Windows 10, much like its successor Windows 11, comes equipped with an extensive array of native features, making third-party applications unnecessary for most users.
PowerToys, originally introduced during the Windows 95 era, were a series of applications designed to enhance the Windows operating system’s functionality. Unfortunately, Microsoft discontinued support for these tools, and they faded into obscurity. However, several years ago, the concept was resurrected, this time as an open-source project. For advanced users seeking to maximize their Windows experience, Microsoft offers the PowerToys suite—an open-source application that incorporates numerous features that, curiously, are absent from Windows itself.
With PowerToys, you can efficiently manage Windows windows, locate your mouse, perform batch file renaming, measure on-screen elements in pixels, identify color codes from images, preview any file, and even extract text from images.
One standout feature is the Text Extractor, which employs Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to swiftly recognize and copy text from images to your PC’s clipboard, a process that takes less than a second. The recent release of version 0.74 introduced a new feature called “table mode.”
Table mode is designed to recognize elements within an image, particularly in a table format, and arrange them accordingly. When pasted, it preserves the original formatting, retaining columns and rows independently.
Microsoft recently phased out the Web Select function in Edge, which allowed users to copy table formats from web pages. This functionality may have been integrated into PowerToys to make it accessible to all users, regardless of their choice of web browser.
Additional Enhancements:
The app has seen improvements related to Windows settings, such as synchronized animations with Windows preferences when animations are disabled. An error related to changing the size of cropped areas in the Crop and Lock feature introduced in update 0.73 has been resolved. Resource consumption for generating SVG thumbnails has been optimized, and the color picker now displays the most recently captured color.
Furthermore, new methods have been added to activate the mouse-finding function, among other additions. The update also addresses various minor bugs identified by both developers and users of the program.
Downloading and Installing PowerToys:
PowerToys is an open-source application developed and maintained by Microsoft, available for 64-bit versions of Windows. It can be downloaded from its GitHub page or directly from the Microsoft Store.
Installation is quick and lightweight, without any unwanted bloatware. Once installed, you can start utilizing the suite’s diverse tools. You also have the option to enable or disable specific tools to tailor your experience.
If you ever decide to stop using PowerToys, you can either uninstall it completely, erasing all traces from your computer, or simply disable automatic startup, keeping it installed for occasional use.
