24 PCWorld APRIL 2020NEWS WINDOWS 10’S FIRST POWERTOYS APP
Now you don’t have to.
Microsoft’s
PowerToys were a
beloved staple of the
Windows 95 era,
allowing users to add
vetted extensions to the
basic operating system.
Others, like SyncToy’s
tool for syncing folders
(go.pcworld.com/stot),
emerged as PowerToys
for Windows XP and
Vista. Now, PowerToys is
back, and each app even has the code
available on GitHub for suggested
modifications. There are two initial
PowerToys apps: a Shortcut Guide, and the
FancyZones app. You’ll need to download
the PowerToys installer (go.pcworld.com/
ptin), then select which apps you’ll want to
install. You don’t even need to be on a
Windows 10 Insider build to get it—this is
open to anyone.
The Shortcut Guide is basically a cheat
sheet to what’s going on in your Windows
screen. With the Shortcut guide enabled,
depressing the Windows key for more than a
second will turn on the available Windows
shortcuts for what you’re currently seeing on
your screen. The implication is that Shortcut
Guide is somewhat context-aware, and will
display what action those shortcuts will take
given the current state of the desktop andactive window. If, after you’ve triggered an
action, you still hold down the Windows key,
those shortcuts will adjust to reflect what
you’re seeing.FANCYZONES INCLUDES
SNAP TEMPLATES, OR YOU
CAN CREATE YOUR OWN
When you Snap a window to the side or
corner of the screen, what you’re doing is
telling the window to shrink (or expand) to a
predefined region of the screen. What
FancyZones does is allow you to select from a
list of templates of predefined zones, or you
can create your own.
In effect, it allows you to create your own
version of Windows Snap, so that you can
snap apps to cascading windows, or to
regions on the screen.
What’s great about the predefinedWindows PowerToys’ Shortcut Guide.