Articles about PowerToys

When Microsoft released PowerToys 0.95.0 recently there was excitement that it included a new module – Light Switch. But the excitement quickly turned to disappointed and confusion because of a bug that has managed to slip through the net.

Microsoft was fairly quick to acknowledge that when it added the new Light Switch module to PowerToys, it should not have been enabled by default. But as it was enabled by default, many people wondered what on Earth was happening when their computer started randomly changing between Light and Dark Mode.

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New versions of PowerToys are always eagerly received, especially when there are new utilities to explore. This was certainly the case with the release of PowerToys v0.95 last week, but in addition to the excitement there has also been confusion.

With PowerToys v.0.95, Microsoft added a new module called Light Switch. Designed to automatically switch Windows between Light Mode and Dark Mode, it is a tool that addressed an issue for many people. So where does the confusion come from? Light Switch is enabled by default.

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Microsoft has unleashed PowerToys v0.95, and it is an impressive one. This is a release cycle which is billed as offering “new features, stability, optimization improvements, and automation”, and that’s very much what this particular release is about.

The first thing to ask about any new PowerToys release is whether there are any new modules. And this time around the answer is a resounding “yes”. In addition to a raft of changes, improvements and optimizations across the suite of utilities, there is also the new Light Switch module.

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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.

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It is time for a new PowerToys update, and with the release of version 0.93.0 of the utility suite, Microsoft delivers a lot.

As well as fixing bugs and making improvements to a number of the modules, PowerToys v0.93.0 features a new dashboard UX. There are no new modules this time around but there are some impressive performance improvements.

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A proposal has been put forward to add a new clipboard tool to the PowerToys utility collection. Already available as a standalone app, ClipPing is a simple tool that provides a visual notification whenever the clipboard is used.

Although still in relatively early stages of development, both the tool itself and the suggestion of integrating it into PowerToys have been well-received. ClipPing serves at least a couple of purposes – both useful and security-focused.

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If it feels as though it has been a while since PowerToys received an update, that’s because it has been a number of weeks. But now this changes. Microsoft has launched PowerToys v0.92.0 as part of a release cycle that focuses on new features, stability, optimization improvements, and automation.

Every PowerToys release causes fans of the utility suite to ask whether any new modules have been added. This time around there are no completely new utilities to play with, but there a so many modules that have gained new features and improvements that it’s hard to remain disappointed for long.

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Forget installing a random, third-party color picker just to learn the HEX values for a particularly pleasing hue on your screen -- Microsoft is gracing Windows 11 users with a built-in utility.

The Windows 11 color picker is part of the impressive (and increasingly so) Snipping Tool, and it is very similar to the Color Picker module found in PowerToys. While this may seem like a small, niche tool, we'd be very surprised if you don't find a use for it in the future -- but there is at least one disadvantage when compared to the PowerToys utility.

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We’re huge fans of PowerToys, and one of the greatest modules included in the utility collection is Text Extractor. As the name suggests, this provides a way to pull text out of images ready to edit and use in other documents. Microsoft has also added a similar tool to Microsoft Photos, and now the company has brought it to another area of Windows 11.

The increasingly useful and powerful Snipping Tool has been updated with a text extractor button in the app’s capture bar. This makes the process of copying text from your screen to the clipboard insanely quick and easy, eliminating the need to take a screenshot before extracting text.

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There is another update available for Microsoft’s delightful PowerToys utility collection. Hot on the heels of the recent release that saw the addition of a new tool, comes PowerToys v0.90.1.

Coming so soon after version 0.90.0, it shows the pace at which those developing PowerToys are working and in this instance it sees important improvements to the brand-new Command Palette module. There is a lot that could be learned by the Windows 11 development team from the speed at which issues have been fixed in PowerToys.

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We are, slowly but surely, making our way towards the release of PowerToys v1.0.0 -- but in the meantime we have the 0.x.x releases to enjoy. Microsoft has just pushed out PowerToys v.0.9.0, and it is an impressive update this time around.

Just a couple of weeks after we talked about the Command Palette module that was being worked on, this “PowerToys Run on crack” has landed. This is far from being the only change in PowerToys v0.9.0, though. In addition to a raft of bug fixes and tweaks, there are also new features for Peek, New+, and more.

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There is a lot -- and we mean a lot -- to love about PowerToys, and one of the most popular components of the utility collection is PowerToys Run. Loved by power users, this module is a super-powered launcher, search tool, terminal, command line, and more all wrapped up in one.

And soon it could be bettered. We’re not talking about an update version of PowerToys Run with new capabilities, but a completely new module -- Windows Command Palette. Also known as CmdPal, Windows Command Palette is described as the “next iteration of PowerToys Run”.

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As promised recently, Microsoft has released PowerToys v0.89.0 complete with new features. While there are no brand-new modules this time around, exiting utilities have been given amazing new capabilities, not least of which is Advanced Paste.

While you might think of copying and pasting as being related to text and images, the PowerToys development team has applied it to media files. What does this mean? It means the arrival of easy-to-use media transcoding so you can covert audio and video files into different formats. This PowerToys release also has exciting hints of what is to come.

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Snipping Tool is one of the most useful apps to be found in Windows 11, making light work of grabbing on-screen content. Primarily concerned with taking screenshots, it has developed over the years to include a handy OCR component for extracting text.

And now this feature is in line for an upgrade. Microsoft is improving the text extraction capabilities of Snipping Tool so that text can be grabbed without the need to take a screenshot first.

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Fast-paced and innovative development is at the heart of PowerToys, and it’s something we see time and time again when new modules are added -- such as the new ZoomIt tool in the recently released PowerToys v0.88.0.

But it is not just the new PowerToys modules that are noteworthy, there are major updates frequently made to existing utilities. On the cards for PowerToys v0.89 is a significant addition to the Advanced Paste tool which will enable the transcoding of media files.

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