Microsoft Power Toys is a collection of freeware system utilities developed by Microsoft for use on the Windows operating system. These programs add or change features in order to increase productivity or provide more customization. Windows 95, Windows XP, Windows 10, and Windows 11 are all supported by Power Toys. The Windows 10 and Windows 11 Power Toys are free and open-source software licensed under the MIT License and hosted on GitHub.
Microsoft has been steadily releasing new Power Toys for Windows 10 and 11. This open-source project adds many useful features to Windows, such as bulk file renaming and an Alt + Tab replacement that allows you to search for windows using your keyboard.
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How do you download Power Toys?
You can download PowerToys from the Microsoft Store or get an installer directly from GitHub and enable the features you want from within the Power Toys Settings application. It’s free and open-source. If you’re using GitHub, download the “PowerToysSetup” EXE file from the website and double-click it to install it.
Power Toys can be launched from the Start menu and will run in the background. After installing and launching the application, locate the Power Toys icon in your taskbar’s notification area (system tray), right-click it, and select “Settings.”
Utilities and features
You can find a long list of features. Power Toys for Windows comes with the following utilities:
- Always On Top: It adds the ability to quickly pin windows on top of all other windows with a quick keyboard shortcut.
- PowerToys awake: It adds an ability to keep a computer awake without managing its power & sleep settings.
- Color Picker: It adds a tool for color identification (in HEX, RGB, CMYK, HSL, and HSV, among others).
- FancyZones: It adds a window manager that makes it easier for users to create and use complex window layouts.
- File Explorer (Preview Panes): This adds SVG, Markdown, and PDF previews to File Explorer.
- File Locksmith: adds the ability to check which files are in use and by which processes.
- Host File Editor: The ability to edit the ‘Hosts’ file in a convenient way.
- Image Resizer: Context menu to File Explorer for resizing images.
- Keyboard Manager: Helps in adding options for remapping keys and shortcuts.
- Mouse utilities: It adds tools that enhance mouse and cursor functionality on Windows.
- PowerRename: This feature adds an option for users to rename files using search and replace or regular expression in File Explorer.
- PowerToys Run: It will add a Spotlight-like tool that allows users to search for folders, files, applications, and other items.
- Quick Accent: Establishes the ability to type accented characters in an alternative way.
- Screen Ruler: This tool adds the ability to measure pixel distances on-screen with image edge detection.
- Shortcut Guide adds a full-screen overlay that allows the user to view the windows key shortcuts available in the current window.
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