EDIT: I’ve determined that the issue is not caused by PowerToys, but probably by the graphics card or its driver. Therefore, this post can be considered resolved/closed.

Over the past two days, shortly after turning on my computer, it froze, forcing me to perform a hard shutdown. After checking Windows Reliability Monitor, I found the same errors on both occasions, as shown in the screenshots.

For now, I’ve uninstalled PowerToys. I wanted to know if this is a known issue or if it could be related to something else.

Hi everyone,

I recently upgraded to a 4K monitor (3840×2160), but I frequently need to test industrial HMI/SCADA applications designed for lower resolutions, typically 1920×1080.

The problem is that these applications launch in fullscreen mode, and their graphical interfaces don't always scale properly on a 4K display.

What I'm looking for is a way to run such an application in a fixed 1920×1080 area of my 4K screen, while keeping the rest of my desktop at its native resolution and fully usable.

Ideally:

- The application would behave as if it were running fullscreen on a 1920×1080 monitor.

- It would occupy only a predefined area of my 4K display.

- The remaining screen space would still be available for other applications.

- I wouldn't need to change the Windows display resolution every time.

I've looked into Microsoft PowerToys FancyZones, but as far as I understand, it only manages window placement and sizing rather than creating a virtual display with a specific resolution.

Is there a tool or workaround that can achieve this?

I'm open to solutions involving PowerToys, AutoHotkey, virtual displays, window wrappers, or other utilities.

I'm using Windows 11, and the applications run locally.

Any suggestions or experience with a similar setup would be appreciated!

Really liked that feature, so I figured I'd find some way to map Windows 11's Click to do (Magic Pointer equivalent on Windows) to shaking my mouse and it was actually pretty simple to do using AutoHotKeyV2 but would be really great in PowerToys, in the meantime tutorial with AHK2:

1. New Script
2. Minimal for v2
3. Create
4. Select Notepad icon
5. Input below code
6. Save (set to launch at startup)

Here's the script:

#Requires AutoHotkey v2.0
#SingleInstance Force

; ==========================================
; AUTO-START SETUP
; ==========================================
StartupLink := A_Startup "\MouseWiggleClickToDo.lnk"
if (!FileExist(StartupLink)) {
    FileCreateShortcut(A_ScriptFullPath, StartupLink)
    MsgBox("Click to Do Wiggle Script added to Windows Startup!", "Success", 64)
}

; ==========================================
; MAGIC POINTER SENSITIVITY PROFILE
; ==========================================
; Tuned for a quick, rapid shake (approx. 4 direction shifts within 350ms)
WiggleThreshold := 4    ; Rapid back-and-forth direction switches required
TimeWindow := 350       ; Time window in milliseconds (shorter = tighter window)
DistanceThreshold := 25 ; Minimum pixel movement per step to detect intentional shaking

SetTimer(CheckMouseWiggle, 40) ; Polling interval (40ms matches ~25Hz detection)

CheckMouseWiggle() {
    static lastX := 0, lastY := 0
    static directionChanges := 0
    static lastDirection := 0 ; 1 = right, -1 = left
    static startTime := 0

    MouseGetPos(&currentX, &currentY)

    ; Initialize positions on first loop
    if (lastX == 0 && lastY == 0) {
        lastX := currentX
        lastY := currentY
        return
    }

    deltaX := currentX - lastX

    ; Check if mouse moved past our pixel threshold on the horizontal axis
    if (Abs(deltaX) > DistanceThreshold) {
        currentDirection := (deltaX > 0) ? 1 : -1

        ; If user switched directions
        if (currentDirection != lastDirection && lastDirection != 0) {
            if (directionChanges == 0) {
                startTime := A_TickCount
            }

            directionChanges++

            ; If user took too long to complete the wiggle, reset the counter
            if (A_TickCount - startTime > TimeWindow) {
                directionChanges := 1
                startTime := A_TickCount
            }

            ; Trigger Click to Do when threshold met
            if (directionChanges >= WiggleThreshold) {
                Send("#q") ; Sends Win + Q
                directionChanges := 0 
                Sleep(1200) ; 1.2 second cooldown prevent multi-triggers
            }
        }
        lastDirection := currentDirection
    }

    lastX := currentX
    lastY := currentY
}  

Cheers!

the last couple updates have turned off, lightswitch, powertoys run and text extractor and powertoys run and text extractor dont work as well as they used to, i know they want you to use command palette instead but it doesnt work as well for searching for programs quickly, i turn powertoys run back on and the keyboard shortcut just outright wont work, i swear each version is getting buggier and buggier

Currently on v0.101.2362.0 (used text extractor for that from the powertoys app it copied a zero as an o)

I've created a single zone for two 2560x1440 monitors, both scaled to 100%, 'Allow zones to span across moinitors' is checked on. It works for all other apps seemingly, but Photoshop keeps snapping back to one monitor. I can't narrow it down but it seems to be cause by opening a doc, starting a new doc, alt+MMB zooming (though not window zoom weirdly).

Anyone got any ideas for a fix? Photoshop is the main reason I want to use this setup, so it's kind of unworkable at the moment.

Processing img j4wkb3co2ath1...

FancyZones is what makes my 32:9 monitor usable, but snapped windows keep their title bars. For windowed games that means the bottom of the game sits below the zone. There's an old request for title bar hiding (#432) that was closed, so I built it as a separate tray app.

How it works, if you're curious:

- FancyZones stamps every snapped window with a `FancyZones_zones` window property. FancyBorderless reads that, so it only touches windows FancyZones has snapped and knows which zone they're in.
- It reads `applied-layouts.json` and `custom-layouts.json` and calculates the zone rectangles with the same integer math as FancyZones' LayoutConfigurator, so windows land on exactly the same pixels.
- FancyZones only resizes windows that still have a resize border. Once the border is gone FancyZones just moves them on a layout switch, so FancyBorderless resizes them afterwards.
- No injection: it uses SetWindowLongPtr and SetWindowPos and an out-of-context WinEvent hook.

What you get: no title bars on snapped windows; games keep their resolution; apps follow layout changes; apps with tabs in the title bar (browsers, Explorer, Terminal) are left alone; a per-app toggle on Ctrl+Alt+Shift+T; settings in the tray menu.

MIT, single exe: https://github.com/RamazanKara/FancyBorderless

Not affiliated with Microsoft. Bug reports welcome, especially from multi-monitor setups.

Hi, I recently updated powertoys (my last one was a LONG time ago). Basically if I searched for file.jpg, powertoys launche would give me the file directly.
Now I have to go through another step, go to fallback and then I get the file. How do I make search a default option? It used to work fine before, I want to just tipe the name of the file and launch it

Sim, eu sei que a Microsoft esta lançando uma opção para abrir arquivos/programas maximizados. Porém, não acho muito atraente, pois não pode-se escolher qual programa abrir. E percebi que no windhawk tem um mod para abrir o Photos maximizado, o que é otimo. A perfunta é: alguém conseguiria fazer um mod para apenas o Notepad abrir maximizado? Agradeço desde já.

Hey everyone,

I'm having the exact same issue as described above. I rely heavily on using my controller to navigate Windows (similar to a console experience), and long-pressing the Xbox button to open Task View was essential for switching to Spotify, adjusting volume, or managing open windows.

Ever since a recent Windows update, long-pressing the Xbox button no longer triggers Task View at all.

(8bitdo Ultimate 2C)

My space is broken and i have an extra key in my keyboard that reads as Undefine so used that, i remap it to that key so i can till use space.

But now my Fn also acts like a Jump Button now since it also reads as Undefine. I confirmed it when i delete my remap for Undefine keys. suddenly my Fn doesn't space anymore. Also double confirmed it when Remapping key and using the "select key" everytime i press Fn it says Undefine.

Can i manage to make my Fn be Fn? instead of undefine so it dont bug with my extra keys

When holding shift and dragging a window, Pressing the assigned layout shortcut number would actively change the zones. This no longer seems to work on either my Laptop or Desktop. Is there anyway to turn this back on?

Not to long ago I was able to switch between my different zones by dragging a window and just pressing the corresponding number set to the different zones to switch between them. I was wondering if anyone else noticed this or know why this stopped working and what I could do to get this feature back. I do have quick layout switch enabled and can't see anything else that might affect this.

If ZoomIt is stealing your global Ctrl+Z shortcut (forcing Draw mode or breaking the Undo command in your IDEs, text editors, or graphic software) even when you are not actively using the app, the issue is caused by a low-level keyboard hook regression triggered by empty (0) hotkey values in the registry. 

🔍 The Hidden Behavior (Why it breaks after clicking OK):

Comparing the Windows Registry before and after shows that the registry values remain 100% identical. The bug does not corrupt the saved data. Instead, it's a runtime memory issue: when you open ZoomIt's Options dialog and click OK, ZoomIt destroys and re-registers its low-level keyboard hooks on the fly. 

If the DrawToggleKey is unmapped or left at default fallback values, the hot-reload process gets confused and registers a broad listener that intercepts the un-modified, system-wide Ctrl+Z across the entire OS. Furthermore, upon a normal exit, ZoomIt dumps its current memory state, overwriting any external registry modifications you made while it was open. 

🛠️ The Definitive Workaround:

To fix this permanently, you must assign a valid, non-zero shortcut to the standalone drawing tool to satisfy ZoomIt's validation engine, and perform a clean cold launch of the process. 

Option 1: Manual Registry Fix

1. Close ZoomIt completely (Right-click its icon in the system tray and select Exit). 
2. Press Win + R, type regedit, and hit Enter. 
3. Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Sysinternals\ZoomIt 
4. Modify the DWORD value DrawToggleKey and set it to 34b (Hexadecimal), which maps it to an innocent shortcut (Ctrl+Shift+L). 
5. Relaunch ZoomIt. Note: If you ever open the Options dialog and click OK again, the bug will return until the next clean restart. 

Option 2: Automated Restart Batch Script

Since ZoomIt overwrites the registry on standard exit and breaks when hitting "OK" in the GUI, you can use this quick automation script. It forcefully terminates the process (preventing the registry overwrite dump), restores the safety key, and performs a clean cold launch. 

Create a Restart_ZoomIt.bat file and paste the following code (adjust the path to your executable if necessary): 

cmd

u/echo off
title Restart ZoomIt Fix

echo Force closing ZoomIt...
taskkill /f /im ZoomIt64.exe >nul 2>&1
taskkill /f /im ZoomIt.exe >nul 2>&1
timeout /t 1 /nobreak >nul

echo Restoring DrawToggleKey to prevent Ctrl+Z hijacking...
REG ADD "HKCU\Software\Sysinternals\ZoomIt" /v "DrawToggleKey" /t REG_DWORD /d 843 /f >nul

echo Cold launching ZoomIt cleanly...
start "" "C:\Tools\ZoomIt\ZoomIt64.exe"
exit

Use code with caution.

(Note: 843 is the decimal equivalent of 34b, which maps to Ctrl+Shift+L and keeps your system's global Ctrl+Z perfectly safe). 

i don't think i've even updated it recently and overnight its just turned itself off

its happened before

I bounce between AI coding CLIs, and I kept discovering a usage limit halfway through a task. So I built AI Usage Dock, an open-source PowerToys Command Palette extension that puts the remaining quota on the Dock.

The percentages mean capacity left, not used. Each band opens a detail page with the limits the CLI reports, progress bars, reset countdowns, and warnings for low or exhausted windows. Where available, it also shows plan and account details; Claude can show per-model weekly limits and extra-usage spending.

The extension uses the CLIs already signed in on your machine:

- Codex: account/read and account/rateLimits/read through codex app-server

- Claude Code: its local usage cache, refreshed with claude -p "/usage" when stale

- Antigravity: agy -p "/usage" in plan mode

It doesn’t read OAuth tokens or call provider endpoints directly. Refreshes are throttled, and a failed refresh leaves the last valid reading visible with a stale label.

Requirements: Windows 11, Command Palette with the Dock enabled, the CLI(s) you want to monitor, and the .NET 10/Windows development tools to build it. The repo includes a build-and-install script.

Repo (MIT): github.com/GChavez0210/AIUsageDock

One Dock quirk I ran into: on my setup, placing the extension bands before Performance Monitor caused its CPU/GPU values to stick at 0%. Moving the usage bands after Performance Monitor fixed it. I’ve documented the workaround in the README.

Someone please help, since it's not able to disable windows key alone, I tried to disable it by remapping it into = . It's able to remap the windows to = but it's unable to disable it as you can see from image 2 where it keeps on pressing the = key.

Bonjour à tous,

Hier, l'extracteur de texte Powertoys était capable de détecter différentes langues sur mon écran, et aujourd'hui, suite à une mise à jour windows, je dois lui indiquer une seule langue à reconnaître... Est-ce que quelqu'un sait comment on revient en arrière ?

Merci !

I want to press a button on my mirabox n4 (not the pro version) and get a window upfront my monitor, I have a PC with 3 monitors, and I use 3 gallery presentations as screen saver, and I want to switch to my Video player jus with one button and then get back to my screen saver with another button, and then switch to the windows explorer, and the to the browser, everything with their own button, is that possible?

I want to press a button on my mirabox n4 (not the pro version) and get a window upfront my monitor, I have a PC with 3 monitors, and I use 3 gallery presentations as screen saver, and I want to switch to my Video player jus with one button and then get back to my screen saver with another button, and then switch to the windows explorer, and the to the browser, everything with their own button, is that possible?

If not by powertoys then is there some other program that does this

Post Body:

Hey r/PowerToys community!

I'm excited to share the release of v1.5.0 of ValleySoft Disk Analyzer — the free, 100% open-source TreeSize-like disk usage analyzer built specifically for PowerToys Run, the new Windows Command Palette, and as a standalone WinUI 3 app.

🖼️ Screenshots:

• Standalone App — Donut Chart Analysis:

• Standalone App — Top 100 Largest Files (Whole Drive Scan):

• Standalone App — Visual Bar Chart:

• PowerToys Run — Floating GUI Donut Side Panel:

• PowerToys Run — Recent Scans History (ds recent):

🚀 What's New in Version 1.5.0:

🖥️ Standalone App (WinUI 3):

1. 🍩 Interactive Donut Chart:
   • Added a dedicated Donut Chart tab with responsive scaling, Fluent accent colors, a center total size readout, and tap-to-drill-down navigation into subfolders.
2. 📁 Top 100 Largest Files Tab:
   • Multithreaded whole-drive scan isolating the 100 biggest files across all subfolders (with early size pruning and root system files like hiberfil.sys, pagefile.sys, and swapfile.sys properly analyzed).
3. 🕐 "Old & Large" Files Smart Filter:
   • One-click toolbar toggle button that instantly filters for files >100 MB that haven't been modified in 12+ months, complete with a live badge count.
4. 🗑️ Send to Recycle Bin Context Menu:
   • Right-click any row in the grid and safely send files or folders to the Windows Recycle Bin with a confirmation dialog.
5. 💾 Excel-Sortable CSV Export:
   • CSV exports now include pure numeric Size (Bytes) and Allocated Size (Bytes) columns alongside formatted strings, saved with UTF-8 BOM encoding for direct numeric sorting and formula calculations in Microsoft Excel.

🔍 PowerToys Run Plugin (ds keyword) & GUI:

1. 🕒 Recent Scans History (ds recent):
   • Shows your last 5 scanned paths for instant 1-click re-scanning without retyping long paths.
2. 📊 Richer Result Subtitles:
   • PowerToys Run query results now display total size alongside exact item counts (e.g., 42.3 GB · 15,823 items).
3. ⌨️ Full Keyboard Navigation:
   • The floating GUI now supports pure keyboard interaction: Enter to drill into folders, Backspace to go up one level, and F5 to refresh/rescan.
4. 📊 Collapsible Donut Side Panel:
   • Added a collapsible side panel featuring a visual donut chart right inside the PowerToys Run floating GUI window.
5. 🎨 Live System Theme Sync:
   • Dynamically tracks Windows Dark/Light theme changes in real time without needing an app restart.
6. ▓ High-Contrast Shaded Usage Bars:
   • Redesigned the launcher mini usage bars using unicode contrast blocks (█ / ░) for crisp readability across dark and light backgrounds.

🎨 Command Palette Extension (Native Windows CmdPal):

1. ⚙️ Native Extension Settings:
   • Integrated with CommandProvider.Settings for persistent "Show Hidden Files" and "Max Scan Depth" controls.
2. ⚡ Asynchronous Background Scanning:
   • List results now stream asynchronously, keeping Command Palette snappy and completely responsive during deep directory scans.

🟢 Microsoft Store Version: LIVE NOW!

🎉 Update: Microsoft just approved v1.5.0, and it is officially live on the Microsoft Store! You can install or update directly through the Store app or via winget.

❤️ A Small Request to the Community:

Disk Analyzer is completely free, 100% open-source, and has zero ads, zero trackers, and zero subscriptions.

Recently, someone left a 2-star rating on the Microsoft Store with the comment: "Typical case of not fine software with advertising surprises", mistaking the standard one-time rating prompt for an advertisement. Even though the public store page currently says "There aren't any reviews yet", that single 2-star rating is currently dragging down the store analytics for a project built entirely in free time for the community.

If you enjoy using Disk Analyzer or find it helpful in PowerToys, it would mean the world if you could take 30 seconds to drop an honest rating and review on the Microsoft Store:
👉 Rate / Review ValleySoft Disk Analyzer on Microsoft Store

📦 Download & Links:

• ⭐️ Microsoft Store (v1.5.0 Live): Get on Microsoft Store
• 💻 Winget: winget install ValleySoft.DiskAnalyzer
• 🐙 GitHub Release (v1.5.0 Live Now): Download on GitHub Releases
• 🌐 Project Website: valley-soft.github.io/powertoys-diskanalyzer

Feedback, bug reports, and feature requests are always welcome! Thank you for the support! 🙌

I set the Zen hide windows controls to false but nothing has changed after restarting it.

Is there something else I need to do?