These 5 Windows automations run silently in the background and save hours every week

Windows has a lot of built-in tools that most people never touch, and a handful of third-party ones that are worth adding. The frustrating part is that some of the most useful things, like automatically cleaning your downloads folder or clearing your clipboard when you lock your machine, take about five minutes to set up and then run without you ever thinking about them instead. These are the kinds of small automations that don’t feel important until you realize how much time and mental energy you were wasting doing them manually.