How to use Windows Power Toys to level up your productivity

Tired of your old windows pc? Your not alone. Power Toys increased my productivity and my systems functionality from day one. Here’s how to get started.

What is Power Toys?

It hosts a large collection of useful software, perhaps its most popular being Fancy Zones, which is an advanced and hyper-customisable window management tool similar to the built-in window manager that allows snapping features in Windows 10 and 11.

Here’s a list of each Power Toy and what it does. I’ve linked each to Microsoft’s per-tool support document, which goes into more detail on how they can be used.

• Always on Top: While you can use whatever app you want, Always on Top prevents Windows from burying an app underneath another window.

• Awake: Your PC will stay awake at full power, without needing to manage the Windows Power & Sleep settings.

• Colour Picker: Want to know the exact colour of an image underneath your cursor? Colour Picker will identify and even copy it.

• Fancy Zones: The original Power Toy. Arrange and snap your windows to a variety of arrangements on your screen.

• File Explorer add-ons: This beefs up File Explorer, allowing you to preview file types like PDF documents and SVG images without a separate editor.

• Image Resizer: A simple way to resize images without needing a separate photo editor to do so.

• Keyboard Manager: Remap your keyboard’s keys, including keyboard shortcuts, simply and quickly.

• Mouse Utilities: Though called “Mouse Utilities,” this is essentially a shortcut to the “Find My Mouse” utility we’ll explain below.

• Power Rename: If you want to search for/highlight and batch rename a number of files, this is the utility to use.

• Power Toys Run: Power Toys Run is a quick launcher for apps and files. It supplements the Start menu.

• Shortcut Guide: If you’ve forgotten all of the available Windows shortcuts that use the Windows key, this utility lists them.

• Video Conference Mute: A quick shortcut to turn off your mic and camera.

Installation

The Process is a bit different for windows 10 and 11, so follow along accordingly

Windows 11

Power Toys is available on the latest version on the Microsoft store

Windows 10

Got to this GitHub link and install PowerToysSetup-0.61.1-x64.exe (or a later version if you’re viewing this in the future). Once installed, open the file and it should install Power Toys.

Configuration

You should see this screen on boot. This showcases the rather extensive list of programs that come bundled in with Power Toys. Each piece of software has its own shortcut for quick access. I personally leave all the settings as is, albeit some minor configuration for Power Toys Run.

Run is capable of searching for anything on your pc, and most search plugins are checked by default. This results in a rather cluttered search box when using Run. Here are my settings (you don’t have to use these, this is just what works for me).

One of the most useful features of run is being able to search for applications. In my experience this is rather unreliable when it comes to web-downloaded applications. Hence, I have unchecked the apps plugin and personally use the windows key instead (This is totally up to you though). Anything and Everything can be configured, so don’t be afraid to give it a try.

Power Toys is Free, Open Source, and is actively updated. It brings new functionality with no setbacks. So why not download it?