Microsoft PowerToys
Microsoft PowerToys is a set of utilities for power users to customize and streamline their Windows experience. It includes tools like FancyZones for window management, PowerRename for bulk renaming files, and PowerToys Run to quickly launch apps and files.
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Microsoft PowerToys: Customize and Streamline Your Windows Experience
Microsoft PowerToys is a set of utilities for power users to customize and streamline their Windows experience. It includes tools like FancyZones for window management, PowerRename for bulk renaming files, and PowerToys Run to quickly launch apps and files.
What is Microsoft PowerToys?
Microsoft PowerToys is a set of free utilities originally created by Windows developers to customize and optimize the Windows operating system for power users and developers. The project was revived in 2019 by Microsoft to develop new power user tools for Windows 10.
Some of the utilities included in PowerToys are:
- FancyZones - Allows creating window layouts and snap windows quickly into zones for efficient window management.
- PowerRename - Batch rename multiple files using search and replace or regular expressions.
- PowerToys Run - Launcher to quickly open files, apps, settings using abbreviations and search.
- Image Resizer - Quickly resize images from File Explorer.
- File Explorer Add-ons - Adds useful context menu options for advanced file operations.
- Keyboard Manager - Remap keys and create custom keyboard shortcuts.
- PowerToys Awake - Keep system active during presentations or media playback.
Microsoft PowerToys help power users, developers, and sysadmins be more productive on Windows. It is open-source software and new utilities are added regularly based on user feedback. Overall, it's a great way to unlock additional capabilities in Windows 10 and customize it for personal workflows.
Microsoft PowerToys Features
Features
- FancyZones - window manager to easily organize and manage windows
- PowerRename - bulk rename files and folders
- PowerToys Run - quick launcher for apps and files
- Image Resizer - resize images without losing quality
- Keyboard Manager - remap keys and create custom keyboard shortcuts
- Color Picker - pick colors from screen
- File Explorer Add-ons - preview markdown files, SVG thumbnails, open command prompt
Pricing
- Free
- Open Source
Pros
Free and open source
Customizable and extensible
Improves productivity and efficiency
Seamless integration with Windows
Active development and updates
Cons
Some tools are experimental or buggy
Steep learning curve for some advanced features
Limited documentation and support
Requires manual installation/update
May cause conflicts with some programs
Official Links
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