Microsoft PowerToys turns 20 and gets its best feature update yet
Summary created by Smart Answers AI
In summary:
- Microsoft released PowerToys version 0.100, celebrating the utility suite’s 20th anniversary with significant feature improvements and performance enhancements.
- PCWorld reports the update introduces a dynamic Shortcut Guide, enhanced Command Palette, and Extension Gallery for community-developed tools.
- Key improvements include faster startup times, better multi-monitor support, improved Performance Monitor, and a 15% smaller installer through .NET 10 upgrade.
Marking the 20th anniversary of PowerToys, Microsoft just released version 0.100 of this extremely useful collection of Windows tools and features. If you aren’t familiar with PowerToys yet, check out our picks for the most useful PowerToys features you might’ve missed.
This update comes with some new goodies, including the Shortcut Guide that displays all the keyboard shortcuts available for the current application in a dynamic sidebar. It automatically detects which app is open, and it supports a large number of apps. It’s a nice layer on top of all the useful everyday Windows keyboard shortcuts we use.
It also comes with improvements to the Command Palette, and an Extension Gallery now takes you directly to an overview where you can scroll through and seamlessly install extensions created by community developers. Other features include multi-monitor support for the Dock, an improved Performance Monitor with battery display, and many other minor improvements throughout.
According to Microsoft, PowerToys as a whole is now significantly more efficient, the start-up process is significantly faster on many systems, and monitor detection is more reliable after a restart. The overall focus of version 0.100 has been on greater reliability and compatibility. Thanks to the upgrade to .NET 10, everything also runs more smoothly and the installer is now 15 percent smaller.
The flyout menu can now be closed using the Escape key, sliders support adjustments via the mouse wheel, and screens are automatically rescanned when your PC wakes from sleep mode.
Further reading: Microsoft is building a ‘quiet’ Windows with PowerToys
This article originally appeared on our sister publication PC-WELT and was translated and localized from German.
