In this tutorial we will discuss how to use PowerToys on Windows 10. Microsoft has released Windows 10 PowerToys (or Microsoft PowerToys) which includes various utilities such as viewing Windows 10 shortcut list, setting windows column wise, row wise, in grid, keyboard shortcut manager, batch file renamer, battery tracker, open Command Prompt window here( at the current location), and more.
Microsoft PowerToys was first introduced in Windows 95 and it was not available for Windows 10 until now. But, those who want to use Microsoft PowerToys on Windows 10, this is good news. It’s also open source. Before you rush, please note that this is a preview release of Microsoft PowerToys for Windows 10.
Currently, only two tools are available for use. This is:
FancyZones: which includes a Windows layout for arranging multiple applications in a grid, row, column, etc. display mode on the desktop screen.
Shortcut Guides: It provides overlay assistance with Windows Shortcuts. There are shortcuts available to open Action Center, Game Bar, Dictation Bar, File Explorer, Settings, etc. Just press the Win button to open one of the items that we mentioned above.
In the screenshot above, you can see that one of the layout modes is visible. Once you set the layout and drag some folders or apps, the layout you selected will be visible. You just need to drop the app into one of the available layout blocks or zones. Apps will fit into that box and then you can add more apps in other blocks.
And in the screenshot added below, you can see all the Windows shortcut list.
How to Use PowerToys on Windows 10
First of all, download this Microsoft PowerToys preview release zip file [dari sini]. Extract that file and install it. It is also available in a portable version.
Launch the software and it will run in the system tray. Now, the first thing that you need to do is access the Settings window of this software. This is necessary so that you can configure it as per your requirements. Right-click on the system tray icon and use the Settings option.
The Settings window has three main sections, consisting of:
General settings
This section only has basic options. It lets you turn on/off the Fancy Zone and Shortcut Guide options. You can also enable the option to start this software automatically on Windows login.
FancyZones
FancyZones is a very important part here. It provides different layouts in which you can arrange apps in given blocks. You can use Edit layout button and then the list of templates available for Windows layout will be visible to you.
You can select any layout, add or remove the number of blocks for the selected layout, access the Custom section, and hit the Apply button. This will set the default layout for managing opened apps.
Now, when you will press and hold the Shift key and drag some apps, then the layout you created will be visible on the desktop screen. After that, you can drop the app into any of the blocks to match that app in that block.
There is another option that you can use. For example, you can also create custom blocks, enable/disable options to keep windows in zones or blocks when when screen resolution changes, set zone highlight color using color palette, etc.
Shortcut Guide
This section only helps set the delay time for opening the Windows shortcut list. You can set the delay time (in ms) for pressing the Win key to see the list of available shortcuts. You can also set the background level of the Shortcut Guide overlay.
Now, when you will press and hold the Win key, a list of Windows shortcuts will be visible to you.
Conclusion: There are some really good utilities in Microsoft PowerToys. Now, Windows 10 users can also benefit from the utility. Although this is a preview release of PowerToys for Windows 10.
