A power user is a user of computers, software and other electronic devices who uses advanced features of computer hardware, operating systems, programs, or websites which are not used by the average user. A power user might not have extensive technical knowledge of the systems they use but is rather characterized by competence or desire to make the most intensive use of computer programs or systems.
The term came into use in the 1980s, as advocates for computing developed special skills for working with or customizing existing hardware and software. Power users knew the best ways to perform common tasks and find advanced information before the arrival of the commercial Internet. On PC platforms, power users read magazines like Byte or PC Magazine, and knew enough about operating systems to create and edit batch files, write short programs in BASIC, and adjust system settings. They tended to customize or "supercharge" existing systems, rather than create new software.