New Update Microsoft PowerToys

silversurfer

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PowerToys 0.82 is now rolling out with stability, bug fixes, improvements, and a bunch of new features for existing modules. There are no new "toys" in today's release, but Microsoft promises to release something new in the next update under version 0.83.

 

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Microsoft has released a new feature update for PowerToys, a set of various tools for Windows 10 and 11 users. Although the July 2024 update does not contain any new modules, it reworks the Awake tool (the tool that can prevent your computer from going to sleep) and adds improvements and fixes for other existing tools.

There is also some good news for those wanting something new for PowerToys. According to Clint Rutkas from the PowerToys team, some "bigger items" are currently in Microsoft's ovens for 0.84 and 0.85 releases, so stay tuned for those. Meanwhile, check out what is new in PowerToys 0.83

 

lokamoka820

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PowerToys 0.84.0
Sep 3, 2024
Highlights:
  • New utility: PowerToys Workspaces - this utility can launch a set of applications to a custom layout and configuration on the desktop. App arrangements can be saved as a workspace and then relaunched with one click from the Workspaces Editor or from a desktop shortcut. In the editor, app configuration can be customized using CLI arguments and "launch as admin" modifiers, and app window sizes and positions can be updated as desired. This is our first public version of Workspaces and we are excited for you to try it out for yourself! Make sure to file issues you encounter on our GitHub so the team can continue to improve the utility.
Known issues - the team is actively working on fixing these:
  • Apps that launch as admin are unable to be repositioned to the desired layout.
  • Border of "Remove" / "Add Back" app button in editor is not clearly visible on light themes.
  • Added Awake --use-parent-pid CLI argument to attach to parent process. Thanks @dend!
  • Added custom actions - user-specified pre-defined prompts for the AI model. Additionally, actions (both standard and custom) are now searchable from prompt box and Ctrl + number in-app shortcuts are now applicable for first 9 search results.
  • Ported all C++/CX code to C++/WinRT as part of a refactor and upgrade series aimed at enabling AOT (Ahead of Time) compilation for enhanced performance and reduced disk footprint.
General:
  • Added DSC support for ImageResizer resize sizes property.
Advanced Paste:
  • Added custom actions - user-specified pre-defined prompts for the AI model. Additionally, actions (both standard and custom) are now searchable from prompt box and Ctrl + number in-app shortcuts are now applicable for first 9 search results.
Awake:
  • Added --use-parent-pid CLI argument to attach to parent process and fixed issue causing tray icon to disappear. Thanks @dend!
Hosts File Editor:
  • Fixed save failure when the hosts file is hidden. Thanks @davidegiacometti!
File Explorer add-ons:
  • Fixed multiple preview form positioning issues causing floating, detached windows, CoreWebView2 related exception and process leak. Thanks @davidegiacometti!
Keyboard Manager:
  • Convert RemapBufferRow to a struct with descriptive field names. Thanks @masaru-iritani!
  • Fixed issue causing stuck Ctrl key when shortcuts contain AltGr key.
Peek:
  • Added long paths support. Thanks @davidegiacometti!
Quick Accent:
  • Moved number superscripts and subscripts from Portuguese to all languages definition. Thanks @octastylos-pseudodipteros!
PowerRename:
  • Updated the tooltip text of the replace box info button. Thanks @Agnibaan!
PowerToys Run:
  • Fixed window positioning on start-up introduced in 0.83.
  • Improved default web browser detection. Thanks @davidegiacometti!
  • Fixed volume ounces conversion to support both imperial and metric. Thanks @GhostVaibhav!
  • Fixed thread-safety issue causing results not to be shown on first launch.
Screen Ruler:
  • Added multiple measurements support for all measuring tools.
Settings:
  • Improved disabled animations InfoBar in Find My Mouse page. Thanks @davidegiacometti!
Workspaces:
  • New utility: PowerToys Workspaces - this utility can launch a set of applications to a custom layout and configuration on the desktop. App arrangements can be saved as a workspace and then relaunched with one click from the Workspaces Editor or from a desktop shortcut. In the editor, app configuration can be customized using CLI arguments and "launch as admin" modifiers, and app window sizes and positions can be updated as desired. This is our first public version of Workspaces and we are excited for you to try it out for yourself! Make sure to file issues you encounter on our GitHub so the team can continue to improve the utility.
Documentation:
  • Added ChatGPTPowerToys plugin mention to thirdPartyRunPlugins.md. Thanks @ferraridavide!
Development:
  • Ported all C++/CX code to C++/WinRT.
  • Moved Version.props import to Directory.Build.props.
  • Extracted self-containment related .csproj properties to src/Common.SelfContained.props.
  • Unused and obsolete dependencies cleanup. Thanks @davidegiacometti!
  • Extracted CSWinRT related .csproj properties to src/Common.Dotnet.CsWinRT.props.
  • Upgraded Microsoft.Windows.CsWinRT to 2.0.8 and updated verifyDepsJsonLibraryVersions.ps1 to unblock PRs.
  • Explicitly Set NuGet Audit Mode to Direct in Directory.Build.props to revert changes made with VS 17.12 update. Thanks @snickler!
  • Upgraded UnitsNet to 5.56.0.
 

silversurfer

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PowerToys v0.84.1
This is a patch release to fix issues in v0.84.0 we deemed important for stability based on incoming rates. See v0.84.0 for full release notes.

Highlights
  • #34558 - Fixed an issue causing Workspaces not correctly detecting popular applications like Discord or Steam.
  • #34556 - Improved UI to more clearly show button outlines in the Workspaces Editor.
  • #34588 - Fixed a broken link in Workspaces OOBE page.
 

silversurfer

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PowerToys might soon get a new powerful utility for automating Windows settings. Since the project is open-source, every developer is welcome to suggest new modules and improvements, and Joseph Finney (@thejoefin) has one.

Called "Settings Scheduler," the module offers a simple way to schedule Windows settings changes based on a timer or a custom schedule. For example, you can set it to toggle between dark and light modes (apparently, no AI can help Microsoft make theme switching a native feature), turn off Wi-Fi for the rest of the day, mute volume in the morning, etc.

1726491543_2.jpg
 

silversurfer

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In the v0.85 release cycle, we focused on new features, stability, and improvements.

Highlights​

  • New utility: New+ - allows setting a personalized set of templates to quickly create files and folders from a File Explorer context menu. Thanks @cgaarden!
  • Language selection - it's now possible to select which UI language should be used by PowerToys utilities.
  • Lots of quality fixes for Workspaces, improving the number of supported applications.
  • Reduced Peek memory usage by fixing image leaks. Thanks @daverayment!
 

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