PowerToys forWindows 95 was the first version of Microsoft PowerToys and included 15 tools for power users. It includedTweak UI, a system utility for tweaking the more obscure settings in Windows. In most cases, Tweak UI exposed settings that were otherwise only accessible by directly modifyingWindows Registry.[4]
Round Clock added an analog round clock without a square window;
Send To X consisted of Shell extensions which added several commonly accessed locations such asclipboard,desktop,command-line or any folder to theSend To context menu inExplorer;
Shortcut Target Menu allowed users to access the target file ashortcut is pointing to from the context menu or directly cut, copy, delete the target, createshortcut to the target or view its properties;
Telephony Location Selector allowedmobile computer users to change their dialling location from theTaskbar;
TweakUI allowed the user to customize the more obscure settings of the operating system'sUI;
Xmouse 1.2 made thewindow focus follow themouse without requiring to click thewindow to make it active.
After the success of theWindows 95 PowerToys, the WindowsKernel Development Team released another set of tools for power users calledWindows 95 Kernel Toys.[7]
MS-DOS Mode Configuration Wizard Customization Tool allowed users to configure Windows startup files without having to manually editCONFIG.SYS orAUTOEXEC.BAT;
Keyboard Remap reassigned functions to keys on the keyboard;
Logo Key Control configured MS-DOS games so that Windows would ignore theWindows logo key while games were running;
Conventional Memory Tracker to track and break down the amount of memory being allocated by virtual device drivers;
Windows Process Watcher (WinTop) monitored how much ofCPU resources were taken by individual programs;
Time Zone Editor enabled the user to create and edit time zone entries for the Date/TimeControl Panel applet.
PowerToys forWindows XP was the second version of the PowerToys set and brought major changes from theWindows 95 version. The tools in this set were available as separate downloads rather than in a single package.
Alt-Tab Replacement Task Switcher replaced the simpler Alt-Tab switcher with a more visual one which shows live window previews.
CD Slide Show Generator generated aslideshow from photos burned to aCD.
ClearType Tuner allowed customizingClearType settings to make it easier to read text on the screen.
Color Control Panel Applet allowed managingcolor profiles, changing color profile associations for devices, viewing detailed properties for color profiles (including a 3D rendering of thecolor spacegamut).
HTML Slide Show Wizard generated anHTML slideshow presentation.
Image Resizer allowed right-clicking on multiple image files insideWindows Explorer to batch resize them.
Open Command Window Here allowed starting a command prompt from any folder inWindows Explorer by right-clicking.
PowerToys Power CalculatorPower Calculator was a more advanced graphical calculator application than thebuilt-in Windows Calculator; it could evaluate more complex expressions, draw a Cartesian or polargraph of a function or convert units of measurements. Power Calculator could store and reuse pre-defined functions, of anyarity. For example, a function could be set bycube(x) = x * x * x, and later it could be used in an expression like5 + cube(4).[11] It did not evaluate every time an operator was entered. Rather, the entire expression must be entered for calculation. In theNumeric mode, it presented a visual keypad, in all other modes the expression had to be typed in. A scrolling text area maintained a history of all calculations. The advanced view allowed declaring and graphing functions, along with a list of all the saved functions. A flyout window provided the option of choosing either a Cartesian co-ordinate system or polar co-ordinates. It could also save a list of variables for use in expression. Unit conversions of the following types were supported: length, mass, time, velocity, and temperature. PowerToy Calc had support for typing calculations usingReverse Polish Notation (RPN). It could calculate up to 500 precision levels beyond the decimal point and supportedcomplex numbers.[12]
RAW Image Thumbnailer and Viewer provided thumbnails, previews, printing, andmetadata display forRAW images from withinWindows Explorer.
The following PowerToys for Windows XP were discontinued:[10]
Background Switcher added a slideshow tab toDisplay properties and allows automatically changing thedesktop wallpaper periodically. Although, Background Switcher is retired, a replacement,Wallpaper Changer, is available from Microsoft.[13]
Internet Explorer Find Bar added a toolbar to Internet Explorer that allowed users to search for keywords in a web page. This feature is natively supported byInternet Explorer 8.[14]
Shell Audio Player was aWindows Media Player-based compact player which allows playing music from the taskbar.
Super-Fast User Switcher allowedFast User Switching or logging on to a different account using theWindows key+Q combination without requiring to switch to the logon screen.
Windows 10 received PowerToys four years after its release. On May 8, 2019, Microsoft relaunched PowerToys and made them open-source onGitHub.[20] The first preview release was available in September 2019, which included FancyZones and the Windows key shortcut guide.[21]
FancyZones adds a window manager that makes it easier for users to create and use complex window layouts.[26]
File Explorer (Preview Panes) addsSVG,Markdown andPDF previews to File Explorer.[27]
File Locksmith adds the ability to check which files are in use and by which processes.[28]
Host File Editor adds the ability to edit the 'Hosts' file in a convenient way.[28]
Image Resizer adds a context menu toFile Explorer for resizing images.[29]
Keyboard Manager adds options for remapping keys and shortcuts.[30]
Mouse utilities adds tools that enhance mouse and cursor functionality on Windows. Currently, the collection consists ofFind My Mouse, which focuses on the cursor's position;Mouse Highlighter, which indicates mouse clicks on the screen; andMouse pointer Crosshairs, which displayscrosshairs centered on the mouse pointer[31]
Mouse Without Borders adds a tool which allows a user to move their cursor across multiple devices.[32]
Paste as Plain Text adds a customizable keyboard shortcut to paste text stripped of text formatting.[33]
PowerToys did not receive any releases supportingWindows Vista. Making equivalent calls to variousWindows APIs were still possible though and enabling third-party applications to be implemented with the same, or a subset, of the original functionality. Additionally, amongWindows 7,[37]Windows 8 andWindows 8.1,[38] none received official support.[citation needed] Not accounting for time spent developingWindows Vista, PowerToys was not updated for over 12 years, before being re-released asopen source software forWindows 10.
A set of PowerToys forWindows Media Player was released as part of the Windows Media Player Bonus Pack (for Windows XP), consisting of five tools to "provide a variety of enhancements to Windows Media Player."[41][42]
^"Internet Explorer 8: Features (Section: Better Find on Page)".Internet Explorer 8 web site. Microsoft Corporation. RetrievedJanuary 8, 2010.Internet Explorer 8 includes a redesigned Find On Page toolbar, which is activated by pressing Ctrl-F or choosing Find On Page from the Edit menu or Search box drop-down.
^"Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools". Microsoft Corporation. April 28, 2003. RetrievedApril 14, 2010.Cdburn.exe: ISO CD-ROM Burner Tool [~snip] Dvdburn.exe: ISO DVD Burner Tool
