Release v0.49.1

This is a patch release to fix issues in v0.49.0 we deemed important for stability based on user feedback. See v0.49.0 for full release notes.

• #14063 - After updating, the settings are not localized
• #14044 - [FindMyMouse] False positive on activation
• #14058 - Typo: the word english isn't capitalized
• #14009 - Typo in logging

Installer SHA256 Hash

31962E9947318F00086269B903E3B53B4613C9E9ABE32A71D1128E3437222B2C

Release v0.49.0

The v0.49 release cycle introduces exciting new updates primarily centered around modernizing PowerRename's UI, adding a brand new mouse utility, and merging Video Conference Mute into the stable releases!

PowerRename's new UI brings a refreshed experience that reflects the modern UI theming of Windows 11, along with helpful regular expression guidance and file formatting tips.

With the new mouse utility, PowerToys introduces functionality to quickly find your mouse position by double pressing the left ctrl key. This is ideal for large, high-resolution displays and low-vision users, with additional features and enhancements planned for future releases. Special thanks to Raymond Chen for providing the base code PowerToys used to develop this feature. To learn more, check out our Mouse Utilities documentation on Microsoft Docs!

As Video Conference Mute becomes available in the stable releases, there are still known bugs that we are actively working to address. These bugs are tracked on our GitHub, and we welcome any and all feedback as we work to isolate and resolve the cause.

Additionally, Color Picker's HEX format will no longer have the # character. This addresses issues with various color inputs that only accept six characters cutting off the last value. We apologize for any inconvenience this causes as we understand it impacts users who may prefer having # included. However, we believe this is the best solution while the custom string functionality (#8305) is in development.

Additional work in this release include stability updates and optimizations, installer updates, general bug fixes, and accessibility improvements.

Installer Hash

6E8F1C3BFBA3374FF1AEACC15519D27B5AC32C07F1B96DECFC38A95B32FDDD7E

Change log

General

• Find My Mouse utility added! Utilize the functionality to quickly locate the cursor on your displays! Learn more on our Mouse Utility docs.
• Accessibility and minor UI improvements to the settings page. Thanks @niels9001!
• Added deep links to the Settings menus for various utilities within their respective editors. Thanks @niels9001!
• Settings improvements to improve clarity for various options. Thanks @niels9001!
• Improved settings window to adjust size and position as needed when multi-monitor conditions change. Thanks @davidegiacometti!

PowerToys Awake

• Screen reader improvements for accessibility.

Color Picker

• Color Picker's HEX format was changed to remove the # character. Thanks @niels9001!
• Accessibility improvements for screen reader and UI to distinguish colors from the border when matching. Thanks @niels9001!

FancyZones

• Fixed Color Picker and OOBE windows from being snapped by FancyZones. Thanks @davidegiacometti!
• Fixed regression with layouts not being changed via shortcuts.
• Fixed crashing issue with FancyZones editor.
• Fixed zone layouts resetting after screen locking.
• Accessibility improvements for screen reader in editor.

Keyboard Manager

• Fixed crashing issue when the editor is opened at high zoom on 4k monitors.

PowerRename

• New UI update! We hope you enjoy the modern experience and take advantage of new tool-tips to describe common regular expressions and text/file formatting. Thanks to @niels9001 for all the support on this redesign!

PowerToys Run

• Windows Terminal Plugin added. Open shells through Windows Terminal via _ activation command by default. Thanks @davidegiacometti!
• Added environment variables to Folder plugin search. Thanks @davidegiacometti!
• Fixed certain schemas that were overwritten with HTTPS. Thanks @franky920920!
• Fixed issue with program plugin getting caught in infinite loops as certain file paths are recursively searched.

Video Conference Mute

• VCM added to stable releases of PowerToys!

Community contributions

We'd like to directly mention certain contributors (in alphabetical order) for their continued community support this month and helping directly make PowerToys a better piece of software.

@Aaron-Junker, @davidegiacometti, @franky920920, @htcfreek, @Jay-o-Way, @martinchrzan, @niels9001, @pritudev, and @TobiasSekan

Experimental v0.48.1

This experimental release contains our Video conference mute feature plus everything in our v0.47.1 release. We know we have some issues and we have a main tracking issue - #6246.

This version includes the following updates:

• Fixed an issue with the first hotkey input in the settings being focused when the page loads. Prevents unintentional shortcut reassignment. Thanks @niels9001!

To find out more about the Video conference mute utility, head over to our Video Conference Mute overview.

Installer hash

E42962E29DB3D201558E2B0D76800EAA13D791FD247E1F74A68C730A3F480CD6

Current known issues and limitations:

• With some webcams, there is an incompatibility with Teams and the overlay image is not rendered, instead a corrupted frame is shown. If your camera has this quirk, please let us know the model in the [main tracking issue - #6246]
• The application preview (Teams, Meet, etc.) may show the overlay image flipped horizontally but that is expected, the image will show correctly to the other people on the call.
• In order to enable/disable the VCM, PowerToys should run as administrator
• Changes to some of the VCM settings require the application to restart to pick up the new values such as a new overlay image.
• In some cases, the overlay image can be shown flipped vertically (the workaround is to edit the image and flip it before selecting it).
  (#6246)
• If the PowerToys Video Conference Mute webcam doesn't show up in the video conference app, try restarting the app and if still doesn't show up try restarting Windows.

Things to note

• This release will not be on WinGet. We are evaluating if this is something people would be interested in.
• This release is on the "Experimental" train, so only prerelease versions will be prompted for updates.

Release v0.47.1

This is a patch release to fix issues in v0.47.0 we deemed important for stability based on user feedback. See v0.47.0 for full release notes.

• #13516 - [Shortcut Guide] After releasing Win key, the start menu pops up
• #13517 - [PowerToys Run] Not working with Win + Space combo
• #13536 - [PowerToys Run] Not working with Shift + CapsLock combo
• #13585 - [FancyZones] Shortcuts not changing layout
• #13211 - [FancyZones] Auto-resizing windows breaks with certain applications
• #13625 - [FancyZones] Layouts not being remembered after computer locks

Installer SHA256 Hash

E49B5AA3A5D6E215A66E7C325D21220C6B3846E4659EB90ED71CA9C430C5154F

Release v0.47.0

Our goals for the v0.47 release cycle primarily centered around stability updates and optimizations, installer updates, general bug fixes, and accessibility improvements.

Notably, based on the community feedback received, PowerToys has re-introduced the highly-requested ability to activate Shortcut Guide via holding the Win key. PowerToys also now allows various commands in PowerToys Run to be used in either the universal English phrasing or system-localized translation. The great feedback the community provides is invaluable in helping PowerToys continually grow and improve as a product.

An experimental version of PowerToys (v0.48) will be released the week of October 4th, introducing improvements to our Video Conference Mute utility! All updates from the v0.47.0 release will still apply in v0.48.

Installer Hash

58EF4AE2F24080DCFAABC1CC03BE05F8637AD41D3DD6D66EC6AC8AC5037389BC

Change log

• Upgraded WinUI to 2.7.0.
• Reduced installer size by compressing GIFs. Thanks @niels9001!
• Replaced ShortcutTextContorl with MarkdownTextblock. Thanks @niels9001!
• Added functionality to invoke SHCangeNotify SHCNE_ASSOCCHANGED when thumbnail providers are turned on/off. Thanks @davidegiacometti!
• Consolidated nuget packages. Thanks @davidegiacometti!
• Additional logging and error handling added to PowerToys Run. Thanks @htcfreek!
• Moved away from the legacy windevbuildagents pool.
• Added support for embedded MSIX apps in PowerToys.
• Replaced ListView with ComboBox for Image Resizer. Thanks @niels9001!
• Build error fixes.

General

• Fixed issue with new updates changing the PowerToys install location.
• Fixed settings with NumberBox elements overlapping the delete button.
• Fixed issue with the bug report tool not generating .zip files.
• Updated the shortcut configuration experience in Settings. Thanks @niels9001!
• Fixed inconsistent width of sidebar icons. Thanks @niels9001!
• Fixed sidebar UI not scaling for longer text strings in certain localizations. Thanks @niels9001!
• Fixed issue with settings not displaying invalid keystroke assignments. Thanks @niels9001!
• Added user defined shortcuts when set to the "Welcome to PowerToys" instead of the default shortcuts.

Color Picker

• Accessibility issues addressed. Thanks @niels9001!
• Added CIELAB and CIEXYZ color formats. Thanks @RubenFricke!
• Fixed bug where changing RGB values manually doesn't automatically update the color displayed. Thanks @martinchrzan!

FancyZones

• Fixed regression where restarting computer resets user defined layouts to the default selection.
• Fixed issues with Grid layout editor not showing the "Save" and "Cancel" buttons.
• Fixed accessibility issue where users could not add or merge zones using the keyboard.
• Added a flyout describe the prerequisites for the "Allow zones to span across monitors" option.
• Fixed various crashing bugs.

File Explorer add-ons

• Added PDF preview and thumbnail provider for Windows Explorer. Thanks @rdeveen!

Image Resizer

• Added default values for newly added sizes. Thanks @htcfreek!
• Fixed regression where spaces in the filename format settings couldn't be registered.
• Corrected scaling issues with Image Resizer Window. Thanks @niels9001!
• Fixed issue where PowerToys crashes when json settings are not formatted properly. Thanks @davidegiacometti!

Keyboard Manager

• Fixed crash when adding a shortcut.
• Fixed issue with Re-mappings window not displaying.
• Fixed issue when remapping a shortcut to Alt+Tab breaks the Alt+Tab navigation with arrow keys.

PowerToys Run

• Improvements on subtitle layout for Settings plugin. Thanks @htcfreek!
• Added path filters for Settings plugin via > key. Thanks @htcfreek!
• Translation improvements for Settings plugin. Thanks @htcfreek!
• Added translation support for Settings Plugin. Thanks @htcfreek!
• Fixed issue with PowerToys Run not being in focus when launched.
• Fixed crash on empty/deleted environment variables when updating variables after a change. Thanks @htcfreek!
• Corrected Registry Plugin query results.
• Fixed crash in Registry plugin queries.
• Fixed crash when Windows shuts down.
• Added better description in the global results settings for plugins. Thanks @niels9001!
• Added a confirmation box before running system commands. Thanks @chrisharris333 and @davidegiacometti!
• Added option to use system localization our universal terminology for system commands. Thanks @davidegiacometti!

Shortcut Guide

• Re-added the long Win key press to activate utility.

Video Conference Mute

• Fixed an issue with the first hotkey input in the settings being focused when the page loads. Prevents unintentionally shortcut reassignment. Thanks @niels9001!

Community contributions

We'd like to directly mention certain contributors (in alphabetical order) for their continued community support this month and helping directly make PowerToys a better piece of software.

@Aaron-Junker, @chrisharris333, @davidegiacometti, @dend, @franky920920, @htcfreek, @Jay-o-Way, @jsoref, @martinchrzan, @niels9001, @rdeveen and @RubenFricke

Experimental v0.46.0

This experimental release contains our Video conference mute feature plus everything in our v0.45.0 release. We know we have some issues and we have a main tracking issue - #6246.

This version includes the following updates:

• Fixed toolbar top right vertical offset to allow users to close other app windows.
• Fixed compatibility issues for certain systems when compiling from source.
• Fixed toolbox from persisting on screen.
• Fixed microphone un-muting when changing Video Conference Mute toolbar position.
• Added Video Conference Mute to the "Welcome to PowerToys" window.

To find out more about the Video conference mute utility, head over to our Video Conference Mute overview.

Installer hash

F7AD1B71235CDB3D4F85D94BAE65F8367EAFD642CD7D153AD18B6B0E0A035E1D

Current known issues and limitations:

• With some webcams, there is an incompatibility with Teams and the overlay image is not rendered, instead a corrupted frame is shown. If your camera has this quirk, please let us know the model in the [main tracking issue - #6246]
• The application preview (Teams, Meet, etc.) may show the overlay image flipped horizontally but that is expected, the image will show correctly to the other people on the call.
• In order to enable/disable the VCM, PowerToys should run as administrator
• Changes to some of the VCM settings require the application to restart to pick up the new values such as a new overlay image.
• In some cases, the overlay image can be shown flipped vertically (the workaround is to edit the image and flip it before selecting it).
  (#6246)
• If the PowerToys Video Conference Mute webcam doesn't show up in the video conference app, try restarting the app and if still doesn't show up try restarting Windows.

Things to note

• This release will not be on WinGet. We are evaluating if this is something people would be interested in.
• This release is on the "Experimental" train, so only prerelease versions will be prompted for updates.

Release v0.45.0

Our goals for the v0.45 release cycle primarily centered around stability updates and optimizations, installer updates, general bug fixes, and accessibility improvements.

We also worked extensively with the community to build an updated settings menu UI. This UI update takes advantage of the latest styling elements to provide users with a refreshed, modern experience navigating the various utilities and their settings.

An experimental version of PowerToys (v0.46) was released the week of September 13th. Download and install it to try out the latest improvements to our Video Conference Mute utility! All updates from this v0.45.0 release will still apply in v0.46.0.

Installer Hash

BC1C7EDA2EB80F3780C27467FEF65C774E2008DA908A4CA5C7C2AD87750735DF

Change log

• Removed ModuleImageLink. Thanks @niels9001!
• Replaced theme radiobuttons settings with combobox. Thanks @niels9001!
• Consolidated to one testing framework for C# components of the project. Thanks @davidegiacometti!
• StyleCop and warnings fix. Thanks @davidegiacometti!
• Removed unused namespace alias. Thanks @jakeoeding!
• Standardized .NET JSON on System.Text.Json. Thanks @royvou!
• Fixed various .xaml broken links and icons. Thanks @Jay-o-Way!
• Updated name property in "Edit layout" and "Create custom layout" controls to not include private Unicode characters. Thanks @niels9001!
• Changed bitmask variable from size_t to uint64_t which will enable PowerToys to support more than 40 zones per layout.
• Adjusted telemetry to better disambiguate when PowerToys Run launches at startup.
• Plugins "Direct activation phrase" setting renamed to "Direct activation string". Thanks @niels9001!
• Updated environment variables when changed. Thanks @dchristensen!

General

• Settings and OOBE windows updated with Fluent UX! We hope you enjoy the new modern feel of the application menus as we align our product with upcoming Windows 11 interfaces. Special thanks to @niels9001 for driving the development of this UI, along with many thanks to the various community members who offered constant feedback and adjustments to make this a truly spectacular update!
• Added button to settings which displays version history. Thanks @niels9001!
• Signed PowerToysSetupCustomActions.dll.
• Improved Update available & Update ready message severity visual. Thanks @niels9001!
• Improved auto-update experience. Thanks @niels9001!
• Aligned OOBE theme color with Settings theme color. Thanks @niels9001!
• Adjusted labeling of "Restart as Administrator" button to "Restart PowerToys as Administrator" to avoid ambiguity in meaning. Thanks @niels9001!
• Added colored icons to settings sidebar. Thanks @niels9001!
• Fixed accessibility issue in OOBE where Microsoft Docs and PowerToys release notes links could not be navigated to via keyboard. Thanks @niels9001!
• Fixed settings header alignment. Thanks @niels9001!
• Fixed updates text next being visible when in light mode. Thanks @niels9001!
• Updated "Learn More" text to be more descriptive. Thanks @niels9001!
• Updated "Read more" text on updates to be more descriptive. Thanks @niels9001!
• Added link to documentation in system tray. Thanks @BenConstable9!
• Fixed error caused by file in use issues when installing PowerToys.
• Fixed issue where opening settings from start menu didn't work when PowerToys was run as admin. Thanks @davidegiacometti!

Awake

• Added Awake as option in translation bug template. Thanks @Aaron-Junker!
• Adjusted description of inactive setting to improve distinguishing between the utility being disabled vs inactive. Thanks @niels9001!

Color Picker

• Fixed bug where changing RGB values doesn't update color's HEX value. Thanks @martinchrzan!
• Fixed accessibility issue with screen reader not announcing when "Copied to Clipboard" is activated.
• Fixed accessibility issue where user could not hover the content of the info icon using a mouse. Thanks @niels9001!
• Fixed color picker format order not being accessible via keyboard. Thanks @niels9001!
• Fixed accessibility issue where screen reader announces incorrect name for "Editor color format" button and not announcint "Toggle switch" button at all. Thanks @niels9001!

FancyZones

• Adjusted "Save and apply" editor button to adjust with text size for localizations. Thanks @niels9001!
• Fixed "Create new layout" button visibility when in high contrast mode. Thanks @niels9001!
• Fixed scaling quirks related to editor UI. Thanks @niels9001!
• Fixed editor crashing when double clicking the "edit layout" button.
• Fixed issue with editor crashing immediately after displaying zones.
• Fixed bug when navigating editor options via keyboard where pressing enter on unselected Canvas option launches Grid editor instead.
• Fixed issue where FancyZones would not restore Console Applications.
• Fixed Canvas editor and Grid editor window heights. Thanks @niels9001!
• Fixed crash due to KERNELBASE.dll.
• Fixed FancyZone icons to be smoother at higher DPI settings. Thanks @niels9001!
• Fixed crash when changing between zone layouts.
• Fixed regression where FancyZones does not resize windows on layout change.
• Adjusted layout settings to reset shortcut key after canceling changes on a particular layout.

File Explorer add-ons

• Fixed issue where markdown files were still previewed even when "Enable Markdown" was unselected.

Image Resizer

• Added warning that GIF files with animations may no correctly resize if the encoding used for the files is incompatible.

Keyboard Manager

• Improved UI for KBM re-mappings list. Thanks @niels9001!

PowerRename

• Expanding a plugin option in settings can now be toggled. Thanks @niels9001!
• Fixed race condition causing PowerRename to crash File Explorer. Thanks @ianjoneill!

PowerToys Run

• Fixed lag caused from PowerToys running in background and invoking Alt-Tab.
• Resolved file not found exception when loading "System.Windows.Controls.Ribbon".
• Fixed null reference exception crash.
• Fixed registry plugin load crash.
• Fixed unauthorized access exception crash when setting registry keys for the utility.
• Improved visibility of warnings when plugin properties are collapsed. Thanks @niels9001!
• Added search for Plugin Manager. Thanks @davidegiacometti!
• Fixed VSCode workspace plugin not working. Thanks @BenConstable9!

Video Conference Mute

• Fixed toolbar top right vertical offset to allow users to close other app windows.
• Fixed compatibility issues for certain systems when compiling from source.
• Fixed toolbox from persisting on screen.
• Fixed microphone unmuting when changing Video Conference Mute toolbar position.
• Added Video Conference Mute to OOBE.

Community contributions

We'd like to directly mention certain contributors (in alphabetical order) for their continued community support this month and helping directly make PowerToys a better piece of software.

@Aaron-Junker, @BenConstable9, @davidegiacometti, @dchristensen, @dend, @franky920920, @htcfreek, @ianjoneill, @jakeoeding, @Jay-o-Way, @jsoref, @martinchrzan, @niels9001 and @royvou

Release v0.43.0

Our goals for the v0.43 release cycle primarily centered around stability updates and optimizations, installer updates, general bug fixes, and accessibility improvements.

Installer hash

5500395AF64808129B4DFB0BDF02E3D3650D8A103C4C3244898C8BB7B92F9D48

Change log

• Changed tooltip text for systray icon to be on a single line for Windows 11 compatibility.
• Fixed escape behavior on Color Picker so that only the fly-out is closed if active.
• Changed URI PowerToys Run plugin to launch HTTPS by default instead of HTTP. Thanks @chrisharris333!
• Added confirmation dialog when system commands are executed from PowerToys Run. Thanks @chrisharris333!

General

• New UI for sizes list view in Image Resizer settings. Thanks @niels9001!
• Fixed FileInUse errors during install/update scenarios.
• Fixed toggle switches on PowerToys run settings to display correctly.
• Fixed header text not updating when theme color is changed. Thanks @niels9001!
• Added Name/Alt text to GIF image
• Expanded the Report Bug tool to collect more robust diagnostic information.
• Fixed screen reader functionality to stop announcing hidden text in settings.
• Added Name and alt text properties to GIF images in Welcome to PowerToys window

Awake

• Fixed bug when right-clicking menu of Awake app icon. Thanks @dend!
• Fixed high CPU usage for timed keep awake. Thanks @dend!
• Fixed Awake icon spamming notification tray. Thanks @dend!
• Added telemetry to collect Awake settings and logs.

Color Picker

• Removed private Unicode Chars in element Name properties.
• No Class names in Name properties.
• Added non-null bounding rectangle property.
• Fixed color shade numbering for screen reader.
• Fixed focusable elements to have non-null name property.
• Distingushed name property and LocalizedControlType from elements and their parent.
• ControlType and LocalizedControlType are no longer both set to Custom.
• Fixed screen reader incorrectly naming Color Picker when launched.
• Fixed screen reader not announcing colors when navigating.

FancyZones

• Fixed bug causing multi-monitor spanning errors.
• Added minimum zone size limit to the settings.
• Fixed issue where re-opened windows don't appear in previously assigned zone.
• Fixed excluded apps setting to save on text change instead of when leaving focus.
• Fixed corrupt/outdated plugins load crash.
• Fixed issue with FancyZones not working after computer goes to sleep.
• Added screen reader confirmation to canvas editor when new zones are added.

Keyboard Manager

• Fixed screen reader usage bugs to increase intuitiveness.

PowerToys Run

• Fixed crashing bug due to missing image file app.dark.png.
• Fixed URI plugin bug with handling numeric input. Thanks @davidegiacometti!
• Improved launch performance of PowerToys run on first call. Thanks @davidegiacometti!

Community contributions

We'd like to directly mention certain contributors (in alphabetical order) for their continued community support this month and helping directly make PowerToys a better piece of software.

@Aaron-Junker, @chrisharris333, @davidegiacometti, @dend, @franky920920 @htcfreek, @Jay-o-Way, @jsoref, @niels9001, @royvou, and @tony-xia

Release v0.41.4

This is a patch release to fix issues in v0.41.3 we deemed important for stability based on user feedback. See v0.41.2 for full release notes.

• #11898 - PowerToys Run crashing when selecting search results
• #11912 - Awake has high CPU usage
• #11955 - PowerToys Run error on Windows Startup
• #11964 - Add "PowerToys" to Awake in systray
• #12031 - FancyZones unable to start correctly
• #12044 - Image resizes to 1x1

Installer SHA256 Hash

15BC88A752F1D32AAD1242897663BBB5C502203E44545A84625FED2C75FC55C4

Release v0.41.3

This is a patch release to fix an issue in 0.41.2 we deemed important for stability based on user feedback. See v0.41.2 for full release notes.

• #11896 - PowerToys flagged by Bitdefender

Installer SHA256 Hash

3D386926D1EF48050ED0FFD15BA54E75CC72A00ACF52117ADAAB3EBC1BE132E9