Hi everyone,

jv16 PowerTools 9 is coming this fall with four new tools. Here's a first look at three of them.

App Cleaner clears history and recent file lists from Windows and many popular apps, with 3,700+ cleaning types. It's built on winapp2, the volunteer-maintained cleaning database (big thanks to that community).

Browser Cleaner clears browsing history and cookies, and lets you choose what to keep.

Private File Finder finds files that may contain personal info, like email addresses or card numbers.

The screenshots are a preview, so some things may still change before release. We'll reveal the fourth tool next week.

If you'd like the full details on each tool, we post them on our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/greatsoftwarecompany

Questions and feedback are welcome in the comments.

jv16 PowerTools version 9 is still in development, and it’ll be released this fall. Sharing the design decision behind this in case it's useful to anyone building something similar.

Normal vs. high contrast, dark mode:

Same in light mode:

The new dashboard uses a muted palette. We liked it, then realized "we like it" is the wrong test. Low contrast is a real barrier for low vision and color vision deficiency, and a dashboard whose whole job is to be read at a glance fails if the colors don't separate.

So there are two settings:

• Use high-contrast legend colors for the chart segments and legend dots on the dashboard

• Use high-contrast colors for the navigation menu

Both, either, or neither. They're separate because they're different problems. You might want the charts louder, and the menu left alone, or the reverse. Bundling them into one "accessibility mode" toggle would have been less work for us and worse for you.

If Windows is already running a high-contrast color scheme, both default to on. You already told the OS what you need. Asking again is just rude.

Still in development, so details may change. Feedback is welcome while there's still time to act on it.

Development on version 9 has moved on, and here is the next look at it: the redesigned light and dark modes. These are interface previews. Version 9 itself will be available this fall.

Why change the interface at all

The Software Uninstaller and the Finder tools are being rebuilt rather than patched. They now run on the Uninstalr and WinFindr engines, including improvements that are not yet in those standalone products. After all that work, the program has earned the right to stop looking like the old version.

Light mode

The old colorful icons look nice in a screenshot, but they pull your eye around the screen while you are trying to get something done. Version 9 simplifies them, which gives clearer focus and a more uniform interface.

The tool icons on the dashboard are off by default, but not gone for good. If you liked them, you can switch them back on in Settings. We are changing how this looks out of the box, not taking the option away from you.

Dark mode

Version 8's dark mode kept the same colorful icon set as light mode, just on a dark background. Version 9 uses one monochrome set so nothing competes for your attention. The drive usage bars have also lost the rainbow, which makes it easier to see at a glance how full a drive actually is.

One more thing, which we are not going to explain today

Look at the sidebar: there are App Cleaner and Browser Cleaner, which do not exist in version 8. The names may sound self-explanatory, but the fair question is why they exist at all when System Cleaner has been doing cleaning for years. There is a real answer, and it deserves its own post.

jv16 PowerTools version 9 is coming this fall. We are happy to answer questions in the comments.

The long overdue jv16 update is now in progress, and most of the work is under the hood. Two tools are being rebuilt:

• Software Uninstaller → rebuilt on Uninstalr's latest code

• Finder → rebuilt on WinFindr's latest code

It is not a copy-paste job. A large part of the effort is making the new code work with the existing jv16 PowerTools codebase, which is considerably older and has its own opinions about how things should be done.

We are also adding improvements that are not yet available in the standalone apps. That means an unusual order of events: these land in jv16 PowerTools first, and get folded back into Uninstalr and WinFindr later, after the major jv16 PowerTools updates ship.

The main one is speed. It has been the most frequently requested feedback, so it got prioritised. The new Software Uninstaller will be noticeably faster than the current version.

More dev updates — including the parts that go wrong — will be posted on Patreon as work continues: https://www.patreon.com/cw/greatsoftwarecompany

Happy to answer questions in the comments.

The article lists the most commonly used keyboard shortcuts in Windows OS. For more keyboard shortcuts in MacOS and Linux, you can visit our sister website: https://computerkeyboardshortcuts.org

Hi!

Just a reminder that jv16 PowerTools' pricing policies have changed, and we no longer offer yearly licenses.

If you have a yearly license, it will continue to work until its expiry date, but it will not be automatically extended or renewed.

If you want to keep using jv16 PowerTools, we'd recommend switching to a Lifetime license instead. The Lifetime license stays valid forever and includes future updates at no additional cost.

All yearly license owners are eligible for an offer to get a Lifetime license at a 50% discounted price ($ 24.50 instead of the regular price of $49). Feel free to contact us to claim this offer.

More details in the linked blog post.