10 Powerful Built-In Windows Tools You Aren’t Using (But Should Be)

If you are a Windows user, you likely know about the Task Manager, Control Panel, and Settings app, but did you realize that numerous power utilities are hidden under the hood on Windows? These lesser-known tools can significantly enhance your ability to troubleshoot issues, monitor system performance, extend battery life, and tweak advanced settings – all without the need for any third-party tool.

Whether you’re dealing with frequent system crashes, unexplained performance dips, or simply want to optimize your PC’s efficiency, the following built-in tools are invaluable rescues that often go unnoticed.

10

Windows Memory Diagnostic

Test your RAM for hidden errors

If you are experiencing issues with your system memory, particularly the dreaded Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), the Windows Memory Diagnostic may help you identify and resolve the cause. It restarts your PC and performs a complete scan of your RAM, uncovering hidden errors that could lead to random crashes, system freezes, or BSOD. Detecting memory issues early can save you from major headaches down the line.

How to launch:

Open the Start Menu, type “Windows Memory Diagnostic,” or press Win + R to launch the Run Command box, type mdsched.exe, and press Enter.

9

Resource Monitor

See what’s eating up your CPU, RAM, and network

At times, you probably feel that your PC is lagging or constantly underperforming without any particular reason. It may be due to some hidden apps or services running in the background. During such times, Resource Monitor will help you.

Think of it as a more detailed version of Task Manager. It provides granular, real-time insights into your CPU usage, memory allocation, disk activity, and network bandwidth. Detailed graphs and sortable tables make it easy to pinpoint exactly which applications or processes are consuming resources and slowing down your system.

How to launch:

Open Task Manager, go to the Performance tab, and click “Open Resource Monitor.” Or simply search for it in the Windows search box.

8

Reliability Monitor

The crash history tool nobody talks about

Reliability Monitor provides an intuitive timeline of your PC’s stability, clearly showing software installations, updates, application crashes, and hardware errors. It helps quickly identify problematic software or hardware, making troubleshooting much easier by revealing patterns or events leading to system instability.

For example, recently, a program called EssentialPIM was continuously crashing on my device, disrupting my workflow. Through the Reliability Monitor, I was able to identify a pattern, detect the root cause, and ultimately troubleshoot the issue.

How to launch:

Type “Reliability Monitor” into the Start search bar, or navigate via Control Panel > Security and Maintenance.

Diagnose your graphics and sound problems

If you’re a gamer and struggle with troubleshooting graphics and audio issues, this tool is for you. The DirectX Diagnostic Tool provides detailed information about your GPU, audio drivers, DirectX version, and other multimedia system components. It’s incredibly useful for diagnosing and troubleshooting GPU problems, gaming issues, checking driver versions, or performing diagnostic tests on DirectX capabilities.

How to launch:

Press Win + R, type dxdiag, and hit Enter.

6

Credential Manager

Your hidden password vault

Yes, Windows does come with a built-in password manager; however, it’s quite different from what you might have seen. Credential Manager securely manages your Windows login credentials, legacy browser passwords (such as those for Internet Explorer and older versions of Edge), and network login information. It’s ideal for resolving recurring network connection issues and safely clearing outdated credentials.

Frankly, in modern times, it’s not very valuable considering its lack of advanced features, which are expected in a password vault. Still, if you mostly rely on Edge and Windows login, the Credential Manager can be helpful.

How to launch:

Type “Credential Manager” into the Start search bar. Or find it under Control Panel.

5

God Mode

All your system settings just one click away

If you like hidden Easter eggs, Windows has a few, and God Mode is one of those. It consolidates over 200 critical system settings and configuration options into a single, easy-to-access folder. This powerful shortcut is ideal for power users and enthusiasts who frequently customize and tweak their Windows settings without navigating through multiple layers of menus.

How to enable:

1. Right-click your desktop and create a new folder.
2. Rename the folder to: GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}

You now have quick access to an extensive array of settings.

4

Local Group Policy Editor

Unlock advanced system tweaks

If you are a Windows Pro or Enterprise user, you get a powerful tool in the form of the Local Group Policy Editor. It basically allows advanced customization of hidden Windows settings, including security policies, UI behaviors, telemetry control, USB access permissions, and automatic logoff times. It’s invaluable for power users and system administrators looking to optimize the security and performance of their system or network of systems.

Though it’s unavailable for Windows Home users by default, there are a few workarounds you can try.

How to launch:

Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter.

3

Computer Management Console

A hub for all your system tools

Computer Management Console is not a tool or service. It is, in fact, a comprehensive hub that lets you access Device Manager, Disk Management, Task Scheduler, Services, and Event Viewer under a single interface. It streamlines hardware troubleshooting, user account management, and disk partitioning tasks by providing all the essential management tools in one place.

How to launch:

Right-click on the Start button and select “Computer Management,” or press Win + R, type compmgmt.msc, and hit Enter.

Find out what’s draining your laptop battery

Facing issues with your laptop battery and fear it’s coming to the end of its cycle? Well, Windows provides a way to diagnose that using a simple single-line command. Powercfg is an advanced command-line utility designed to manage and diagnose power settings on your computer. It provides detailed reports about battery usage, battery health, sleep settings, and energy consumption patterns.

It would provide you with a thorough idea of your battery usage from the day you first started using your laptop to the current day. It will also provide you with an exact idea of the current battery capacity compared to its original capacity. Basically, anything battery-related will be answered in the HTML file that will be generated through Powercfg.

To generate the file:

Run powercfg /batteryreport from Command Prompt. A detailed HTML battery health report will be automatically saved to your user profile folder.

1

System Configuration (msconfig)

Control how Windows boots

If you are facing trouble using Windows on your PC, one of the quick solutions is to boot it into Safe Mode and apply some fixes. But how to boot Windows into Safe Mode? That’s what System Configuration (msconfig) allows you to do.

Apart from that, it also offers essential tools to customize your PC’s startup process, manage boot configurations, startup services, and diagnostic modes. It’s particularly effective for diagnosing and resolving boot issues, improving startup times, or isolating problematic software that runs at boot.

How to launch:

Press Win + R, type msconfig, and press Enter.

Unleash your PC’s hidden potential

As you can see, your Windows PC has far more power and utility than meets the eye. Next time you run into performance issues, mysterious crashes, or simply want to optimize your system’s efficiency, remember these powerful built-in tools. They save you from unnecessary third-party software installations, protect your system’s performance, and help you get the most out of your computing experience. Explore these utilities, and you’ll quickly appreciate the hidden depths of Windows.