Microsoft PowerToys Features

A complete breakdown of every utility in the PowerToys suite. From process inspection and system monitoring to advanced permissions, performance insights, and plugin support.

Process Inspection

File Locksmith

Check which files are in use and by which processes directly from the File Explorer context menu. When you cannot delete, move, or overwrite a file, File Locksmith shows exactly which process holds the lock and lets you end that process. This provides targeted process inspection without needing a full task manager alternative like Process Hacker.

✓ Right-click any file in Explorer to inspect locks
✓ View process name and PID for each lock holder
✓ End blocking processes without opening Task Manager

Troubleshooting locked files

File Locksmith dialog listing WINWORD.EXE as the process locking a document

System Monitoring

Awake

Keep a computer awake without managing power and sleep settings. Ideal for long builds, presentations, downloads, or remote sessions where system sleep would interrupt critical work.

Power Display

Control external monitor brightness, contrast, volume, input source, and color temperature from a single flyout. A focused system monitor for display hardware without third-party tools.

Light Switch

Automatically switch between light and dark themes based on time of day. Reduces eye strain and aligns your desktop appearance with your work schedule.

For deeper hardware monitoring such as CPU temperature and voltage, dedicated system monitor tools remain useful alongside PowerToys. See our Guides for best practices.

Advanced Permissions & System Access

Environment Variables

Manage environment variables with profiles to group variables together. Switch between development, staging, and production configurations instantly without editing system settings manually each time.

Hosts File Editor

Edit the Windows Hosts file containing domain names and IP address mappings. Useful for local development, blocking domains, or testing before DNS changes propagate.

Registry Preview

Visualize and edit Windows Registry files before applying changes. Provides a safer workflow for registry modifications with a clear preview of all keys and values.

Always On Top

Pin windows above other windows with a quick key shortcut. Essential for reference documentation, monitoring dashboards, or video calls while working in other applications.

Mouse Without Borders

Control multiple computers with a single keyboard and mouse. Seamlessly move your cursor across machines on the same network, with clipboard sharing between systems.

Performance Insights & Productivity

FancyZones

A window manager for creating complex window layouts and positioning windows quickly. Define custom zone templates for ultrawide monitors, dual displays, or laptop plus external screen setups. Drag windows into zones with Shift held for instant layout application.

Setup guide for FancyZones

FancyZones window tiling layout editor displayed on a Windows desktop

PowerToys Run

Search and open apps, files, folders, and run system commands instantly. Acts as a powerful task manager alternative for launching and switching between applications faster than the Start menu. Supports calculator, unit conversion, and deep system integration.

PowerToys Run tips

PowerToys Run launcher with Visual Studio search results and quick actions

PowerRename

Perform bulk renaming with search and replace, regular expressions, and full undo support. Preview all changes before applying. Handles hundreds of files in seconds for photography, development, and media workflows.

Keyboard Manager

Customize the keyboard by remapping keys and creating custom shortcuts. Remap individual keys, key combinations, or shortcut sequences. Supports per-app remapping for application-specific layouts.

Color Picker

A system-wide color picking utility. Pick colors from anywhere on the screen and copy values in HEX, RGB, HSL, or other formats. Essential for designers and developers matching UI colors across applications.

Plugin Support & Extensibility

PowerToys Run Plugins

PowerToys Run supports a plugin architecture that extends its capabilities. Community and official plugins add web search, clipboard history, window switching, and custom command execution. The plugin system makes PowerToys Run comparable to dedicated launcher applications while remaining integrated with Windows.

Installing and managing plugins

Command Palette

Access frequently used commands, apps, and tools from a single, fast, customizable interface. Command Palette centralizes actions across PowerToys utilities and integrates with your workflow for quick access to any enabled module.

Command Palette guide

Additional Utilities

Advanced Paste

Paste clipboard text into any format needed, with optional AI-powered transformation.

Text Extractor

Copy text from anywhere on your screen using OCR technology.

Peek

Preview file content without opening applications or interrupting your workflow.

Workspaces

Launch a set of applications to custom positions with a single click.

Image Resizer

Quickly resize images with a right-click in File Explorer.

File Explorer Add-ons

Enable Preview pane and thumbnail rendering for SVG, PDF, QOI, STL, and more.

Mouse Utilities

Find My Mouse, Highlighter, Jump, and Crosshairs for presentations and accessibility.

Screen Ruler

Quickly measure pixels on your screen based on image edge detection.

Shortcut Guide

Display available Windows key shortcuts for the current desktop state.

ZoomIt

Screen zoom, annotation, and recording tool for technical presentations.

Crop And Lock

Create a cropped or thumbnail window of another window that stays interactive.

New+

Create files and folders from a personalized set of templates in File Explorer.

Get All Features in One Download

Install Microsoft PowerToys and enable only the utilities you need. Each module can be toggled independently.

Download PowerToys