PowerToys for Windows 95 was the first version and included 15 components such as:
CDAutoPlay to use AutoPlay on non-audio CDs
Desktop menu to open desktop items from a taskbar menu
Quick res to quickly change screen resolution
The second version of PowerToys was for Windows XP. Rather than being available in a single package, these were separate downloads. Various components were discontinued over its lifetime, but there were 20 components overall such as:
Alt-Tab Replacement Task Switcher to show live window previous when switching with Alt-Tab
Power Calculator for advanced and complex expressions
Webcam Timershot to take webcam pictures at specific intervals
The utilities included in PowerToys for Windows 10 are:
FancyZones
File Explorer Preview
Image Resizer
Keyboard Manager
PowerRename
PowerToys Run
Shortcut Guide
File Explorer has a preview pane so that you can view the contents of some file types, like documents and spreadsheets, without opening them.
If you don’t see this when you click a file, go to the View tab on File Explorer and click Preview pane to enable it.
With File Explorer Preview in PowerToys, this functionality is now extended to SVG image files and Markdown documents.
You can batch resize images on Mac, and now you can do the same on Windows 10.
Simply open File Explorer and select the images you want to resize, right click, and click Resize pictures.
This opens a window where you can select the new image size, along with options like resizing the original (rather than creating copies) and ignoring the orientation of pictures. When ready, click Resize.
Within PowerToys settings, you can edit the default size presets and add your own. You can also change the encoding settings and how the newly resized images are named.
With Keyboard Manager, you can create your own keyboard shortcuts or remap existing ones. This is managed within the PowerToys settings, within the Keyboard Manager section.
For example, you could use uncommon keys to control your media playback or browser navigation. Alternatively, you could do something like changing the shortcut Ctrl + C (which normally copies text) to be paste instead.
There are two sections: Remap keyboard to remap a single key to another key, and Remap shortcuts to remap a shortcut to another shortcut.
Click Remap a key or Remap a shortcut. Click the plus icon to add a remapping. The left side is the existing key or shortcut, while the right is what you want to remap it to. Use the trash icon to remove any remapping. When done, click OK.
It can be difficult for the average user to bulk rename files and folders in Windows 10 without using PowerShell. With the PowerRename utility, it’s now a breeze.
In File Explorer, select the files or folders that you wish to rename. Right click and click PowerRename.
This opens a window where you can choose what term to Search for and what to Replace with. There are also helpful options like case sensitive renaming, exclude folders, item extension only, and more.
PowerToys Run is a search tool for quickly launching applications, files, and folders. You can also use it to switch to things you have open.
By default, press Alt + Space to open it (you can customize this in the PowerToys settings). Then simply start typing to find something on your computer. Use the Up and Down keys to move between results and Enter to launch.
If you wish, use the icons next to each result to Launch As Administrator or Open containing folder.
Windows 10 is packed full of helpful shortcuts. With Shortcut Guide, you can hold down the Windows key to bring up a screen to remind yourself of some.
Within PowerToys settings, you can change the press duration (900ms by default) and the screen’s opacity and color scheme.
Become a Windows 10 Master
PowerToys is still in active development, so the existing tools could change and new utilities could be added over time. Some of them may even become part of the default Windows 10 operating system.
If you want to be the ultimate Windows 10 user, here are loads of tips and tutorials to master Windows 10.