Release v0.57.2

This is a patch release to fix issues in v0.57.2 to fix a few bugs we deemed important for stability based on incoming rates. See v0.57.0 for full release notes.

• #17332: AlwaysOnTop windows would lose their topmost status sometimes. It'll be reapplied when detected.
• #17390: PowerToys Run would consume 100% of the CPU when many changes were done on settings. This is fixed.
• #17406: FancyZones not restoring rounded corners after unsnapping bug is fixed.
• #17367: Not everyone was happy with FancyZones removing rounded corners on Windows 11. This is now a setting.
• #17318: Settings would get stuck in a loop checking for updates too frequently. This is fixed.
• #1605: PowerToys Run can now run programs as a different user.
• #17468: PowerToys Run WindowWalker crashed on startup on certain Virtual Desktop configurations. This is fixed.
• #16283: New installations or updates of VS Code were not being picked up by PowerToys Run.
• #17454: PowerToys Run was taking a long time to show queries on configurations with many network interfaces. This is fixed.
• #17027: Some applications were not being resnapped to a Zone as they were restarted. This is fixed.
• #17410: Sign the PowerToys .msi file bundled in the .exe installer.
• #17513: Special shortcuts like Control Panel and File Explorer appear again in PowerToys Run.
• #16552: Improve FancyZones Editor grid editor support for screen readers.
• #17537: Update the .net core installed version to 3.1.23, containing security fixes.
• #17493: Fix crash on Developer File Preview when the setting file is not created yet.
• #17539: Fix FancyZones bug when restoring original size of windows when unsnapping on certain display scalings.
• #17570: Additional logging for the Windows Terminal plugin in PowerToys Run.

Installer SHA256 Hash

92D657A001578AEE5B5A3F0748AC7C89C54C870BB86221A5ECFFF1506BD57C41

Release v0.57.0

The v0.57 release cycle focused heavily on stability and improvements. Below are some of the highlights!

Installer Hash

0F20DCDC0A1BF5C86D60A41DED8F459A2CF1457C37BB33DA31979D639DD8BD9E

Highlights

• PowerToys Run quality pass. Old standing issues were re-evaluated and fixed.
• Additional features and improvements were added to existing PowerToys Run plugins.
• New plugin for time and date values/information in PowerToys Run. Thanks @htcfreek!
• The PowerToys Run documentation is also receiving a required update. Thanks @htcfreek!
• We're registering svgs as a picture kind when SVG Thumbnails are enabled so they appear when searching for pictures in File Explorer.
• We've disabled PDF preview by default, given its incompatibilities with Outlook and that Edge is now being registered for previewing PDF files on Windows 10 too.
• From a coding quality point of view, every project now has code analyzer active. Thanks @CleanCodeDeveloper!
• A double click on the tray icon is needed instead of single click to open settings.

Always on Top

• New sound for Always on Top activation. Thanks @franky920920!

Awake

• Fixes for the system tray icon. Thanks @dend!
• Temporary duration presets are now configurable. Thanks @dend!
• Fix for an issue causing Awake to not be closed properly. Thanks @dend!

ColorPicker

• It's now possible to delete multiple colors from history and also export them to a file. Thanks @mshtang!
• The CIEXYZ format has increased precision. Thanks @m13253!
• Performance improved by reducing the use of low level keyboard hooks.

FancyZones

• Fixed a bug where the same layout applied with different configurations to different screens would reset to a single configuration. (This was a hotfix for 0.56)
• When snapping windows with rounded corners on Windows 11, set the correct corner preferences to avoid gaps between zones. Thanks @hallatore!
• Fix for canvas layout resetting due to resolution changes.

File explorer

• Additional markdown file extensions added for Markdown Preview. Thanks @skycommand!
• Svgs are now registered as a picture kind on Windows.
• Added a text wrapping setting and copy context menu to dev file preview. Thanks @Aaron-Junker!
• Pdf file preview and thumbnails are now disabled by default, due to incompatibility with Outlook and an appropriate warning is shown in Settings.

Mouse utility

• Find my mouse has a new setting to specify a minimum distance for activation. (This was a hotfix for 0.56)
• Fix for the bug causing the task bar to be hidden behind other windows when a mouse utility was active.
• Fix for the bug causing shortcuts set on icons to not activate when a mouse utility was active.
• Fixed a slight offset in Mouse Pointer Crosshairs when it's configured with an odd thickness.

PowerToys Run

• New plugin for time and date values/information. Thanks @htcfreek!
• WindowWalker now has a tooltip, additional features like killing the process and closing the window, additional settings and improvements. Thanks @htcfreek!
• Unit converter now accepts additional ways of writing feet and gallon. Also interprets as either imperial or US gallons depending on current culture. Thanks @yifan-k!
• Unit converter now accepts metre for meter.
• Localization for Web Search and Unit Converter (not including units) has been enabled.
• Localization for Windows Terminal has been enabled. (This was a hotfix for 0.56)
• Calculator now tries to always interpret the dot (.) symbol as a decimal separator, despite configured culture, to meet expectations.
• Calculator now handles trailing zeroes on hexadecimal numbers correctly.
• System commands plugin can now show the local ip and mac addresses. Thanks @htcfreek!
• Folder plugin has improved results, with improved tooltips. Thanks @htcfreek!
• Windows settings plugin has added entries for Screen Saver and Connect Wiring Display Panel. Thanks @htcfreek!
• Plugins can now show descriptions for their configurations in settings. Thanks @htcfreek!
• Fix for the focus issue when calling PowerToys Run for the first time after login and after returning from some windows.
• Fix for a bug on Program when creating a shortcut.
• Validated that upgrading to .net framework 6 fixed the error appearing when shutting down the system with PowerToys Run running.

Video conference mute

• Newly added microphones are now updated and tracked by VCM.

Settings

• What's new button in the bottom with a new look, with a couple more UI tweaks. Thanks @niels9001!
• Fixed a bug causing Settings not to open when a racing condition caused Keyboard Manager settings to not be read correctly.
• To open settings from the tray icon a double click is needed instead of a single click.
• Fix for a bug which would cause checking for updates to run indefinitely.
• When auto-updating, pass a flag to avoid restarting without being prompted.

Installer

• Dependencies installers are now executed with /norestart to avoid unprompted restarts. (This was a hotfix for 0.56). Thanks @franky920920!
• Upgraded .net framework dependency to 6.0.3.
• Installer logs are now saved where they can be collected and sent by the bug report tool.
• Reverted changes to start with proper elevation and when installed under a different user since those changes ended up causing more issues where PowerToys would start running with the wrong user.

Development

• OOBE code refactor to have all module information in XAML, like in Settings. Thanks @niels9001!
• Every project now has analyzers turned on and warnings fixed. Thanks @CleanCodeDeveloper!
• New patterns added for code spell-checking and stale entries removed. Thanks @jsoref
• Additional logging has been added to Fancy Zones and PowerToys Run.
• A new CI release build will not be triggered if all that was changed was just documentation.
• Fixed a racing condition causing flaky build errors when building PowerRename.
• Centralization of common csproj/vcxproj settings underway. Thanks @CleanCodeDeveloper!

Community contributions

We'd like to directly mention certain contributors (in alphabetical order) for their continued community support this month and helping directly make PowerToys a better piece of software.
@Aaron-Junker, @CleanCodeDeveloper, @dend, @franky920920, @htcfreek, @jay-o-way, @jsoref, @niels9001, @snickler.

Release v0.56.2

This is a patch release to fix issues in v0.56.1 to fix a few bugs we deemed important for stability based on incoming rates. See v0.56.1 for full release notes.

• #16252: We now pass in /norestart flag to .NET runtime installer for our installer
• #16155: FancyZones Template layout reset bug is fixed
• #16699: Dev File Preview handler files in use bug is fixed
• #16669: Added Find my mouse setting for shake distance to allow for adjustability
• #16712: PowerToys Run's Windows Terminal plugin didn't have localization setup correctly and is now correct.

Installer SHA256 Hash

E042E0FC38D2682DA9FFF0E9700C3C42D204C0A0EEC0CBA8CB273DE46D2C9166

Release v0.56.1

The v0.56 release cycle focused heavily on stability and improvements. Below are some of the highlights!

Installer Hash

C54DDD1D325D3C6F537CAEF2A57F763131F51CAA2BDB23B3E3360185E6032AAC

Highlights

• Upgrade notes! A big feedback items for new versions was upgrade notes. We have the release notes on GitHub as well.
• FancyZones zone limit has been increased to 128 zones. Before the limit was 40.
• Timezone conversion plugin for PowerToys Run! Thanks @TobiasSekan
• Child and Popup window support for FancyZones. To enable, go to Settings→FancyZones→Windows. These were bugs we fixed that without realizing it was a useful feature to most.
• Find my mouse will now activate via shaking the mouse with a settings change!
  

Always on Top

• Fixed excess GPU / CPU usage when enabled
• If border has focus, not closable via F4
• Changing border sizes should resize correctly for existing windows
• Border goes away with Outlook modal windows

ColorPicker

• No longer crashes during theme change

FancyZones

• Increased zone limit from 40 to 128.
• Child and Popup window support for FancyZones. To enable, go to Settings→FancyZones→Windows. These were bugs we fixed that without realizing it was a useful feature to most.

File explorer

• Fixes for Dev file preview: (Thanks @Aaron-Junker)
  • Fix fix for object reference not set.
  • Fix for encoding UTF-8.
  • Fix for file is in use.
  • Fix for saying the file is too big.

Image Resizer

• Fix for invalid operation error. @CleanCodeDeveloper!

Mouse utility

• Find my mouse will now activate via shaking the mouse with a settings change!
• Find my mouse now can excludes apps.
• Fix for crosshair thickness looking odd due to anti-aliasing
• Fix for a hard crash on crosshair (This was a hotfix for 0.55)

PowerRename

• Will not spells check file names anymore. Thanks @niels9001
• Autocomplete result box to not obscure apply button. Thanks @niels9001
• Regex fix

PowerToys Run

• Timezone conversion plugin for PowerToys Run! Thanks @TobiasSekan
• Hexadecimal and binary numbers now are supported in the calculator plugin. This was added a bit ago and we'd like to extend a belated thanks to @gsuberland
• Terminal plugin performance boost. Thanks @htcfreek!
• Terminal will now be found via the Program plugin again.
• Shutdown command is now using hybrid fast argument for shutting down
• Support for VSCodium with VS Code workplace plugin. Thanks @makeProjectGreatAgain

Video conference mute

• nVidia Broadcast software won't crash anymore

Settings

• Upgrade notes in OOBE
• Fix for settings being lost (This was a hotfix for 0.55)
• UX improvements. Thanks @niels9001

Installer

• Believe we have a fix for the long hated "app.dark.png is missing" error. Thanks to @robmen for having a great blog!
• Installer will launch PowerToys under appropriate elevation versus Admin only due to UAC prompt for installation (This was a hotfix for 0.55)
• PowerToys will now start if installed under different user

Development

• ARM64 - We removed the last .NET Framework dependency. Thanks @snickler for helping get this across the finish line!
• .NET 6 upgrade, now on the newest and hottest .NET runtime
• Code analyzers have been upgraded! Thanks @CleanCodeDeveloper!
• Symbols are back!
• Code refactoring, thanks @CleanCodeDeveloper and @cyberrex5 for helping here!
• We are now on VS 2022 with the .NET 6 upgrade.

Community contributions

We'd like to directly mention certain contributors (in alphabetical order) for their continued community support this month and helping directly make PowerToys a better piece of software.
@Aaron-Junker, @CleanCodeDeveloper, @cyberrex5, @franky920920, @gsuberland, @htcfreek, @jay-o-way, @makeProjectGreatAgain, @niels9001, @robmen, @snickler, and @TobiasSekan .

Release v0.55.2

This is a patch release to fix issues in v0.55.1 due to an installer bug and .NET 5 doing an update for the runtime. We deemed important for stability based on incoming rates. See v0.55.0 for full release notes.

• #16203 - Installer didn't handle when a newer version was released for .NET 5

Installer SHA256 Hash

5EDA6DAF8A5312D54D1B138A0CF06FE7584B1E353436DF32D9AF553AB663B631

Release v0.55.1

This is a patch release to fix issues in v0.55.0 we deemed important for stability based on user feedback. See v0.55.0 for full release notes. We'd like to thank everyone to help us diagnose and fix these.

• #15910 - Shortcut keys retain taken after disabled for Shortcut Guide, Mouse highlighter, Mouse pointer crosshair. This was a bug we had for a while but with the increased mouse utilities using the shared code path, it was just noticed.
• #15450 - Fixing a bug where settings wasn't properly saving. This bug was introduced with 0.53 installer update and now is fixed with 0.55.1.
• #15487 - After install, PT won't automatically start as admin unless dont-elevate arg is used. This bug was introduced with 0.53 installer update and now is fixed with 0.55.1.
• #15869 - Removed a dead code path and unused DLL
• #15885 - Mouse pointer crosshairs crashing race condition bug.
• #15348, #15488 - Small UX fixes for helping wayfind.
• #15887 - Revert part of a Window Walker improvements in #6084 that did a IsCloak check. This impacted virtual desktop users.

Installer SHA256 Hash

C470EECA26AEBBDB28BF7D35694065C1897A123A64FB5103033FC23207D6C4A5

Release v0.55.0

The v0.55 release cycle continued our progress toward getting PowerToys ARM64 ready, fix some top issues and new utilities. Work from last month helped us enable us to upgrade the code base to .NET 5 and next month onward to .NET 6. This will provide stability and speed improvements.

We're also extremely excited to bring on 3 new PowerToy utilities.

• File Explorer add-on: Developer files for preview pane. This should add about 150 file extensions total. We are using the Monaco Editor to power this experience. Thanks @aaron-junker!
• File Explorer add-on: STL file format thumbnail generation! Since STL is a common 3D file format, this allows a quick visual check. Thanks @pedrolamas! Preview pane support is already in Windows.
• Mouse Utility: Crosshair over pointer via Ctrl+Alt+P. This feature was co-developed with the accessibility team at Microsoft. When the team told us about the idea and described trying to find your cursor by looking through a straw, we knew we could leverage code from the other mouse utilities to quickly enable this feature. Below is a quote from one of the testers with a rough validation build:

"This will change my life and allow me to use any PC without constantly losing the pointer. This is huge! I will be able to work at my normal speed again. It is a total game changer for people with visual field impairments!" – Joanna A.

Installer Hash

2241C78386D6347AAE2EDA9AD16A980DB00F596038FDE1A176838F24302A2D07

Change log

General

• .NET runtime is now on 5, our next release will be upgraded to .NET 6. Moving to .NET 5 and then 6 helped reduce our moving parts in a single release so we went this route. Why this is important is this is one of the major work items needed for ARM64 support. In addition, this should help provide a speed boosts once we are on .NET 6.
• @jsoref's spelling plugin help

Always on Top

• Fixed one of two borders showing incorrectly bugs.
• Border defaults to OS accent color now. Thanks @davidegiacometti
• Reduced CPU / GPU activity. Not done improving, we know we can do better.

FancyZones

• Bug fixed to not lose zones after update
• Fixed editor margin issue for Chinese language. Thanks @niels9001

File explorer add-ons

• GCode thumbnails now have transparency. Thanks @pedrolamas
• New Utility - Developer files for File Explorer preview pane. This should add about 150 file extensions total. We are using the Monaco Editor to power this experience. Thanks @aaron-junker!
• New Utility - STL thumbnails added! Preview pane support is already in Windows. Thanks @pedrolamas!

Image Resizer

• Fixed bug with too much meta data. Thanks @CleanCodeDeveloper
• Fixed bug resizing bug for constant height while maintaining aspect ratio. Thanks @CleanCodeDeveloper

Mouse utilities

• New Utility - Crosshair over pointer via Ctrl+Alt+P. This feature was co-developed with the accessibility team at Microsoft. Thanks @niels9001 for helping with the icon!

PowerRename

• Files are sorted now how File Explorer sorts.

PowerToys Run

• Improved speed and fixed bugs with Window walker plugin. Thanks @htcfreek
• Window Walker will now show path of elevated apps. Thanks @davidegiacometti
• Added UEFI command to system commands. Thanks @htcfreek
• Fixed crashing bug in EnvironmentHelper class. Thanks @htcfreek
• Fix URI plugin bug with ^:. Thanks @franky920920
• VS Code plugin not showing workspaces with latest Code version was corrected. Thanks @ricardosantos9521
• Fixed bug that caused plugins to not load. Thanks @davidegiacometti
• Fixed crash in Uri plugin and Web search plugin. Thanks @cyberrex5!

Settings

• Fixed a regression with settings being reset when moving from admin to non-admin

Video Conference Mute

• Fixed crashing bug with Zoom and other clients. We found someone we could remotely debug with and identify the actual crashing part.
• Change of behavior: When leaving a meeting, VCM will now leave your microphone in the state it was. This mimics behavior of applications if VCM was not present.
• Change of behavior: When you exit PowerToys, your current microphone state will remain.

Community contributions

We'd like to directly mention certain contributors (in alphabetical order) for their continued community support this month and helping directly make PowerToys a better piece of software.
@Aaron-Junker, @bdoserror, @CleanCodeDeveloper, @cyberrex5, @davidegiacometti, @edwinzap, @franky920920, @jay-o-way, @jsoref, @niels9001, and @ricardosantos9521

Release v0.53.3

This is a patch release to fix issues in v0.53.3 we deemed important for stability based on user feedback. See v0.53.1 for full release notes.

• #15364 - PowerToys Run perf regression due to disabling list virtualization to improve scroll speed on some computers
• #15305 - PowerToys Run Uri plugin had an exception with a bad format.
• #15344 - PowerToys Run crashes due to duplicate key. This was due to community driven plugin having the same name as one of our plugins.

Installer SHA256 Hash

4CA9B08C66AF900C062956EDE0887DE804CD8DCF0F561BC2FC1CB73038883132

Release v0.53.1

The v0.53 release cycle was designed for a maintenance sprint but with some amazing community support, it is loaded with greatness. We're still working on improving the installer but this should drastically improve things. 3 things you will want to check out are G-code support in file explorer preview pane and thumbnails, the new web search plugin from PowerToys Run via ?? action phrase, and the new Always on Top utility via Win+Ctrl+T.

Installer Hash

D7D37972E7C9C090779671B04AA9894AFFC29A8429F26987DF493BFE5F1520D4

Change log

Things to be aware of

• The new installer currently has a visual quirk when upgrade if you have a custom install path. It will show the default install path but it will actually overwrite the current location. We are investigating how to fix this.

Always on Top

• Welcome to the family! With a quick Win+Ctrl+T, the window in focus is toggled to be on top. Toggle again, and it reverts back to normal.

ColorPicker

• HEX input improvements for adjust color menu including support for hex code without hashtag and short hex code like #CF0. Thanks @htcfreek!
• Better bottom right screen detection for overlay

FancyZones

• Increased negative space margin
• Fix for not snapping child windows
• Fix for clearing keyboard focus on editor launch
• Fix to improve overlays to reduce brightness and hide numbers. Thanks @davidegiacometti

File Explorer

• Added G-code support for thumbnails and preview pane. Thanks @pedrolamas

Image Resizer

• Fixed regression from Metadata tag removal of ColorSpace. Thanks @CleanCodeDeveloper

PowerRename

• Row highlighting + preview support now implemented. Thanks @niels9001
• Fixed AltGR input issue
• Improved folder renaming support
• Opens on active monitor

PowerToys Run

• Web searching has been added! ?? What is the answer to life will go to your favorite search engine via your browser. You can change the default action key too! Thanks @cyberrex5 for primary implementation and @franky920920 and @htcfreek for supporting
• VS Code workspace improvements. Thanks @ricardosantos9521
• Binary and Hex number support. Thanks @gsuberland
• Ability to use factorials in calculations
• PT Run will not show in Window Walker results anymore. Thanks @davidegiacometti
• Fix log / ln calculations
• Fix to make previous results clear
• Fix to detect symlinks and prevent recursive loops
• Fix for trackpad scrolling being too fast
• Removed unneeded nuget package. Thanks @ChaseKnowlden
• Better detection for if a packaged app can be elevated
• Improve crash resiliency for Program plugin. Thanks @davidegiacometti
• Improved Windows setting results. Thanks @htcfreek
• Fixed a bug where some similar activation phrases aren't working as expected. Thanks @htcfreek and @cyberrex5.

Video conference mute

• Disabled by default as this requires elevation to register the virtual camera.
• Changed (default) hotkey for mute camera & microphone from Win+N to Win+Shift+Q to not conflict with a Windows 11 keyboard shortcut

Settings

• Multiple accessibility, layout, image, string and icons fixes. Thanks @niels9001

Runner

• Improved mutex support to prevent multiple PT Run instances from running

Installer

• NOTE: The new installer currently has a visual quirk when upgrade if you have a custom install path. It will show the default install path but it will actually overwrite the current location. We are investigating how to fix this.
• Large progress toward user based installing vs machine wide. Upgrade scenario still needs additional work.
• Removed custom bootstrapper and now are using a WiX bundle.
• Removed unused image assets that were still being shipped. Thanks @niels9001

ARM64 support

• Setting WinUI3 proof-of-concept and validate we do need at least one more feature, elevation support from WinUI 3 unpackaged applications.

Dev improvements

• New YAML based pipeline for building our signed installer. This will allow us to consolidate our CI to use same file. This was critical for us to unblock ARM64 and .NET 6 migration.
• Our submodules will no longer auto fetch to prevent locking issues. If you want a refresher on how to do this, head to our dev docs
• Localization system shifted to Touchdown from CDPx. This should remove many of the loc issues.
• Consolidated a lot of the naming of EXEs and DLLs along with projects
• Update to spell checker. Thanks @jsoref
• /dup response has been added
• /reportbug /bugreport will ask for a "report bug" zip

Community contributions

We'd like to directly mention certain contributors (in alphabetical order) for their continued community support this month and helping directly make PowerToys a better piece of software.
@Aaron-Junker, @ChaseKnowlden, @CleanCodeDeveloper, @cyberrex5, @davidegiacometti, @franky920920, @gsuberland, @jay-o-way, @jsoref, @niels9001, and @ricardosantos9521

Release v0.51.1

This is a patch release to fix issues in v0.51.1 we deemed important for stability based on user feedback. See v0.51.0 for full release notes.

• #13214 - FZ losing layouts due to VirtualDesktopManager init
• #14701- PT Run due to duplicate older plugins

Installer SHA256 Hash

CDD2C65A30017DA05A0BF5A8B144DB8E523E17225FD180FFC3BD4C8B81F72994