Microsoft’s PowerToys is already one of the best free apps on Windows 11, but it just got even better. A major update brings the app to version 0.97, and it includes a new utility and big improvements to the fan-favorite Command Palette.
Following the update, it’s possible to customize the look and functionality of Command Palette. You can pin a background image to the utility or apply color tinting to tweak the look of the tool.
View the full changelog ↴
PowerToys v0.97.0: Highlights
PowerToys change logs are famously detailed. I’ve shared all the highlights from the app’s GitHub page below. You can also use the menu on this page to jump past the change log if you’d like.
📋 Command Palette gets a big update
We have been hard at work improving Command Palette, and this release is a big one! It introduces several new features, deeper customization options, and a long list of improvements across the board.
There is a brand-new Personalization page that lets you customize the Command Palette UI to your liking. You can now pick a background image and apply color tinting to make Command Palette feel truly personal. To customize this setting, open Command Palette Settings => Personalization => Background
Support for fallback ranking
To give you more control over how search results are ordered, we have added fallback ranking. You can manage fallback rankings from an extension’s settings page by clicking on Manage fallback order. Here, you can reorder commands here by dragging them to match your preferences.
Control PowerToys directly from Command Palette
This was a big community request. A new built-in PowerToys extension now lets you control PowerToys features straight from Command Palette. You can toggle Light Switch, switch FancyZones layouts, pick a color, and more, all without leaving Command Palette. Just make sure the utilities you want to use are enabled in PowerToys settings. On top of that, you can now use Peek to preview files and folders within Command Palette!
More Command Palette changes!
- Support for Pinyin! To enable this, make sure your OS language is set to a supported Chinese variant.
- A new built-in Remote Desktop extension to quickly jump to your remote desktops.
- You can now select a custom search engine in the Web Search extension settings.
- Added drag and drop support. File Indexer and Clipboard History can now drag content from Command Palette into other apps, and extension developers can add this capability to their own extensions.
🖱️ Introducing CursorWrap
If you use multiple monitors and are tired of dragging your mouse all the way across the screen, CursorWrap is here to help. When enabled, your cursor wraps around the edges of the active monitor – moving past the top, bottom, left, or right edge instantly brings it back on the opposite side.
⚡ Quick Access flyout gets faster
We’ve undocked the Quick Access flyout from the main Settings process, which means it now launches faster. You can also choose to disable it entirely or assign a keyboard shortcut to open it. On top of that, the PowerToys system tray icon can now be set to a monochrome style if you prefer a subtler look that fits in with other system icons.
⌨️ More CLI support across PowerToys
In the last release we added CLI support for Peek, and we’re expanding that even further. FancyZones, Image Resizer, and File Locksmith can now all be controlled from the command line. Whether you want to switch layouts, resize a batch of images, or unlock files, it’s all possible through the CLI. Be sure to check the docs for the full list of supported commands.
🧩 Other notable changes
- Light Switch can now follow Night Light. Just switch the mode in Settings.
- The “What’s new” dialog has been refreshed to make it easier to browse, with more detailed release notes going forward.
- Advanced Paste now previews HEX color values and supports image input for AI transformations.
- More improvements and fixes across the board: see the full release notes below.
PowerToys CursorWrap: An almost perfect feature
CursorWrap was just added to PowerToys, and its first iteration is promising. Being able to flick my wrist and have my cursor go from one edge of my screen to the other is incredible.
There are, however, some additions and changes I’d like to see to CursorWrap. First, I’d love to have the option to enable it exclusively for the left and right edges of my screen.
When navigating to the top of my screen to switch tabs in Edge or move windows around, I often move my cursor to the top edge of my desktop then move a bit to select a specific item. I perform a similar movement to click the Start menu icon or items in the taskbar.
Since CursorWrap effectively connects the top and bottom of the screen, I can no longer use the same movement. Grabbing a tab in Edge now takes more precision if CursorWrap is enabled.
I also ran into a bug where enabling CursorWrap while my laptop is connected to a monitor and then closing my laptop results in CursorWrap incorrectly detecting that both displays are still accessible.
These are relatively minor requests or gripes for a brand-new feature. I’m very excited to see how CursorWrap is improved over time.
What is your favorite PowerToys utility? Let us know in the comments!
Follow Windows Central on Google News to keep our latest news, insights, and features at the top of your feeds!
