New Update Microsoft PowerToys

silversurfer

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PowerToys is available on Windows 10 and 11. You can download the app from the Microsoft Store or GitHub.


Microsoft released PowerToys 0.63 this week, a stability release that does not introduce new features. What makes this game special is that Microsoft managed to reduce the size of the PowerToys installer and installation folder on the Windows device significantly.

Here are the details on the achievement: The PowerToys installer size went from a whooping 125 Megabytes to 83 Megabytes in this release. It has been cut by about a third, which is a substantial decrease, especially for users on low-speed connections who download the installer.

The installation size of PowerToys went down from 817 Megabytes to 587 Megabytes, which is about a quarter less. The developers managed to do this by "sharing the Windows App SDK, VC++ redistributable and PowerToys Interop runtime files between utilities".
 
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silversurfer

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Microsoft has released a new feature update for PowerToys. Version 0.64.0 is now available for download with two brand-new utilities, settings backup, and a massive list of fixes.

PowerToys 0.64.0 introduces a new File Locksmith utility (shown below). It lets you see what process or processes use the selected file or folder, preventing them from deletion or modification. The second new tool provides an easy and convenient UI for editing the Hosts file—no more diving into the system drive and opening Hosts in Notepad.

Another noteworthy feature in version 0.64.0 is the ability to back up and restore settings. You can now store your PowerToys settings, custom key bindings, and other parameters in a file. It is a quick and easy way to get your preferences to another device or store them safely. Finally, PowerToys gets Group Policy Objects settings for enabling or disabling utilities on managed devices.

The File Locksmith tool in PowerToys
You can download PowerToys 0.64.0 from the Microsoft Store or GitHub.
 

silversurfer

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Microsoft has released a patch update for PowerToys 0.64, which was released last week along with three new features, those being File Locksmith, Hosts File Editor, and settings backup.
However, a few bugs were discovered in that release and therefore a patch was deemed important enough to release an update. it contains all of the features present in the previous release as well a number of bug fixes that are listed below.

"This is a patch release to fix issues in v.64.0 to fix some bugs we deemed important for stability based on incoming rates. See v0.64.0 for full release notes."
You can download PowerToys 0.64.1 from the Microsoft Store using this link or the official repository on GitHub. If you already have PowerToys installed on your computer, the app will notify you about available updates, or you can manually update from settings.
 

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Microsoft PowerToys is a feature-packed app that frequently gets new capabilities. Finding the necessary tool in the ever-growing list of utilities might become a little tedious, so Microsoft is working on a Windows 11 Quick Settings-like launcher to let you launch your favorite utilities with a couple of clicks in the notification area.

The launcher will allow you to invoke active modules similar to how you manage Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, mobile hotspot, accessibility, rotation lock, and other basic parameters in Windows 11. It will also display activation shortcuts for each tool and provide access to docs, settings, and updates.
You can see a prototype of the upcoming PowerToys launcher in the GIF below:

A prototype of the upcoming quick launcher for PowerToys
 

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Microsoft's PowerToys come installed with Windows and aim to help users get the most out of their operating system. There are many in the lineup, so we decided to take a closer look at them. This article gives an overview of Microsoft's PowerToys for Windows 10 and 11.
 

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silversurfer

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Latest version v0.64.1 from github, installer shows: PowerToys "preview". After installation, PowerToys program folder size is more than 750 MB, just mentioned as warning.

setup.png

 

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Latest version v0.64.1 from github, installer shows: PowerToys "preview". After installation, PowerToys program folder size is more than 750 MB, just mentioned as warning.

View attachment 271138

question: is there a distinction between Microsoft PowerToys, which is supposedly available on MS Store, and PowerToys on github? If they're the same, is it fair to assume that it is "safer" to get the app from MS Store?? Or are these different apps?
 

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question: is there a distinction between Microsoft PowerToys, which is supposedly available on MS Store, and PowerToys on github? If they're the same, is it fair to assume that it is "safer" to get the app from MS Store?? Or are these different apps?
The latest version is now 0.65. I use both before, PowerToys from Store gets update slower than Github.
 

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PowerToys Version 0.65.0 is now available for download with numerous fixes, improvements, and minor changes. Unfortunately, the fancy quick access launcher is not included in the release, so enjoy the update focusing on making existing utilities (including the ones added in the previous feature update) a little better.

Here are the highlights of the update:
  • The codebase was upgraded to work with .NET 7.
  • Quick Accent can now show a description of the selected character.
  • ColorPicker now supports adding custom formats.
 

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Version 0.66.0 is now available for download with numerous fixes, improvements, and minor changes. This release includes self-contained .NET 7, meaning it is no longer required to install it standalone before PowerToys works. If you were waiting for the fancy Quick Access launcher, then you'll have to wait for a future release, as it hasn't been added yet. But fortunately, there are no known issues with in release.

Here are the highlights of the update:
  • PowerToy utilities now ship with self-contained .NET 7, meaning it's not necessary to install .NET as part of the installer and it's easier to keep up to date.
  • It's possible to pick which of the installed OCR languages is used by Text Extractor by selecting it in the right-click context menu.
  • Added a setting to sort the order of the accented characters by usage frequency in Quick Accent.
 

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It is update time for those using PowerToys on Windows 10 and 11. Version 0.67.0 is now available for download with numerous fixes, improvements, and minor changes. The highlight of this release is the availability of the Quick access system tray launcher, which you can see in action below.

1669985004_powertoys_quick_launcher.gif
 

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Microsoft has released a patch update for PowerToys 0.67, which was released a week ago along with the new Quick access system tray launcher, as well as a change in registry entries which were moved from machine scope (HKLM) to user scope (HKCU). However, some bugs were discovered in that release and therefore a patch was deemed important enough to release an update, it contains all of the features present in the previous release as well a number of bug fixes...
You can download PowerToys 0.67.1 from the Microsoft Store using this link or the official repository on GitHub. If you already have PowerToys installed on your computer, the app will notify you about available updates, or you can manually update from settings.
 

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Version 0.68.0 is now available for download with numerous fixes, improvements, and a couple of new utilities. The highlight of this release are two new PowerToys, Paste as Plain Text which allows pasting the text contents of your clipboard without formatting, and Mouse Jump, which allows you to quickly move the mouse pointer over long distances on multiple or single screens.

Highlights
  • New utility: Paste as Plain Text allows pasting the text contents of your clipboard without formatting. Note: the formatted text in the clipboard is replaced with the unformatted text. Thanks @carlos-zamora!
  • New utility: Mouse Jump allows to quickly move the mouse pointer long distances on a single screen or across multiple screens. Thanks @mikeclayton!
  • Add new GPO policies for automatic update downloads and update toast notifications. Thanks @htcfreek!
  • Support MSC and CPL files in "Run command" results of PowerToys Run Program plugin. Thanks @htcfreek!
  • Add support for log2 and log10 in PowerToys Run Calculator plugin. Thanks @RickLuiken!
  • Added experimentation to PowerToys first run experience. There are current page which says "welcome" and a variant with direct instructions on how to use some of the utilities. We want to see if directly showing how to use PowerToys leads to more people using the features :)
 

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Microsoft has released a patch update for PowerToys 0.68, which was released a week ago along with a couple oi new PowerToys. However, some bugs were discovered in that release and therefore a patch was deemed important enough to release an update. it contains all of the features present in the previous release as well a number of bug fixes that are listed below.

"This is a patch release to fix issues in v68.0 to fix some bugs we deemed important for stability based on incoming rates. See v0.68.0 for full release notes."
 

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The PowerToys app continues growing with slightly more advanced system utilities. Not long ago, Microsoft added a hosts file editor and a monitoring tool that allows users to check what processes use a specific file. Now the company and open-source contributors are cooking a new utility for Windows Registry. "Registry Preview" will allow you to open a .reg file and check its content before adding it to Windows Registry.

Windows 10 and 11 can preview registry files without extra applications (just use the default Notepad). However, PowerToys' Registry Preview will offer several convenient features, making work with .reg files much better. For example, you will be able to edit registry files with a more user-friendly UI than the standard Notepad, write changes to Registry with a single click, quickly open Registry Editor, view Registry trees, watch changes live, and more.
 

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PowerToys 0.69 is out with the new Registry Preview utility, and a bunch of fixes
It is update time for those using PowerToys on Windows 10 and 11. Version 0.69.0 is now available for download with numerous fixes, improvements, and a new utility. Registry Preview lets you preview and edit registry files without having to use applications like Notepad.

There's also a good number of fixes included in this release too which are included below.
 

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Microsoft is working on integrating ChatGPT into PowerToys Run. This will let you ask the AI without opening your browser and navigating to ChatGPT's official website.

The ChatGPT plugin for PowerToys is being developed by Simone Franco (Twitter), the developer behind the popular WSATools app that lets you side-load APK files on Windows. Several weeks ago, they tweeted about a prototype plugin to integrate ChatGPT into PowerToys, and now the project is on track to becoming publicly available.
 

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PowerToys 0.70 debuts Mouse Without Borders, Peek for File Explorer, and more
Version 0.70.0 is now available for download with numerous fixes, improvements, and a couple of new utilities. Mouse Without Borders lets you interact with other computers from the same keyboard and mouse without the need for a KVM switch. Peek lets you preview a file in File Explorer with a keyboard shortcut.
 

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