Microsoft releases first PowerToys preview for Windows 10

Microsoft brings back its PowerToys app for Windows 10 with FancyZones and Windows keys features.

PowerToys for Windows 10 (logo)
PowerToys for Windows 10 (logo)

Back on the Windows 95 era, PowerToys was a useful tool designed to further customize the experience, and now, Microsoft is reviving the project again for Windows 10. In the first preview of the new PowerToys apps ships with two features, including a Windows key shortcut guide, which simply overlays a guide of keyboard shortcuts that you can use for each active window.

Then there the FancyZones feature, which is a windows manager designed specifically for multitaskers. Using this feature, it’s possible to create custom zones on the screen, and then simply drag and drop the app to automatically resize it. Although, you can always use the snap feature on Windows 10, FanacyZones brings more customization allowing you to snap windows just the way you like it. (This is a work in progress, as such it’s not fully functional.)

You can learn more about using FancyZones in this walkthrough video from Microsoft.

In addition to reviving the app, Microsoft is also making the project open source, and if you’re interested, you can get and fork the source code on GitHub.

PowerToys is currently a standalone app, and you can download it from GitHub. (To try out the app, download and run the “PowerToysSetup.msi” file.)

About the author

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.