Reduce repetitive Windows tasks with a collection of over 30 utilities
You can handle common Windows tasks faster, such as picking screen colors, bulk-renaming files, or launching apps with shortcuts. This tool from Microsoft gathers the small utilities you need to make Windows more comfortable to use. It includes ready-to-use utilities that boost productivity without complex setup.
What changed in v0.102
The recently released v0.102 version is in the process of modernizing several utilities to WinUI 3. It also adds tab functionality to the command palette and supports creating extensions in JavaScript and TypeScript. These changes focus on improving the stability of existing features and expanding the range of ways users can customize the tools.
Key tools for daily tasks
PowerToys includes more than 30 tools specialized for high-frequency Windows tasks.
- Advanced Paste You can transform text, paste as an image, or format it into a specific structure when pasting. This skips the step of manually refining copied content before pasting.
- PowerRename It bulk-renames multiple files according to rules. Using regular expressions or simple patterns significantly reduces the time spent processing large numbers of files.
- Keyboard Manager You can redefine keyboard shortcuts or swap specific keys with others. This is useful for changing uncomfortable key layouts or assigning shortcuts to frequently used commands.
- Command Palette It is a search window that can be launched with a shortcut. You can handle various tasks, such as launching apps, opening files, and using the calculator, from one place.
Installation and requirements
Installation is simple via the winget command. Use winget install Microsoft.PowerToys -s winget for a user-scope installation, or winget install --scope machine Microsoft.PowerToys -s winget to install for the entire computer. On most devices, you should select the x64 architecture user-scope installation file. You can check detailed system requirements in the official installation documentation.
Things to check before use
This tool works on Windows 10 and 11 and is written in C. It is suitable for users who want to increase productivity on personal computers. However, the application records default diagnostic data (telemetry), so it is recommended to read the privacy documentation beforehand. If you wish to contribute, you must agree to the Contributor License Agreement (CLA), and you should refer to the developer documentation for development environment setup.
