

5. Linux-specific power tricks and tools

  • Window managers: tiling WMs (i3, bspwm, Sway) boost productivity by keyboard-driven layout control.
  • Shell power: zsh/fish with plugins (oh-my-zsh), auto-suggestions, and powerful prompt customization.
  • Package managers and containers: apt/dnf/pacman + Docker/Podman for reproducible environments.
  • System monitoring: htop, bpytop, nmon, and iotop for granular resource insight.

6. Little-known shortcuts that save minutes every day

  • Middle-click to close tabs (browsers) and paste (Linux/X11).
  • Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + T to reopen closed tabs in most browsers and terminals.
  • Alt + Tab variations: Windows: Win+Tab for Timeline/Task View; macOS: Cmd+Tab + Hold to pick an app window via Mission Control.
  • Select contiguous text quickly: Shift+Click or Shift+Arrow; column selection: Alt+Drag in many apps or use editor-specific column mode.
  • Use the address bar/address field as a command launcher: type commands like “site:docs yourquery” or file paths directly.

7. Automation & scripting — the real multiplier

  • AutoHotkey (Windows) — create hotkeys, remap keys, automate repetitive GUI tasks. Example: automate filling frequent forms or launching multi-step workflows.
  • Hammerspoon (macOS) — script system behavior with Lua for window rules, hotkeys, and app control.
  • Shell scripts + cron/task scheduler — schedule backups, maintenance, or syncs.
  • Infrastructure as code for desktops: use dotfiles, package lists, and scripts to provision a new machine in minutes.

Example (cross-platform simple sync script idea):

#!/usr/bin/env bash rsync -av --delete ~/dotfiles/ ~/.config/

8. File, search, and note-taking secrets

  • Use a global note index: tools like Obsidian, Notion, or Zettelkasten-style plain files let you find ideas fast.
  • Desktop search: Windows Search with indexed locations, Spotlight on macOS, and Recoll/Tracker on Linux. Configure indexing to include code and notes.
  • Tagging and metadata: use tags in your notes and files for easier retrieval than deep folder hierarchies.

9. Networking, security, and privacy tips

  • Store secrets safely: use a password manager (Bitwarden, 1Password) for logins and secure notes.
  • SSH keys and agents: use ssh-agent / gpg-agent to avoid repeated passphrase prompts. Forward carefully.
  • VPN + DNS privacy: when needed, choose reputable VPNs and configure DNS-over-HTTPS/TLS.
  • Harden defaults: disable unnecessary services, enable firewalls (Windows Firewall, pf on macOS, ufw/iptables on Linux).

10. Useful lesser-known tools (quick list)

  • Everything (Windows) — instant filename search.
  • ShareX (Windows) — advanced screenshot & capture with upload workflows.
  • Rainmeter (Windows) — customizable desktop widgets.
  • QuickLook (macOS) — enhance Quick Look with plugins.
  • Spectacle/Rectangle (macOS) — window snapping.
  • Espanso (cross-platform) — text expansion.
  • fzf (CLI) — fuzzy finder for terminals.
  • ripgrep (rg) — fast code search.
  • tmate — instant terminal sharing.
  • gh (GitHub CLI) — work with GitHub from terminal.

11. Power-user hardware tips

  • Mechanical keyboards with programmable layers (QMK/VIA) let you create custom keymaps and macros.
  • High-DPI monitors + scaling: use fractional scaling where supported for more screen real estate.
  • Multiple monitors vs. ultrawide: choose based on workflow — coding and research often benefit from vertical splits or multiple displays.

12. Troubleshooting & maintenance checklist

  • Keep backups: automated local + remote backups (Borg/Restic + cloud).
  • Monitor logs: journalctl (Linux), Event Viewer (Windows), Console (macOS).
  • Manage startup items and services regularly to keep boot times low.
  • Periodic cleanups: remove stale packages, large unused files (du, WinDirStat).

13. Learning resources and next steps

  • Practice keyboard-only workflows for a week (launcher, window manager, terminal).
  • Create a dotfiles repo and automate machine setup.
  • Pick one automation task per week and script it.

PC power-user skills compound — small daily improvements add up to big time savings. Adopt one or two tools above, automate a repetitive task, and the payoff will become obvious quickly.

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