PowerToys, an application developed byMicrosoftthat has been around since the 1990s, but was brought back to life forWindows 10 and 11, is one of the company’s best-kept secrets. Few users know of its existence, yet it’s one of the best ways to improve your Windows 10 or 11 experience. It’s shocking to me that – at this point –PowerToysisn’t just built-in to the operating system.
It’s completely free, can be downloaded from the Microsoft Store, and provides users with a wide range of open-source utilities that streamline the experience of using Windows. Whether you’re a power user or just looking for a way to make Windows smoother, PowerToys definitely offers something that will make your time using Windows more enjoyable.
Today I’ll be showing how I use Microsoft PowerToys to streamline my Windows experience, and I’ll also be making the case for why Microsoft should just include PowerToys in Windows instead of making it something you have to download from the Microsoft store.
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What is PowerToys, and why should you care?
A free suite of tools and features to make Windows better
Microsoft PowerToys is designed to give you more flexibility in the Windows experience. PowerToys gives users access to features not available, or in most cases, not enabled, in the regular Windows operating system. PowerToys was first released alongside Windows 95, and then went dormant for a few decades until the release of Windows XP.
More modern Windows users will note that PowerToys wasn’t available in Vista, Windows 7, nor in Windows 8, but finally made its return for Windows 10 and 11.
In total, there are currently 27 utilities within PowerToys. Some are geared towards enthusiast users, while others are more useful for all users of Windows. Either way, with so many utilities, there’s something for everyone within PowerToys.
The primary reasons for not including PowerToys in the OS are that it’s an open-source application, and keeping it off the operating system makes it easier for developers to tweak and add features to it.
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The PowerToys utilities that streamline my workflow
FancyZones, Text Extractor, Image Resizer, and more
When it comes to keeping myself organized and streamlined at work, there are about four tools in PowerToys that I use daily. However, while many of the utilities I only use once in a while, that doesn’t mean that they aren’t incredibly useful, but rather, it means that they get the job done in one.
FancyZones
Starting off, the tool I probably use the most is FancyZones. I’m someone who can never get settled with my window alignment. FancyZones helps me to move and arrange open windows into preset zones. Your windows will automatically fit the presets as FancyZones will resize any open windows to make sure they fit, and I can also use FancyZones to create custom layouts if I prefer.
As a writer, I’m a big fan of using the Priority Grid, so I can keep a document or two off to the sides and my text editor in the center of the screen.
Image Resizer
It’s embarrassing to admit, but for a long time I paid an outrageous amount of money just so I could resize images in Photoshop. The Image Resizer tool in PowerToys is a completely free and simple way to resize images on the fly. The utility has multiple preset sizes, including sizes for phones and tablets.
Once you activize Image Resizer, you can just simply right-click on any image and selectResize with Image Resizer. The image Resizer menu will open automatically, and I can select the size I want, using either presets or your own custom settings. This is probably my killer utility for my specific workflow from PowerToys. Image Resizer has not only streamlined my workflow, but also saved me money in the long haul.
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Text Extractor
This one may seem odd, but Text Extractor is an easy way in PowerToys to pull text from images. It makes my life infinitely easier to take copy down from marketing photos, or to pull text from posters, photos, and even videos. It streamlines my flow while I’m researching products for Pocket-Lint, and I’ve found it really helpful for pulling text from slideshow presentations, especially when I’m trying to note-take quickly during meetings or at conferences.
Using Text Extractor is simple and easy, like many of the utilities found within PowerToys. In order to pull text, I press the key combo ofWindows + Shift + Tto activate Text Extractor, and then I highlight any text I want pulled from any image or video with my mouse.
Why PowerToys should just be built in
How Microsoft can be more user-focused
PowerToys makes Windows easier to use, and for some, it makes it feel more like macOS with Windows equivalents to Spotlight Search. To me, there’s no question that PowerToys makes Windows an easier-to-use operating system, and for a long time I’ve been puzzled by a simple question – why isn’t this just included in Windows from the jump? The primary reasons for not including PowerToys in the OS are that it’s an open-source application, and keeping it off the operating system makes it easier for developers to tweak and add features to it.
While I am a big fan of PowerToys, I’m in the minority. PowerToys feels hidden, and your standard Windows user most likely doesn’t know it exists unless they’ve read an article online about it first. From Microsoft’s point of view – why include something in the OS that is geared towards power users and is used by a small percentage of the user base? Microsoft doesn’t release usage statistics, so there’s no way to pinpoint just how many people use PowerToys, but based on there being a Reddit thread where users think they’ve “discovered” the amazing app every few months, I can infer that not that many people are using PowerToys.
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It’s a shame, and I wish more users got to experience just how easy and streamlined Windows can become with PowerToys. While it’s unlikely that we’ll see PowerToys built in, PowerToys will continue to be updated and advanced, and even more utilities get added to it every few months.
Luckily for those of us in the know, we can experience Windows the correct way thanks to PowerToys.
