The Microsoft PowerToys Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Microsoft PowerToys in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Microsoft PowerToys
The Insider’s Guide
Free Microsoft utilities for customizing Windows 10 and 11
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among desktop utilities, read from Microsoft PowerToys’s own pages.
Made by Microsoft · checked Oct 5, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02Insider tipsWhat most people miss: ways to pay less, settings worth changing and the catches
- 03What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 04What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 05Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 06The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 07Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 08About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Microsoft PowerToys’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Microsoft PowerToys’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 5, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.8
GPA, above 57 of the 94 other desktop utilities we grade
Microsoft PowerToys is a free, open-source collection of more than 30 utilities for Windows 10 and 11, developed by Microsoft on GitHub under the MIT license. It bundles a window layout manager (FancyZones), a keyboard launcher (Command Palette), key and shortcut remapping, bulk file renaming, a color picker, on-screen text extraction and more. Individual utilities can be enabled or disabled from one settings app.
To get you started, here are 8 things to know about Microsoft PowerToys, taken from its own pages and our grades.
Apps running elevated need PowerToys run as administrator before FancyZones will snap them.
- 1
Best for a free box of Windows extras from Microsoft
You switch on the ones you want and set them up yourself.
- 2
It is free
Microsoft PowerToys has no paid plan at all. Every utility is free and open source; there is no paid edition. Optional AI pasting can incur usage charges from the model provider you connect.
- 3
It runs on Windows
Windows.
- 4
FancyZones
A window manager for custom zone layouts. Hold Shift while dragging a window to snap it into a zone, or let Win+arrow keys move windows between zones. Layouts are built in a grid or canvas editor.
- 5
Command Palette
A launcher opened with Win+Alt+Space that starts apps, runs commands, searches files and the web, calculates and switches windows. Community extensions install from a built-in Extension Gallery.
- 6
Keyboard Manager
Remaps single keys and shortcuts, globally or for one app, and can map a key or shortcut to a text sequence, an app launch or a URI.
- 7
A 2.8 GPA, above 57 of 94
That is against the other desktop utilities we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 8
Keep it
Microsoft PowerToys is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
Microsoft PowerToys at a glance
- Pricing
- Free
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Windows
- Made by
- Microsoft
- Category
- Desktop Utilities
- Our grade
- 2.8 GPA, good
The report card
Best for a free box of Windows extras from Microsoft
PowerToys is Microsoft's free, open-source set of more than 30 Windows utilities, from window layouts to key remapping to bulk renaming. You switch on the ones you want and set them up yourself. Key remaps stop when PowerToys isn't running, don't work at the log-in screen and can't differ by keyboard, FancyZones can't snap some apps, AI pasting needs your own API key that may cost money, and there's nothing for Mac or Linux.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A | It costs nothing. Every utility is free and open source under the MIT licence, a download anyone can run, with no paid edition to be nudged towards. |
| Free plan and trial | A | All of it is free, from GitHub, the Microsoft Store or WinGet, with no cap anywhere. The one thing that can cost money is pasting with AI, and only if you connect an online model provider that charges for usage. |
| Features | B | More than 30 utilities in one install, covering jobs people usually buy separate apps for: window layouts, a launcher, key remapping, bulk renaming, a colour picker, OCR off the screen. What keeps it off top marks is the rough edges, like remaps that stop when PowerToys isn't running. |
| Ease of use | C | No store rating on record, and there's setting up to do: you enable the utilities you want, draw FancyZones layouts in its grid or canvas editor, and define your own remaps. Apps running elevated need PowerToys run as administrator before FancyZones will snap them. |
| Platforms and integrations | D | Windows only: Windows 11, or Windows 10 version 2004 or newer, on x64 or ARM64. Advanced Paste can connect to OpenAI, Azure OpenAI, Mistral or Ollama, and it installs through WinGet. Nothing for Mac or Linux. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Microsoft PowerToys is for
- Fits if you want window layouts, a launcher and key remapping from one free install
- Works for people who rename files in bulk or resize images from the right-click menu
Who it is not for
- Skip it if you're on a Mac or Linux, or on Windows 10 older than version 2004
- Not for you if you need key remaps at the log-in screen, per keyboard, or with PowerToys closed
- Tight if you wanted AI pasting to just work: it's off by default, and online providers need your own API key and may charge
- Watch out: FancyZones can't snap some apps, and elevated apps need PowerToys run as administrator
Good to know
Good for
- Windows users who want window layouts, a launcher and key remapping from one free install
- Developers and power users who work mostly from the keyboard
- People who prefer open-source tools published by the maker of the operating system
Worth knowing
- Windows only: it needs Windows 11 or Windows 10 version 2004 or newer on a 64-bit x64 or ARM64 processor.
- Paste with AI is off by default and needs a model provider; online providers require your own API key and may charge for usage.
- Keyboard Manager remaps apply only while PowerToys is running, do not work on the log-in screen and cannot differ between keyboards.
- FancyZones cannot snap some listed apps, and apps running elevated need PowerToys to run as administrator.
Part 02 · Tips
Insider tips
What most people miss: ways to pay less, settings worth changing and the catches
7
Things most people miss, each from its own help pages
The things about Microsoft PowerToys that are easy to miss until they cost you: ways to pay less, settings worth changing and the catches at renewal or when you leave. Each one is from Microsoft PowerToys’s own pages, linked beside it.
Read on Oct 17, 2026. Read from Microsoft's PowerToys documentation (general settings, administrator mode, Awake, Always On Top, Peek and mouse utilities) on 17 October 2026. Not tried out: these tips are what its own pages say.
- 1
Easy to miss
Awake keeps your PC up without touching your power plan
Turn on Awake and pick indefinitely, for a set time, or until a date and time. Your screens still switch off unless you also turn on Keep screen on. It doesn't work at the lock screen, so for a locked PC Microsoft says to change the power plan itself.
learn.microsoft.com - 2
Shortcut
Win+Ctrl+T pins any window on top
Always On Top pins the active window above the rest, and the same keys unpin it. Its settings can add it to every window's title bar menu too. One catch: it can't promise to sit above Remote Desktop, Citrix or VMware windows, which may already be topmost.
learn.microsoft.com - 3
Shortcut
Lost the cursor? Press Ctrl twice
Find My Mouse shines a spotlight on the pointer when you press Left or Right Ctrl twice, shake the mouse or use a shortcut you set. Mouse Highlighter, which shows your clicks on a screen share, turns on and off with Win+Shift+H.
learn.microsoft.com - 4
Easy to miss
Select a file and press Space to preview it
Since PowerToys 0.95, Peek opens with Space in File Explorer. Arrow keys move through the folder, Enter opens the file in its usual app, and Delete sends it to the Recycle Bin after a check you can turn off. Pin the window to keep its size.
learn.microsoft.com - 5
Leaving
Pick a backup folder before you move to a new PC
In General settings, Back up & restore lets you choose where PowerToys saves your settings, and restore them from an existing backup. So a new PC doesn't mean setting every utility up again. It also backs up settings.json before each update and restores it if the update breaks it.
learn.microsoft.com - 6
Privacy
Diagnostic data can be switched off in General settings
Under General, Diagnostics & feedback, you can turn the collection of diagnostic data on or off, and look at the data itself. The same spot builds a bug report package if you ever need to send one in.
learn.microsoft.com - 7
Setting
Restart as administrator when asked, not always
Some utilities can't work with elevated windows, like snapping Task Manager in FancyZones. Microsoft's recommended fix is Restart as administrator on the General tab when PowerToys warns you. It advises against Always run as administrator unless you really need it.
learn.microsoft.com
Part 03 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
Free
No paid plan at all
Microsoft PowerToys is free to use.
Every utility is free and open source under the MIT licence, a download anyone can run, with no paid edition to be nudged towards.
PowerToys
$0
All utilities, installed from GitHub, the Microsoft Store or WinGet. Free and open source under the MIT license.
The free plan
Every utility is free and open source; there is no paid edition. Optional AI pasting can incur usage charges from the model provider you connect.
Read from learn.microsoft.com on Oct 5, 2026.
Part 04 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Windows
Free Microsoft utilities for customizing Windows 10 and 11. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: open source, AI features, keyboard-first, launcher, window management, file management, keyboard and mouse remapping.
What keeps it off top marks is the rough edges, like remaps that stop when PowerToys isn't running.
- FancyZones
- A window manager for custom zone layouts. Hold Shift while dragging a window to snap it into a zone, or let Win+arrow keys move windows between zones. Layouts are built in a grid or canvas editor.
- Command Palette
- A launcher opened with Win+Alt+Space that starts apps, runs commands, searches files and the web, calculates and switches windows. Community extensions install from a built-in Extension Gallery.
- Keyboard Manager
- Remaps single keys and shortcuts, globally or for one app, and can map a key or shortcut to a text sequence, an app launch or a URI.
- Advanced Paste
- Pastes clipboard content as plain text, Markdown, JSON or a file, extracts text from images with local OCR, and can transform text through an optional AI provider that you configure.
- File Explorer tools
- PowerRename renames files in bulk with search and replace or regular expressions, Image Resizer resizes images from the right-click menu, and File Locksmith shows which processes are using a file.
- Screen and text tools
- Color Picker samples colors anywhere on screen, Text Extractor copies on-screen text with OCR, Screen Ruler measures pixels, and ZoomIt zooms, annotates and records the screen for presentations.
Where it runs
- Windows
What it works with
- OpenAI
- Azure OpenAI
- Mistral
- Ollama
- Foundry Local
- WinGet
- Windows Terminal
Microsoft PowerToys is made by Microsoft.
Part 05 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
57/94
Other desktop utilities it is graded above
Microsoft PowerToys's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 57 of the 94 other desktop utilities we grade, and level with 26.
It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 49 of 94) and worst on platforms and integrations (D, above 0).
Microsoft PowerToys has no paid plan.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.0 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 95 desktop utilities we grade, cut by the letter each got. Microsoft PowerToys’s own letter is outlined.
- AValue for moneyAbove 24 of 94
- AFree plan and trialAbove 49 of 94
- BFeaturesAbove 72 of 94
- CEase of useAbove 6 of 94
- DPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 94
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 55 desktop utilities. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Microsoft PowerToys is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
Microsoft PowerToys is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces.
What you could not
- Control over other apps' windows.
- A launcher wired into the operating system.
- Keys and buttons remapped below the level of apps.
- A file manager working directly on your disk.
- A real app for Windows. Something home-made would be a web page.
- It plugs into other products, OpenAI, Azure OpenAI and Mistral among them.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Microsoft PowerToys’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 06 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Raycast, Flow Launcher, AutoHotkey, DisplayFusion and Komorebi
The 5 tools Microsoft PowerToys is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.8GPA
Raycast
Free plan · from $96/yr
Keyboard launcher with extensions, clipboard history and AI.
- Only Raycast lists macOS and iOS apps.
- Only Raycast lists a browser extension.
- Microsoft PowerToys is open source, according to its own site.
- 3.0GPA
Flow Launcher
Free
Free, open-source app launcher and file search for Windows.
- Microsoft PowerToys also covers window management and keyboard and mouse remapping.
- Flow Launcher also covers calculator.
- 2.6GPA
AutoHotkey
Free
Free, open-source scripting language for Windows automation.
- Microsoft PowerToys also covers launcher, window management and file management.
- AutoHotkey also covers workflow automation and text expansion.
- 2.4GPA
DisplayFusion
Free plan · from $34 one-time
Multi-monitor taskbars, wallpaper and window control for Windows.
- Microsoft PowerToys is open source, according to its own site.
- DisplayFusion can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Microsoft PowerToys also covers launcher, file management and keyboard and mouse remapping.
- 2.0GPA
Komorebi
Free plan · from $10/mo
Tiling window manager for Windows, with a separate Mac version.
- Only Komorebi lists a macOS app.
- Microsoft PowerToys is open source, according to its own site.
- Microsoft PowerToys also covers launcher, file management and keyboard and mouse remapping.
Part 07 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
12
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Microsoft PowerToys free?
Yes. Microsoft PowerToys is free to use.
How much does Microsoft PowerToys cost?
Microsoft PowerToys lists one plan. PowerToys: $0.
What platforms does Microsoft PowerToys work on?
Microsoft PowerToys is available on Windows.
Does Microsoft PowerToys have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 5, 2026. Microsoft PowerToys is listed for Windows.
Does Microsoft PowerToys have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 5, 2026. Microsoft PowerToys is listed for Windows.
Is Microsoft PowerToys open source?
Yes. Microsoft PowerToys is open source, according to its own site.
What does Microsoft PowerToys integrate with?
Microsoft PowerToys's listing names OpenAI, Azure OpenAI, Mistral, Ollama, Foundry Local, WinGet and Windows Terminal.
Who makes Microsoft PowerToys?
Microsoft PowerToys is made by Microsoft.
What are the alternatives to Microsoft PowerToys?
The closest alternatives to Microsoft PowerToys in our directory are Raycast, Flow Launcher, AutoHotkey, DisplayFusion and Komorebi.
How does Microsoft PowerToys compare with other desktop utilities?
Microsoft PowerToys's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 57 of the 94 other desktop utilities we grade, and level with 26.
Is Microsoft PowerToys good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Microsoft PowerToys A for value for money. Microsoft PowerToys has no paid plan.
Could I make my own version of Microsoft PowerToys?
Microsoft PowerToys is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Microsoft PowerToys’s own pages on Oct 5, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Microsoft's own pages on 5 October 2026. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-02-18.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Microsoft. Prices change, so check learn.microsoft.com before you buy.
- learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/powertoys/
- learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/powertoys/install
- learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/powertoys/fancyzones
- learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/powertoys/command-palette/overview
- learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/powertoys/keyboard-manager
- learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/powertoys/advanced-paste
- github.com/microsoft/PowerToys
Part 08 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Microsoft PowerToys, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/microsoft-powertoys
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Microsoft PowerToys: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 5, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/microsoft-powertoys
Know someone choosing between desktop utilities?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/microsoft-powertoys/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded desktop utilities after Microsoft PowerToys, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Desktop Utilities Insider's GuideEvery one of the 95 desktop utilities we grade, compared
- LocalSend Insider's GuideOpen-source file sharing between nearby devices, no cloud3.2 GPA
- Ninite Insider's GuideInstalls and updates many Windows apps at once3.2 GPA
- 7-Zip Insider's GuideFree, open-source file archiver with the 7z format3.0 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Microsoft PowerToys’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Microsoft PowerToys is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Microsoft. Prices and plans change: check learn.microsoft.com before you buy.