We recently wrote a feature around the Colemak layout where we show you how to double your typing speed by changing your keyboard layout. It can also be useful when you’re trying to remap a new keyboard layout that isn’t supported by Windows.

You can now easily adjust the volume no matter which application you might be working on without having to access the Volume Control. For example, you can now set multimedia buttons such as Volume Up/Down to say, the F11 and F12 keys. It lets you override keys and assign new ones to them. The Keyboard Manager is the other interesting application in PowerToys. If you find the Alt + Spacebar shortcut to be odd, you can change the default to a combination of your choice. There is a lot of documentation for all the possibilities, but the launching of software alone is enough reason to use it. It even lets you do quick calculations like you would on a Calculator. You can even perform specific commands or navigate through the system settings using it. You can launch software by typing a part of the name and PowerToys Run will find it. PowerToys Run is much faster in its approach. This wastes a lot space, and it’s also slow.

We typically, access the start button to navigate to the software of our choice. It’s an important one since it replaces the need for the entire Start menu, something we have always used in WIndows. PowerToys Run is of the most useful features to be introduced in this update. You can disable features in PowerToys over a period, as you discover the ones more useful than the others. Head over to the PowerToys GitHub page and download the binaries for your OS. Since then, there have been new features added and we’ll show you how you we can use them to simplify your Windows experience.

We recently spoke about PowerToys when we showed you how to manage windows on a high-resolution monitor using the FancyZones feature. The last major update arrived in a few days back and it includes several new features. It is available as a free download and it gets frequent updates. Microsoft PowerToys might sound like a game, but it is a Windows utility that helps simplify common tasks.

Microsoft powertoys for windows 10