Microsoft PowerToys has expanded its suite with practical tools designed to optimise Windows workflows, including window management, system monitoring, theme switching, and quick file previews, making daily multitasking more efficient.
Microsoft PowerToys has built a reputation on a handful of headline features, but some of its quieter utilities are arguably more practical in day-to-day use. The suite now covers small workflow problems that Windows still does not solve well on its own, from keeping a PC awake during a long transfer to making window management less awkward. According to Microsoft’s documentation, PowerToys Awake can keep a computer running without changing the system’s power plan, while also offering options to keep only the display off or set a timed interval.
One of the most useful tools is Grab And Move. Microsoft says it lets users drag a window from anywhere inside it, rather than hunting for a title bar, and resize by right-clicking and dragging from the nearest edge or corner. That matters on modern Windows apps, where tabbed interfaces and thin borders make standard window controls fiddly. Windows Central has described it as a minor change that nevertheless has a clear effect on everyday multitasking.
Crop And Lock is another compact but genuinely helpful addition. It can isolate part of an app into a small always-on-top window, which is useful when someone wants to monitor a download, a sync progress bar or a live status field without leaving the main work area. Microsoft has framed the tool in terms of focused viewing, and the practical benefit is obvious on smaller screens or when a user does not have a second monitor.
Light Switch addresses a long-standing gap in Windows: automatic switching between light and dark mode. PowerToys can change themes on a schedule or by local sunrise and sunset, and Microsoft’s own release notes show the feature was important enough to trigger a wider discussion when a later update briefly enabled it by mistake for some users. PC Gamer reported that the feature arrived with PowerToys 0.95, underlining how closely Microsoft is now tying small quality-of-life improvements to the suite.
For users who rely on keyboard shortcuts, Shortcut Guide is a low-friction way to learn them. Pressing Windows, Shift and / brings up an overlay with shortcuts for the current app, plus Windows commands. That makes it less of a reference tool and more of a live prompt, especially useful when learning new software or trying to work faster without memorising a long list of key combinations.
Peek rounds out the group by borrowing a familiar macOS idea and bringing it to Windows. Select a file and press the spacebar to preview it quickly, without opening the full app, and the tool supports a wide range of formats including images, videos, Office documents, PDFs and Markdown files. Microsoft’s documentation and recent coverage of PowerToys both point to the same strength: it removes small delays that add up across a busy workday.
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