Microsoft’s new PowerToys Run launcher for Windows 10 is now available to download

[Karlston]

Microsoft’s new PowerToys Run launcher for Windows 10 is now available to download

This open-source app will include custom plugins in the future

 

Microsoft is releasing a new Spotlight-like launcher app for Windows 10 today. Designed to replace and modernize the existing Win + R shortcut, the new PowerToys Run launcher includes quick search for apps and files across Windows, plugins like a calculator, and the ability to find running processes.

 

This early version will support basic search tasks that are typically handled by the built-in Windows Start menu search functionality. But there are plans to make this a more powerful launcher that’s similar to Alfred on macOS and more functional than Apple’s Spotlight search.

 

The current Win + R functionality is basic and used by Windows power users to launch cmd prompts, regedit, powershell instances, and even shortcuts to areas in Windows like the Control Panel. This new PowerToys Run launcher will support all of the same commands that Run does currently in Windows, but Microsoft is collaborating with an open-source community that’s contributing to make it far more powerful.

 

Microsoft has been working with the makers of Wox and WindowWalker to incorporate these projects into PowerToys Run. The basics are arriving today, albeit in an early version that will have some bugs here and there.

 

The benefits of a launcher mean we’ll soon get plugins or the ability to add custom web searches, snippets, and more. Microsoft’s existing Windows Start menu handles search results from the web, but it also forces you into Bing search results and opens the Edge browser for any web queries.

 

New Keyboard Manager PowerToy

Alongside PowerToys Run, Microsoft is also releasing a Keyboard Manager PowerToy today. It’s a simple keyboard remapper that allows Windows 10 users to redefine keys on a keyboard. Keys will be remapped as long as the Keyboard Manager and PowerToys are running in the background, and you can swap individual keys and even Windows shortcuts.

 

The Keyboard Manager is part of the latest 0.18 release of PowerToys, available on Microsoft’s GitHub distro.

 

PowerToys Run and Keyboard Manager are part of the many PowerToys that Microsoft is developing. Microsoft originally brought back PowerToys last year to allow anyone to improve Windows 10 for power users, and the first set arrived in September. PowerToys were first introduced back in Windows 95. The apps were a quick way for Windows engineers to test prototype features, and Microsoft soon packaged some of the best ones into PowerToys bundles.

 

 

Source: Microsoft’s new PowerToys Run launcher for Windows 10 is now available to download (The Verge)

[Karlston]

Microsoft PowerToys 0.18 with Keyboard Manager and Application Launcher released

Microsoft released a new version of the company's open source re-imagination of PowerToys for its Windows operating system. PowerToys 0.18.0 adds two new tools, a keyboard manager and an application launcher, to the collection of programs. Both new programs require Windows 10 version 1903 or newer. It appears that the new version requires .Net Core as it won't run otherwise.

 

Microsoft released the first preview of the new PowerToys application in September 2019. Developers have released several new versions and integrated new tools into PowerToys since then. Tools like Power Rename, an Image Resizer, or the Alt-Tab alternative Window Walker, are all part of PowerToys now.

 

We will be taking a look at the two new tools in the new release in the following paragraphs.

Keyboard Manager

 

The Keyboard Manager can remap individual keys as well as keyboard shortcuts. The functionality is only active if Keyboard Manager runs in the background. To remap a key or shortcut, select the Keyboard Manager from the list of PowerToys tools.

• Remap a Key -- This is the simpler function. It enables you to remap individual keys, e.g. Print, Windows, A, or Up Arrow, to another key.
• Remap shortcuts -- This function enables you to remap a keyboard shortcut such as Ctrl-C to another combination.

Both options work pretty much the same way: select the option that you want, e.g. remap a key, select plus on the page that opens to create a new mapping, and then on "type key" or "type shortcut" to add the source key or shortcut. Repeat the last step for the target key or shortcut, and you are all set to use the newly mapped key or shortcut on the system for as long as Keyboard Remapper is active and PowerToys is running.

 

Note that there does not seem to be any limitation in regards to remapping keys or shortcuts. I managed to remap shortcuts such as Windows-I to another shortcut without issues. You can use the mouse to trash any remapped key or combination, or simply close the program to restore the original mappings.

PowerToys Run

 

PowerToys Run is a program launcher that users of the software may activate with the shortcut Alt-Space. Just type the name of the program, a folder or file that you want to launch and select it from the list of results.

 

The program searches for running processes as well and seems to have incorporated the functionality of Windows Walker. The latter appears removed from the newest PowerToys version.

 

Another option that users have is to invoke shell by using "> and to use it as a simple calculator.

 

Run returns four results at the most by default but you can change that in the program options. Esc exits the program interface again.

 

Additional shortcuts are available

 

Ctrl+Shift+Enter	(Only applicable to applications) Open the selected application as administrator
Ctrl+Shift+E	(Only applicable to applications and files) Open containing folder in File Explorer
Ctrl+C	(Only applicable to folders and files) Copy path location
Tab	Navigate through the search result and context menu buttons

Closing Words

Microsoft continues to work on the new PowerToys and that is without doubt a good thing. The tools provide interesting functionality; most of it can be replicated using third-party tools but some Windows users will surely find PowerToys attractive enough to use it regularly.

 

 

Source: Microsoft PowerToys 0.18 with Keyboard Manager and Application Launcher released (gHacks - Martin Brinkmann)

[Sylence]

I use Win button a lot, it think its faster than using run or Powertoys run. i press Win button and type few words of the program i wanna launch. or type whatever i wanna search on the web. Win button is very powerful

[BimBamSmash]

Absolutely loving this new launcher.

 

You know a feature is tailored for you when you keep on using it the moment it is made available to you, and never look back.

 

The features this 20MB PowerToys goodie has brought to me have been far more useful to my needs than any of those biannual 5GB system-wide upgrade. And to think, the latter is mandatory, and the former is something you gotta look up yourself.