6 ms·

PowerToys – Windows system utilities to maximize productivity

82 points by MikusR 8y ago

jaden 8y ago
There's a typo in the title. PoweToys --> PowerToys
- dang 8y ago
  Fixed now. Thanks!
leshokunin 8y ago
I was thinking about the "preview Windows key shortcuts" just yesterday! So glad to see it's getting made. I'm been a Windows power user since 3.1, and I just discovered this week that the programs on my task bar could be launched with Win+number. I also just started using Win+Tab over Alt+Tab because of the nice Expose feature. I wonder how many other nice to haves there are that simply aren't visible.
- eitland 8y ago
  > I wonder how many other nice to haves there are that simply aren't visible. You might be aware of this already, but if anyone isn't this aware, this picture from the article has a number of Windows-/Super- key shortcuts that works already: https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/blob/master/WindowsKeyShortcutGuide.jpg?raw=true https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/blob/master/WindowsKe...
  - BorRagnarok 8y ago
    That is a horrible set of shortcuts. Who uses the Game bar or dictation bar? Who needs a shortcut for Settings? Are you really opening your settings screen so often that a shortcut actually improves your efficiency? If so, do you do actual work on your machine or do you just play with Windows on it. How many seconds in a day are you going to save with the Settings shortcut, and isn't that number going negative when counting the time it takes to learn and remember the short cut? Who needs a shortcut to Ease of Access settings, or to the narrator? Who needs Start+, if you already have Start+D? Start+Ctrl+D opens a new virtual desktop? Despite me never using virtual desktops? And now I have to learn all about virtual desktops (while I don't need them) to correct my accidentally pressing the Start button too when I was typing Ctrl+D. Thanks guys, for making every key-combo some or the other shortcut for stuff I don't need. My windows experience is quite good but for the growing fear of accidentally hitting some unknown shortcut and screwing things up. Microsoft, please start removing shortcuts that no one needs, you surely must have all the telemetry data to support my point by now.
    - BrandonLive 8y ago
      You might consider that your needs are not representative of the overall Windows population. For example, one reason some of these key combinations are important is for accessibility.
    - eitland 8y ago
      > Microsoft, please start removing shortcuts that no one needs, you surely must have all the telemetry data to support my point by now. Happy to see you aren't working at Microsoft. This constant push to remove everything that someone doesn't see the value of is really annoying for me. Most of these shortcuts has been there for years. The fact that you weren't even aware probably shows that this isn't a problem at all. So please Microsoft: continue to "just work". I far prefer Linux, but there is something to be said for "just working" for a very long time. (Feels crazy to say and I have a fair number of annoyances with Windows, but even if Windows never made me happy like a good KDE 3 or 5 setup, even Vista and 8 was kind of usable for me after some configuration, this is something I cannot say certain alternatives at that time) (Now, there is one really crazy shortcut IMO, and that is alt + shift + space; enabled by default at least until Windows 8. Will change you keyboard layout with next to no visual feedback. Why this needs to be there by default on machines that will never be used for more than one language is beyond me, but I'll leave that to the experts, I'd rather have too many options than to few.)
    - frosted-flakes 8y ago
      > Who needs a shortcut to Ease of Access settings, or to the narrator? Seriously? Those are probably the most important shortcuts on there. Having a way to immediately jump to accessibility settings is critical for all of the people who need those tools when they sit down at an unfamiliar computer, or even their own computer. As for all of the others, yes, they should all be there. If you use it, dictation is something that's done frequently, as is use of the Game Bar (how else would you call it up during a full screen game?) and virtual desktops. > Microsoft, please start removing shortcuts that no one needs, you surely must have all the telemetry data to support my point by now. The fact that they haven't removed them should be enough evidence that they are, in fact, used.
- taviso 8y ago
  Funny story, there was actually a security vulnerability in that Win+Number feature! Here's how it worked, there's a Windows security feature called UIPI (User Interface Privilege Isolation) that prevents processes from sending messages to more privileged processes. That's critical, otherwise an unprivileged process can just send input to explorer and make it delete all your files or whatever. This was used to keep Internet Explorer sandboxed, so that if IE got compromised, it couldn't take over your computer. UIPI didn't prevent processes from triggering key combinations registered with RegisterHotKey() though, which is what explorer uses for things like Alt+Tab and so on. Turns out, there was a way to send input to cmd.exe windows, but it literally only worked on cmd.exe. That sounds bad, but an unprivileged process can't spawn a highly privileged cmd.exe, when you create a new process it just inherits your privilege level. That means you can't make it do anything you couldn't already do on your own. But.... you can spawn a low privileged cmd.exe, which gets added to the taskbar... then use the Win+Shift+Number shortcut registered with RegisterHotKey() to tell explorer to create a new window (Try it!). Explorer is already privileged, so the new window is spawned with privileges (technically, medium integrity) and then you can take it over! It's crazy, but that was a real bug. Here's a video of it working: https://twitter.com/Meatballs__/status/365233323406143489 https://twitter.com/Meatballs__/status/365233323406143489 And it's really in Metasploit: https://www.rapid7.com/db/modules/exploit/windows/local/ms13_005_hwnd_broadcast https://www.rapid7.com/db/modules/exploit/windows/local/ms13...
- unalignedaccess 8y ago
  There's also 7+ Taskbar Numberer.
Frenum 8y ago
Regarding Backlog #9, Cmd (or PS) from here has been available with shift+rclick for quite some time.
segphault 8y ago
Really hope that the "full window manager" item leads to good things. Having proper tiling window management with extensive keyboard control would be so awesome.
- naikrovek 8y ago
  I got a UHD monitor and when I did, the normal Windows keyboard shortcuts we're quickly rendered useless. So, with the help of an Internet Guy I have an AutoHotKey script that makes window management dead easy. I'll share it if anyone wants it.
  - eitland 8y ago
    I guess several people here would be interested. Back in the days I remember using something I guess from the donationcoder website, that would allow me to drag windows into "placeholders" on the screen. I used it to get consistent setups when recording screencasts when I was a teacher. (And if anyone needs something to setup widows for screenrecording on Linux this is the best I've found, thanks to Robert Gamble on stackoverflow: https://stackoverflow.com/a/288537/9987 https://stackoverflow.com/a/288537/9987)
    - naikrovek 8y ago
      https://gist.github.com/naikrovek/b13a77d169de0e192bcf48fec02bc21f https://gist.github.com/naikrovek/b13a77d169de0e192bcf48fec0...
  - tracker1 8y ago
    Should throw it up on a Gist and share it...
    - naikrovek 8y ago
      https://gist.github.com/naikrovek/b13a77d169de0e192bcf48fec02bc21f https://gist.github.com/naikrovek/b13a77d169de0e192bcf48fec0...
  - 8y ago
rich-tea 8y ago
I was going to say I fondly remember PowerToys on Windows XP, but it looks like it actually goes back to 95. They were always one of the first things I installed after a regular reinstallation of Windows. Later I switched to Linux and realised most of it was already built in or unnecessary and, needless to say, regular reinstallations are no longer a thing for me.

82 points by MikusR 8y ago

jaden 8y ago

There's a typo in the title. PoweToys --> PowerToys

dang 8y ago
Fixed now. Thanks!

leshokunin 8y ago

I was thinking about the "preview Windows key shortcuts" just yesterday! So glad to see it's getting made. I'm been a Windows power user since 3.1, and I just discovered this week that the programs on my task bar could be launched with Win+number. I also just started using Win+Tab over Alt+Tab because of the nice Expose feature. I wonder how many other nice to haves there are that simply aren't visible.

eitland 8y ago
> I wonder how many other nice to haves there are that simply aren't visible. You might be aware of this already, but if anyone isn't this aware, this picture from the article has a number of Windows-/Super- key shortcuts that works already: https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/blob/master/WindowsKeyShortcutGuide.jpg?raw=true https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/blob/master/WindowsKe...
- BorRagnarok 8y ago
  That is a horrible set of shortcuts. Who uses the Game bar or dictation bar? Who needs a shortcut for Settings? Are you really opening your settings screen so often that a shortcut actually improves your efficiency? If so, do you do actual work on your machine or do you just play with Windows on it. How many seconds in a day are you going to save with the Settings shortcut, and isn't that number going negative when counting the time it takes to learn and remember the short cut? Who needs a shortcut to Ease of Access settings, or to the narrator? Who needs Start+, if you already have Start+D? Start+Ctrl+D opens a new virtual desktop? Despite me never using virtual desktops? And now I have to learn all about virtual desktops (while I don't need them) to correct my accidentally pressing the Start button too when I was typing Ctrl+D. Thanks guys, for making every key-combo some or the other shortcut for stuff I don't need. My windows experience is quite good but for the growing fear of accidentally hitting some unknown shortcut and screwing things up. Microsoft, please start removing shortcuts that no one needs, you surely must have all the telemetry data to support my point by now.
  - BrandonLive 8y ago
    You might consider that your needs are not representative of the overall Windows population. For example, one reason some of these key combinations are important is for accessibility.
  - eitland 8y ago
    > Microsoft, please start removing shortcuts that no one needs, you surely must have all the telemetry data to support my point by now. Happy to see you aren't working at Microsoft. This constant push to remove everything that someone doesn't see the value of is really annoying for me. Most of these shortcuts has been there for years. The fact that you weren't even aware probably shows that this isn't a problem at all. So please Microsoft: continue to "just work". I far prefer Linux, but there is something to be said for "just working" for a very long time. (Feels crazy to say and I have a fair number of annoyances with Windows, but even if Windows never made me happy like a good KDE 3 or 5 setup, even Vista and 8 was kind of usable for me after some configuration, this is something I cannot say certain alternatives at that time) (Now, there is one really crazy shortcut IMO, and that is alt + shift + space; enabled by default at least until Windows 8. Will change you keyboard layout with next to no visual feedback. Why this needs to be there by default on machines that will never be used for more than one language is beyond me, but I'll leave that to the experts, I'd rather have too many options than to few.)
  - frosted-flakes 8y ago
    > Who needs a shortcut to Ease of Access settings, or to the narrator? Seriously? Those are probably the most important shortcuts on there. Having a way to immediately jump to accessibility settings is critical for all of the people who need those tools when they sit down at an unfamiliar computer, or even their own computer. As for all of the others, yes, they should all be there. If you use it, dictation is something that's done frequently, as is use of the Game Bar (how else would you call it up during a full screen game?) and virtual desktops. > Microsoft, please start removing shortcuts that no one needs, you surely must have all the telemetry data to support my point by now. The fact that they haven't removed them should be enough evidence that they are, in fact, used.
taviso 8y ago
Funny story, there was actually a security vulnerability in that Win+Number feature! Here's how it worked, there's a Windows security feature called UIPI (User Interface Privilege Isolation) that prevents processes from sending messages to more privileged processes. That's critical, otherwise an unprivileged process can just send input to explorer and make it delete all your files or whatever. This was used to keep Internet Explorer sandboxed, so that if IE got compromised, it couldn't take over your computer. UIPI didn't prevent processes from triggering key combinations registered with RegisterHotKey() though, which is what explorer uses for things like Alt+Tab and so on. Turns out, there was a way to send input to cmd.exe windows, but it literally only worked on cmd.exe. That sounds bad, but an unprivileged process can't spawn a highly privileged cmd.exe, when you create a new process it just inherits your privilege level. That means you can't make it do anything you couldn't already do on your own. But.... you can spawn a low privileged cmd.exe, which gets added to the taskbar... then use the Win+Shift+Number shortcut registered with RegisterHotKey() to tell explorer to create a new window (Try it!). Explorer is already privileged, so the new window is spawned with privileges (technically, medium integrity) and then you can take it over! It's crazy, but that was a real bug. Here's a video of it working: https://twitter.com/Meatballs__/status/365233323406143489 https://twitter.com/Meatballs__/status/365233323406143489 And it's really in Metasploit: https://www.rapid7.com/db/modules/exploit/windows/local/ms13_005_hwnd_broadcast https://www.rapid7.com/db/modules/exploit/windows/local/ms13...
unalignedaccess 8y ago
There's also 7+ Taskbar Numberer.

Frenum 8y ago

Regarding Backlog #9, Cmd (or PS) from here has been available with shift+rclick for quite some time.

segphault 8y ago

Really hope that the "full window manager" item leads to good things. Having proper tiling window management with extensive keyboard control would be so awesome.

naikrovek 8y ago
I got a UHD monitor and when I did, the normal Windows keyboard shortcuts we're quickly rendered useless. So, with the help of an Internet Guy I have an AutoHotKey script that makes window management dead easy. I'll share it if anyone wants it.
- eitland 8y ago
  I guess several people here would be interested. Back in the days I remember using something I guess from the donationcoder website, that would allow me to drag windows into "placeholders" on the screen. I used it to get consistent setups when recording screencasts when I was a teacher. (And if anyone needs something to setup widows for screenrecording on Linux this is the best I've found, thanks to Robert Gamble on stackoverflow: https://stackoverflow.com/a/288537/9987 https://stackoverflow.com/a/288537/9987)
  - naikrovek 8y ago
    https://gist.github.com/naikrovek/b13a77d169de0e192bcf48fec02bc21f https://gist.github.com/naikrovek/b13a77d169de0e192bcf48fec0...
- tracker1 8y ago
  Should throw it up on a Gist and share it...
  - naikrovek 8y ago
    https://gist.github.com/naikrovek/b13a77d169de0e192bcf48fec02bc21f https://gist.github.com/naikrovek/b13a77d169de0e192bcf48fec0...
- 8y ago

rich-tea 8y ago

I was going to say I fondly remember PowerToys on Windows XP, but it looks like it actually goes back to 95. They were always one of the first things I installed after a regular reinstallation of Windows. Later I switched to Linux and realised most of it was already built in or unnecessary and, needless to say, regular reinstallations are no longer a thing for me.