Powertoys added LightSwitch!!! What now?

[N0tAvai1able]

So recently powertoys also added a feature much similar to what the capabilities of ADM. Although it needs some refinement according to me, they have built in one of the main features, that being schedules auto dark/light mode switching. As most users of ADM are power users and may already have powertoys installed, wouldn't ADM become unneeded? Maybe this can merge with powertoys?

[Armin2208]

Something what people probably don't understand, who always request on adding more things into PowerToys: we as developer put a lot of time and effort into our project. Auto Dark Mode is not only a random software to us, it is more comparable to a child. We had hard times in finding solutions, we tried our best to come up with new concepts and ideas. We did everything in our free time, without getting paid at all. So we have a relationship with our software.

Because of this, it actually hurts that people always request a merge into PowerToys. And now after PowerToys added a "Light Switch", people start to create more and more issues for PowerToys. This specific issue is probably the most hilarious, because this guy just posted a screenshot of Auto Dark Mode and said: please put this into PowerToys: microsoft/PowerToys#42413. And I just ask myself: "Why don't you just use Auto Dark Mode?". Why do people want to replace Auto Dark Mode so badly?

The great thing about Auto Dark Mode is in fact, that our background service is low in resource and memory consumption. It uses less than 30 MB of ram and 0% CPU. Having this feature integrated in PowerToys actually doesn't save many resources. Okay, the PowerToys LightSwitch service only consumes 2 MB of memory. But the CPU usage is the same, because PowerToys also needs to check every minute the current time. Just like Auto Dark Mode. There is actually no real performance benefit in replacing Auto Dark Mode. Additionally, the updater of Auto Dark Mode is seamless. You just click on "update" and the new version is installed some seconds later. We even support auto updates without any notifications, so you will never notice that Auto Dark Mode is actually installed. So there is no benefit in replacing Auto Dark Mode with PowerToys.

One of the most difficult things while developing Auto Dark Mode is finding workarounds. Because theme switching on Windows is built on shaky ground. This is why Auto Dark Mode uses private APIs for the theme switch engine. And thus is the reason why Auto Dark Mode was never integrated into PowerToys. Because PowerToys is not allowed to use private APIs of Windows. But instead of Microsoft supporting us in improving our theme engine, to make our software ready for PowerToys, they just implemented their own. The PowerToys theme switcher uses window broadcasts. This is a technique which isn't necessary unknown, but you need to know that the call exists. It seems like the PowerToys devs used their privilege to be on Microsoft, to get some insider knowledge from the actual Windows devs. A thing that we are not able to replicate. So we are in the situation, that the software that replaces Auto Dark Mode was programmed by people who have a knowledge advantage which we can't get. And still we made so many workarounds, that make us able to still state: Auto Dark Mode has the most reliable theme engine on the market. More reliable than PowerToys in the current state.

Overall, the current situation is the following. PowerToys implemented the basic functionality of Auto Dark Mode. Auto Dark Mode still has many advantages, because we offer way more features. Namely, wallpaper switch, accent color switch, mouse cursor switch, switch while night light is on, don't switch while playing video games and more. This feature list makes Auto Dark Mode still relevant. There is no possibility that Microsoft could implement Auto Dark Mode in PowerToys. If Microsoft wants to adapt all our features, they need to either use private APIs (not allowed in PowerToys) or use their magic insider information to come up with unknown calls, that only Microsoft employees could know.

We will lose many users, this makes us sad. Because we actually provided a nearly native experience for years. And now media outlets didn't even write news about Auto Dark Mode 11. We released 11.0.0 and no one wrote an article about it. Everyone just writes about the new awesome PowerToys update. People uninstall Auto Dark Mode for the new awesome PowerToys feature. People request new awesome features for PowerToys, although Auto Dark Mode can do everything. That's kinda sad. We will still continue to develop Auto Dark Mode, because we are a niche software. People who like the abilities of Auto Dark Mode can be sure that we support them. I hope we get some support of our users, like for example some donations for the great years we had together.

[doctorrerumnaturalium]

I really appreciate you sharing this perspective — it perfectly highlights what many users don’t realize about open-source work. Auto Dark Mode wasn’t just a random utility, it filled a real gap in Windows long before PowerToys offered something similar.

The dedication, technical creativity, and all the workarounds you implemented are genuinely impressive. Even if PowerToys now includes a basic version of the feature, Auto Dark Mode still offers a far more complete and reliable solution for users who want full control and customization.

I hope more people take the time to understand that open-source projects like this are driven by passion, not by profit — and that Auto Dark Mode continues to have a well-deserved place in the Windows ecosystem. Thank you for all the years of hard work and polish you’ve put into it.