Microsoft is updating PowerToys this week to include a new Always On Top feature and web search functionality in its Spotlight-like launcher. Version 0.53.1 includes the two highly-requested features, alongside a long list of bug fixes and improvements to Microsoft’s 12 PowerToys tools.
Microsoft PowerToys gets a new Always On Top feature and launcher web search
Microsoft’s PowerToys just keep getting better
Microsoft’s PowerToys just keep getting better
Image: The Verge
is a senior correspondent and author of Notepad, who has been covering all things Microsoft, PC, and tech for over 20 years.
Always On Top, as the name implies, allows any app to always be in front of others, even if you switch focus to another window. While many apps already support this, PowerToys now ensures anything can be pinned, which is particularly useful for older apps that you might want to keep on top of others across multiple monitors.
As games typically run fullscreen and on top of other windows, the Always On Top PowerToy even includes a Game Mode toggle, to allow games to run fullscreen above pinned apps. Other settings include the ability to show a colored border around a pinned app, and even play a sound when an app is pinned. You can also exclude apps from being pinned, and activate Always On Top using the Windows key + Ctrl + T combination.
The second useful addition to PowerToys is web search in the Run launcher. Microsoft first debuted its Spotlight-like launcher nearly two years ago, allowing Windows users to quickly search for apps and files across the OS. It finally has web search now, allowing you to quickly search the web using your default browser and default search engine.
The default activation command for web results is “??,” or you’ll be offered search results if Run can’t find a relevant file or app. Alongside these two additions, Microsoft and its open source community of developers has also added in support for G-code thumbnails in File Explorer.
PowerToys version 0.53.1 is available now from Microsoft’s PowerToys GitHub page, or through the Microsoft Store.
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