Microsoft PowerToys Cheat Sheet: How to Get It, and What Can It Do?

No matter how many features Microsoft crams into its Windows 10 operating system, there will always be users looking for a faster, better or different way of doing things. Microsoft’s acknowledgment of this force of human nature is the Microsoft PowerToys download. With the general release of Microsoft Windows 11, developers are now referring to this project as Microsoft PowerToys rather than Windows 10 PowerToys.

SEE: Get lifetime access to Microsoft Office 2021 with this deal from TechRepublic Academy

A set of slightly unusual free Windows tools has been a part of the Windows operating system landscape since Windows 95, but their availability was noticeably absent for Windows 10 and Windows 11 — at least until September 2019.

In 2019, Microsoft partnered with Janea Systems and released the first two PowerToys for Windows 10, accompanied by a promise of more releases in the near future. This TechRepublic cheat sheet describes each available tool or feature provided by Microsoft’s official Microsoft PowerToys and describes what each system utility can do.

Jump to:

The first set of Microsoft PowerToys were first made available for Windows 95. That first set of 15 free utilities were published and endorsed by Microsoft and made available in a free download.

From the beginning, PowerToys were designed for “power users” who were seeking ways to tweak how the operating system functions. In some cases, inexperienced users were able to make a careless change while using a PowerToys utility, which could wreak havoc within the Windows operating system; as such, novice users have often been encouraged to use caution.

For the most part, though, PowerToys have allowed users — whether they considered themselves power users or not — to more easily make tweaks to the look and feel of Windows without a deep dive into configuration screens or the dreaded and dangerous edit of the Windows Registry file.

Even in the earliest iterations of PowerToys, Microsoft offered users many valuable functionalities. Windows 95 PowerToys included:

Through the years and various Windows versions, individual PowerToys have come and gone. Each Windows version inspired a new set of tools based on what developers perceived was needed to improve and enhance that version. Windows 10 inspired a completely new set of PowerToys.

Traditionally, each of the Microsoft PowerToys has been offered as a separate executable file, available as a free download from a specific Microsoft website.

For Windows 10 and Windows 11, Microsoft has taken a slightly different approach. All Windows 10 PowerToys are now included as part of a free downloadable system that users can configure. Figure A shows you what the Microsoft PowerToys system looks like.

Figure A

Windows PowerToys Version 0.72.0 is available on GitHub right now. Release v0.72.0 focuses on bug fixes and quality of life features based on user and development community feedback. The PowerToys 0.72.0 installed space has been reduced considerably by having utilities share the same installed path. When compared to previous PowerToys versions, this x64 machine installed version is reduced from 1.15GB to 785MB.

These PowerToys are currently available:

SEE: All of TechRepublic’s cheat sheets and smart person’s guides

Here is a list of available Microsoft PowerToys with a brief description of what each toy does.

FancyZones allows users to manage where and how each application window that is open on a Windows desktop will display.

SEE: Learn more about how to use and configure FancyZones.

For example, you could use FancyZones to set up a Windows 10 desktop where Outlook always displays on the right-hand side of the desktop, Twitter or other social media always displays on the left-hand side of the desktop, and Word or Excel always displays in the middle between the other two. There would be three distinct and perpetual zones displayed at all times (Figure B).

Figure B

The Windows key Shortcut Guide displays all of the available keyboard shortcuts for the current Windows desktop (Figure C). This PowerToy is activated by holding the Windows key down for the length of time specified in the tool’s configuration settings. The default is 900ms.

SEE: Here’s how to use the Windows key Shortcut Guide.

With this feature, users don’t have to remember so many Windows key-related shortcut combinations.

Figure C

The PowerRename Windows PowerToy provides users with advanced tools for bulk renaming of files. The toy extends the Windows Shell Context Menu to add an entry for PowerRename to File Explorer (Figure D).

Figure D

With PowerRename enabled, simple search and replace or more powerful regular expression matching are added to your toolset for the bulk renaming process. A preview area is displayed as you perform search and replace procedures, so you can see how file names will change before initiating the action.

This Windows PowerToy expands on the Preview Pane feature already available in the standard File Explorer application by adding additional file types. Preview Pane allows users to preview the contents of a file after clicking it in File Explorer without actually opening the file (Figure E).

Figure E

Version 0.16.0 adds preview support for Scalable Vector Graphics (.svg) and Markdown (.md) files. Subsequent PowerToys releases have added more file types including source code files and geometric code.

The Image Resizer Windows PowerToy adds more functionality to File Explorer by allowing users to apply bulk image resizing. Users can select images in File Explorer and then select the new Resize Pictures item on the context menu, revealed with a right-click on any image (Figure F).

Figure F

The Window Walker Windows PowerToy is designed to be an alternative to the standard Alt-Tab feature in Windows 10 and Windows 11. Users press the CTRL-Windows key combination instead of Alt-Tab to pull up a search box (Figure G). Users then enter keywords into the search box to narrow down the currently open apps and screens on their desktop.

Figure G

PowerToys Run acts as a quick launcher in Windows. It is another extension of the ALT-Tab concept and taps into the Windows file indexing system. To activate the tool, use the keyboard combination ALT-Space and start typing the name of your desired application (Figure H).

Figure H

PowerToys Run will search the system and start listing possible applications based on your search phrase. When the application you desire appears, click or tap to run.

The Keyboard Manager application in Microsoft PowerToys is a simple keyboard remapper. Run the application from the PowerToys menu (Figure I) and either remap a single key on your keyboard or remap a shortcut keyboard combination. Whatever you remap will remain active as long as Keyboard Manager is enabled and PowerToys is running in the background.

Figure I

Color Picker was contributed to the Microsoft PowerToys project by Martin Chrzan. The utility allows you to identify any color on your screen by either its HEX or RGB code and then save that information to the Windows clipboard for later use (Figure J). It is a simple tool, but it can save time and prevent frustration for developers and content creators working on color design.

Figure J

As a number of organizations shifted to remote work structures during the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us now rely on video teleconferencing for work and school interactions and collaboration. The Video Conference Mute tool in Microsoft PowerToys allows you to mute the audio and video on your PC with a single key combination (Figure K).

Figure K

You may mute both audio and video at the same time or independently. The same key combination will toggle the audio and video back to the on position. The Video Conference Mute tool works regardless of what app you are using or what app is currently in the foreground.

The Microsoft PowerToys tool Awake was contributed to the PowerToys project by the community with attribution given to Den Delimarsky. Awake allows users to keep their computer awake on-demand without having to manage its power settings (Figure L).

Figure L

Mouse utilities was contributed to the Microsoft PowerToys project by Raymond Chen. Mouse utilities is a collection of features that enhance the mouse and cursor functionality on Windows systems.

SEE: Learn how to activate and use the Windows Mouse utilities.

With two consecutive presses of the Left CTRL key, Find My Mouse will locate your mouse cursor and highlight its current position with a halo (Figure M). Pressing the Esc key will dismiss the highlight. The Find My Mouse feature is useful for presentations on large displays when you want to draw the audience’s attention to a specific area of the screen.

Figure M

Always on Top allows users to designate the application window currently in focus as “always on top” with a keyboard shortcut toggle (Figure N).

Figure N

Regardless of what commands, mouse clicks or other inputs are made from that point on, the designated window will remain at the forefront, superseding any other open windows until Always on Top is toggled off. The default keyboard shortcut for the Always on Top toggle is Windows Key + CTRL + T.

The Microsoft PowerToys utility, Screen Ruler is a quick and easy way to measure the pixels represented on your display screen (Figure O). The tool is perfect for determining the pixel size of a potential screen capture or for lining up objects in a document.

Figure O

Quick Accent is an alternative way to type accented characters, which is useful for when a keyboard doesn’t support that specific accent with a quick key combo (Figure P). Use this utility to create accented characters, especially for writing in languages other than English.

Figure P

The Microsoft PowerToys utility Text Extractor is a convenient way to copy text from anywhere on your screen (Figure Q). This code is based on Joe Finney’s Text Grab. Text Extractor uses optical character recognition to read the text on the screen, so it may require editing or proofreading.

Figure Q

The Microsoft PowerToys utility File Locksmith is a Windows shell extension for checking what files are in use and by which processes (Figure R). After installing, right-click on one or more selected files in File Explorer, and then select “What’s using this file?” from the context menu.

Figure R

The Window PowerToys utility Hosts File Editor is a quick and simple utility for editing a local hosts file (Figure S). Note, the application will only work if a hosts file exists.

Figure S

The Microsoft PowerToys utility Mouse Jump is a new feature for the existing set of mouse utilities (Figure T). Mouse Jump allows you to instantly move the mouse pointer great distances on the same screen and even jump from one screen to another, if you wish.

SEE: Learn more about the features that released with PowerToys 0.68.0.

Figure T

The Window PowerToys utility Paste as Text is a keyboard combination shortcut that allows users to paste formatted clipboard contents as plain unformatted text (Figure U). Using this tool will also replace the formatted text with plain text in the clipboard, so users can always paste as text.

Figure U

PowerToys Registry Preview, released in Version 0.69.0, is designed to simplify the process of visualizing and editing Windows Registry files (Figure V). The utility app also allows you to write registry changes directly to the Windows Registry file without using the standard Regedit app that comes built into the Windows operating system.

Figure V

PowerToys Mouse Without Borders, released in Version 0.70.0, gives users the ability to interact with other computers using the same keyboard and mouse they are using for their current PC (Figure W). With Mouse Without Borders, users can also share clipboard and files between the machines. Control of the other computers is granted using an encryption key.

Figure W

Peek, released in Version 0.70.0, allows users to see a quick preview of files they select in File Explorer when they press a specified keyboard shortcut (Figure X). The keyboard shortcut can be modified to a user’s preference.

Figure X

New Microsoft PowerToys are periodically added to the Windows library to address new user expectations and requirements. As new PowerToys are released, this list of available tools will be updated to reflect that expansion.

Microsoft PowerToys provide tools and features that can make users of the Windows operating system more productive and, by extension, happier. Over the years, many users have come to depend on one or more of these PowerToys for their daily computer productivity. For many power users, PowerToys improve their quality of work and life.

SEE: Build a Microsoft 365 Services Usage Policy with this template from TechRepublic Premium.

Beyond making users more productive, PowerToys have also provided a glimpse into what features and tools could and should become an integral part of the Windows operating system in the future. Many of these once-separate tools have become just another part of the operating system during its next iteration.

Editor’s note: This article was updated to reflect the latest version of Microsoft PowerToys.

Microsoft adds Python to Excel

Microsoft announced today that it is integrating the Python programming language into its ubiquitous Excel spreadsheet software. The public preview of this feature is available today for Microsoft 365 Insiders in the Beta Channel, initially limited to Windows users.

The integration will not require any additional software installations or add-ons. Python will be woven into Excel's built-in connectors and Power Query. Microsoft is also introducing a new PY function that will allow Python data to be displayed within the grid of an Excel spreadsheet.

In collaboration with Anaconda, an enterprise Python repository, Microsoft is making popular Python libraries like pandas, statsmodels, and Matplotlib available within Excel. This partnership aims to bring the power of Python's data manipulation and statistical modeling capabilities directly to Excel users, who number in the hundreds of millions globally.

Python calculations will run in the Microsoft Cloud, with the results returned directly into an Excel worksheet. This enables Excel users to create complex formulas, PivotTables, and charts based on Python data. The integration also supports charting libraries like Matplotlib and Seaborn, opening the door for advanced visualisations such as heatmaps, violin plots, and swarm plots.

While Python in Excel will be included in a Microsoft 365 subscription during the public preview, Microsoft has indicated that "some functionality will be restricted without a paid license" after the preview period ends.

Microsoft plans to extend this feature to other platforms "at a later date," but for now, the focus is on refining the experience for Windows users. As the lines between traditional spreadsheet manipulation and data science continue to blur, Microsoft's Python-Excel integration marks a significant step toward a more unified, powerful tool for data analysis.

For Excel users and Python enthusiasts alike, the future just became a little more integrated.

Microsoft talks about the future of Microsoft Teams

The path of collaborative tools takes a new turn as Microsoft unveils a series of significant updates in the July 2023 edition of ‘What’s New in Microsoft Teams.‘ These additions, announced at the Microsoft Inspire conference, shed light on the forthcoming features in Microsoft Teams.

Microsoft Viva Sales, now Microsoft Sales Copilot, joins with Teams. It offers real-time insights, coaching, and content help, boosting teamwork and efficiency.

Teams mixing with Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM gives direct access to records and links chats with CRM activities. Adding location info through Maplytics improves decision-making.

In a nutshell, Microsoft sees Teams changing collaboration, merging with Dynamics 365 CRM and Maps, and giving businesses a strong edge.