Never leave your workflow for calculations again.
Access advanced math, unit conversions, date calculations, !!! and AI assistance !!! instantly with Alt+Space → qb sin(pi/4) → Done! ✨
| ❌ Before | ✅ With QuickBrain |
|---|---|
| Open calculator → Type → Copy → Switch back | Alt+Space → qb sin(pi/4) → Copy |
| 15+ seconds, context switching | 2 seconds, zero interruption |
Alt+Space → qb 2+2 # 🧮 Basic math
Alt+Space → qb 100 km to miles # 🔄 Unit conversion
Alt+Space → qb bmi 180cm 75kg # 💪 Health calculations
Alt+Space → qb ai explain recursion # 🤖 AI assistance Ask anything
Alt+Space → qb date today + 1 week # 📅 Date calculations
- Overview
- Features
- Demo Gallery
- Quick Start
- Usage Examples
- Configuration
- AI Integration
- History Management
- FAQ
- Troubleshooting
- Security & Privacy
- Contributing
- Support the Project
- Acknowledgements
QuickBrain is a powerful smart calculator plugin for PowerToys Run that combines advanced mathematical computations, unit conversions, date calculations, and optional AI-powered natural language processing. Get instant results without leaving your workflow.
- Plugin ID:
36FD3BCBE8684A548E91C95315804782 - Action Keyword:
qb(customizable) - Platform: Windows 10/11 (x64, ARM64)
- Tech: C#/.NET 9.0, WPF, PowerToys Run API
- Offline-First: All core features work without internet
Examples: 2+2, sin(pi/4), sqrt(144), log10(1000)
Examples: 100 km to miles, 70 kg to pounds, 32 F to C
Examples: ai explain quantum computing, ask what is recursion
Examples: days between 2024-01-01 and 2024-12-31, today + 7 days
- Download the latest
QuickBrain-1.0.0-x64.zip(orQuickBrain-1.0.0-arm64.zip) from the releases page. - Extract the archive into
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\PowerToys\PowerToys Run\Plugins\QuickBrain(create the folder if it does not exist). - Restart PowerToys (exit from the tray icon and start it again) so the plugin is discovered.
- (Optional) Enable the plugin in PowerToys Settings → PowerToys Run → Plugins if it is not already active.
# Choose your architecture from releases
# https://github.com/ruslanlap/PowerToysRun-QuickBrain/releases/latest%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\PowerToys\PowerToys Run\Plugins\QuickBrain
Right-click PowerToys tray icon → Exit → Restart from Start Menu
- Hit
Alt+Spaceto open PowerToys Run - Type
qb 2+2→ See result instantly - Press Enter to copy result to clipboard
- Try more:
qb 100 km to miles,qb bmi 180cm 75kg
Pro Tip: Change the keyword from
qbtocalcorcin PowerToys settings for even faster access!
qb 2 + 2 # Addition: 4
qb 10 - 3 # Subtraction: 7
qb 5 * 6 # Multiplication: 30
qb 15 / 3 # Division: 5
qb 2 ^ 8 # Exponentiation: 256
qb 20% of 500 # Percentage: 100
qb sqrt(25) # Square root: 5
qb cbrt(27) # Cube root: 3qb sin(pi/4) # Trigonometric: 0.7071
qb cos(60) # Cosine (degrees): 0.5
qb tan(45) # Tangent: 1
qb log(100) # Natural logarithm: 4.6052
qb log10(1000) # Base-10 logarithm: 3
qb exp(2) # Exponential: 7.3891
qb abs(-5.5) # Absolute value: 5.5
qb floor(3.7) # Floor: 3
qb ceil(3.2) # Ceiling: 4
qb round(3.14159, 2) # Round to 2 decimals: 3.14qb mean([1,2,3,4,5]) # Mean: 3
qb median([1,3,5,7,9]) # Median: 5
qb mode([1,2,2,3,4]) # Mode: 2
qb stddev([1,2,3,4,5]) # Standard deviation: 1.5811
qb variance([1,2,3,4,5]) # Variance: 2.5qb 100 cm to inches # 39.3701 inches
qb 5 miles to km # 8.04672 km
qb 10 feet to meters # 3.048 meters
qb 1000 yards to miles # 0.568182 milesqb 70 kg to pounds # 154.324 pounds
qb 200 lbs to kg # 90.7185 kg
qb 1000 g to ounces # 35.274 ounces
qb 2 tons to kg # 2032.09 kgqb 32 F to C # 0 Celsius
qb 100 C to F # 212 Fahrenheit
qb 0 K to C # -273.15 Celsius
qb 25 C to K # 298.15 Kelvinqb 1 gallon to liters # 3.78541 liters
qb 500 ml to cups # 2.11338 cups
qb 2 liters to quarts # 2.11338 quartsqb 1 GB to MB # 1024 MB
qb 1000 MB to GB # 0.976562 GB
qb 1 TB to bytes # 1099511627776 bytesqb days between 2024-01-01 and 2024-12-31 # 365 days
qb weeks between 2024-01-01 and 2024-06-30 # 26 weeks
qb months between 2020-01-01 and 2024-01-01 # 48 months
qb 2024-01-01 + 30 days # 2024-01-31
qb 2024-12-31 - 90 days # 2024-10-02
qb today + 7 days # Current date + 7 days
qb now + 2 hours # Current time + 2 hoursqb true AND false # false
qb true OR false # true
qb NOT true # false
qb true XOR false # true
qb 5 > 3 AND 2 < 4 # true
qb (true OR false) AND true # true
qb 5 & 3 # Bitwise AND: 1
qb 5 | 3 # Bitwise OR: 7
qb 5 ^ 3 # Bitwise XOR: 6qb bmi 180cm 75kg # BMI: 23.15 (Normal weight)
qb bmi 5'11" 165lbs # BMI: 23.01 (Normal weight)qb tip 10% 450 # Tip: $45.00, Total: $495.00
qb tip 15% 85.50 # Tip: $12.83, Total: $98.33
qb tip 20% 120 # Tip: $24.00, Total: $144.00qb ai explain recursion # Get AI explanation
qb ai what is the speed of light # Ask questions
qb ask how does blockchain work # Alternative keyword
qb ai write a python function to sort # Code generationqb history # View calculation history
qb history clear # Clear all history
qb history open # Open history.json file
qb history sqrt # Search history for "sqrt"🎨 See All Available Features
- Real-time Results: Instant calculation as you type
- Context Menu: Right-click results for:
- Copy result (Ctrl+C)
- Copy input
- Explain via AI (when enabled)
- View in History
- Open Settings
- Theme Support: Automatic dark/light mode icons
- Offline-First: Core features work without internet
- Configurable Precision: 0-28 decimal places
- Angle Units: Radians, Degrees, or Gradians
- History Persistence: Automatic calculation tracking
- Multi-language Support: Works with any language input
⚙️ Customize Your Experience
Settings are stored in settings.json in the plugin directory:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\PowerToys\PowerToys Run\Plugins\QuickBrain\settings.json
- MaxResults: Maximum number of results to display (1-20, default: 5)
- Precision: Decimal precision for calculations (0-28, default: 10)
- AngleUnit: Unit for trigonometric functions (Radians/Degrees/Gradians, default: Radians)
- Theme: UI theme (Auto/Light/Dark, default: Auto)
- EnableHistory: Enable calculation history (default: true)
- HistoryLimit: Maximum history entries (0-1000, default: 100)
- EnableNaturalLanguage: Enable NLP query understanding (default: false)
- EnableAIParsing: Enable AI-powered query parsing (default: false)
- EnableAiCalculations: Enable AI-powered calculations (default: false)
- AiTimeout: AI API timeout in milliseconds (1000-60000, default: 3000)
- OfflineFirst: Try offline methods before AI (default: true)
{
"maxResults": 5,
"precision": 10,
"angleUnit": "Radians",
"theme": "Auto",
"enableHistory": true,
"historyLimit": 100,
"enableNaturalLanguage": false,
"enableAiParsing": false,
"enableAiCalculations": false,
"aiProvider": "OpenAI",
"openAiApiKey": "",
"openAiModel": "gpt-4",
"aiTimeout": 3000,
"offlineFirst": true
}Right-click any result → Open Settings to edit the configuration file directly.
🔑 AI Provider Configuration
QuickBrain supports multiple AI providers for natural language processing and streaming responses:
| Provider | Features | API Key Required |
|---|---|---|
| OpenAI | GPT-4, GPT-3.5 | Yes |
| Anthropic | Claude 3 | Yes |
| HuggingFace | Open models | Yes |
| OpenRouter | Multiple providers | Yes |
- Visit OpenAI Platform
- Create an account or sign in
- Navigate to API Keys section
- Create a new API key
- Copy the key and add it to your settings
- Visit Anthropic Console
- Create an account or sign in
- Navigate to API Keys section
- Create a new API key
- Copy the key and add it to your settings
- Visit Hugging Face
- Create an account or sign in
- Navigate to Settings → Access Tokens
- Create a new token with read permissions
- Copy the token and add it to your settings
- Visit OpenRouter
- Create an account or sign in
- Navigate to API Keys section
- Create a new API key
- Copy the key and add it to your settings
{
"aiProvider": "OpenAI",
"openAiApiKey": "sk-your-api-key-here",
"openAiModel": "gpt-4",
"enableAiCalculations": true
}{
"aiProvider": "Anthropic",
"anthropicApiKey": "your-anthropic-api-key-here",
"anthropicModel": "claude-3-sonnet-20240229",
"enableAiCalculations": true
}{
"useHuggingFace": true,
"huggingFaceApiKey": "your-huggingface-api-key-here",
"huggingFaceModel": "microsoft/DialoGPT-medium",
"enableAiCalculations": true
}{
"useOpenRouter": true,
"openRouterApiKey": "your-openrouter-api-key-here",
"openRouterModel": "meta-llama/llama-3.3-70b-instruct",
"enableAiCalculations": true
}- Real-time Responses: Watch AI responses appear token-by-token
- Context Menu Actions:
- Copy full response
- Restart query
- Show full response
- Configurable Timeout: Adjust response time limits (1-60 seconds)
- Fallback Support: Automatic retry with secondary providers
- API keys are stored in plain text in settings.json
- Use API keys with limited permissions or quotas
- Do not use production or billing-critical keys
- Consider rotating keys periodically
- Avoid sharing your settings.json file
📚 Track Your Calculations
QuickBrain automatically tracks all your calculations with convenient management features:
- Automatic Storage: All successful calculations are saved automatically
- FIFO Management: Oldest entries are removed when the limit is reached
- Persistent Storage: History is saved to
%AppData%\PowerToys\QuickBrain\history.json - Search Capability: Quickly find previous calculations
- Context Actions: Right-click any history entry for options
qb history # View recent calculations (up to 20)
qb history clear # Remove all history
qb history open # Open history.json file
qb history <term> # Search history for specific termEach history entry includes:
- Original expression/query
- Calculated result
- Calculation type (math, conversion, date, etc.)
- Timestamp
- Title and subtitle
Right-click any history entry to:
- Copy Result: Copy the result to clipboard
- Copy Input: Copy the original expression
- Explain via AI: Get an AI explanation (when AI enabled)
- View in History: Navigate to history view
Control history behavior in settings:
{
"enableHistory": true,
"historyLimit": 100
}- Set
historyLimitto 0 to disable automatic history - Maximum limit is 1000 entries
- History file is automatically created if it doesn't exist
git clone https://github.com/ruslanlap/PowerToysRun-QuickBrain.git
cd PowerToysRun-QuickBrain
./build-and-zip.sh # Creates distribution-ready packages- .NET 9.0 SDK
- Visual Studio 2022 or VS Code
- Git
- Windows 10/11
# Restore dependencies
dotnet restore QuickBrain/QuickBrain.sln
# Build in Release mode
dotnet build QuickBrain/QuickBrain.sln --configuration Release
# Run tests
dotnet test QuickBrain/QuickBrain.sln
# Package manually (if needed)
mkdir -p package/QuickBrain
cp QuickBrain/Community.PowerToys.Run.Plugin.QuickBrain/bin/Release/net9.0-windows10.0.22621.0/* package/QuickBrain/
cd package && zip -r ../QuickBrain-v1.0.0.zip .Linux/macOS:
chmod +x build-and-zip.sh
./build-and-zip.shWindows:
build-and-zip.bat- Runtime: .NET 9.0 with Windows 10/11 target
- UI: WPF with theme-aware design
- HTTP: HttpClient with streaming support
- Architecture: Service-oriented with clean separation
- Serialization: System.Text.Json for API responses
- Testing: xUnit framework
- Clean Code: Well-documented, testable architecture
- Multi-Platform: x64 + ARM64 builds
- Streaming: Real-time AI response handling
- Plugin Template: Great starting point for other PowerToys plugins
- Modular Design: Easy to extend with new calculation types
QuickBrain/
├── Community.PowerToys.Run.Plugin.QuickBrain/
│ ├── Main.cs # Core plugin (1262 lines)
│ ├── Settings.cs # Configuration management
│ ├── CalculationResult.cs # Result model
│ ├── plugin.json # Plugin manifest
│ ├── Images/ # Theme-aware icons
│ └── Modules/ # Calculation engines
│ ├── MathEngine.cs # Mathematical operations
│ ├── Converter.cs # Unit conversions
│ ├── DateCalc.cs # Date calculations
│ ├── LogicEval.cs # Logic evaluation
│ ├── ExpressionParser.cs # Expression parsing
│ ├── NaturalLanguageProcessor.cs # NLP integration
│ └── AiStreamingModule.cs # AI streaming
└── Community.PowerToys.Run.Plugin.QuickBrain.UnitTests/
└── MainTests.cs # Unit tests
PowerToysRun-QuickBrain/
├── QuickBrain/ # Main solution
│ ├── Community.PowerToys.Run.Plugin.QuickBrain/ # Plugin project
│ │ ├── Main.cs # Plugin entry point (1262 lines)
│ │ ├── Settings.cs # Configuration management
│ │ ├── CalculationResult.cs # Result model
│ │ ├── HistoryManager.cs # History persistence
│ │ ├── plugin.json # Plugin metadata
│ │ ├── Community.PowerToys.Run.Plugin.QuickBrain.csproj
│ │ ├── Images/ # Theme-aware icons
│ │ │ ├── quickbrain.dark.png # Main icon (dark)
│ │ │ ├── quickbrain.light.png # Main icon (light)
│ │ │ ├── math.dark.png / math.light.png
│ │ │ ├── convert.dark.png / convert.light.png
│ │ │ ├── date.dark.png / date.light.png
│ │ │ ├── logic.dark.png / logic.light.png
│ │ │ ├── ai.dark.png / ai.light.png
│ │ │ ├── history.dark.png / history.light.png
│ │ │ ├── health.dark.png / health.light.png
│ │ │ ├── money.dark.png / money.light.png
│ │ │ ├── error.dark.png / error.light.png
│ │ │ └── tip.dark.png / tip.light.png
│ │ └── Modules/ # Calculation modules
│ │ ├── MathEngine.cs # Math operations
│ │ ├── Converter.cs # Unit conversions
│ │ ├── DateCalc.cs # Date calculations
│ │ ├── LogicEval.cs # Logic evaluation
│ │ ├── ExpressionParser.cs # Expression parsing
│ │ ├── NaturalLanguageProcessor.cs # NLP & AI
│ │ └── AiStreamingModule.cs # AI streaming
│ ├── Community.PowerToys.Run.Plugin.QuickBrain.UnitTests/
│ │ ├── MainTests.cs # Unit tests
│ │ └── Community.PowerToys.Run.Plugin.QuickBrain.UnitTests.csproj
│ └── QuickBrain.sln # Solution file
├── .github/workflows/
│ └── build-and-release.yml # CI/CD automation
├── build-and-zip.sh # Build script (Linux/macOS)
├── ptrun-lint.sh # Linting script
├── LICENSE # MIT License
└── README.md # This file
How do I change the action keyword?
PowerToys Settings → PowerToys Run → Plugins → QuickBrain → Change qb to your preference (e.g., calc, c, qb)
Can I use it without AI features?
Yes! All core features (math, conversions, dates, logic) work completely offline without any AI configuration.
How do I enable AI features?
- Get an API key from your preferred provider (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.)
- Open settings.json in the plugin directory
- Add your API key and set
enableAiCalculations: true - Restart PowerToys
Is my calculation history private?
Yes! History is stored locally on your machine in %AppData%\PowerToys\QuickBrain\history.json. No data is sent anywhere except when using AI features.
Can I clear my history?
Yes! Use qb history clear or manually delete the history.json file.
What angle unit does it use?
Default is Radians. You can change it to Degrees or Gradians in settings.json.
Can I use it offline?
Yes! All core functionality (math, conversions, dates, logic) works completely offline. Only AI features require internet.
How do I report bugs or request features?
Open an issue on GitHub Issues.
Plugin not showing up?
- ✅ Check path:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\PowerToys\PowerToys Run\Plugins\QuickBrain - ✅ Verify files: Ensure
plugin.jsonand DLL files exist in the folder - ✅ Restart: Completely exit and restart PowerToys
- ✅ Permissions: Run PowerToys as administrator once
- ✅ Check .NET: Ensure .NET 9.0 runtime is installed
Calculations not working?
- ✅ Check Syntax: Verify you're using correct mathematical syntax
- ✅ Check Settings: Ensure your settings.json is valid JSON
- ✅ Review Logs: Check PowerToys logs for error messages
- ✅ Test Simple Cases: Start with basic calculations like
qb 2 + 2
AI features not working?
- ✅ API Key: Verify your API key is correct and active
- ✅ Internet Connection: Ensure you have an active internet connection
- ✅ API Limits: Check if you've exceeded API rate limits
- ✅ Provider Settings: Verify the correct AI provider is configured
- ✅ Timeout: Increase AiTimeout if experiencing timeouts
- ✅ Enable Features: Set
enableAiCalculations: truein settings
History not saving?
- ✅ Permissions: Ensure PowerToys has write permissions to AppData directory
- ✅ Disk Space: Check available disk space
- ✅ Enable History: Verify
enableHistory: truein settings - ✅ Check File: Verify history.json file is not corrupted
Performance issues?
- ✅ Reduce MaxResults: Lower the number of maximum results
- ✅ Disable AI: Turn off AI features if not needed
- ✅ Clear History: Reduce HistoryLimit or clear history file
- ✅ Check Resources: Ensure sufficient system resources are available
- Best AI Model: For optimal performance and stability, consider using
meta-llama/llama-3.3-70b-instructvia OpenRouter - Offline First: Keep
offlineFirst: trueto ensure calculations work even when AI services are unavailable - Precision Balance: Use precision 10 for most cases; increase only when needed to avoid performance impact
- History Management: Set
historyLimitto 50-100 for best balance between memory and usefulness
- ✅ Local Processing: All core calculations run locally on your machine
- ✅ No Tracking: Zero analytics or telemetry from the plugin
- ✅ Open Source: Full code transparency
- ✅ MIT License: Free for any use
Important Security Notice: API keys are currently stored in plain text in settings.json:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\PowerToys\PowerToys Run\Plugins\QuickBrain\settings.json
Security Recommendations:
- ✅ Use API keys with limited permissions or quotas
- ✅ Do not use production or billing-critical keys
- ✅ Consider rotating keys periodically
- ✅ Avoid sharing your settings.json file
- ✅ Use provider-specific key restrictions (IP allowlists, rate limits)
- Your calculations are processed locally (except AI features)
- AI queries are sent to the chosen AI provider's API
- QuickBrain plugin itself does not collect or store any query data
- Check each provider's privacy policy for their data handling practices
- History is stored locally only in your AppData folder
- .NET 9.0: Target framework
- C# 12: Language version with nullable reference types
- PowerToys SDK: PowerToys.Common.UI, Wox.Plugin
- WPF: Windows Presentation Foundation for UI
- System.Text.Json: JSON serialization
- HttpClient: HTTP requests with streaming support
- xUnit: Testing framework
Dependencies:
<PackageReference Include="Community.PowerToys.Run.Plugin.Dependencies" Version="0.93.0" />
<PackageReference Include="System.Text.Json" Version="9.0.10" />Contributions are welcome! Please follow these guidelines:
- Fork the repository
- Create a feature branch (
git checkout -b feature/your-feature) - Write tests for your changes
- Ensure all tests pass (
dotnet test) - Follow code style (use existing patterns)
- Commit with clear messages
- Push to your fork and submit a pull request
- Maintain the offline-first design principle
- Add appropriate error handling
- Update documentation for new features
- Include unit tests for new functionality
- Follow existing code patterns and naming conventions
If QuickBrain boosts your productivity, consider starring the repo and sharing with colleagues!
Released under the MIT License. Free for personal and commercial use.
AI Providers:
- OpenAI - GPT models
- Anthropic - Claude models
- HuggingFace - Open-source models
- OpenRouter - Unified AI API access







