Three Simple Apps to Improve Your Daily Computer Use

Using your computer every day should be a smooth experience. Here at Computer Expert Adelaide, we don’t just fix things when they break; we also find great tools that can make your daily workflow easier.

So, we wanted to share three free apps with you for both Windows and Apple devices.

It’s important you know that we have no affiliation with these apps and get nothing for sharing them. We just think they are genuinely useful tools that can improve how you use your computer.

We’ll show you a simpler way to control multiple monitors, an easier method for sharing files between all your devices, and a way to customize your computer’s look.

A Simpler Way to Control Brightness on Multiple Screens

If you use more than one screen, you know you usually have to press the physical buttons on each monitor just to change the brightness. It can be hard to get them to match perfectly.

Here’s an easier way to manage it.

For Windows: Twinkle Tray

There’s a free app in the Microsoft Store called Twinkle Tray. It adds one icon to your taskbar. When you click it, you see separate brightness sliders for all your monitors in a single menu. This lets you adjust them all from one place without touching the monitors themselves.

For Mac: MonitorControl

Mac users can get a free app called MonitorControl. It puts brightness sliders for your external monitors right in the Mac menu bar at the top of the screen. This also means you can use the brightness keys on your Apple keyboard to control all your screens, not just your laptop’s built-in display.

These apps are a simple way to make a multi-monitor setup feel more seamless. Of course, getting the monitors connected in the first place can be its own challenge. If you need help with that part of the process,we have a separate guide on how to connect two monitors to your laptop.

An Easier Way to Share Files Between Your Devices

Getting photos or files from your phone to your computer can be a hassle. It often means you have to email them to yourself, find a USB cable to plug the phone into the laptop, or upload them to a cloud drive just to download them again.

There is a much simpler way.

An App That Works on Everything

We really like a free app called LocalSend because it solves this issue for just about every device. It works on Windows, Mac, iPhone, and Android.

As long as both of your devices are on the same Wi-Fi network, you can send files directly between them. You don’t need an internet connection, you don’t have to upload your files to a server, and it’s very fast. It’s a great all-in-one solution for sharing files with any device in your home.

What About AirDrop?

If you are only sending files between your Apple devices, like from an iPhone to a Mac, the built-in AirDrop feature is often the fastest and simplest way.

LocalSend becomes the perfect tool for when you need to cross that platform bridge, like sending a file from a Windows PC to an iPhone, or from an Android phone to your Mac.

For a Cleaner Desktop Look

The standard look of the Windows taskbar and the Mac menu bar is fine, but you might want a cleaner or more minimal style for your screen. These two apps help you do just that.

For Windows: A Clearer Taskbar

If you want a more modern look for your desktop, there’s a simple app in the Microsoft Store called TranslucentTB.

It does one thing very well: it makes your taskbar transparent or translucent. This allows you to see your desktop wallpaper behind it, which creates a really clean and open feel for your whole screen.

For Mac: Tidy Up Your Menu Bar

On a Mac, the issue isn’t usually the look of the menu bar itself, but how cluttered it can get with icons from all your different apps.

A free app called Hidden Bar helps you organize this. It lets you hide the icons you don’t use often behind a single click. This keeps your menu bar looking clean, while still giving you easy access to all your apps when you need them.

Better Tools Make for a Better Day

Sometimes a simple app can make your daily computer tasks much easier. These free tools are great for improving your workflow and customizing your screen.

But they can’t solve everything.

If your computer has bigger problems, from running slow to hardware issues or virus infections, that’s what we’re here for. Give Computer Expert Adelaide a call or stop by the shop today.