PowerToys – AnonyViet – English Version

Summary of PowerToys features and how to use them

AnonyViet — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 00:00:33 +0000

PowerToys is a free toolkit developed by Microsoft, designed to help users work more effectively with Windows 10. With PowerToys, you can perform the above common operations quickly and conveniently. benefits, such as drag and drop, copy, move, delete, archive files, edit files, display and customize the Windows interface,…

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Outstanding features of PowerToys

If you have not installed PowerToys, you can go to the link The following to download.

Awake – Keeps your PC awake

When you turn on the Awake feature, you prevent your PC and display from automatically going to sleep, preventing your PC from being turned off. To enable the Awake feature, do the following:

Step 1: Select the Awake tab in PowerToys > Click the On button in the Enable Awake section.

Enable the Awake feature

Step 2: Select Mode, click Keep Awake Indefinitely to keep your PC always active.

Click Keep Awake Indefinitely

Step 3: If you want to adjust the activity time, tap Keep awake for a time interval or tap Keep awake until expiration.

Adjust operating time

Peek – View images and files without opening them

With the Peek utility in PowerToys, you can quickly view files, documents, and images in File Explorer without opening them in a media player or application. To quickly view using Peek, follow these steps:

Step 1: Start by activating the Peek feature in the Enable Peek section.

Enable Peek feature

Step 2: You can change the shortcut by selecting Activation shortcut Note: Shortcuts only start from the Windows, Alt and Shift, Ctrl buttons.

Change keyboard shortcuts

PowerToys Run – Run any application instantly

PowerToys Run utility is like a quick driver for applications and files. You can run them immediately using the keyboard shortcut Alt+Ctrl. With this utility, you can search files more easily and conveniently on Windows. Activate and customize PowerToys Run as follows:

Step 1: Select the PowerToys Run tab on the toolbar. Click On in the Enable PowerToys Run section.

Activate PowerToys Run

Step 2: Visit Activation Shortcut to adjust the key combination to activate the search engine. (The default shortcut is Alt+Space, users can change as desired by clicking the pencil icon).

Adjust keyboard shortcuts

Set up keyboard shortcuts

Step 3: You can extend the ability to search and run applications by adding Plugins in PowerToys Run.

For example, to access devices in Settings in the search bar, users can select Windows Settings in Plugins.

Image Resizer – Improves image quality and resizing

With the image editing utility, you will be able to change the size of images easily and conveniently without using a complicated tool. You just need to select the image and click Resize image from the toolbar to adjust the size of the image. After resizing the image using Image Resizer as follows:

Step 1: Click on Image Resizer in PowerToys > Click On in the Enable Image Resizer section to activate.

Activate Image Resizer

Step 2: You select one or more images in File Explorer and right-click, select Image Resizer.

You select one or more images and right-click, select Image Resizer.

Step 3: You choose the desired image size and click Resize.

Select size and click Resize

Fancy Zones – Create custom window layouts

This utility allows users to freely adjust and arrange the application's windows according to the default layout or according to their preferences. To be able to adjust the layout as desired, press the key combination Windows + Shift + ` (accent). After customizing, hold down the Shift key and drag the applications to the location set from the previous step.

Fancy Zones – Create custom window layouts

Screen Ruler – Measures the distance between clear elements

The next utility is Screen Ruler with a function that helps users measure the size and distance on their screen. For example: You are working on a video and want to know the distance between two objects. They can use Screen Ruler to measure distance right on the screen.

Step 1: Click on Screen Ruler in PowerToys > Click On in the Enable Screen Ruler section to activate.

Activate Screen Ruler

Step 2: You press the key combination Windows + Shift + M to measure the distance between objects.

Shortcut key combination Windows + Shift + M

File Locksmith – Unlock files with just one click

File Locksmith is a utility that helps users determine how to use files or applications on Windows operating systems. This will be more useful if the user wants to delete or move an application but the message “the file is being used by another program” appears.

File Locksmith is a utility that allows users to lock file usage and prevent failed deletions and moves. To turn on this utility, select File Locksmith in the left toolbar > Click On in the Enable File Locksmith section.

File Locksmith – Unlock files with just one click

Always On Top

The Always On Top utility allows users to place an application window on top of the windows of other applications. The placed application window will be in the highest position, not blocked by any other application. Users set the application by pressing the key combination Windows + Ctrl + T or editing the key combination in the Activation Shortcut section.

Always On Top allows placing an application window on top of other windows

PowerRename – Rename multiple files at once

To use this utility, users can easily rename multiple files at once. Perform activation as follows:

Step 1: Click PowerRename in the left bar of PowerToys Settings > Select Enable PowerRename and turn it on to On to activate.

PowerRename – Rename multiple files at once

Step 2: Just select the file and right-click > Click PowerRename from the menu to rename it.

Select the file and right click > PowerRename

Epilogue

PowerToys is a set of tools that help improve Windows 10 computer performance. With PowerToys, you can work more efficiently by performing common operations on your computer quickly and conveniently. Good luck!

The article scored: 5/5 – (100 votes)

How to use PowerToys for Windows 10 and 11 details

AnonyViet — Wed, 25 Jan 2023 21:53:21 +0000

Microsoft has released more and more PowerToys for Windows 10 and 11. This open source project adds many powerful features to Windows, from batch file renaming to Alt + Tab replacements that let you search doors from your keyboard.

You can download PowerToys from Microsoft Store or download the installer directly from GitHub and enable the features you want from within Settings PowerToys. It is free and open source. If you are using GitHub, download the “PowerToysSetup” EXE file and double-click it to install.

You can launch PowerToys from the Start menu and it will still run in the background.
To access PowerToys settings after installing and launching the app, find the PowerToys icon in the notification area (system tray) on your taskbar, right-click it, and select “Settings.”

Always on Top will make it easy to pin any window to the top. Just press Windows + Ctrl + and the window will stay on top of all your other windows until you undo the change with Windows + Ctrl +.

When you use the shortcut, the window that is always on top will have a blue outline and a notification sound will play. You can disable these options if you want, and also change the shortcut to something else.

It can sometimes be difficult to detect your mouse, especially if you’re using a high-resolution monitor. Mouse Utilities adds two more keyboard shortcuts that make this even easier: Find My Mouse and Mouse Highlighter.

To use Find My Mouse, double-tap the . key Ctrl. Most of your screen will turn gray, leaving a bright circle marking the position of your mouse pointer. Mouse Highlighter will create a colored circle each time you click. To activate and deactivate it, press Windows + Shift + Surname by default — you can also change this key combination in Mouse Highlighter settings.Mute video, toggle your Microphone and Webcam

Video Conference Mute gives you common shortcuts to quickly mute your microphone and turn off your camera. They work in any Windows app, not just meeting tools like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet.
By default, you can press Windows + Shift + Q to turn off the camera and microphone, Windows + Shift + A to just mute the microphone or Windows + Shift + O to turn off your camera. When you do, a floating toolbar will appear, reminding you that you disabled your inputs with the Video Conference Mute tool and providing you with a quick way to re-enable them.

Power Toys has many settings that allow you to configure the microphone and webcam that it will turn off, and change these shortcuts to whatever keys you want.

Prevent the computer from going to sleep

Whether you’re loading a file or doing another lengthy task, sometimes you don’t want your PC to go to sleep. You can go into Settings and set Windows to never go to sleep, wait for the task to complete, then go back to Settings and change the setting back. Of course, it takes a lot of clicks — and it’s easy to forget to turn sleep mode back on.

PowerToys Awake provides you with a quick notification area that allows you to control sleep settings. You can let your PC never go to sleep until you turn it off. Or, you can configure your PC to work only in wake mode.

Color Picker, Systemwide Color Picker

People who work with graphics, from web designers to photographers and graphic designers, often have to find a specific color and use it. That’s why tools like Adobe Photoshop have a color picker (eyerop) that lets you point your mouse at a part of an image to determine exactly what color it is.

Color Picker is a color picker that works anywhere on your system. After enabling it in PowerToys, press Win + Shift + CLOSE to open it anywhere. You will see the color code displayed in both hexadecimal and RGB so you can use it in other programs.

Click once and the hex color code will be copied to your clipboard so you can paste it. If you prefer RGB, you can open the Color Picker screen in the PowerToys Settings window and choose to copy the RGB color code.

PowerToys Run, a fast app launcher

PowerToys Run is a search-based application launcher. Unlike the classic Windows Run dialog (Win + R), it has search feature. Unlike the Start Menu, which launches things on your computer instead of searching the web with Bing.

In addition to applications, PowerToys Run can also quickly find files. It can even find and switch to open windows — just search for the window title.

To open it, press Alt + Space. This shortcut is customizable in Settings PowerToys.

Start typing a phrase to search for apps, files, and even open windows. Use the arrow keys to select an item in the list (or just keep typing to narrow it down) and press Enter to launch an application, open a file, or switch to a window.

PowerToys Run has some other features, like “Open as Administrator” and “Open Containing Folder” buttons for each option in the list. In the future, it will have calculator-like plug-ins.

Keyboard Manager, Remapping shortcuts

The Keyboard Manager provides an easy-to-use interface for remapping your keyboard’s single keys and shortcut keys.

The “Remap Keyboard” tool allows you to change a key to a new key. You can set any key on your keyboard to act as another key — including special function keys. For example, you can turn the Caps Lock key you never use into the Back key on your browser to make navigating the web easier.

The “Remap Shortcuts” menu allows you to change shortcut combinations to other shortcuts. Eg, Win + E normally open a File Explorer window. You can create a shortcut Win + Space new to open a File Explorer window. Your new shortcuts may override existing shortcuts built into Windows 10.

PowerRename, batch file renaming tool

Microsoft’s PowerToys includes a batch renaming tool called “PowerRename”. With this feature, you can right-click on one or more files or folders in File Explorer and select “PowerRename” in the context menu to open it.

The PowerRename tool window will appear. You can use text boxes and checkboxes to quickly rename files in bulk. For example, you can remove words from filenames, replace phrases, add numbers, change multiple file extensions at once, and more. You can even use expressions. The preview pane will help you fine-tune your renaming settings before renaming the file.

This utility is much simpler than most third-party batch renaming tools available for Windows.

Image Resizer, image compression tool

PowerToys provides a quick image changer that integrates with File Explorer. Once it’s enabled, select one or more image files in File Explorer, right-click them, and select “Resize Pictures.”

The Image Resizer window will open. You can then choose a size for the image file or enter a custom size in pixels. By default, the tool creates resizing of the selected image files, but you can also resize and replace the original files. You can even click the “Settings” button and configure advanced options like image encoder quality settings.

This tool is a quick way to resize one or more image files without opening a more complicated application.

FancyZones, the window manager

FancyZones is a window manager that allows you to layout “zones” for windows on the desktop. Windows generally allows you to manage windows in a 1×1 or 2×2 arrangement. FancyZones allows you to create more complex layouts.

By default, you can press Windows + `(it’s an important character, the key above the Tab key) to open the Zone Editor. Then, while dragging and dropping a window, you can press and hold the Shift key (or another mouse button, such as your right mouse button) to see the areas. Drop a window into an area and it changes according to that layout on your desktop.

FancyZones provides a quick way to set up complex window layouts without resizing each window. Just drop the windows into the areas. You can configure all its many options and shortcuts by opening the Settings PowerToys window and clicking “FancyZones”.

Shortcut Guide, for keyboard shortcuts on Windows

Windows has built-in keyboard shortcuts that use the Windows key. For example, you can press Windows + E to open a File Explorer window, Windows + i to open the Settings window or Windows + EASY to show your screen? You can also press Windows + 1 to activate the first application shortcut from the left on the taskbar, Windows + 2 to activate the second shortcut, etc.

Shortcut Guide will help you learn and remember these shortcuts. Once it’s enabled, you can hold down the Windows key on your keyboard for about a second to see common keyboard shortcuts.

Add-ons File Explorer, file preview

File Explorer also has a preview pane, which can display previews of images and other file types directly in File Explorer. Press Alt + P in File Explorer to show or hide it. Select a file and you’ll immediately see a preview.

With the various File Explorer Add-ons enabled in PowerToys, Windows will be able to display previews of SVG images, documents formatted in Markdown, PDF documents, and G files (used by 3D printers). ).

What happened to Window Walker?

Update: This tool has now been merged into PowerToys Run. You can type a window’s title into PowerToys Run to find and switch to that window.

Window Walker is an alternative to Alt + Tab based on the search feature. To open it, press Ctrl + Win. You will see a text box appear.

Start typing a phrase to search for open windows that match that term. For example, if you have multiple Chrome browser windows open, you can type “Chrome” and you will see a list of those windows. Use the arrow keys to select windows and press Enter.

This tool can be very useful if you have multiple windows open and are looking for a specific window. For example, if you have ten different browser windows open and you’re looking for a window that shows a specific web page, you can press Ctrl + Tabstart typing the name of the website and find the browser window that displays it.

The PowerToys package is still incomplete and Microsoft has more tools planned before the 1.0 release.