Powertoys
The latest Powertoys coverage — news, analysis, and updates from the WindowsNews.AI desk.
PowerToys 0.100.0 Unveils Command Palette Extension Gallery: A User's Guide and an IT Warning
Microsoft shipped PowerToys version 0.100.0 on June 10, 2026, releasing a long-awaited feature that turns the Command Palette launcher into a platform. The Extension Gallery, now built into the...
The Windows 11 Snipping Tool Can Extract Text from Any Image—And It Works Offline
Microsoft’s Snipping Tool in Windows 11 can now pull text from screenshots without ever touching the internet. A text-extraction feature called Text actions, highlighted in a late update to Paul...
How to pin Task Manager permanently on top in Windows 11 (and a hidden PowerToys trick for any app)
Windows Task Manager is the first tool many of us reach for when a system slows down or a process misbehaves. But the moment you click back into the problem app, the Task Manager window disappears...
Windows 11 24H2’s Secret Toolkit Exposed: What PCMag’s New Guide Found
In late August 2024, PCMag published an extensively updated guide cataloging 35 built-in or Microsoft-adjacent tools in Windows 11 version 24H2 that most users never encounter. The roundup, credited...
PowerToys Awake Redesign to Introduce Timer Flyout and Per-App Keep Awake Controls
Microsoft is redesigning PowerToys Awake, the free Windows 11 utility that prevents your PC from dropping into sleep mode, to include a new flyout with timer presets and the ability to keep your...
How Microsoft PowerToys Text Extractor Makes OCR a Keystroke Away on Windows
Windows users who frequently need to grab text from a screenshot, PDF, or even a paused video can now do it with a simple keystroke: Win + Shift + T. This shortcut, provided by Microsoft PowerToys...
Why Windows 11 Still Thinks Your File Is Open: A Deep Dive Into Handle Leaks, DLLs, and Antivirus Interference
The message pops up at the worst possible moment: “The action can't be completed because the file is open in another program.” You’ve already closed every visible window, yet Windows 11...
Beyond the Hype: Windows 11’s 2026 Quality-of-Life Upgrades Deliver Quiet, Powerful Change
The most important Windows 11 upgrade in 2026 won’t arrive with a splashy launch event or a redesigned Start menu. It won’t even have a memorable codename. Instead, it will show up as a thousand...
Exclusive: PowerToys Alt+` Shortcut Brings Same-App Window Cycling to Windows 10 and 11
Microsoft's PowerToys team is developing a new window switching utility that will finally give Windows 10 and Windows 11 users a dedicated shortcut to cycle through windows of the same application....
PowerToys v0.100.1 Hotfix Patches Keyboard Manager Flaw That Caused Remapped Alt Key Chaos
On June 24, 2026, Microsoft shipped a quick-fire patch for PowerToys, stamping version v0.100.1 and zeroing in on a single but maddening flaw in the Keyboard Manager utility. The bug, which slipped...
Microsoft Ships PowerToys 0.100.1 to Quash Regressions in Keyboard Manager, Command Palette, and PowerToys Run
Microsoft wasted no time extinguishing several show-stopping bugs that crept into PowerToys 0.100.0, pushing out version 0.100.1 on March 10. The hotfix squarely targets regressions that left the...
PowerToys v0.100.0 ships June 9 with built-in extension gallery and ZoomIt
Microsoft shipped PowerToys v0.100.0 on June 9, 2026, and the release is more than a round number. It introduces a built-in Extension Gallery for the Command Palette, a fully redesigned Shortcut...