There is no doubt that one of the best ideas Microsoft ever had in recent years, it has been the PowerToys. Once mastered, these functions can dramatically change a wide range of tasks. The new ones that we explain to you have been recently added.
Get as plain text
For those who often copy and paste a lot of text in their daily lives, especially from web pages, having the opportunity to paste as plain text is really useful. Because that saves us all kinds of problems of code and transfers of elements that we do not want to take with us in the process. If the classic keyboard shortcut to paste is Ctrl + V, what you have to do in this case is press that same combination with the addition of the Windows key. By doing this, any formatting the text might have will be removed.
boundless mouse
Known in English as Mouse Without Borders in English, this function tries to transform your mouse into a control unit that you can use without any kind of border. More exactly, what this tool does is that you can control four different computers from the same mouse. It is up to you to decide in what type of situation you can use it, but surely within the professional field there are a large number of ways in which it can be used.
To use it you just have to update PowerToys to the latest version. Then open the function on the computer that will serve as the main one and click on New Key. That will generate a security key that you will have to use to connect all the devices. Afterwards, you will only have to go to the edge of the screen to bring the mouse to each of the computers.
file locksmith
With File Locksmith there is a solution to one of those uncomfortable situations that nobody likes to experience: the moment in which you try to delete a file, but the system tells you that not possible because another process has it in use. What to do in this type of case? The function will support you so that you can right-click on the file and choose the option “What does this file use?”. Then you will have the opportunity to finish the task with the intention of being able to delete the document in question.
Hosts File Editor
Until now, if any user wanted to edit the Windows Hosts file, it was necessary to resort to Notepad and it was tedious, as well as complicated. So Microsoft has found a way to implement a PowerToy feature that fixes it. This Hosts File Editor tool has an easy to use interface that will allow you to ensure that you carry out useful actions such as blocking access to certain web pages.
mouse jump
Many users who have computers with ultra-wide monitors complained about how difficult it was to move the mouse from one side of the screen to the other except by activating a super fast displacement, which is not recommended either because in short distances it is unmanageable. The solution is Mouse Jump, this function helps you move the mouse pointer from one part to another with speed and with a good level of control. It’s also something you can use if you have a multi-monitor setup.
Other New PowerToys
As you can see, Microsoft is adding a lot of features to get the most out of Windows. And the truth is that PowerToys are not used as much as they should, possibly because the company still does not promote them much. Nevertheless, they can make a difference.
Among the latest developments that we have not commented on, there is also a preview tool, Peek, which is very useful. With it, what you can do is enjoy a little peek before uploading the files, something in which Microsoft has been inspired by one of the classic functions of macOS. In addition to this, you can’t bypass the Registry file previewer either, which will make it easy for you to open .reg files.