I’ve tried plenty of Windows utilities over the years, and most sit unused after the initial download. The problem isn’t that they don’t work—it’s that juggling dozens of single-purpose tools gets tedious fast. Between password recovery apps, network monitors, and system analyzers, my Downloads folder became a graveyard of forgotten executables.
However, NirLauncher has improved my approach to Windows troubleshooting. This free portable toolkit bundles over 200 utilities from NirSoft into a single package that doesn’t require installation. You can use it to turn a USB stick into your personal security toolkit and fix your own or others’ computers.
NirLauncher packs a complete repair shop onto a single drive
It combines hundreds of tools into a zero-installation package
Screenshot by Yasir Mahmood
NirLauncher is developed by NirSoft, a long-term creator of free Windows utilities. It packages all these individual utilities into a single interface, organized into logical categories such as password recovery, network monitoring, and system utilities.
The launcher itself is simple. You get a categorized list on the left and tool descriptions on the right. Click any utility, and it runs without installation. Each tool is only a few hundred kilobytes, so the entire package can fit comfortably on even the smallest USB drive.
You can handle common Windows problems with dedicated tools for each scenario. One utility recovers saved Wi-Fi passwords, while another shows every program that launches at startup. A separate tool reads Windows minidump files and identifies exactly which driver caused your last crash. Each utility focuses on a specific task, which keeps them fast and straightforward to use.
The portable nature matters more than you might expect. Since nothing installs on the host system, the tools leave no traces. This makes NirLauncher ideal for troubleshooting on machines you don’t own. Just plug in your USB drive, run the tools you need, and unplug when you’re done.
You can recover lost passwords without resetting them
WirelessKeyView is an absolute lifesaver
Tashreef Shareef – NAN
Password recovery is where NirLauncher earns its keep. The toolkit includes utilities that extract saved passwords from various locations on your Windows system. These tools don’t crack anything, but they reveal passwords that Windows and your applications have already stored.
WirelessKeyView is the one I reach for most often. It displays the Wi-Fi password for every network your computer has ever connected to, pulled directly from Windows wireless configuration. The utility shows the network name, password type, and the key itself in plain text. It’s easy to set up a new device on your home network when you don’t have to hunt for the router password.
The tool requires administrator access to work properly. Windows protects stored credentials, so you’ll need to run NirLauncher with elevated privileges.
Some antivirus programs flag NirLauncher utilities as potentially unwanted software. These are false positives triggered by the password recovery and system access capabilities. You may need to add your USB drive to your antivirus exclusion list to prevent it from being quarantined.
Monitor your network traffic and identify unauthorized devices
See exactly who is stealing your Wi-Fi with Wireless Network Watcher
Screenshot by Yasir Mahmood
NirLauncher includes a solid collection of network monitoring tools that help you understand what’s happening on your local network. For starters, Wireless Network Watcher scans your network and lists every connected device. It displays MAC addresses, IP addresses, device names, and manufacturer information for each connection. You can quickly spot unfamiliar devices, which helps identify whether someone is borrowing your Wi-Fi or if an old tablet is still connected.
While Wireless Network Watcher focuses on devices, CurrPorts shows active network connections on your own computer. It lists every open TCP/IP and UDP port along with the process using it. The utility displays which applications are communicating over the network. I find it useful for identifying suspicious software that my system might host without my knowledge.
If you need a deeper understanding, NetworkTrafficView captures and analyzes packets flowing through your network adapter. It groups traffic by source, destination, protocol, and port, giving you a clear picture of bandwidth usage. You can identify which applications consume the most data or detect unusual traffic patterns that might indicate malware. However, it may require a separate capture driver like Npcap.
For even more granular analysis, SmartSniff offers detailed packet capture for users who need raw network data. It intercepts TCP/IP packets and reconstructs entire conversations between client and server. It also displays data in ASCII or hex format, making it practical for debugging network applications or analyzing HTTP traffic.
Troubleshoot system crashes and mysterious blue screens
BlueScreenView makes sense of the gibberish error codes
Blue screen crashes feel random, but Windows actually logs detailed information about each one. The system creates minidump files that record which driver or process caused the failure. NirLauncher includes tools that decode these files and present the information in plain language.
Among these, BlueScreenView is the standout utility. It scans your minidump folder and lists every crash your system has experienced. For each event, the tool displays the bug check code, crash time, and—most importantly—the driver that likely caused the problem. A highlighted row in the lower pane points directly to the faulty file. I used BlueScreenView to diagnose crashes that seemed completely random. In one case, my PC kept failing during video playback, and the tool identified an outdated graphics driver as the reason. A quick driver update solved the problem.
WhatIsHang helps with a different issue—applications that freeze without crashing. The utility attaches to unresponsive programs and identifies which function or DLL caused the hang. It then generates a detailed report showing the call stack, giving you something concrete to search for online or to report to developers.
AppCrashView rounds out the crash analysis toolkit by reading Windows Error Reporting data. It displays information about application crashes, including the faulting module and exception code. The utility covers crashes that don’t generate blue screens but still disrupt your workflow.
Manage installed programs and clean up your PC
UninstallView is significantly faster than Windows Settings
Windows includes its own tools for managing programs, but they often hide some details. NirLauncher provides utilities that show more information and offer finer control over what stays on your system.
UninstallView displays every installed program with complete details. The utility can also remove programs, which is useful when you want to clean your PC or batch uninstall bloatware from a new PC. NirLauncher also has InstalledDriversList, which catalogs every driver on your system. It shows driver names, file versions, installation dates, and whether each one is currently running. Outdated or problematic drivers stand out quickly when you can sort by date or filter by status. The utility can export to CSV or HTML for documentation purposes.
RegScanner searches the Windows registry for specific strings, values, or data patterns. It’s handy to find leftover entries from uninstalled software instead of manually clicking through the Registry Editor. You can export results or jump directly to any entry for editing. However, it’s recommended to back up the Windows registry before you make any tweaks.
ShellMenuView and ShellExView manage context menu entries and shell extensions. Poorly coded shell extensions slow down File Explorer and cause right-click delays. These utilities let you turn off problematic extensions without uninstalling the parent application—a quick fix for Explorer lag.
USBDeview lists every USB device that has ever connected to your computer. You can uninstall old device entries, turn off specific devices, or export a complete history. The utility helps troubleshoot USB conflicts and clears out phantom devices cluttering your system.
How to set up your portable NirSoft USB drive
Download, unzip, and you’re ready to go
Creating your portable toolkit takes just a few minutes. Any USB drive with at least 100MB of free space works—the entire NirLauncher package is surprisingly small given how many utilities it contains.
Follow these steps to set up your drive:
- Visit the NirLauncher download page and download the main ZIP file, which contains all utilities.
- Extract the contents to your USB drive’s root folder or a dedicated subfolder.
- Double-click NirLauncher.exe to open the main interface.
You can customize which tools appear in the launcher. The Options menu lets you hide utilities you never use, keeping the interface clean. You can also organize favorites into a separate category for quick access to your most-used tools.
Consider updating your toolkit periodically. NirSoft regularly releases new utilities and updates existing ones. The download page offers individual tool updates, or you can replace the entire package with a fresh download every few months.
Beyond basic troubleshooting
Build your own tech support kit
NirLauncher pairs well with other portable tools. Add a bootable Windows recovery environment to the same USB drive, and you have a complete repair kit. Hiren’s BootCD PE and Ventoy both work alongside NirLauncher without conflicts.
You might also explore NirSoft’s SysExporter and OutlookStatView for specific use cases. The NirSoft website hosts additional utilities that aren’t bundled in the main package and are worth browsing when you encounter a problem the default toolkit doesn’t cover.
