- PowerToys is getting another significant update in August with new features and changes.
- Window Hopper lets you quickly switch between windows from the same app using a configurable “Alt + backtick” shortcut.
- Advanced Paste adds on-device Phi Silica transformations on supported devices, while Command Palette gets a new compact mode.
- Power Display gains linked brightness controls, tray controls, monitor wake support, and a command-line interface.
- The update also brings Shortcut Guide search, ZoomIt DemoMirror, Mouse Highlighter Ripple, WinUI 3 updates, and numerous fixes.
Microsoft begins rolling out PowerToys 0.101 with a mix of new utilities, interface improvements, and performance upgrades that make the Windows 11 toolkit more useful. The update introduces Window Hopper for quickly switching between windows from the same app, a redesigned update experience with Stable and Insider channels, and a compact mode for Command Palette.
The release also continues the work towards WinUI 3, adds on-device Phi Silica support to Advanced Paste, and delivers a long list of improvements to Power Display, Shortcut Guide, ZoomIt, Mouse Highlighter, and other utilities.
In this guide, I’ll show you the new features and changes coming to PowerToys 0.101.
New Window Hopper
PowerToys 0.101 introduces Window Hopper, a new utility that makes it easier to switch between multiple windows from the same app. Instead of cycling through every open window with “Alt + Tab,” Window Hopper lets you stay within the app you’re currently using.
Once enabled, you can press the configurable “Alt + backtick (`)” shortcut to quickly cycle through that app’s open windows. This can be particularly useful when you have several browser windows, File Explorer windows, terminals, or editor instances open at the same time.
New update manager
This release also makes it easier to manage updates with a new “Update channel” setting under Settings > General. Users can now choose between “Stable” and “Insider” channels. Stable remains the default, while Insider provides access to PowerToys Preview builds for those who want to test the latest features and changes before they reach the stable release.
The update interface has also been redesigned with clearer badges and a more compact status view that shows each step’s progress, from checking for updates and downloading to installation or errors.
The process of reporting problems is getting easier with progress information, quick access to the generated ZIP file, and a prefilled GitHub issue.
Power Display improvements
Microsoft is also adding several useful upgrades to Power Display, especially for anyone working with multiple monitors. The utility can now link multiple displays so they can be controlled together. Enable linked brightness to get a single “All Displays” slider for compatible monitors, while still allowing individual displays to remain independent when needed.
Power Display also adds brightness controls through the system tray. Once enabled, scrolling over the tray icon adjusts the brightness of either the primary monitor or all linked displays.
Another useful addition is the ability to wake supported monitors directly by selecting “On” from the display’s power-state control. Power Display also gains a new command-line interface, allowing users to inspect displays, change monitor settings, and apply saved profiles through scripts.
The update also includes several reliability improvements, including better built-in panel detection on hybrid-GPU systems, a more resilient Maximum compatibility mode, and more reliable restoration of brightness, contrast, volume, and color temperature settings.
If you regularly use two or more monitors, the linked brightness control is probably one of the more practical additions in this release. It eliminates the need to adjust each display separately while still letting you fine-tune individual monitors when needed.
Advanced Paste with AI custom actions
This PowerToys release adds on-device Phi Silica support to Advanced Paste on supported devices, allowing AI transformations without a cloud endpoint or API key. From feature settings, you can check Phi Silica availability and download the model when prompted.
You can then select Phi Silica as the provider for individual actions, with customizable prompts, coaching behavior, and shortcuts. This also lets you mix local and online AI providers by task. You can hide the AI section if you don’t use these features.
Microsoft also improved custom OpenAI and Azure OpenAI actions by allowing models that don’t support the minimal reasoning-effort setting to use their own defaults.
Shortcut Guide gets search and activation key
Shortcut Guide gets more useful with Windows-key activation and built-in search. You can now configure the utility to respond when you hold the Windows key, choose whether it shows Taskbar indicators or opens the full guide, and set how long you must hold the key.
A new search feature lets you quickly find shortcuts by searching their names, descriptions, modifiers, and displayed keys, instead of scanning an entire list.
Microsoft also moved Shortcut Guide to a single transparent overlay for smoother transitions and better click-outside behavior. Taskbar indicators now adapt to taskbars positioned along any edge of the screen, while support has been added for apps including Brave, Zoom Workspace, the new Outlook for Windows, DaVinci Resolve, Greenshot, 1Password, Godot, Obsidian, ON1 Photo RAW, and Postman.
The update also includes fixes for key rendering, navigation, and overall stability.
ZoomIt adds DemoMirror
PowerToys 0.101 adds DemoMirror to ZoomIt, making it easier to present content on one display while showing a live view on another. You can press “Ctrl + 9” to mirror the full screen, “Ctrl + Shift + 9” to select a region, or “Ctrl + Alt + 9” to mirror the window under the pointer. The mirror also includes the mouse pointer, while an optional “Track window region” setting keeps a selected window in view as it moves or resizes.
ZoomIt also gains webcam background blur, microphone noise cancellation, and brightness controls for recordings, along with support for WebP and JPEG screenshots and panoramas. You can now configure separate shortcuts for “Snip Save” and “Panorama Save,” while recording, trimming, and automatic snip-copying workflows have also been improved.
I think DemoMirror could be especially useful for presentations and demonstrations where the presenter needs to keep working on one screen while the audience follows along on another.
Mouse Highlighter gets ripple effects
This release also adds a new Ripple mode to Mouse Highlighter, giving mouse clicks a smoother visual effect. You can enable it under the “Mouse Utilities” section using the “Mouse Highlighter” option and customize the ripple’s size, intensity, duration, drag trail, and release pulse. Left and right clicks use green and blue by default, while existing color settings are preserved.
Microsoft has also separated the ripple rendering, animation, timers, and window management from the low-level mouse hook. This keeps mouse clicks responsive and helps prevent issues such as lost button-up events, stuck ripples, and buttons appearing pressed during longer sessions.
Command Palette compact mode
Command Palette now includes a new compact mode. When enabled, it opens as a small search box at a specific position instead of taking up more screen space. As soon as you start typing, it expands to show matching results. You can also press the “Down Arrow” or “Tab” key to expand it from the keyboard.
Compact mode is disabled by default, so the existing Command Palette experience remains unchanged unless you turn it on.
In my opinion, this is a welcome option for anyone who uses Command Palette frequently but doesn’t want a large interface appearing every time they need to launch a command.
The update also includes several other improvements, including faster search, reliability improvements, an improved dock, richer notifications, a better performance monitor, Extension Gallery links, and Windows Update commands.
WinUI 3 modernization for Quick Accent and Mouse Jump
PowerToys 0.101 continues WinUI 3 modernization with updates to Quick Accent and Mouse Jump. These utilities now have refreshed interfaces and improved behavior, while keeping their core functionality familiar.
Quick Accent gets better theming, accessibility, and DPI-aware positioning. It also adds an optional press-and-hold letter activation mode. After enabling it, users can hold an accent-capable letter for a configurable amount of time to open the character picker, then use the arrow keys or the “Space” key to select a character. Releasing the letter inserts the selected character, while a quick tap continues to type the original letter as usual.
Mouse Jump now uses WinUI 3 elements with better support for multi-monitor and mixed-DPI setups. After activating the utility, users can click a monitor in the preview or navigate between displays with the number keys, Home, End, or arrow keys.
The WinUI 3 work may not sound as exciting as a new PowerToys utility, but I think these interface improvements are important. As Microsoft continues modernizing PowerToys, the goal should be to make these tools feel more consistent with the rest of Windows 11.
Other changes
PowerToys 0.101 also includes a long list of smaller improvements and fixes across its utilities:
- FancyZones: Layout changes now apply immediately, with an optional window rotation mode for moving windows between displays.
- Keyboard Manager: Improved Alt/AltGr remapping and fixed editor startup and file-picker issues.
- Peek: Added Unreal Engine previews, .tar.gz and .tgz support, and new always-on-top and taskbar options.
- PowerToys Run: Improved search reliability and restored VS Code workspace discovery, including UNC paths.
- File Explorer Add-ons: Added policy-controlled Markdown previews and improved SVG thumbnails.
- Image Resizer: Updated preset editing, File Explorer integration, and CLI diagnostics.
- New+: Improved template renaming and desktop item placement.
- Mouse Without Borders: Strengthened connection security and reliability.
- Always On Top and Grab and Move: Improved shutdown reliability and fixed border issues.
- Color Picker: Improved sampling reliability and preview behavior.
Pureinfotech’s Take
I think version 0.101 for PowerToys is a solid update because it improves several things. Window Hopper is probably the addition I’ll use most, especially when I have multiple File Explorer, browser, or Windows Terminal open.
Which PowerToys 0.101 feature are you most interested in?
Voting closes: September 1, 2026 1:00 pm
I also like that more elements are being updated to WinUI 3, that controls are better, and that continued improvements to existing utilities show the project is becoming more polished instead of feeling like a collection of separate tools. The new Insider channel is useful for enthusiasts, although I’d stick with Stable on a system I depend on every day.
The local Phi Silica support is interesting, but I wouldn’t consider it a reason alone to install the update. The more practical improvements are the ones that fit into everyday workflows, particularly Window Hopper, Command Palette, Power Display, and Shortcut Guide.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert and founder of Pureinfotech in 2010. With over 23 years as a technology writer and IT Specialist, Mauro specializes in Windows, software, and cross-platform systems such as Linux, Android, and macOS.
Certifications: Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA), Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP), VMware Certified Professional (VCP), and CompTIA A+ and Network+.
Mauro is a recognized Microsoft MVP and has also been a long-time contributor to Windows Central.
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