How TweakNow WinSecret Plus Saved Me From Throwing My Laptop Out the Window
Look, I’ll be honest – I’ve been using Windows since the days of Windows 95, and there are still days when I want to scream at my computer. You know what I’m talking about, right? That moment when you can’t figure out how to disable that ONE annoying notification, or when your taskbar suddenly decides it’s happier at the bottom of the screen when you CLEARLY prefer it at the top.
Anyway, after years of googling “how to fix [insert Windows annoyance]” and digging through sketchy forum posts from 2013, I finally found something that actually works. It’s called TweakNow WinSecret Plus, and it’s basically saved my sanity. I thought I’d write up my experience with it in case you’re in the same boat.
Quick note before I start: Nobody’s paying me to write this. I’m just a regular person who got tired of fighting with Windows and wanted to share what worked for me. I’ve been using this program for about 8 months now, and it’s become one of those tools I install immediately on any new PC.
What the heck is TweakNow WinSecret Plus anyway?
So this program is basically a collection of utilities that lets you mess with all those hidden Windows settings without accidentally breaking your system (which, uh, I may have done once or twice before finding this). It works with both Windows 10 and 11.
The main thing I love about it is that it puts all those registry tweaks behind a simple interface with actual human-readable labels. No more “HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics” nonsense – just checkboxes and sliders that make sense.
Seriously, who designed the Windows registry anyway? It’s like they intentionally made it as confusing as possible. I once spent THREE HOURS trying to find the right key to change my context menu settings. THREE. HOURS. Of my life. Gone. Never getting those back.
Anyway, TweakNow basically gives you a safe way to change all that stuff without needing a computer science degree. Here are some of the things I’ve used it for:
My favorite features (aka the stuff I actually use)
Moving my taskbar (because Microsoft keeps hiding this setting)
I like my taskbar at the top of the screen. I don’t know why, I just do. In Windows 10, this was hidden in some submenu. In Windows 11, Microsoft decided we’re all children who can’t be trusted with taskbar placement. TweakNow lets me put it where I want without jumping through hoops.
I also made my taskbar a bit bigger because, let’s face it, my eyes aren’t getting any younger. Took like two seconds with this program vs whatever registry hack I would’ve had to find otherwise.
Finding duplicate files (because apparently I’ve downloaded the same vacation photos 5 times)
OK so this one was kind of embarrassing. I ran the duplicate file finder and discovered I had over 4GB of duplicate photos. FOUR GIGABYTES! Turns out I kept downloading the same vacation pictures from my cloud storage and never deleted the old copies. Oops.
What I like about this feature is that it doesn’t just look at filenames – it actually compares the content. So it found duplicates even when I had renamed files or put them in different folders.
It saved me so much space that I didn’t need to buy that external hard drive I was looking at. So I guess it saved me like $60 too.
Secure Delete (because I sold my old laptop and I’m paranoid)
This one’s a bit creepy when you think about it – when you delete files from your computer, they’re not actually gone. Even if you empty the recycle bin. The data is still there until something else overwrites it.
I found this out the hard way when my tech-savvy nephew casually mentioned he could probably recover files from my old laptop that I sold last year. Cue mild panic attack thinking about all my tax documents and embarrassing selfies.
Now before I sell or donate any device, I use the Secure Delete tool to properly wipe sensitive files. It overwrites the data multiple times with random information so it can’t be recovered. Peace of mind, you know?
Auto Dark Mode (because I’m not a vampire, but my eyes are sensitive)
This one seems small but it’s honestly the feature I use most. It automatically switches Windows to dark mode at sunset and back to light mode at sunrise.
Before this, I’d be working late and suddenly realize my eyes were burning because I forgot to switch to dark mode. Now it just happens automatically and I don’t have to think about it.
My partner made fun of me for being excited about this feature until they saw it in action. Now they want it on their computer too.
Also See: Advanced System Optimizer for Windows
Folder Size Analyzer (because where did all my disk space go??)
Have you ever looked at your hard drive and wondered “How is this full already??” I swear my C: drive fills up if I so much as look at it wrong.
Last month my computer was running crazy slow, and I couldn’t figure out why. Ran this analyzer and found out Windows had been hoarding update files – over 13GB worth! The analyzer showed me exactly where they were hiding, and I could safely delete them through the program.
Probably saved me from doing a full reinstall of Windows, which is usually my desperate last resort when things get sluggish.
Real talk: Who actually needs this?
I’m not going to pretend everyone needs this program. If you barely use your computer or you’re perfectly happy with all of Windows’ default settings, you probably don’t need it.
But based on my experience and people I’ve recommended it to, it’s super helpful for:
- People who get annoyed by little things about Windows that they can’t easily change (that’s me!)
- Parents managing family computers (my sister uses it to keep her kids’ computers running smoothly)
- Anyone who works from home on their computer all day (those little annoyances add up when you stare at Windows for 8+ hours)
- Privacy-conscious folks who want better control over what happens on their system
- People with older computers who need to optimize performance (looking at you, 5-year-old laptop that refuses to die)
My friend Mark is a graphic designer and he swears by the Smart Shortcuts feature that gives his design programs priority when running. Says it made a huge difference in how Photoshop performs on his system.
Meanwhile, my mom just uses it to make her desktop icons bigger and change the Windows sounds that were startling her. Different strokes!
Getting started (without pulling your hair out)
If you decide to try it, here’s what worked for me:
- Start with just ONE thing that’s been bugging you about Windows. For me, it was moving the taskbar to the top. Fix that first and enjoy the small victory.
- Run the duplicate finder and clean up some space. It’s satisfying and gives you a quick win.
- Check out the Windows Secret section to see what other annoyances you might be able to fix. There’s stuff in there I didn’t even know could be changed!
- Don’t try to tweak everything at once. I made that mistake and couldn’t remember what caused a problem when it cropped up.
The interface is pretty straightforward – definitely easier than digging through the Windows registry yourself. Most features have little info buttons that explain what they do if you’re not sure.
Oh, and if you’re like me and constantly have 47 browser tabs open, the My Tray Icon feature is super handy. It puts the tools you use most often right in your taskbar for quick access.
Final thoughts (from a former Windows-hater)
Look, Windows isn’t perfect. There are days I still threaten to switch to Mac (though let’s be real, I probably won’t). But TweakNow WinSecret Plus has made Windows much more bearable for me.
It’s like having a friend who knows all the Windows secrets and can fix things for you without making you feel stupid for not knowing how to do it yourself.
Is it going to change your life? Probably not. But it might save you from throwing your laptop across the room one day, and that’s worth something, right?
Anyway, that’s been my experience. Hope it helps someone else who’s been fighting with Windows as long as I have!
-Dave
P.S. If you have any questions or want to share your own Windows frustrations, feel free to comment below. Misery loves company and all that!
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