Paste text without ugly formatting, and other ways Microsoft’s PowerToys can help you

Windows PowerToys: A powerful tool to improve efficiency, relive the classics!

Remember Microsoft PowerToys that was popular when Windows 95 was released nearly 30 years ago? This operating system add-on for advanced users is now back and becoming more powerful and practical!

Initially, PowerToys attracted a group of Windows geek users who were eager to go beyond system restrictions and explore more possibilities. Earlier versions of features include playing CDs from the taskbar, editing the right-click menu, and accessing command prompts at any time.

PowerToys' popularity continued into the Windows XP era. The second version launched in 2001 added utility tools such as creating custom keyboard layouts, adding different time zones to the system clock, and expanded core Windows features such as using Alt Tab Toggle the real-time preview of the application, and open the command prompt window from any folder.

Therefore, the return of PowerToys has triggered great enthusiasm, like the revival of a classic movie series.

The latest PowerToys series for Windows 10 and 11 will be released as an open source project that users can download and customize. Just visit the official download website, unzip the ZIP file, and follow the on-screen instructions to add the utility. After installation, you will see a PowerToys icon in the Windows Notifications area (bottom right corner).

Click the notification area icon (or launch PowerToys through the Start menu) and you will see various utility tools. Here are some highlights:

PowerToys Run

Mac users are familiar with Spotlight Quick Search Tool, PowerToys Run brings this feature to Windows. Use the keyboard shortcut Alt Spacebar to open the search bar (customized shortcuts), and then enter the name of any application or file to open quickly.

The more powerful feature is its built-in calculator: enter any equation to view the answer, press Enter to copy it to the clipboard. You can type "shutdown" and press Enter key to shut down the computer; other commands include "restart", "lock", "sleep", and "empty recycle bin". It also supports searching for OneNote notes (if you use the program), and even launching Shell commands. You can also start any website - enter the URL and press the Enter key - and run a web search - enter the search term, and then - you guessed it: press the Enter key.

PowerToys Run can completely change how your computer is used: almost everything is done without the use of a mouse. This tool makes everything faster and more convenient - not to be missed!

Shortcut Key Guide

Speaking of not using the mouse, let's take a look at the shortcut key guide. While it's not a life-changing tool, it's still very useful if you want to learn how to use Windows faster and increase productivity.

[Related: Create your own keyboard shortcuts and become a Windows master]

How to use it is very simple - press the Windows key on your keyboard, and the shortcut guide PowerToy will display a window overlay that shows some of the keyboard shortcuts you can use. To use any shortcut keys, hold down the Windows key and press the other keys in the list.

For example, Win A opens the Action Center, while Win M minimizes all currently open windows so that you can view the desktop. On the left are shortcut keys for snapping windows to both sides of the screen, which is very useful for displaying two windows side by side.

If you use Windows frequently, you can quickly remember these keyboard shortcuts, but having a cheat sheet is always beneficial so you can see how many options are available. For example, using the Windows key plus the number key is a practical way to jump to different applications.

In the main PowerToys window, you can click Shortcut Key Guide to configure how long (in milliseconds) you need to hold the Windows key to display the shortcut key overlay layer (in milliseconds) , and the opacity of the shortcut key guide window overlay background.

FancyZones

FancyZones is one of the first tools to be introduced when PowerToys returns in 2019, allowing you to split open windows into areas for better organization of windows. You can create theme areas for websites, office applications, browsing computers, and more.

Press the Win ~ (Tag key) keyboard shortcut to start FancyZones, or display the PowerToys settings panel on the screen, switch to the FancyZones tab, and then click Edit Area to customize layout. A new dialog box will appear, allowing you to select the number of areas you want and their location. If you think you can do better than the templates provided, open the Custom tab on the right to create it yourself, or edit an existing one by clicking Edit selected layout layout.

Back to the main tab, you can adjust several details of the add-in: You can use the Shift key to drag the window to a different area (recommended), overriding the Windows Capture Hotkey (for Pin the window to the side of the screen), flash the area when the layout changes (also recommended), and so on.

When the window is opened on the screen, hold down the Shift key and drag the window to an area to organize it. If you do not enable the Shift key shortcut in settings as described above, the area will be enabled every time you move the window on the screen.

For example, using focus layouts can combine layered stacked windows together, one overlaying on the other, all of which are neatly arranged; or using priority grid layout as a way to keep important programs in place at all times In the front and center position, other applications are located on both sides of the screen. Once you get used to the way it works, FancyZones can really boost your productivity.

Paste as plain text

Anyone who makes a living by writing on the internet understands the annoyingness of deleting copy text formats. At least, it was like this in the past - "Paste as plain text" seems to solve this problem.

All format selections follow when you copy text from a website (such as this website) and paste it into another application. This means that if you are adding a reference on the website to a Word document, you are not just pasting the reference - you are pasting the reference in the exact font of the website you copied it. This can quickly become confusing, and it happens anywhere: in emails, spreadsheets, and even design projects.

"Paste as plain text" allows you to paste any text without formatting, which means it will match the format of anything you are working on. The default keyboard shortcuts Ctrl Alt Windows V is a bit clumsy, but you can change the keyboard shortcuts in the PowerToys launcher if you prefer. Anything pasted with this shortcut will be completely unformatted. It's simple, but it changes life: after putting the text in a new position, there's no need to spend time adjusting the font and size of the text.

More Microsoft PowerToys worth paying attention to

Microsoft launched PowerToys in 2019, initially with only a few tools. Since then, the collection has grown significantly and is also suitable for Windows 11, which means there are many other PowerToys that are very useful and worth mentioning quickly.

• Text Extractor allows you to copy text from any image. Use the keyboard shortcuts to select the text inside the image and it will be copied to your clipboard.
• Image ResizeResize any image in just a few clicks - Right-click any image file or multiple image files in Windows Explorer and click Resize Image size . If you prefer, you can customize the size, and what file format the image is resized to.
• Staying awake can temporarily prevent your computer from going to sleep. Just click on the handy coffee cup icon in the tray and you can choose whether to keep your computer awake indefinitely or for a while.
Screen ruler
• allows you to quickly measure the number of pixels occupied by a given area of ​​the screen.
Quick accent
• Make it easier for Windows users to add accents to any letters, which is very useful for typing languages ​​such as French and Spanish. Simply hold down the key you want to add accent until you see a pop-up window, and use the arrow keys to select the accent you want to add to the character.

This is just the beginning - Microsoft keeps adding more tools to the toolbox. Stay tuned: we believe there will be more.

This story has been updated. It was originally published on October 29, 2019.

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