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With KB5043178 to Release Preview Channel, Microsoft advises Windows 11 users to plug in when the battery is low

Copilot in Outlook will generate personalized themes for you to customize the app

Microsoft will raise the price of its 365 Suite to include AI capabilities

Death Stranding Director’s Cut is now Xbox X|S at a huge discount

Outlook will let users create custom account icons so they can tell their accounts apart easier

PowerToys on Windows 11 can unleash your desktop’s full potential

Great way to customize your Windows and enhance productivity

4 min. read

Published onMay 17, 2024

published onMay 17, 2024

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Windows is an operating system renowned for its multitude of features and intuitive interface; however, to customize your device according to your needs, you need a utility app. And what could be better than an app developed by Microsoft itself?

PowerToys is a free, powerful utility app developed by Microsoft that allows you to customize your Windows beyond the native settings.

Whether you want to keep your PC awake, remap keys or shortcuts, or preview files without opening another app, you can rely on PowerToys. And there is more!

Currently, PowerToys is available in Chinese (traditional), Arabic (Saudi Arabia), Russian, Chinese (simplified), Czech, Portuguese, English, Dutch, French, Hebrew, German, Italian, Turkish, Hungarian, Korean, Japanese, Persian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish, and Ukrainian. PowerToys provides support for x64 and ARM64 processor architectures.

Here, we will explore some of the most beneficial and practical features available in Microsoft PowerToys.

Always on Top

Using this feature, you can pin an active window above other windows. The pinned window will always appear on top, even if you have selected other windows.

To enable it, go to Always on Top on the left pane of PowerToys and ensure Enable Always on Top is turned on. You can also use a keyboard shortcut to activate it:Windows+Ctrl+T.

Awake

This feature can help you keep your computer awake without having to manage its power and sleep settings. It can be useful when you execute time-consuming tasks, as it ensures the computer stays awake during operation.

To enable it, click onAwakefrom the left pane and toggle on the switch next toEnable Awake. To keep the system awake, you can manage the settings from System Tray, right-click the Awake icon, and choose from Keep awake indefinitely, Keep awake for a time interval, or Off (Keep using the selected power plan).

Color Picker

It is a system-wide color-picking app that allows you to select colors from anywhere on your screen. The picker automatically copies the colors to your clipboard in a set format.

It also has an editor that displays a history of picked colors and allows you to fine-tune the selected color. To enable it, go toColor Pickeron the left pane and toggle on the switch next toEnable Color Picker. Once enabled, you can pressWindows+Shift+Cto invoke it.

FancyZones

As Microsoft describes, it is a window manager that lets you create window layouts and position them into these layouts for improved workflow.

It allows you to create custom layouts on your desktop, dividing them into zones where you can snap and organize them. To enable it, locateFancyZonesfrom the left pane and toggle on the switch forEnable FancyZones. Once done, you can activate it usingWindows+Shift+'

Image Resizer

Image Resizer is a Windows shell extension that allows you to resize images in batch. To enable it, clickImage Resizer, then toggle onEnable Image Resizer.

Right-click the image you want to resize. The Image Resizer window will appear. You can select the size and other settings, then clickResize.

Keyboard Manager

This utility enables you to customize the keyboard. You can remap keys and create your keyboard shortcuts.

To enable it, locate Keyboard Manager from the left pane and toggle on the Enable Keyboard Manager.

Peek

Just like the Windows File Explorer preview pane, Peek in Microsoft PowerToys lets you preview file content without opening multiple applications. However, it opens a new window to show the content.

To enable it, locatePeekand toggle onEnable Peek. Launch File Explorer, select the file, then pressCtrl+Spaceto activate the feature.

Crop And Lock

It is a utility that lets you crop a current application into a smaller window or create a thumbnail.

To enable it, locate Crop and Lock, then toggle on Enable Crop and Look. You can also pressWindows+Ctrl+Shift+T.

This is not it! There are other handful useful features like File Locksmith, Hosts File Editor, File Explorer add-ons, Environment Variables, Command Not Found, Hosts File Editor, Paste As Plain Text, Mouse Without Borders, PowerRename, and PowerToys Run.

Which is your favorite utility in Microsoft PowerToys, and what is your experience with the tool? Share your opinions with our readers in the comments section below.

With KB5043178 to Release Preview Channel, Microsoft advises Windows 11 users to plug in when the battery is low#

Copilot in Outlook will generate personalized themes for you to customize the app#

Microsoft will raise the price of its 365 Suite to include AI capabilities#

Death Stranding Director’s Cut is now Xbox X|S at a huge discount#

Outlook will let users create custom account icons so they can tell their accounts apart easier#

PowerToys on Windows 11 can unleash your desktop’s full potential#