Microsoft PowerToys are not exactly new. This toolkit dates back to the Windows 95 era, and consists of a set of applications designed, above all, to improve productivity and the way users work with Windows 10. This new toolkit is completely free for all users, and it has an open development in which anyone can participate. And although Microsoft is constantly thinking of new “toys” that can improve the daily lives of users, there is one aspect that weighs down these PowerToys: their interface .
The first version of these tools saw the light of day in 2019, and it was a fairly similar version to the Windows 95 toolkit . Over time, Microsoft has been updating the interface of this toolkit and adding new toys and new functions and features to improve user productivity.
Right now, Microsoft is working on a new tool that will allow us to control the microphone during video calls with a click, something that in the era of teleworking has gained much importance. But the improvement part of this software does not end here. And the next thing Microsoft will work on is updating, and revamping, the entire interface of its toolkit. At last it will stop looking like an old program and will rise to a new level.
This will be the new interface of Microsoft PowerToys
Still in the concept phase, Microsoft has published the idea it has for the new interface of its tools . The first thing that is going to be embroidered is the fact that, as soon as the program is installed, it stays in the background, and that makes users wonder if something has really happened or if the program is working.
PowerToys is running all the time from the system tray, with its icon. However, this icon is only used to open the settings or close the process. Apparently, we could soon see a drop-down panel, with Fluent Design, which would allow us to interact much better with the Toys that we have activated.
Of course, the main configuration menu of the program will also receive its corresponding face lift. As we can see, the PowerToys configuration menu is now going to have a much more modern look, similar to that of a UWP. Each tool will have a new icon design similar to the new Windows icons, and the panel for each tool will be much more descriptive.
New options and functions will also be added to existing tools to give you more control over them. And a new floating panel that we will see with each update and that will show us the news that has been included in the program.
Future tools
In addition to the interface change, Microsoft already has in mind what the next additions to this kit will be. The first thing that we will see, imminently, will be the new toy for videoconferences, which will allow us to activate and deactivate the camera and the microphone without having to use any other tool or configuration. A tool that, of course, could not come at a better time.
In addition, Microsoft already has proposals for two new toys for Windows 10 that will begin development very soon. The first one will allow us to paste plain text by default into any operating system program, while the second will allow us to quickly end any process from any application.
The font rendering system will also be improved, something that many users have already requested on GitHub and is planned.
