A set of utilities for power users to tune and streamline their Windows experience

Microsoft PowerToys
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Microsoft PowerToys

  -  328 MB  -  Freeware
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Microsoft PowerToys is a system utility that can help all users of Windows 10 and Windows 11 to unlock a wide array of additional functionalities.

The Most Useful App for Windows 11 and Windows 10.

Microsoft PowerToys Screenshot 1

Originally offered more than two decades ago to Windows 95 users, this latest version of system shell configuration abilities is especially useful for users who want to take full advantage of the Windows 10/11 OS environment and gain access to numerous tweaks, shortcuts, and abilities that are not natively supported by this versatile OS.

Even users who have never heard of the PowerToys app are often surprised about numerous tweaks, shortcuts, and advantages that are offered in the three basic sections of the app – FancyZones, PowerRename, and Shortcut Guide.

FancyZones is an advanced desktop tool that can predetermine custom zones to which active app windows can snap into. The default Windows support for this feature includes automatic full-screen resize and snapping of the app on the left or right half of the screen.

With FancyZones, users can greatly expand the grid of snappable zones and even created their own fully customized grids. This feature is especially useful for users whose daily work procedure involves working with many active windows of all sizes.

Once Grid is made, windows can be snapped to it by simply pressing Ctrl+Shift buttons while moving the app window.

Microsoft PowerToys Screenshot 2

PowerRename is a unlock for Windows Shell that provides access to the bulk rename tool. Once active, users can simply access it via the regular Search and Replace tool of File Explorer. This tool is highly useful for users who manage dozens and hundreds of files in File Explorer and are in needed to properly rename them before storing or using them.

Shortcut Guide is a simple but highly useful overlay that can show all the Windows key shortcuts that users can take advantage of. To activate it, users only need to hold the Windows button a bit (the exact duration of time can be set in the MS PowerToys tool, as well as the opacity Shortcut Guide interface).

Key Features

FancyZones
A window manager that allows users to create complex window layouts to improve multitasking. You can define custom zones on your screen where windows will snap into place when dragged.

PowerToys Run
A quick launcher utility that allows users to search for applications, files, folders, and even perform basic calculations. It acts as an alternative to the Windows Start Menu search with more customization options.

Keyboard Manager
Allows users to remap keys and create custom shortcuts. This feature is useful for creating personalized keyboard layouts or improving accessibility.

File Explorer Add-ons
Enhances the Windows File Explorer with additional functionalities, such as a preview pane for Markdown (.md) files, SVG (.svg) files, and other formats that are not natively supported by File Explorer.

Image Resizer
A context menu tool that allows users to quickly resize images directly from File Explorer. It supports batch resizing and offers customizable size options.

PowerRename
A bulk renaming tool that integrates into File Explorer. It allows users to rename multiple files at once using search and replace, regular expressions, and other advanced renaming techniques.

Color Picker
A tool that provides an easy way to pick colors from any part of the screen. It offers RGB and HEX values and allows you to store colors in a history for later use.

Shortcut Guide
Displays a visual guide of all available Windows shortcuts when the Windows key is held down. This is particularly useful for learning and remembering complex keyboard shortcuts.

Video Conference Mute
A global mute/unmute tool that allows users to mute both microphone and camera during video calls with a single keypress, regardless of the application in use.

Awake
A tool that keeps your computer awake without modifying power settings. This is useful for ensuring that your PC doesn't go to sleep during long tasks or presentations.

Microsoft PowerToys Screenshot 3

Mouse Utilities
Includes features like Find My Mouse, which highlights the location of your cursor, and Mouse Highlighter, which shows clicks visually, making it easier to track mouse activity during presentations.

Hosts File Editor
A graphical interface for editing the Windows hosts file, which controls the mapping of hostnames to IP addresses. This feature makes it easier to add, remove, or edit entries without needing to use a text editor.

Always on Top
Allows users to pin any window so that it stays on top of other windows, ensuring that the selected window remains visible while multitasking.

Once configured, Microsoft PowerToys needs to be kept active in order to take advantage of its useful background services. The app supports starting on boot and running with administrative privileges.

How to Use

Download & Install
Download Microsoft PowerToys from the official GitHub page, FileHorse.com or Microsoft Store. Install the application and launch it.

Access Settings
Open PowerToys from the system tray or start menu. The App Settings window will open, where you can enable, disable, and configure each utility.

Using FancyZones
Enable FancyZones in the app settings. To create custom zones, hold the Shift key while dragging a window. This will allow you to snap windows into the predefined zones.

Using PowerToys Run
Press Alt + Space to open PowerToys Run. Type the name of the app, file, or command you want to execute, and press Enter.

Remapping Keys with Keyboard Manager
Enable Keyboard Manager, then go to the "Remap a key" or "Remap shortcuts" section. Here, you can assign new functions to specific keys or create custom shortcuts.

Resizing Images
Right-click on any image or group of images in File Explorer and select "Resize pictures." Choose the desired size or create a custom size, then click "Resize."

Microsoft PowerToys Screenshot 4

Bulk Rename Files with PowerRename
Right-click on files in File Explorer and select "PowerRename." Enter the search criteria and replacement text, then apply the changes to rename the selected files.

Using Color Picker
Press Win + Shift + C to activate the Color Picker. Hover over any part of the screen to pick a color, and the color code will be copied to your clipboard.

Using Shortcut Guide
Hold down the Windows key for about a second to bring up the Shortcut Guide. It will display a list of available Windows shortcuts based on the current context.

Keep Computer Awake
Enable the "Awake" utility in PowerToys settings. You can keep your computer awake temporarily or indefinitely, depending on your needs.

PROS
  • Enhanced Productivity
  • Customizable Features
  • Frequent Updates
  • Open-Source Community
  • Extensive Compatibility
CONS
  • Occasional Bugs
  • Resource Intensive
  • Dependency on Windows
Microsoft PowerToys is 100% FREE and is optimized to run only on Windows 10 and Windows 11 OS.

Download Microsoft PowerToys Latest Version
Why is this app published on FileHorse? (More info)

  • Microsoft PowerToys 0.96.0 Screenshots

    The images below have been resized. Click on them to view the screenshots in full size.

    Microsoft PowerToys 0.96.0 Screenshot 1
  • Microsoft PowerToys 0.96.0 Screenshot 2
  • Microsoft PowerToys 0.96.0 Screenshot 3
  • Microsoft PowerToys 0.96.0 Screenshot 4
  • Microsoft PowerToys 0.96.0 Screenshot 5

What's new in this version:

- Advanced Paste now supports multiple online and on-device AI model providers: Azure OpenAI, OpenAI, Google Gemini, Mistral, Foundry Local and Ollama
- Command Palette received extensive improvements including file search filters, better clipboard history metadata, context-menu styling, and dozens of bug fixes and enhancements
- PowerRename can now extract and use photo metadata (EXIF, XMP) in renaming patterns like %Camera, %Lens, and %ExposureTime

Advanced Paste:
- Advanced Paste now lets you connect to multiple AI providers instead of being limited to a single OpenAI provider. See Advanced Paste documentation for usage

Awake:
- The Awake countdown timer now stays accurate over long periods
- Fixed Awake context menu positioning. The fix removed the conversion of the mouse cursor from screen to client-window coordinates, instead using the raw screen coordinates returned by GetCursorPos; the context menu now appears at the correct screen position

Command Palette:
- The search field in context menus now matches the look of the Command Palette, with a smoke backdrop and improved padding
- Fallback items such as math calculations or the Run command now appear in results more quickly
- Ensured the command bar updates correctly after navigating to another page and commands are displayed correctly
- The Command Palette settings page has been reorganized. Activation-key options are grouped under an expander and extension settings are framed for improved readability
- When you modify a command, its alias, hotkey, and tags now update in the top-level list, keeping the displayed information in sync
- Press Ctrl + , to open Command Palette settings from anywhere
- You can use Page Up and Page Down to navigate the list while focus is in the search box
- Fixed an issue where the search box could disappear when navigating pages
- Ensured search text is selected when Go home when activated and Highlight search on activate are both enabled
- Fixed an issue where Command Palette window occasionally appeared on the taskbar under certain Windows settings
- Ensured that labels and icons of list items and menu items update when they change
- Fixed visibility of list filters when navigating to a content page
- Added search to the extension list and a link to extensions on the Microsoft Store
- Added options to open the Command Palette window at its last position or re-center it
- The Command Palette now remembers its window size after restarting
- Added a global error handler that logs fatal errors and provides feedback when unexpected failures force Command Palette to close
- Fixed forms and extension settings not showing on some machines due to a missing VC++ runtime
- Restored ranking of fallback commands for built-in extensions (Sleep, Shutdown, Windows settings, Web search, etc.)
- Improved and unified labels and texts across the application
- Maintainance: Resolved numerous build warnings in Command Palette projects; no user-visible impact
- Maintainance: Fixed a logging issue so exception messages are properly recorded instead of placeholder text, improving troubleshooting

Command Palette Extensions:
- Bookmarks: Added hints about bookmark placeholders to the Add/Edit Bookmark form. — Thanks @jiripolasek
- Bookmarks: Improved migration of bookmarks from older versions and fixed an issue where aliases or keyboard shortcuts could be lost after restart
- Clipboard history: Items shown in Command Palette’s clipboard history now include helpful metadata. For example, image items show dimensions, text files show names and sizes, web links include page titles, and text entries display word counts
- File search: Added filter buttons to show all items, files only, or folders only. Selecting a filter adds kind:folders or kind:not folders to narrow results
- System commands: Replaced the :red_circle: placeholder with an actual red-circle emoji so the correct icon appears in the UI
- WinGet: Search performance feels more responsive because typed input is now processed via a task queue rather than complex cancellation tokens
- Window Walker: UWP apps no longer show a "not responding" label when suspended
- Window Walker: Now displays the actual icon of each window rather than using the process icon, improving recognition of PWAs and Python GUIs
- Windows Terminal profiles: Fixed a rare crash in the Windows Terminal extension when the LOCALAPPDATA environment variable was missing. The path is now retrieved via a reliable API

Find My Mouse:
- Activating Find My Mouse no longer makes the cursor change to the busy (hourglass) icon or steals focus from your active application

Hosts File Editor:
- Added customizable backup settings allowing users to configure backup frequency, location, and auto-deletion policies

Image Resizer:
- Fixed settings consistency during batch resize operations by capturing settings once before processing

Light Switch:
- Introduced new UI to allow users to manually enter their latitude and longitude in Sunrise to Sunset mode
- Refactored service with cleaner state management for stability
- Removed logs from every tick, only logging key events to largely reduce log size
- Mouse Pointer Crosshairs
- Enabled switching between Mouse Pointer Crosshairs and Gliding Cursor modes

Mouse Without Borders:
- Added horizontal scrolling support

Peek:
- Fixed media files remaining locked after preview window closes
- Added a command-line interface for file previewing. See the Peek documentation for usage

PowerRename:
- PowerRename no longer crashes due to a missing resources file
- Added photo metadata extraction support using EXIF and XMP for pattern-based renaming with camera info, GPS coordinates, and date taken. See PowerRename Documentation
- PowerToys Run
- Added retry logic with exponential backoff to handle DWM composition errors during theme changes
- Updated OneNote icons to reflect new Microsoft 365 design
- Quick Accent
- Added diameter symbol (⌀) for Shift+O in Special Characters mode, thanks to @anselumjuju

Zoomit:
- Smoothed out zoom-animation in ZoomIt by coalescing mouse-move and timer events, thanks to @foxmsft
- Enabled GIF support for ZoomIt, thanks to @MarioHewardt
- Fixed spelling mistakes, and refactored some literal strings to string constants, thanks to @lzandman
- Fixed inaccurate "actual size" screenshots in ZoomIt and resolves a GDI handle leak, improving capture fidelity and long-session stability. thanks to @daverayment

Settings:
- Fixed title bar overlapping issue at smaller window sizes
- Refined shortcut control visual design with improved consistency and spacing
- Added dashboard utilities sorting by name or status
- Made update notification InfoBar in flyout clickable for direct navigation to update page
- Expanded installation instructions by default in README
- Improved accessibility for shortcut conflict button with static resource-based automation properties
- Added ScrollViewer to Command Palette page in PowerToys Settings
- Fixed module list glitches and Sort Status checkmark issue

Development:
- Fixed accessibility by associating controls with labels for screen readers
- Added accessible name to Shortcut Conflicts button for screen readers
- Excluded TitleBars from tab navigation across multiple utilities
- Migrated build infrastructure from Windows Server 2019 to Server 2022 with improved failure logging and predictable NuGet package paths
- Configured build agents to use larger P: drive for release builds to address disk space constraints
- Enhanced DSC v3 support by organizing resource manifests in a dedicated subfolder with PATH configuration
- Reduced installer bundle size by 6-7MB through centralized Hybrid CRT configuration across all C++ projects
- Updated .NET packages to version 9.0.10 for security fixes
- Fixed spell check dictionary entries for consistency
- Restored accidentally deleted NuGet configuration file for Command Palette extensions
- Fixed package identity build by updating AppxManifest entry points to use PowerShell Core
- Optimized CI pipeline by replacing file copy operations with hard links and moves, reducing build time and disk usage by 10-15GB
- Updated Copilot guidance and PR prompt workflow
- Included high-volume bugs in issue template header
- Fixed incorrect HRESULT logging for inner exceptions
- Introduced shared sparse package identity for PowerToys Win32 components to enable access to Windows platform APIs
- Consolidated installer builds to produce both machine and user installers simultaneously, reducing build time and complexity
- Migrated exclusively to WiX v5 installer infrastructure, removing legacy WiX v3 support
- Temporarily removed PowerToys installer path from PATH environment variable to prevent application crashes
- Added complete OCR UI test coverage with automated tests for activation, settings, language selection, and text extraction
- Fixed test input for drive path normalization in bookmark resolver unit tests
- Fixed Peek UI tests by restoring Ctrl+Space activation shortcut for test scenarios
- Hided apps in PowerToys.SpareApps package from Start Men

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