Developed as an open-source productivity suite by Microsoft, PowerToys provides a diverse collection of system customization utilities designed to streamline daily tasks on Windows 10 and Windows 11. By integrating deep operating system shortcuts and specialized navigation tools, the application enables individuals to optimize their workflow efficiency and tailor the desktop environment to their exact specifications. Whether managing multiple displays or formatting text on the fly, this suite replaces dozens of single-purpose apps with one cohesive interface.
Key Features
- FancyZones: Allows users to construct highly customized window layouts, making complex multitasking and multi-monitor management incredibly efficient by snapping multiple applications into structured, predefined grids.
- Always On Top: Pins critical application windows, such as a calculator or messaging client, above all other active programs using a simple keyboard shortcut, ensuring essential data remains visible during focused work.
- Advanced Paste: Modifies clipboard contents on the fly, allowing users to format text automatically or translate code strings before dropping them into the final destination document.
- Image Resizer: Facilitates bulk resizing of photographs directly from the File Explorer context menu, helping content creators and web developers optimize large batches of visual media in just a couple of clicks.
- Keyboard Manager: Delivers precise hardware control by letting users remap individual keys or construct entirely custom keyboard shortcuts, adapting the computer to distinct typing habits and improving overall accessibility.
- CursorWrap: Solves navigation frustrations for expansive multi-monitor setups by allowing the mouse pointer to wrap around the physical edges of active screens, reducing the repetitive strain of dragging a cursor across wide displays.
Use Cases
This comprehensive toolkit is ideal for software developers, digital artists, and administrative professionals who manage dense information across dual or ultrawide monitors. Practical scenarios—such as extracting unselectable text from a locked image via Text Extractor, quickly selecting exact HEX colors using Color Picker, or isolating reference documents during video calls—demonstrate how easily it adapts to demanding professional workflows.
With ongoing open-source development on GitHub and recent updates that introduce enhancements like the modernized Command Palette, PowerToys stands out as an indispensable, free addition for anyone wanting superior control over their daily computing tasks.
Version 0.97.2 — February 2026
- Added an option to disable Cursor Wrap automatically when only one monitor is connected.
- Resolved a crashing bug in the Advanced Paste settings menu caused by JSON deserialization errors.
- Improved visual clarity in the Color Picker interface by correcting contrast issues.
- Corrected missing translations and localization strings for extensions inside the Command Palette.
- Fixed a persistence bug so the Cursor Wrap startup preference correctly remembers when it is turned off.
- Restored Image Resizer functionality for Windows 10 users by properly removing outdated sparse application packages during upgrades.
- Adjusted Light Switch startup behavior to ensure the proper system theme is applied as soon as it launches.
- Prevented crashes affecting the Quick Access and Screen Ruler tools when Windows Explorer is closed or not running.
- Fixed a DPI scaling misalignment in Workspaces that caused snapshot overlays to position incorrectly.
