Microsoft PowerToys 0.94 adds shortcut conflict detection, fuzzy search and more!
Microsoft has released PowerToys 0.94 with the joyous news that the v0.94 release cycle is “focused on new features, stability, optimization improvements, and automation”.
This is a big release – PowerToys 0.94 has a lot of new stuff in it, but there are two things that stand out. The first is a shortcut conflict detection feature which helps track down duplicated keyboard shortcuts. The second is fuzzy search within PowerToys Settings – which is important as the suite of tools is now a colossal collection. But, of course, there is more. Much more.
Let’s take a look at the two additions already mentioned. There are a lot of keyboard shortcuts added throughout PowerToys in the name of making it quicker and easier to do various things. But this can be problematic, hence the arrival of the conflict detector.
In the release notes for PowerToys 0.94 Microsoft says of this: “A comprehensive hotkey conflict detection system was introduced in Settings to surface and help resolve conflicting shortcuts. Note that the default hotkey settings (Win+Ctrl+Shift+T, Win+Ctrl+V, Win+Ctrl+T, Win+Shift+T) may overlap with existing Windows system shortcuts. This is expected. You can resolve the conflict by assigning different hotkeys”.
On the increasingly active PowerToys blog, the company goes into a little more detail:
Ever used a hotkey and had two things happen at once? With so many shortcuts in PowerToys, it’s easy to run into conflicts. Now, shortcuts that are already in use (either by another module or by Windows itself) will be marked in red. On the new shortcut conflicts tile on the home dashboard, you’ll also see how many conflicts you currently have. Clicking the tile gives you a full overview and lets you quickly reassign shortcuts so everything works the way you want.
PowerToys goes from strength to strength
With the addition of fuzzy matching in search, Microsoft acknowledges that PowerToys is becoming a behemoth:
PowerToys has grown a lot over the years, and with so many settings it can sometimes be hard to find exactly what you need. That’s why we’ve added a search box in Settings. Search supports fuzzy matching, so you don’t need to type the exact name. Just press Ctrl+F (or click the search box) and start typing. Suggestions show up right in the flyout, and selecting one takes you straight to the right settings page. Got more than five results? Hit the Show all results button to view everything in the full search page.
The recently added Command Palette receives a slew of updates, and the belowed Mouse Utility gets a wonderful new accessibility feature in the form of Gliding Cursor:
With this feature, you can control the mouse cursor using just a single shortcut. Instead of needing to quickly stop the cursor right on target, the gliding cursor lets you move step by step with more control. This is especially helpful as an accessibility feature for people who find fast or precise mouse movements challenging. It’s similar to switch access features found on other platforms, and makes it possible to use Windows with just a single button. Once you trigger the shortcut, the crosshairs begin to glide. Pressing the shortcut again locks the horizontal position, then the vertical, and finally performs the click.
Just as exciting as the additions and changes to be found in PowerToys 0.94 is the little snippet of information Microsoft says about what is in the pipeline: “We are planning some nice new features and improvements for next month – a revamped Keyboard Manager UI, and a new utility that can automatically switch between light and dark mode based on your schedule! Stay tuned!”.
You can grab PowerToys 0.94 here, or update your currently installed version by checking for updates within the app.