Windows Freeware Guide

2025/04/25

X-Mouse Button Control (FREE) – Copy and Paste with Mouse Button # 4 and # 5

I use Logitech Signature M650 for this test.

In the picture below, spec is shown on Windows 11.

The test steps – X-Mouse Button Control 2.20.5

On: Windows 11 Home

Download: https://www.highrez.co.uk/downloads/xmousebuttoncontrol.htm

1. Go to the link above download, then install it.

Open the app, click the arrow at the taskbar, its icon shows.

Double click that icon, a new window shows, at the left pane, select default that means the actions that will be set are for every app.

At the right pane, click tab ‘Layer 1’.

2. You have to check that the numbers of physical mouse buttons.

The steps are:

A. Move a mouse pointer over window of X-Mouse Button Control

B. Click a target button. You will see a drop-down list menu is highlighted with orange.

Click a drop-down list menu, then select ‘Simulated Keys’.

Then click a gear icon.

A new window opens, at ‘Enter the custom keys’ box, click a drop-down list at the end of the box.

Select ‘Modifier Keys’ > ‘Control’

You will see {CTRL} in the box, then type ‘C’. Click ‘OK’

Do the same step for another button.

I doubt that this app can sepearte actions for mouse #1 and mouse #2.

The test steps – X-Mouse Button Control 2.20.5

On: Windows 11 Home

Download: https://www.highrez.co.uk/downloads/xmousebuttoncontrol.htm

2025/04/15

Pointing Magnifier (FREE for Personal Use) – Zoom In on a Specific Area on Windows

Built-in Magnifier on Windows 11 zooms in the entire screen, it’s hard to work on application while seeing the zoomed area. This app lets users do it.

The test steps – Pointing Magnifier 3.2.2.30131

On: Windows 11 Home

Download: https://depts.washington.edu/acelab/proj/ptgmag/index.html

1. Go to the link above and download the app. I selected Windows Installer.

Open the downloaded file.

A new window shows.

Click ‘More info’.

Click a button ‘Run anyway’

Install it.

You might see the message ‘Do you want to allow this app from an unknown publisher to make changes to your device?”

I clicked ‘Yes’

Installation was done. Click ‘Finish’ to launch the app.

2. Settings window will show. Press key FN + F11 to hide the circular cursor.

I set keyboard shortcuts as below.

Then click hide window.

3. How to magnify specific area:

Press a shortcut to show a circular cursor.

Left click to zoom in.

Drag to move the zooming circle to the target area.

If your left click the zooming circle will be gone. It leaves you a circular cursor.

You can use key ‘esc’ (escape) to cancel the zooming circle or hide a circular cursor.

You can use arrow keys to move the zooming circle up/down/left/right.

To type the document while the zooming circle is active, just press cursor where you want in the target document, then make the zooming circle active, then press Alt + Tab to switch to the target application/window and type.

In the picture above, I can type ‘abc’ while the zooming circle is active.

To open the settings window, click the arrow at taskbar, then right click the app’s icon, then click show settings.

Change the zoom level at ‘Lens magnification Factor’

Here is the license of this app.

This software is distributed for non-commercial use under the New BSD License agreement. For commercial use, please contact Prof. Wobbrock at wobbrock@uw.edu.

The test steps – Pointing Magnifier 3.2.2.30131

On: Windows 11 Home

Download: https://depts.washington.edu/acelab/proj/ptgmag/index.html

2025/03/13

Windhawk (FREE) – Show File Size in MB on Windows 11

Windhawk describes itself as a marketplace for customizing Windows

‘Better file sizes in Explorer details’ is a mod to make thing happen.

The test steps – Windhawk 1.5.1, Better file sizes in Explorer details 1.4.8

On: Windows 11 Home

Download: https://windhawk.net/

1. Go to the link above and download it.

Open the downloaded file and install.

2. Open Windhawk, click ‘Explore’ at the top right of window.

Search with keyword ‘file size’

Click ‘Details of ‘Better file sizes in Explorer details’

Before installing it, let’s see behavior of File Explorer

It shows size in KB and doesn’t show size of folder.

When sorting by size, folder size is not included.

3. Install a mod by clicking ‘Install’.

A new window shows, click ‘Accept Risk and Install’.

Wait.

When it’s done installing, you will see ‘Installed version…’

You have to refresh a page of File Explorer by go to somewhere and then go back to the target page.

To view folder size, click ‘Settings’ in Windhawk.

At ‘Show folder size’ section, select the option you want.

Don’t forget to click ‘Save settings’.

In the picture above, the option ‘Mix files and folders when sorting by size’ is turned on.

What a useful piece of software!

The test steps – Windhawk 1.5.1, Better file sizes in Explorer details 1.4.8

On: Windows 11 Home

Download: https://windhawk.net/

2025/02/16

3RVX (FREE) – Beautiful Volume Overlay on Windows 11

I haven’t found a way to remove or hide system volume overlay but it’s located at the bottom of the screen so it’s kind of hard to seen object.

3RVX can be placed the way you want so I can enjoy the beauty of it.

I will try to get the solution to remove system volume overlay.

The test steps – 3RVX 2.9.2

On: Windows 11 Home

Install: https://3rvx.com/

1. Go to the link above to download it.

At the bottom of the page.

You can open a GitHub link to see license.

BSD-2-Clause

2. Open the downloaded file, and follow the on-screen instruction to install the app.

Remember or create a shortcut of installation path because the settings file is there.

After it’s done installation, I went to the path below to setting up the app.

Open the file named ‘Settings’

At tab ‘General’, choose the skin.

If you choose the new skin but the ‘Apply’ button is greyed out, click ‘OK’, the ‘settings’ window will be closed, then open the ‘Settings’ file again. Click ‘Apply’, go back to target folder and open file ‘3RVX’.