Irrespective of what number of options Microsoft crams into its working system, there’ll all the time be customers on the lookout for a quicker, higher or totally different means of doing issues — one instance of Microsoft’s acknowledgment of this conduct is Microsoft PowerToys. This free obtain can handle utility home windows, rename recordsdata in bulk, preview file contents and extra.
This TechRepublic cheat sheet describes every accessible software or characteristic supplied by Microsoft PowerToys and describes what every system utility can do.
When was Microsoft PowerToys first made accessible?
This set of barely uncommon free Home windows instruments has been part of the Home windows working system panorama since Home windows 95. That first set of 15 free utilities had been printed and endorsed by Microsoft and made accessible in a free obtain. Their availability was noticeably absent for Home windows 10 and Home windows 11 — at the very least till September 2019.
With the final launch of Microsoft Home windows 11, builders now seek advice from this mission as Microsoft PowerToys quite than Home windows 10 PowerToys.
From the start, PowerToys had been designed for “power users” who had been in search of methods to tweak how the working system features. In some instances, inexperienced customers had been in a position to make a careless change whereas utilizing a PowerToys utility, which may wreak havoc throughout the Home windows working system; as such, novice customers have usually been inspired to make use of warning.
For probably the most half, although, PowerToys has allowed customers — whether or not they thought of themselves energy customers or not — to extra simply make tweaks to the feel and appear of Home windows with no deep dive into configuration screens or the dreaded and harmful edit of the Home windows Registry file.
Even within the earliest iterations of PowerToys, Microsoft supplied customers many beneficial functionalities. Home windows 95 PowerToys included:
- TweakUI was used for tweaking obscure Home windows settings.
- CD Autoplay allowed all CDs to autoplay, not simply audio CDs.
- Command Immediate Right here opened a command immediate within the present listing.
- Discover from Right here opened File Explorer within the present listing.
- FlexiCD allowed customers to manage audio CDs from the Taskbar.
- Xmouse 1.2 allowed customers to vary window focus by shifting the mouse cursor, no click on wanted.
Via the years and numerous Home windows variations, particular person PowerToys have come and gone. Every Home windows model impressed a brand new set of instruments primarily based on what builders perceived was wanted to enhance and improve that model.
Why are Microsoft PowerToys necessary?
Microsoft PowerToys present instruments and options that may make customers of the Home windows working system extra productive and, by extension, happier. Through the years, many customers have come to rely on a number of of those PowerToys for his or her each day pc productiveness. For a lot of energy customers, PowerToys enhance their high quality of labor and life.
SEE: Safe Home windows 11 methods with this guidelines from TechRepublic Premium.
Past making customers extra productive, PowerToys have additionally supplied a glimpse into what options and instruments may and will change into an integral a part of the Home windows working system sooner or later. Many of those once-separate instruments have change into simply one other a part of the working system throughout its subsequent iteration.
How can I get Microsoft PowerToys?
Historically, every of the Microsoft PowerToys has been supplied as a separate executable file, accessible as a free obtain from a particular Microsoft web site.
For Home windows 10 and Home windows 11, Microsoft has taken a barely totally different strategy. All Home windows 10 and Home windows 11 PowerToys are actually included as a part of a free downloadable system that customers can configure.
The latest model of Microsoft PowerToys is v0.81.1, accessible on GitHub now. Launch 0.81.1 patched some crashes and different errors, together with:
- Stopped the brand new utility Superior Paste from unintentionally triggering on some exterior software program, significantly Slack.
- Added a setting to show off simply Superior Paste’s AI characteristic, for circumstances the place AI options are disallowed at work. Relatedly, clarified in descriptions of Superior Paste that its AI characteristic is optionally available.
- Eliminated a perform on the Superior Paste settings that may present up even when it was disallowed.
- Eliminated a blue background shade that might typically erroneously seem in PowerToys Run.
Launch 0.81.0 of PowerToys made the next modifications:
- Added Superior Paste, an evolution of the Paste as Plain Textual content utility.
- Mounted crashes on older CPUS by updating .NET to eight.0.4.
- Mounted most accessibility points flagged on the final accessibility overview.
- Built-in Setting Variables Editor, Hosts File Editor and Registry Preview into DevHome.
- Enabled Command Not Discovered to make use of the PowerShell Gallery launch and help ARM64.
These PowerToys are presently accessible:
- All the time On Prime.
- Awake.
- Shade Picker.
- Command Not Discovered.
- Crop and Lock.
- Setting Variables.
- FancyZones.
- Preview pane and thumbnail rendering for File Explorer.
- File Locksmith.
- Hosts File Editor.
- Picture Resizer.
- Keyboard Supervisor.
- Mouse utilities.
- Mouse With out Borders.
- Superior Paste
- Paste as Plain Textual content.
- Peek.
- PowerRename.
- PowerToys Run.
- Fast Accent.
- Registry Preview.
- Display Ruler.
- Shortcut Information.
- Textual content Extractor.
- Video Convention Mute.
SEE: All of TechRepublic’s cheat sheets and sensible particular person’s guides
What can Microsoft PowerToys do?
Here’s a checklist of accessible Microsoft PowerToys with a short description of what every toy does.
FancyZones
FancyZones permits customers to handle the place and the way every utility window that’s open on a Home windows desktop will show.
SEE: Home windows 11 brings the Copilot AI assistant together with it. (TechRepublic)
For instance, you can use FancyZones to arrange a Home windows 10 desktop the place Outlook all the time shows on the right-hand aspect of the desktop, Twitter or different social media all the time shows on the left-hand aspect of the desktop, and Phrase or Excel all the time shows within the center between the opposite two. There can be three distinct and perpetual zones displayed always.
Home windows key Shortcut Information
The Home windows key Shortcut Information shows the entire accessible keyboard shortcuts for the present Home windows desktop. This PowerToy is activated by holding the Home windows key down for the size of time specified within the software’s configuration settings. The default is 900ms.
With this characteristic, customers don’t have to recollect so many Home windows key-related shortcut mixtures.
PowerRename
The PowerRename Home windows PowerToy gives customers with superior instruments for bulk renaming of recordsdata. The toy extends the Home windows Shell Context Menu so as to add an entry for PowerRename to File Explorer.
With PowerRename enabled, easy search and substitute or extra highly effective common expression matching are added to your toolset for the majority renaming course of. A preview space is displayed as you carry out search and substitute procedures, so you’ll be able to see how file names will change earlier than initiating the motion.
SEE: Learn how to batch rename recordsdata in Home windows 10 with the PowerToys PowerRename software
Preview Pane add-ons for File Explorer
This Home windows PowerToy expands on the Preview Pane characteristic already accessible in the usual File Explorer utility by including further file sorts. Preview Pane add-ons for File Explorer enable customers to preview the contents of a file after clicking it in File Explorer with out truly opening the file.
Model 0.16.0 provides preview help for Scalable Vector Graphics (.svg) and Markdown (.md) recordsdata. Subsequent PowerToys releases have added extra file sorts together with supply code recordsdata and geometric code.
Picture Resizer
The Picture Resizer Home windows PowerToy provides extra performance to File Explorer by permitting customers to use bulk picture resizing. Customers can choose pictures in File Explorer after which choose the brand new Resize Footage merchandise on the context menu, revealed with a right-click on any picture.
Window Walker
The Window Walker Home windows PowerToy is designed to be a substitute for the usual Alt-Tab characteristic in Home windows 10 and Home windows 11. Customers press the CTRL-Home windows key mixture as a substitute of Alt-Tab to tug up a search field. Customers then enter key phrases into the search field to slender down the presently open apps and screens on their desktop.
SEE: Learn how to discover open apps with the Window Walker software in Home windows 10 PowerToys
PowerToys Run
PowerToys Run acts as a fast launcher on Home windows. It’s one other extension of the ALT-Tab idea and faucets into the Home windows file indexing system. To activate the software, use the keyboard mixture ALT-House and begin typing the title of your required utility.
PowerToys Run will search the system and begin itemizing potential functions primarily based in your search phrase. When the appliance you want seems, click on or faucet to run.
SEE: Learn how to use Home windows 10 PowerToys Run to open functions, folders, and recordsdata
Keyboard Supervisor
The Keyboard Supervisor utility in Microsoft PowerToys is a straightforward keyboard remapper. Run the appliance from the PowerToys menu and both remap a single key in your keyboard or remap a shortcut keyboard mixture. No matter you remap will stay energetic so long as Keyboard Supervisor is enabled and PowerToys is operating within the background.
Shade Picker
Shade Picker was contributed to the Microsoft PowerToys mission by Martin Chrzan. The utility permits you to determine any shade in your display by both its HEX or RGB code after which save that info to the Home windows clipboard for later use. It’s a easy software, however it might save time and stop frustration for builders and content material creators engaged on shade design.
Video Convention Mute
As quite a lot of organizations shifted to distant work buildings in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people now depend on video teleconferencing for work and college interactions and collaboration. The Video Convention Mute software in Microsoft PowerToys permits you to mute the audio and video in your PC with a single key mixture.
You could mute each audio and video on the identical time or independently. The identical key mixture will toggle the audio and video again to the on place. The Video Convention Mute software works no matter what app you’re utilizing or what app is presently within the foreground.
Awake
The Microsoft PowerToys software Awake was contributed to the PowerToys mission by the neighborhood, with attribution given to Den Delimarsky. Awake permits customers to maintain their pc awake on-demand with out having to handle its energy settings.
Mouse utilities
Mouse utilities had been contributed to the Microsoft PowerToys mission by Raymond Chen. Mouse utilities embrace a group of options that improve the mouse and cursor performance on Home windows methods.
With two consecutive presses of the Left CTRL key, Discover My Mouse will find your mouse cursor and spotlight its present place with a halo. Urgent the Esc key will dismiss the spotlight. The Discover My Mouse characteristic is beneficial for displays on giant shows whenever you need to draw the viewers’s consideration to a particular space of the display.
All the time on Prime
All the time on Prime permits customers to designate the appliance window presently in focus as “always on top” with a keyboard shortcut toggle.
No matter what instructions, mouse clicks or different inputs are constituted of that time on, the designated window will stay on the forefront, superseding every other open home windows till All the time on Prime is toggled off. The default keyboard shortcut for the All the time on Prime toggle is Home windows Key + CTRL + T.
Display Ruler
The Microsoft PowerToys utility Display Ruler is a fast and simple method to measure the pixels represented in your show display. The software is ideal for figuring out the pixel dimension of a possible display seize or for lining up objects in a doc.
Fast Accent
Fast Accent is an alternate method to kind accented characters, which is beneficial for when a keyboard doesn’t help that particular accent with a fast key combo. Use this utility to create accented characters, particularly for writing in languages apart from English.
Textual content Extractor
The Microsoft PowerToys utility Textual content Extractor is a handy method to copy textual content from wherever in your display. This code is predicated on Joe Finney’s Textual content Seize. Textual content Extractor makes use of optical character recognition to learn the textual content on the display, so it could require modifying or proofreading.
File Locksmith
The Microsoft PowerToys utility File Locksmith is a Home windows shell extension for checking what recordsdata are in use and by which processes. After putting in, right-click on a number of chosen recordsdata in File Explorer, after which choose “What’s using this file?” from the context menu.
Hosts File Editor
The Window PowerToys utility Hosts File Editor is a fast and easy utility for modifying an area hosts file. Be aware that the appliance will solely work if a hosts file exists.
Mouse Bounce
The Microsoft PowerToys utility Mouse Bounce is a brand new characteristic for the present set of mouse utilities. Mouse Bounce permits you to immediately transfer the mouse pointer nice distances on the identical display and even soar from one display to a different, if you want.
Superior Paste
The Microsoft Home windows PowerToys utility Superior Paste is a keyboard mixture shortcut that enables customers to stick formatted clipboard contents as plain, unformatted textual content by both utilizing the brand new UX or a direct keystroke invoke. Utilizing this software can even substitute the formatted textual content with plain textual content within the clipboard, so customers can all the time paste as textual content.
A earlier model of Superior Paste was often known as Paste as Textual content.
In Launch 0.81.0, Superior Paste acquired an opt-in AI assistant that may analyze and format the textual content in your clipboard. For instance, it may generate code, translate textual content into one other language, rewrite the textual content in a special fashion or summarize the textual content earlier than pasting. This characteristic requires an OpenAI API key with a credit score steadiness.
Registry Preview
PowerToys Registry Preview, launched in Model 0.69.0, is designed to simplify the method of visualizing and modifying Home windows Registry recordsdata. The utility app additionally permits you to write registry modifications on to the Home windows Registry file with out utilizing the usual Regedit app that comes constructed into the Home windows working system.
Mouse With out Borders
PowerToys Mouse With out Borders, launched in Model 0.70.0, offers customers the flexibility to work together with different computer systems utilizing the identical keyboard and mouse they’re utilizing for his or her present PC. With Mouse With out Borders, customers can even share clipboards and recordsdata between the machines. Management of the opposite computer systems is granted utilizing an encryption key.
Peek
Peek, launched in Model 0.70.0, permits customers to see a fast preview of recordsdata they choose in File Explorer after they press a specified keyboard shortcut. The keyboard shortcut might be modified to a consumer’s choice.
Crop And Lock
PowerToys Crop And Lock, launched in Model 0.73.0, permits customers to crop a present utility right into a smaller window or create a thumbnail. The utility permits you to focus consideration on a particular part of an utility window with out shutting down the appliance’s operating features. Basically, from the appliance’s perspective, the window is regular, however from the consumer’s perspective, the window is smaller or thumbnail dimension.
Setting Variables
PowerToys Setting Variables, launched in Model 0.75.0, permits customers so as to add, change and apply profiles, consumer info and Home windows system setting variables. The software is especially helpful for software program engineers, programmers and different IT professionals when testing and iterating functions, platforms and methods in the course of the growth course of.
Are extra Microsoft PowerToys coming quickly?
New Microsoft PowerToys are periodically added to the Home windows library to handle new consumer expectations and necessities. As new PowerToys are launched, this checklist of accessible instruments might be up to date to mirror that growth.
Does Microsoft PowerToys impression efficiency?
PowerToys can impression efficiency. On the whole, the quantity of RAM required by PowerToys apps is critical sufficient that you need to activate solely the instruments you’re truly utilizing. If you happen to decide an app shouldn’t be one thing you utilize regularly, it could be advantageous to set it to the “off” place; you’ll be able to all the time flip it on once more whenever you want it.
The quantity of RAM Microsoft PowerToys makes use of is solely depending on what number of instruments and apps you will have determined to run within the background. The PowerToys Settings app, which runs within the background and might be accessed from the Home windows 11 system tray, requires about 104 MB of RAM. Every further operating app requires extra RAM to help it, which you’ll be able to gauge for your self in Home windows Activity Supervisor.
On the whole, the quantity of RAM required by PowerToys apps is critical sufficient that you need to activate solely the instruments you’re truly utilizing. If you happen to decide an app shouldn’t be one thing you utilize regularly, it could be advantageous to set it to the “off” place. You’ll be able to all the time flip it on once more whenever you want it.
Editor’s be aware: This text was up to date by Megan Crouse to mirror the most recent model of Microsoft PowerToys.