Microsoft's Swiss Army Knife
Do you already know the Microsoft PowerToys tool? It is possible that you have heard something about it, but you don't really know what it is for. Or maybe this is the first time you read this name. Even if you already have this installed tool pack on your team, what I tell you here interests you a lot. In the following sections we are going to analyze what functions it includes and everything you will be able to do after installing this curious application.
What is Microsoft PowerToys and what is it for?
PowerToys is the name given to a set of utilities for Windows that It has been developed by Microsoft. Despite the many tools it includes, this package is in no way installed on the system by default. Rather, users must be the ones to download its installer and do the installation manually.
Microsoft PowerToys is available for 64-bit computers on both x64 and ARM64 architectures (for example, if you install Windows 11 on an Apple M1 or M2). It works perfectly on Windows 10 and Windows 11, although leaving aside 32-bit computers. Something interesting is that this is an open source project, where independent developers can do their part.
With this in mind, if you visit their repository on GitHub, you will be able to make suggestions, correct the source code, if you have the appropriate knowledge, or report errors. Without a doubt, with PowerToys it applies a very different model from any other application developed by Microsoftwhich usually releases proprietary software “disconnected” from the community.
In short, we are faced with a program that is going to enhance your computer with small utilities. However, before taking a look at the potential of these, let's see how to install this tool package on your PC.
How to install this tool on your PC
If you meet the requirements mentioned in the previous section, namely, having a 64-bit x64 or ARM64 processor, then you can download and install PowerToys on your PC. It is possible to do it in the usual way and without paying anything for this tool. This is a one hundred percent free proposal.
There are three ways to get PowerToys on your PC. The first, and the most convenient, is to do it through the Microsoft Store. You can follow this link to go directly to their file. Once there, press Install.
The other way to download the PowerToys installer is to visit your official page on GitHub. There you will find the download links corresponding to your machine, depending on the processor it has. You will find them in the section Via GitHub with EXE.
If you opt for the second option, then you should proceed with the installation in the usual way. Follow the wizard steps until the tool pack is installed on your computer.
There is one last option to download and install PowerToys through WinGet, the Microsoft package installer that runs via the command line. You can do it from a PowerShell window and with the following command:
- winget install Microsoft.PowerToys -s winget
In all cases, once the installation is complete, you will access a functions hub from which it is possible to access each and every one of the utilities included in PowerToys. It is minimized to the system tray and looks like this:
At this point, it is time to learn what the most notable functions of PowerToys are. Keep in mind that all the tools it includes will run automatically when you turn on the computer. This is necessary to be able to have the benefits from the first moment. If this doesn't happen, remember that you can force an app to start in Windows 11.
Best PowerToys Utilities
In this first section we are going to dedicate a space to the best PowerToys utilities. Thinking about our readers, we have selected five that have fascinated us. Obviously, this does not mean that they are the only ones or that they will be equally useful to all users. All in all, we are sure that you will love them.
Crop and lock
Crop and lock is a cool feature that Microsoft PowerToys includes. In short, it allows you to crop any area of a running program and view it in a separate window.
To activate it, you need to press Windows + Control + Shift + T. Then, a selector will appear on the screen that allows you to select an area of the current window. Immediately, the selected content will be displayed in a separate window. Keep in mind that only the content appears in the new window, as a viewer.
If you want the cropped content to be controllable, you need to use the key combination Windows + Control + Shift + R. This allows you, among other things, to isolate a website that you are visiting from the browser in a new window, completely independent and without the browser's controls, as shown in the image above.
FancyZones
FancyZones is one of the tools that has been integrated into PowerToys for the longest time. In essence, helps you create templates on the desktop in order to organize windows and content.
It is a utility that adds functionality to a feature that has been present in Windows for several versions and is now called Snap Layout. Fancy Zones are activated with the keyboard shortcut Windows + Shift + Ñ and includes many options accessible from PowerToys, such as the ability to display zones on all monitors or using the right mouse button to change the expansion of multiple zones. It even makes it easier to edit the appearance of each area, with custom colors, when pinning a window.
File Explorer Plugins
With the File Explorer Plugins You will be able to get more out of this system tool that, in all likelihood, you use every day.
Once you access the settings, you can activate each extension individually and start getting previews of various formats. For example, with these extensions you can open a preview panel in Markdown or SVG filestwo formats that, by default, are not supported in File Explorer.
PowerToys Run
macOS users surely Do you know how useful the Spotlight launcher is?. Basically, it is a universal search engine from which to access websites, settings sections, apps and more. Although Windows 11 already has the start menu search, which is quite useful for locating files and programs, PowerToys Run goes one step further.
By activating this launcher with the shortcut Alt + Spacebar, you will be able to locate any element on your computer. You can also do quick math operations, check your Internet history, and much more. In fact, in the configuration area you have at your disposal the different elements that the launcher will display, being possible without activation and deactivation.
TextExtractor
Finally, of these five tools that we have chosen to talk in depth, we look at TextExtractor. It is an OCR reader capable of copying any text that appears on the screen.
By default, this tool is activated with Windows + Shift + T. Once the selector appears, mark the text you want to copy. The selected content will be sent directly to the clipboard.
The rest of the family modules
In addition to the above, Microsoft PowerToys includes about 19 additional utilities. Here we leave you a list explaining what each one of them does:
- Always On Top. Allows you to pin windows on top of others with the Windows + Control + T key combination.
- PowerToys Awake. Keeps your computer awake to prevent it from going to sleep or turning off screens during time-consuming tasks.
- Color picker. Allows you to select colors from anywhere on the screen with Windows + Shift + C and automatically copy the color to the Clipboard.
- Command not found. Detects command errors in PowerShell 7 and suggests a relevant WinGet package to install, if available.
- Environment Variables. It makes it easier to manage environment variables and allows you to create profiles to manage sets of variables.
- file locksmith. It is a Windows shell extension that helps you check which files are in use and by which processes.
- Hosts File Editor. Provides a convenient way to edit the Hosts file that contains domain names and corresponding IP addresses.
- Resizing images. Allows you to quickly resize images from the File Explorer context menu.
- Keyboard Manager. Allows you to customize your keyboard by remapping keys and creating custom keyboard shortcuts. For example, it is capable of generating an equivalence between a keyboard shortcut and a single key.
- Mouse Utilities. Provides mouse and cursor enhancement capabilities such as mouse search and mouse highlighter.
- Borderless mouse. Very interesting utility that makes it easier for you to interact with several computers from the same keyboard and mouse.
- Paste as plain text. Allows you to paste text from the clipboard without including text formatting with Windows + Control + Alt + V.
- Browse. Provides a preview of the file content without the associated application. It is similar to the macOS Quick View feature that is activated by pressing the space bar. The shortcut, in this case, is Control + Space Bar.
- PowerRename. Makes it easy to mass rename files with advanced features like the use of regular expressions.
- Quick Accent. Provides an alternative way to write accented characters. You may find this useful if you have a keyboard that does not support certain special characters.
- Registration preview. Tool to view and edit Windows Registry files.
- Ruler on screen. Allows you to measure pixels on the screen with the shortcut Windows + Shift + M.
- Keyboard Shortcuts Guide. Displays the keyboard shortcuts available for the current desktop state with Windows + Shift + /.
- Video conference mute. Mute the microphone and camera during a conference call with Windows + Shift + Q. Requires running PowerToys as administrator.
Long live Microsoft PowerToys!
Microsoft PowerToys is one of the most interesting projects that the company has launched in a long time. It is certainly good news that your development has been active for several years and that this program continues to receive updates monthly. In fact, not long ago new features were added to some of its tools and even new utilities.
If you are one of those users who likes to tinker with their PC, it is evident that you have to install PowerToys. With its more than 20 integrated utilities, thanks to this community project supported by Microsoft, you will be able to make the most of your computer's capabilities. At Geeknetic we say “Long live Microsoft PowerToys!”
End of Article. Tell us something in the Comments!
