The Windows Settings app is great, but it can sometimes feel overwhelming because of the number of options it offers. To make things easier for me, I installed Wintoys, which is my go-to platform for uninstalling apps, fixing performance issues, and making tweaks to my computer.

What Is Wintoys?

Wintoys is a Windows utility tool that brings together all the essential features you frequently use on your Windows computer in one place. The app is free to use and can be downloaded from the Microsoft Store. While Wintoys can be useful in various situations, I primarily use it for these seven reasons.

Solve Common Issues With Apps

I’m enrolled in the Windows Insider Program because I am always eager to try out the latest Windows features before they’re publicly available. The downside of installing Windows preview builds is that they can sometimes break the functionality of certain apps. While reinstalling the affected app is the best solution in such cases, I first try resetting the app, which, in most scenarios, resolves the issue.

Even if you’re not part of the Windows Insider Program, you may encounter apps that aren’t functioning properly, such as not opening or crashing shortly after launch. In such cases as well resetting the app can do the trick.

That said, to reset an app using Wintoys, click the “Apps” option in the left sidebar. Then, on the right side of the window, click the three dots next to the malfunctioning app and select the “Reset” button.

Wintoys will reset the app within a few seconds. After that, open the app and check if it is functioning properly. If the issue persists, you’ll need to reinstall the app as a last resort. To do this, choose the “Uninstall” option to remove the app from your computer. Then, visit the app’s official website and download the latest version.

Manage Windows Services

These days, disabling certain Windows services doesn’t provide the same performance boost it used to in the Windows XP era. However, there may still be situations where you’re advised to restart or disable specific services to fix an issue on your computer. For example, if Windows update isn’t downloading automatically, one of the best things you can do is restart the Windows Update service.

Wintoys includes a Services section that lists all Windows services. It’s a modern version of the native Windows Services app. You can access this section and perform actions like stopping, restarting, starting, or changing the startup type of a service. To do these things, click the three dots next to the services you want to manage and select the appropriate option.

Configure Startup Apps

You’ll often find me testing out new apps on my computer. One of the things I focus on during testing is evaluating how an app performs at system startup, its memory consumption on launch, and whether it affects boot time. Most newly installed apps are usually allowed to start automatically at launch, but if an app doesn’t have that permission, I use Wintoys to manage it.

Wintoys has a Startup apps option under the Performance section, which lets you configure which apps should start automatically when the system boots. You need to toggle the switch next to the app you want to launch at startup.

In case you want to remove an app from the list, click the trash icon next to it. You can also manually add an app by clicking the Add new startup app icon.

Provide Ultimate Performance Boost

When I’m not writing for How-ToGeek, you’ll find me playing WWE 2K24 on my computer. To ensure that my device delivers the best performance during the game, I use the Ultimate performance power plan in Wintoys. This option is available under the Performance section of Wintoys.

Once the Ultimate performance power plan is enabled, all the necessary components are allowed to use maximum power, which helps the computer deliver peak performance. After my gaming session is over and I’m back at my writing desk, I turn off the toggle, as I no longer need any performance boost from my system.

The Performance section of Wintoys also includes a Gaming settings option, where you’ll find toggles for key gaming-related settings like game mode, windowed mode optimization, background recording, and superfetch. While I rarely use these settings, you might find them useful. I recommend trying the windowed mode optimization option, as it may help improve frame rates in your games.

Solve Common Windows Issues

Whenever my computer encounters a problem, such as crashing unexpectedly or displaying a blue screen, one of the first things I do is run an SFC or DISM scan. The most common way to run these scans is by opening the Command Prompt and executing their respective commands. However, Wintoys makes this process much easier.

Under the Repair option of the Health section, you’ll find three types of repairs—SFC, DISM, and CHKDSK. Each of these repairs has its own importance and is performed in different situations. Once you know which repair you need to execute to solve your problem, check its box and click the “Repair” button.

Get Detailed Battery Report

If you want to generate a battery report on your computer, you’ll need to open the Command Prompt and run the powercfg /batteryreport command. However, Wintoys lets you create a detailed battery report with just one click.

You need to go to the Health section and click the “Generate” button next to the Battery report option. The detailed battery report will be saved to your desktop.

Clear Unnecessary Data

One of the best ways I’ve found to free up extra space on my computer is by removing junk files. Items like previous Windows update files or error reports can take up a lot of storage. Deleting them can help create more space on your device.

To do this, go to the Health section and select the “Cleanup” option. Click the trash icon next to Junk, then select all the data you want to remove. After that, click the “Delete” button, and all selected items will be removed from your computer.

The Cleanup option also offers additional features. For example, you can click the broom icon next to Microsoft Store to clear the Microsoft Store cache data. Similarly, clicking the broom icon next to DNS will clear the DNS cache, which may help resolve connectivity issues on your computer.

These are some of the main things I use the Wintoys app for on my computer. However, as mentioned earlier, the app can be used for many other purposes as well. I recommend taking some time to explore the app and manually go through each option it offers so you can discover all the other things you can do with it.