Remember Microsoft PowerToys, that quirky set of add-ons for power users of Windows operating systems from years gone by? Well, it still exists, and if you’re not using it yet, you probably ought to be.
Reincarnated in 2019, PowerToys now serves as an open-source project that brings a handful of useful features to Windows 10 and Windows 11. The latest release, v0.53.1, introduces an Always On Top mode that makes it easy to keep a window in front of all others via a simple shortcut. Hit Win+Ctrl+T to pin the window currently in focus, and it’ll stay that way with a configurable border in a colour of your choosing.
Whether or not such features should be built-into the operating system by default is up for debate, but PowerToys is nonetheless a welcome and lightweight add-on for those likely to use the extra tools.
As part of the new release, the PowerToys Run launcher has been updated to support web searches. The default activation command to trigger a web search is ??, though this can be changed using settings, and to our surprise we’re pleased to find that a web search will adhere to your current search engine and web browser preferences.
While you’re there be certain to give Color Picker a whirl – it’s something I make use of almost daily – and for multi-monitor users, Find My Mouse (under Mouse Utilities) can be a Godsend.
The official installer is a mere 45MB download from Github, or if you prefer, you can install PowerToys direct from the Microsoft Store.
