A few months back, I came across a tool from Microsoft called PowerToys. Since I’ve been using it and finding it useful, I thought I’d share it with others as well.

Microsoft PowerToys is a set of tools for power users of Windows, which sets out to enhance productivity. At the time of writing, the following list describes the current feature set:

  • Color picker - A handy tool that allows you to select colors from any running application, and shows both the HEX and RGB values.
  • FancyZones - This tool allows you to split your screen into several different zones, and drag any applications into specific areas.
  • File Explorer Add-ons - A tool to extend the file explorer with features such as file preview.
  • Image Resizer - If you need to resize one or more images, this is the tool for you.
  • Keyboard Manager - This tool allows you to remap keys for a more productive workflow.
  • PowerRename - This tool allows you to rename files in bulk, which can come in handy if you for instance need to rename a bunch of images.
  • PowerToys Run - This is a shell extension, which allows you to quickly run applications without opening the start menu.
  • Shortcut Guide - Ever wondered what shortcuts you have available? Then this is the tool for you. Just pop it open by pressing the windows button.
  • Video Conference Mute - This tool allows you to do a global mute of microphone and web camera through a shortcut.

As you can see, there’s a lot of handy tools. My favorite so far is the FancyZones tool, which is the reason I found this application in the first place. It allows me to set up my screens in a way that I prefer, giving me more options than the default 1 or 2 column choices Windows ships with.
I also use the PowerToys Run, although I probably don’t save much compared to the start menu.

Anyway, if you haven’t already tried PowerToys, I highly suggest you try it. It is an open-source project, where code and installers can be found at https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys.