In the year 2025 the best features of PowerToys that you should try out

In the year 2025 the best features of PowerToys that you should try out

One of the most helpful productivity boosters for anybody working on Windows, Microsoft PowerToys has developed from a specialized toolkit for power users into one of the most beneficial resources available. By 2025, it has become even more powerful, providing a wide range of capabilities that reduce the amount of time spent on workflows, simplify processes, and make the use of computers in daily life easier. The following are the PowerToys features that you need to experiment with this year if you want to get the most out of your Windows PC.

1. Smarter Window Management with FancyZones

Using a number of different applications at the same time often results in a crowded desktop. The solution to this problem is FancyZones, which enables you to design your own window layouts. You have the ability to rapidly snap apps into position onto your screen after dividing it into grids or zones. This capability is a godsend for anyone who often have to switch between many programs, such as spreadsheets, browsers, and design tools.

2. PowerToys Run is a more efficient application launcher.

PowerToys Run provides you with a lightning-fast method to start applications, files, and even do computations or web searches as compared to the traditional method of searching via the Start menu. Consider it to be a less complicated version of the spotlight search for Windows. Every time you search, it saves you seconds, which adds up over the course of a lengthy work session.

3. Awake: Make Sure Your Computer Is Busy

During some situations, such as while you are downloading a large file, giving a presentation, or rendering a video, you do not want your computer to go to sleep. The Awake function guarantees that your personal computer remains active without requiring you to make any adjustments to the settings of the system. It eliminates interruptions that are not essential, is straightforward, and efficient.

4. Unlock Files That Are Already Being Used for Use

Windows notifications that read “file is in use and cannot be deleted” are among the most annoying of all Windows messages. At the same time that it provides you with the choice to close the file, File Locksmith reveals to you precisely which application or process is locking it. This eliminates the need for you to make many guesses and restarts.

5. Copy text from any location with the help of Text Extractor.

Envision a situation in which you are unable to highlight text that is included inside an image, video frame, or even an error box. OCR, which stands for optical character recognition, is used by the Text Extractor in order to immediately transfer that text to your clipboard after its capture. Individuals that work with scanned documents, such as students, researchers, and professionals, will find it particularly helpful.

6. A Fantastic Tool for Designers and Creative Individuals: Color Picker

It is common for designers to be required to extract certain colors from specific photos or websites. Through the use of a simple shortcut, the built-in Color Picker enables you to capture any shade immediately off your screen instantly. In addition, it offers HEX and RGB values, which makes it a trustworthy instrument for digital artists and web developers.

7. Registry Preview: Editing the Registry in a Secure Manner

It is possible to feel intimidated while editing the Windows Registry. Registry Preview gives you the ability to inspect and test registry files in a secure environment just before you apply them. IT experts and sophisticated users who wish to avoid making errors that might potentially be harmful would find this item to be an excellent addition.

8. Pay Attention to What Really Matters: Crop and Lock

This ingenious function enables you to crop an active window so that it displays just the stuff that is relevant to you, so producing a mini-view that is devoid of distractions. As an instance, you may crop a video chat so that it just shows the window of the speaker or concentrate on a certain region of a dashboard.

9. You can locate and highlight your cursor by using the mouse utilities.

Losing track of the pointer is a regular occurrence in environments with several monitors or bigger screens. A helpful feature of Mouse Utilities is that it highlights your cursor whenever you hit a shortcut. Additionally, it has capabilities that can imitate mouse clicks or locate the pointer in areas with low lighting, making it an excellent choice for late-night work sessions.

10. Paste as plain text

When pasted into documents, formatted material that has been taken from online sites may cause a great deal of chaos. Through the use of the Paste as Plain Text tool, improper formatting, hyperlinks, and styles are eliminated, leaving you with text that is clear and editable. It is a little modification that eliminates a significant nuisance.

11. Quick File Previews, Also Known as Pik

Sometimes all you want to do is take a quick look inside a file without really opening it. You are able to accomplish just that using the Peek feature, which allows you to see a preview of documents, photos, or code snippets by using a simple shortcut. In the process of scrolling through enormous directories, this helps save time.

12. The Editor for Hosts Files

The modification of the hosts file is a typical activity for developers, but it is not always easy for them to do so. A user-friendly interface is provided by PowerToys’ Hosts File Editor, which allows users to add or delete entries without having to deal with Notepad or other administrative difficulties.

In the year 2025, the reasons why PowerToys is worth time

The PowerToys toolbox has evolved into an essential resource for both casual and power users alike. You may clean your desktop, speed up your searches, or tackle activities that Windows does not natively allow with the help of these tools, which provide you with the control and efficiency you have been seeking for.

In the year 2025, PowerToys continues to develop into a Microsoft Windows equivalent of a Swiss Army knife. Functionalities such as FancyZones, PowerToys Run, and File Locksmith are designed to alleviate common annoyances, while more recent features such as Registry Preview and Peek provide an additional layer of sophisticated polish. This might be the year that you finally get to experience all of its benefits, if you haven’t already done so.