PowerToys now lets you keep your Windows PC awake on-demand

What you need to know

• The latest update to PowerToys lets you keep your computer awake on-demand.
• The feature is a useful option for developers compiling files or video editors who may want to leave their PC running.
• The update also includes a lengthy list of changes, including an updated Color Picker.

PowerToys is an app built for power users on Windows. It includes features like PowerRename, a built-in color picker, and FancyZones for more complex snapping of windows. Two new updates recently rolled out for PowerToys, though the most recent update just includes one additional stability improvement over its predecessor.

The biggest addition in the updates is the ability to keep a PC awake on-demand. This is a useful tool for anyone that needs to leave their computer on without any interaction, such as video editors rendering a video. Being able to keep a PC awake on-demand means you don't have to swap your computer's power plan each time you need it to stay awake.

The latest update to PowerToys brings the app to v0.41.3, which includes a fix for a stability issue in v0.41.2. Version 0.41.2 has a lengthy list of changes:

Change log

• Shortcut guide removed support for long Win press to activate. Now supports Win + ? by default
• Turned off FancyZones canvas editor magnetic snapping to allow keyboard support
• Updated Color Picker GIF for OOBE. Thanks @niels9001!
• Removed outdated MSIX code
• Upgraded all projects to Modern WPF 0.94
• Dropped support for the module interface API to save settings
• Removed Winstore dependency

General

• Improved auto-update experience in PowerToys Settings
• Updated general bug report information to be more robust
• Improved settings layout for radio button groups. Updated images and menu for OOBE. Thanks @niels9001!
• Localization updates

Awake

• New Awake utility added! Power-Users can now keep their computer awake on-demand without having to manage its power settings. Huge thank you to @dend

Color Picker

• Improvements to Color Picker's zoom functionality. Thanks @DoctorNefario
• Prevent duplicate colors from appearing in selection history
• Improved UX to better support keyboard navigation. Thanks @niels9001!
• Fixed OOBE hotkey description. Thanks @coc0a

FancyZones

• Full keyboard support for canvas editor's main window and context. Thanks @niels9001
• New support for faster layout selection by double clicking a desired layout from the editor to automatically apply it and dismiss the editor.
• New zone activation behavior allows users to snap a window to the zone who's center is closest to the cursor. Thanks @ulazy1!
• Added process icon for FancyZones.
• Fixed issue with zoning minimized windows.
• Fixed a bunch of accessibility bugs
• Now an independent exe, detached from the runner process.

File Explorer Add-Ons

• Adjusted Markdown newline behavior to be less strict so the add-on behaves more like GitHub implementations
• Fixed bug with custom size option where leaving a height/width value blank caused the output to be a 1 x 1 square pixel. Now the blank value automatically adjusts to the height/width that was set.

Image Resizer

• Fixed bug where specifying a width but no height generated a 1x1 px image instead of auto-adjusting the height. Thanks @davidegiacometti!

PowerRename

• Fixed File Explorer crash when running PowerRename

PowerToys Run

• Multiple crashing bugs resolved.
• New Unit Converter plugin! Activate in the query prompt with the default activation phrase %%. Ex: %% 10 ft in m. Thanks @jsoref and @ThiefZero!
• New Windows Settings plugin! Search for specific Windows settings from PowerToys Run by utilizing the default activation phrase $ followed by the desired setting. Ex: $ Add/Remove Programs or $ Device:. Thanks @TobiasSekan and @htcfreek.
• Updated the URL plugin to enable quickly launching the default browser with the action keyword, which defaults to //.
• Added remainder/modulo support for Calculator plugin via % operator.
• Faster launching from improved Win32 program indexing. Thanks @royvou!
• Search text results now highlight matched characters from input. Thanks @niels9001!

Settings / Welcome to PowerToys

• Fixed Color Picker's key-binding information

Shortcut Guide

Customize key-binding from settings menu Took Shortcut guide out of the runner process to remove unnecessary interdependencies

Installer

• Updated .NET Core dependency to 3.1.15
• Reduced the network traffic by making the updater not download files when they're already cached

You can grab the latest version of PowerToys now through its GitHub page.