🛠️ Tools I Use Every Day 2026

🧑‍💻️ Development

Visual Studio Code

• This is the most versatile software I use on a daily basis. It supports almost every programming language and file type
• Its utility is just unmatched, especially when you combine it with AI tools like GitHub Copilot
• Number of Extensions available for this is just insane
• I am using it for
  • C# development
  • python development
  • version control for VBA projects
  • note taking and internal documentation using markdown files
  • building this website
  • Script development using bat files, autoHotKey scripts, PowerShell scripts

Visual Studio 2026

• My favorite tool for C# development
• It has all the functionality you need for modern desktop app development
  • Code suggestions and live error reporting
  • Code Refactoring over multiple files
  • Git Integration
  • Unit testing
  • Tools to build installer
• I am using it for
  • building my CAD Add-ins
  • C# apps, or libraries for internal use
  • Building Installers for my software

Rubberduck

• It’s an open-source tool for VBA development with direct integration with Excel, Word, and PowerPoint VBA editor
• It has added functionality that the built-in VBA editor lacks
  • Code suggestion
  • Code refactoring
  • Code explorer
  • Feature to export entire project for version control
• I am mainly using it for VBA development

Ribbon X

• It’s open-source software that allows you to build custom ribbons using XML for Office Apps
• I am using it for developing custom ribbons for Office for both C# apps and VBA

Git and Github

• I think most people don’t know what Git is or what the difference is between these two, especially in our domain
• Git
  • It is a version control tool which allows you to keep track of all changes in your code
  • It helps you manage different versions of your projects, so you can easily revert to previous states if needed
  • Think of it as software that keeps a detailed history of your project’s development
  • It’s just a command line tool. If you need a User Interface, then you have to use software that supports Git like Visual Studio Code or Source Tree
• Github
  • GitHub is a web-based platform that uses Git for version control
  • It provides a collaborative environment where developers can store their code, share it with others, and work together on projects
  • It’s like a social network for programmers, where you can contribute to open-source projects, review code, and manage your own repositories
• I am using Git for version control of all my projects and GitHub to store all my code online, so I can share it with my clients or access older versions of a project if I need it

Source Tree

• It’s software which allows you to use version control on your project with a nice user interface
• I’ve used this for Git and GitHub for a few years but am not using it anymore since Visual Studio 2026 and Visual Studio Code got built-in support for Git and GitHub
• I still recommend this for beginners or for people who don’t use Visual Studio or Visual Studio Code

Wix Toolset

• It’s a tool which allows you to build custom installers for your software or add-ins
• This is not needed if you’re just using software for internal use
• I normally use it for C# projects and CAD Add-ins since I have to provide a good installation process for my clients, so it’s a must-have tool for me

🤖 AI Tools

Github Copilot

• Currently my go-to AI tool for code generation, documentation, and code explanation
• It has an option to switch between multiple AI models depending on your need
• It’s a paid tool but worth every penny if you do a lot of coding or writing documentation
• It’s well integrated in Visual Studio and Visual Studio Code so you don’t have to switch between apps

Whispering

• It’s a speech-to-text tool using AI
• It’s open source and free to use. You can use any AI model you want and have the option to use your own API key if you want to use paid models
• All data is processed locally on your machine, so there are no data privacy issues
• For the past few years, I’ve been having wrist cramps due to extensive typing or heavy mouse use, so I am using this tool to write my content instead of typing

ChatGPT

• ChatGPT is my current general-purpose AI tool to ask any query. I’ve stopped using Google for any research or info-related query
• I am currently using it for
  • General-purpose Q&A
  • Speeding up my learning [research, software packages, new API]
  • Information summarization

Claude

• I am using this tool as an alternative to ChatGPT, especially for code and writing tasks
• I find it’s much better than ChatGPT for
  • Code generation
  • Code explanation
  • Writing tasks

Google Gemini

• Google Gemini is my choice for AI image generation tasks
• Recently it’s get integrated with Youtube, so i am using it for summarizing YouTube videos as well as question regarding the video content
• If you’re from India and using Jio then you can use it for free for next 18 months

☑️ General Productivity

Ditto

• It’s a clipboard manager app with history and search functionality, which means I can paste an item which I’ve copied 2 weeks ago
• It allows you to copy and paste any type of information: text, images, videos, any type of file or folder
• This is my all-time favorite tool. I have been using it for the last 7 years and it’s still irreplaceable
• I am using it for
  • My coding
  • General tasks: note taking, managing files

Powertoys

• It’s a set of utility tools for power users. This tool is hard to explain in words; you must use it to experience it.
• I am using only a few tools from this on a regular basis
  • Command Palette as replacement for Windows search
  • Color Picker tool to find color IDs from my screen
  • Fancy Zones to manage multiple windows
  • Mouse utilities to customize my mouse behavior
  • File Locksmith for checking which files are in use and by which processes

AutoHotKey

• It’s software which allows you to build scripts for Windows
• I am using it for
  • Keyboard key mapping
  • Mouse key mapping
  • Hotstrings for typing repetitive info like company name, contact info, today’s date for file or folder names

Quick Look

• It’s an app which shows you a quick preview of file contents by pressing the Spacebar
• You can check out any file without opening it

Terminal

• It’s an application for command prompt or PowerShell
• Most people don’t need this, but I do spend a lot of time using command prompt since a lot of software I use doesn’t have a user interface

StayFree

• It’s an app that blocks apps or websites so you don’t get distracted while working
• It even allows you to limit the use of certain apps
• All data syncs across my browser, desktop, and Android phone
• I am using it for
  • Blocking all social media apps during my work time
  • Limiting the use of selected apps, like using LinkedIn or Outlook for 30 min per day
  • Keeping track of time I am spending on each app on a weekly and monthly basis

Notion

• All my general note-taking happens in Notion. It supports almost everything: codes, LaTeX support, charts, tables
• I use Notion when I have to write something from scratch or brainstorm a new idea for a project or content. It’s minimal and distraction-free, just perfect for writing content
• Everything I learn or read from books, articles, and YouTube videos goes here
• This is a great replacement and free-to-use tool for a lot of our daily needs like to-do lists, calendars, project planners, and journals
• The only con is that it doesn’t work offline

Onenote

• Anything that I don’t want to share with others goes here
• Bank account or payment details, personal IDs or government documents, phone numbers, Wi-Fi passwords, private journal
• It works offline, we can password protect our notes, and it has a great mobile app for Android and iOS

📷 Media

Camtasia

• It’s the best screen recorder and editing tool
• I am using it for
  • Making my YouTube videos
  • Making tutorials for my clients for internal use or just communication

Powerpoint

• Yes, I use PowerPoint to edit images
• It works offline and doesn’t have an insane amount of functionality like Canva
• I am using it for
  • All image editing when I don’t need anything fancy
  • All the graphics you see on this website are generated using PowerPoint only
  • I’ve got a lot of VBA custom tools built for PowerPoint to generate or update PowerPoint content

Canva

• Super versatile web tool to create any type of content
• It’s a very popular tool, so I’m not going to go into detail
• I am using it for everything that I can’t do with Camtasia or PowerPoint

Conclusion

• These are the tools I use on a daily basis to get my work done efficiently, but it’s not a complete list. I use a lot of other tools occasionally depending on my needs
• Also, I’ve omitted some basic tools like Office Apps (Excel, Outlook, Word), Teams, and OneDrive since most people already know about them