Introduction to Microsoft PowerToys




In this Blog, I will give introduction to Microsoft PowerToys and it's Utilities


What is Microsoft PowerToys?


PowerToys is an open source set of utilities for developers to assist them in their daily tasks and to tune and streamline their Windows experience for greater producutivity.




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Microsoft PowerToys is a Open Source set of freeware system utilities designed for developers and developed by Microsoft for use on the Windows operating system. These programs add or change features to maximize productivity or add more customizatiom PowerToys are available for Windows 95, Windows XP, Windows 10 and Windows 11.






PowerToys Utilities


Following are the Utilities of PowerToys

Always On Top
Awake
Color Picker
FancyZones
File Explorer add-ons
Image Resizer
Keyboard Manager
Mouse utilities
PowerRenanme
PowerToys Run
Quick Accent
Screen Ruler
Shortcut Guide
Text Extractor
Video Conference Mute




Now, we will discuss some details about the utilities




Always on Top


Always on Top screenshot.


It enables you to pin windows on top of other windows with a quick key shortcut ( Win+Ctrl+T).


PowerToys Awake


PowerToys Awake screenshot.


It is designed to keep a computer awake without having to manage its power & sleep settings. This behavior can be helpful when running time-consuming tasks, ensuring that the computer does not go to sleep or turns off its screens.


Color Picker


ColorPicker screenshot.


Itis a system-wide color picking utility activated with Win+Shift+C. Pick colors from any currently running application, the picker automatically copies the color into your clipboard in a set format. Color Picker contains an editor that shows a history of previously picked colors, allows you to fine-tune the selected color and to copy different string representations. This code is based on Martin Chrzan's Color Picker.


FancyZones


FancyZones screenshot.


It is a window manager that makes it easy to create complex window layouts and quickly position windows into those layouts.


File Explorer add-ons


File Explorer screenshot.


It enable Preview pane rendering in File Explorer to display SVG icons (.svg), Markdown (.md) and PDF file previews. To enable the Preview pane, select the "View" tab in File Explorer, then select "Preview Pane".


Image Resizer


Image Resizer screenshot.


It is a Windows Shell extension for quickly resizing images. With a simple right click from File Explorer, resize one or many images instantly. This code is based on Brice Lambson's Image Resizer.


Keyboard Manager


Keyboard Manager screenshot.


It allows you to customize the keyboard to be more productive by remapping keys and creating your own keyboard shortcuts.


Mouse utilities


Mouse utilities screenshot.


It add functionality to enhance your mouse and cursor. With Find My Mouse, quickly locate your mouse's position with a spotlight that focuses on your cursor. This feature is based on source code developed by Raymond Chen. Mouse Highlighter displays visual indicators when the left or right mouse buttons are clicked. Mouse Pointer Crosshairs draws crosshairs centered on the mouse pointer.


PowerRename


PowerRename screenshot.


It enables you to perform bulk renaming, searching and replacing file names. It includes advanced features, such as using regular expressions, targeting specific file types, previewing expected results, and the ability to undo changes. This code is based on Chris Davis's SmartRename.


Quick Accent


Quick Accent screenshot.


It is an alternative way to type accented characters, useful for when a keyboard doesn't support that specific accent with a quick key combo.


PowerToys Run


PowerToys Run screenshot.


It can help you search and launch your app instantly - just press the shortcut Alt+Space and start typing. It is open source and modular for additional plugins. Window Walker is now included as well.


Screen Ruler


Screen Ruler screenshot.


It allows you to quickly measure pixels on your screen based with image edge detection. Just press  Win+Shift+T to activate. This was inspired by Pete Blois's Rooler.


Shortcut Guide


Shortcut Guide screenshot.


It appears when you press  Win+Shift+/ (or as we like to think,  Win+?) and shows the available shortcuts for the current state of the desktop.


Text Extractor


Text Extractor screenshot.


It is a convenient way to copy text from anywhere on your screen. This code is based on Joe Finney's Text Grab.


Video Conference Mute


Video Conference Mute screenshot.


It is a quick way to globally "mute" both your microphone and camera using  Win+Shift+Q while on a conference call, regardless of the application that currently has focus.

 


Currently, Power Toys is available in the following languages:

Chinese (simplified), Chinese (traditional), Czech, Dutch, English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish, Turkish.





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