PowerToys – The Windows 10 super powers

If you are old enough the name PowerToys may sound familiar! PowerToys are a set of tools that bring extra features to Microsoft operating system, originally released for Windows 95 it was also available for Windows XP.

Almost 20 years after their last appearance Microsoft brought back the PowerToys to Windows 10 and with it you will be able to do your tasks faster.

Windows 10 PowerToys

What are the toys included in the package?

The new version of PowerToys is still in preview but you can start using them today as they are already available to be tested. In the existent version of the toolset you will find:

  • Fancy Zones – Create window layouts to help multi-tasking easy
  • File Explorer – Preview SVG files and markdown on the Windows file explorer preview pane
  • Image Resizer – A Windows Shell extension for bulk image resizing
  • Power Rename – A Windows Shell extension for more advanced bulk renaming using search and replace or regular expressions
  • Shortcut Guide – Shows a help overlay with Windows shortcuts when the Windows key is pressed
  • Windows Walker – A text-based Alt+Tab with search

How to install PowerToys

PowerToys are available on GitHub and to install them on your Windows 10 you will need to do the following:

  1. Download the latest version from here and execute it
  2. Click on Next
    install Windows 10 PowerToys
  3. Select the option to start PowerToys when the computer starts
  4. Click Install and wait for the process to finish

How to use and manage PowerToys

PowerToys are installed as a bundle on Windows however the application allows you to enable just the tools that you want to use by doing the following:

  1. Open the PowerToys settings
  2. Toggle off all the tools that you want to remove

Windows 10 PowerToys settings

To configure each PowerToy click on its name in the vertical menu and define the settings according to your needs. To know more about each one of them from the General Settings click on the Overview link, this will open the description/user guide in the GitHub repository.


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I've been working with Microsoft Technologies over the last ten years, mainly focused on creating collaboration and productivity solutions that drive the adoption of Microsoft Modern Workplace.