Buzz
Alongside being a prominent name among system utilities, PowerToys has a long-standing history with Windows. PowerToys for Windows was first introduced on Windows 95 with the aim of optimizing and customizing the Windows operating system (OS). Previously, these features were high-tech tricks. You might have used TweakUI to customize the Windows XP interface or FlexiCD to play music CDs from the taskbar. Now, PowerToys from the 90s has been significantly enhanced, allowing you to add small yet useful utilities to make your computer more enjoyable to use on Windows 10, the latest OS.
As an open-source customization tool, you can add your own functionalities to PowerToys. There's a multitude of possibilities, with developers likely to introduce new features that Microsoft may have never considered creating.
1. Download and Install PowerToys for Windows 10.
2. How to Utilize PowerToys Tools on Windows 10.
2.1. Fancy Zones Tool.
2.2. PowerRename Tool.
2.3. Shortcut Guide Tool.
2.4. Other Tools.
1. Download and Install PowerToys for Windows 10
Visit https://github.com/Microsoft/powertoys/releases and download the latest version. Look for PowerToysSetup.msi and click to download the installer. If you're interested in the source code, click on Source code (zip) or Source code (tar.gz).
Double-click the downloaded file PowerToysSetup.msi to install it like any other program. You can choose the installation location, create shortcuts, or auto-start PowerToys with the system.
Once installed and launched, PowerToys will run in the system tray. Click on the utility icon to open PowerToys General Settings. The first settings you'll see allow you to toggle each PowerToy on or off. On the left side of the general settings window, you can access specific settings for PowerToys.
2. How to Utilize PowerToys Tools on Windows 10
2.1. Fancy Zones Tool
Fancy Zones is considered a way to create window layouts, making multitasking easier. If you're using multiple programs and frequently need to switch between them, this tool will make your life much easier.
- To use Fancy Zones, press the Windows + - key combination. (The tilde key is located below the ESC key in the upper left corner of the keyboard).
- Choose a template. For example, a layout with 3 equal columns. Once you've selected a layout, you'll get a preview on the screen.
- Click the Apply button to apply the selected layout.
- Press and hold the Shift key and hold down the mouse on the top bar of any program. Drag it onto the screen and release to drop the program window into the area you want within the set layout.
- Repeat the same process with the remaining programs, and you'll see 3 windows opened side by side on your computer screen.
2.2. PowerRename Tool
By adding a feature to the right-click menu, PowerRename provides you with a way to rename multiple files or folders simultaneously. You can simply do this through simple search and replace expressions.
In the image below, you can see how renaming all files in a series of chapters of a book was done very easily.
- First, select all the files you want to rename. Then, right-click and choose PowerRename from the context menu.
- The PowerRename window opens up providing various options. For instance, the basic Match All Occurrences option and the powerful Use Regular Expressions option. If you want to know or learn regular expressions, you can perform any task you can think of with this tool. Learning regular expressions is essential if you're developing any program, in any language, when working with any type of text.
- When entering keywords into the Search for and Replace with fields, you'll see a preview of the changes in the bottom part of the window. This is a great way to prevent errors before you save changes by clicking the Rename button. Then, the changes will be applied immediately.
2.3. Shortcut Guide Tool
As one of the 3 PowerTools for Windows, Shortcut Guide provides a panel containing the most common Windows shortcuts. When activated, all you need to do is press and hold the Windows key for about 1 second, a translucent overlay will appear on your computer screen, displaying the Windows shortcuts.
- To use any shortcut, press and hold the Windows key and press the corresponding shortcut. For example, if you want to open Windows Explorer, you would press and hold the Windows key and the D key.
Pay attention to the bottom part of the Shortcut Guide. You'll see the open programs with numbers arranged in order, indicating you can switch between these programs by using the Windows key and a corresponding number key. As in the example below, pressing the number 1 opens the Edge browser, pressing the number 2 opens File Explorer, pressing the number 3 opens the Windows Store...
2.4. Other Tools
Currently, PowerToys only includes the 3 aforementioned tools. However, the previous version had over 20 tools. Additionally, this is an open-source project, so you can expect more PowerToys to be added in the future by Microsoft and independent developers. Currently, there are 3 other tools in development: Maximize to New Desktop, Process Terminate Tool, and Animated GIF Screen Recorder.
In addition to the 3 released tools and the 3 tools in development, there are another 10 tools on the waiting list. Therefore, having 16 free PowerToys for Windows is truly something to appreciate, and anything that makes your operations easier and more efficient is always welcomed.
