No topic what number of options Microsoft crams into its running gadget, there’ll all the time be customers searching for a quicker, higher, or other means of doing issues — one instance of Microsoft’s acknowledgment of this habits is Microsoft EnergyToys. This unfastened obtain can organize utility home windows, rename recordsdata in bulk, preview document contents, and extra.
This roosho cheat sheet describes every to be had software or characteristic equipped via Microsoft EnergyToys and describes what every gadget application can do.
When used to be Microsoft EnergyToys first made to be had?
This set of moderately bizarre unfastened Windows gear has been part of the Windows running gadget panorama since Windows 95. That first set of 15 unfastened utilities used to be revealed and counseled via Microsoft and made to be had without cost obtain. Their availability used to be noticeably absent for Windows 10 and Windows 11 — a minimum of till September 2019.
With the overall unencumber of Microsoft Windows 11, builders now consult with this mission as Microsoft EnergyToys moderately than Windows 10 EnergyToys.
From the start, EnergyToys have been designed for “power users” who have been in search of tactics to tweak how the running gadget purposes. In some circumstances, green customers have been in a position to make a clumsy exchange whilst the usage of a EnergyToys application, which might wreak havoc inside the Windows running gadget; as such, newbie customers have ceaselessly been inspired to make use of warning.
For essentially the most section, despite the fact that, EnergyToys has allowed customers — whether or not they thought to be themselves energy customers or now not — to extra simply make tweaks to the appear and feel of Windows and not using a deep dive into configuration displays or the scary and perilous edit of the Windows Registry document.
Even within the earliest iterations of EnergyToys, Microsoft introduced customers many treasured functionalities. Windows 95 EnergyToys incorporated:
- TweakUI used to be used for tweaking difficult to understand Windows settings.
- CD Autoplay allowed all CDs to autoplay, now not simply audio CDs.
- Command Prompt Here opened a command urged within the present listing.
- Explore from Here opened File Explorer within the present listing.
- FlexiCD allowed customers to keep watch over audio CDs from the Taskbar.
- Xmouse 1.2 allowed customers to modify window focal point via shifting the mouse cursor, no click on wanted.
Through the years and quite a lot of Windows variations, person EnergyToys have come and long gone. Each Windows model impressed a brand new set of gear in keeping with what builders perceived used to be had to enhance and reinforce that model.
Why are Microsoft EnergyToys vital?
Microsoft EnergyToys supply gear and contours that may make customers of the Windows running gadget extra productive and, via extension, happier. Over the years, many customers have come to rely on a number of of those EnergyToys for his or her day-to-day laptop productiveness. For many energy customers, EnergyToys enhance their high quality of labor and lifestyles.
SEE: Secure Windows 11 programs with this tick list from roosho Premium.
Beyond making customers extra productive, EnergyToys have additionally equipped a glimpse into what options and gear may and must change into an integral a part of the Windows running gadget at some point. Many of those once-separate gear have change into simply some other a part of the running gadget throughout its subsequent iteration.
How can I am getting Microsoft EnergyToys?
Traditionally, every of the Microsoft EnergyToys has been introduced as a separate executable document, to be had as a unfastened obtain from a particular Microsoft web site.
For Windows 10 and Windows 11, Microsoft has taken a moderately other way. All Windows 10 and Windows 11 EnergyToys are actually incorporated as a part of a unfastened downloadable gadget that customers can configure.
The latest model of Microsoft EnergyToys is v0.85.0, to be had on GitHub now. Release 0.85.0 added a brand new application, New+, detailed underneath. The EnergyToys neighborhood mounted some problems and added options for model 0.85.0, together with:
- Select which language the EnergyToys utilities UI presentations in.
- More supported packages were added to Workspaces.
- Cut down at the quantity of reminiscence Peek makes use of.
See the discharge web page for the whole checklist of adjustments.
These EnergyToys are these days to be had:
- Always On Top.
- Awake.
- Color Picker.
- Command Not Found.
- Crop and Lock.
- Environment Variables.
- FancyZones.
- Preview pane and thumbnail rendering for File Explorer.
- File Locksmith.
- Hosts File Editor.
- Image Resizer.
- Keyboard Manager.
- Mouse utilities.
- Mouse Without Borders.
- New+.
- Advanced Paste.
- Peek.
- PowerRename.
- EnergyToys Run.
- EnergyToys Workspaces.
- Quick Accent.
- Registry Preview.
- Screen Ruler.
- Shortcut Guide.
- Text Extractor.
- Video Conference Mute.
SEE: All of roosho’s cheat sheets and sensible individual’s guides
What can Microsoft EnergyToys do?
Here is a listing of to be had Microsoft EnergyToys with a short lived description of what every toy does.
FancyZones
FancyZones lets in customers to regulate the place and the way every utility window this is open on a Windows desktop will show.
SEE: Windows 11 brings the Copilot AI assistant in conjunction with it. (roosho)
For instance, it is advisable to use FancyZones to arrange a Windows 10 desktop the place Outlook all the time presentations at the right-hand aspect of the desktop, Twitter or different social media all the time presentations at the left-hand aspect of the desktop, and Word or Excel all the time presentations within the center between the opposite two. There can be 3 distinct and perpetual zones displayed all the time.
Windows key Shortcut Guide
The Windows key Shortcut Guide presentations all the to be had keyboard shortcuts for the present Windows desktop. This EnergyToy is activated via conserving the Windows key down for the period of time specified within the software’s configuration settings. The default is 900ms.
With this selection, customers don’t have to bear in mind such a lot of Windows key-related shortcut combos.
PowerRename
The PowerRename Windows EnergyToy supplies customers with complex gear for bulk renaming of recordsdata. The toy extends the Windows Shell Context Menu so as to add an access for PowerRename to File Explorer.
With PowerRename enabled, easy seek and change or extra robust common expression matching are added for your toolset for the majority renaming procedure. A preview space is displayed as you carry out seek and change procedures, so you’ll see how document names will exchange prior to beginning the motion.
SEE: How to batch rename recordsdata in Windows 10 with the EnergyToys PowerRename software
Preview Pane add-ons for File Explorer
This Windows EnergyToy expands at the Preview Pane characteristic already to be had in the usual File Explorer utility via including further document sorts. Preview Pane add-ons for File Explorer permit customers to preview the contents of a document after clicking it in File Explorer with out in fact opening the document.
Version 0.16.0 provides preview beef up for Scalable Vector Graphics (.svg) and Markdown (.md) recordsdata. Subsequent EnergyToys releases have added extra document sorts, together with supply code recordsdata and geometric code.
Image Resizer
The Image Resizer Windows EnergyToy provides extra capability to File Explorer via permitting customers to use bulk symbol resizing. Users can make a choice photographs in File Explorer after which make a choice the brand new Resize Pictures merchandise at the context menu, printed with a right-click on any symbol.
Window Walker
The Window Walker Windows EnergyToy is designed to be an alternative choice to the usual Alt-Tab characteristic in Windows 10 and Windows 11. Users press the CTRL-Windows key aggregate as an alternative of Alt-Tab to drag up a seek field. Users then input key phrases into the quest field to slender down the these days open apps and displays on their desktop.
SEE: How to search out open apps with the Window Walker software in Windows 10 EnergyToys
EnergyToys Run
EnergyToys Run acts as a handy guide a rough launcher on Windows. It is some other extension of the ALT-Tab idea and faucets into the Windows document indexing gadget. To turn on the software, use the keyboard aggregate ALT-Space and get started typing the identify of your required utility.
EnergyToys Run will seek the gadget and get started record imaginable packages in keeping with your seek word. When the appliance you need seems, click on or faucet to run.
SEE: How to make use of Windows 10 EnergyToys Run to open packages, folders, and recordsdata
EnergyToys Workspaces
EnergyToys Workspaces allows customers to release a couple of packages into preset window configurations on the similar time. For instance, it may possibly routinely position Visual Studio Code subsequent to a browser to avoid wasting time when putting in place each packages. Workspaces configurations can also be arrange in a couple of tactics: from Workspaces Editor or from a desktop shortcut. Doing so within the Workspaces Editor lets in for some further customizations, corresponding to routinely making use of “launch as admin” modifiers.
Keyboard Manager
The Keyboard Manager utility in Microsoft EnergyToys is an easy keyboard remapper. Run the appliance from the EnergyToys menu and both remap a unmarried key in your keyboard or remap a shortcut keyboard aggregate. Whatever you remap will stay lively so long as Keyboard Manager is enabled and EnergyToys is operating within the background.
Color Picker
Color Picker used to be contributed to the Microsoft EnergyToys mission via Martin Chrzan. The application means that you can establish any colour in your display via both its HEX or RGB code after which save that data to the Windows clipboard for later use. It is an easy software, however it may possibly save time and save you frustration for builders and content material creators running on colour design.
Video Conference Mute
As various organizations shifted to faraway paintings buildings throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, many people now depend on video teleconferencing for paintings and faculty interactions and collaboration. The Video Conference Mute software in Microsoft EnergyToys means that you can mute the audio and video in your PC with a unmarried key aggregate.
You might mute each audio and video on the similar time or independently. The similar key aggregate will toggle the audio and video again to the on place. The Video Conference Mute software works without reference to what app you’re the usage of or what app is these days within the foreground.
Awake
The Microsoft EnergyToys software Awake used to be contributed to the EnergyToys mission via the neighborhood, with attribution given to Den Delimarsky. Awake lets in customers to stay their laptop wakeful on-demand with no need to regulate its energy settings.
Mouse utilities
Mouse utilities have been contributed to the Microsoft EnergyToys mission via Raymond Chen. Mouse utilities come with a selection of options that reinforce the mouse and cursor capability on Windows programs.
With two consecutive presses of the Left CTRL key, Find My Mouse will find your mouse cursor and spotlight its present place with a halo. Pressing the Esc key will brush aside the spotlight. The Find My Mouse characteristic turns out to be useful for displays on massive presentations when you wish to have to attract the target market’s consideration to a particular space of the display.
Always on Top
Always on Top lets in customers to designate the appliance window these days in focal point as “always on top” with a keyboard shortcut toggle.
Regardless of what instructions, mouse clicks or different inputs are produced from that time on, the designated window will stay at the leading edge, superseding every other open home windows till Always on Top is toggled off. The default keyboard shortcut for the Always on Top toggle is Windows Key + CTRL + T.
Screen Ruler
The Microsoft EnergyToys application Screen Ruler is a handy guide a rough and simple technique to measure the pixels represented in your computer screen. The software is easiest for figuring out the pixel measurement of a possible display seize or for lining up gadgets in a file.
Quick Accent
Quick Accent is another technique to sort accented characters, which turns out to be useful for when a keyboard doesn’t beef up that exact accessory with a handy guide a rough key combo. Use this application to create accented characters, particularly for writing in languages rather then English.
Text Extractor
The Microsoft EnergyToys application Text Extractor is a handy technique to replica textual content from anyplace in your display. This code is in keeping with Joe Finney’s Text Grab. Text Extractor makes use of optical personality popularity to learn the textual content at the display, so it is going to require enhancing or proofreading.
File Locksmith
The Microsoft EnergyToys application File Locksmith is a Windows shell extension for checking what recordsdata are in use and wherein processes. After putting in, right-click on a number of decided on recordsdata in File Explorer, after which make a choice “What’s using this file?” from the context menu.
Hosts File Editor
The Window EnergyToys application Hosts File Editor is a handy guide a rough and easy application for enhancing a neighborhood hosts document. Note that the appliance will most effective paintings if a hosts document exists.
Mouse Jump
The Microsoft EnergyToys application Mouse Jump is a brand new characteristic for the prevailing set of mouse utilities. Mouse Jump means that you can in an instant transfer the mouse pointer nice distances at the similar display or even soar from one display to some other, if you want.
Advanced Paste
The Microsoft Windows EnergyToys application Advanced Paste is a keyboard aggregate shortcut that permits customers to stick formatted clipboard contents as simple, unformatted textual content via both the usage of the brand new UX or an immediate keystroke invoke. Using this software can even change the formatted textual content with simple textual content within the clipboard, so customers can all the time paste as textual content.
A prior model of Advanced Paste used to be referred to as Paste as Text.
In Release 0.81.0, Advanced Paste won an opt-in AI assistant that may analyze and layout the textual content in your clipboard. For instance, it might generate code, translate textual content into some other language, rewrite the textual content in a distinct taste or summarize the textual content prior to pasting. This characteristic calls for an OpenAI API key with a credit score stability.
Registry Preview
EnergyToys Registry Preview, launched in Version 0.69.0, is designed to simplify the method of visualizing and enhancing Windows Registry recordsdata. The application app additionally means that you can write registry adjustments at once to the Windows Registry document with out the usage of the usual Regedit app that comes constructed into the Windows running gadget.
Mouse Without Borders
EnergyToys Mouse Without Borders, launched in Version 0.70.0, provides customers the facility to have interaction with different computer systems the usage of the similar keyboard and mouse they’re the usage of for his or her present PC. With Mouse Without Borders, customers too can proportion clipboards and recordsdata between the machines. Control of the opposite computer systems is granted the usage of an encryption key.
New+
New+, launched in model 0.85.0, we could customers create templates that may be deployed to temporarily create new recordsdata and folders in most popular configurations. It is living inside of a File Explorer context menu. Templates observe from one instrument to some other if the template location is about to a folder synced with a cloud pressure. Users can make a choice whether or not or now not they would like filename extensions to be proven within the template.
Peek
Peek, launched in Version 0.70.0, lets in customers to peer a handy guide a rough preview of recordsdata they make a choice in File Explorer once they press a specified keyboard shortcut. The keyboard shortcut can also be changed to a person’s choice.
Crop And Lock
EnergyToys Crop And Lock, launched in Version 0.73.0, lets in customers to crop a present utility right into a smaller window or create a thumbnail. The application means that you can focal point consideration on a particular phase of an utility window with out shutting down the appliance’s operating purposes. Essentially, from the appliance’s standpoint, the window is standard, however from the person’s standpoint, the window is smaller or thumbnail measurement.
Environment Variables
EnergyToys Environment Variables, launched in Version 0.75.0, lets in customers so as to add, exchange and observe profiles, person data and Windows gadget environment variables. The software is especially helpful for instrument engineers, programmers and different IT pros when checking out and iterating packages, platforms and programs throughout the improvement procedure.
Are extra Microsoft EnergyToys coming quickly?
New Microsoft EnergyToys are periodically added to the Windows library to deal with new person expectancies and necessities. As new EnergyToys are launched, this checklist of to be had gear will probably be up to date to mirror that enlargement.
Does Microsoft EnergyToys affect efficiency?
EnergyToys can affect efficiency. In basic, the quantity of RAM required via EnergyToys apps is essential sufficient that you simply must turn on most effective the gear you’re in fact the usage of. If you resolve an app isn’t one thing you utilize frequently, it can be high quality to set it to the “off” place; you’ll all the time flip it on once more when you want it.
The quantity of RAM Microsoft EnergyToys makes use of is totally depending on what number of gear and apps you might have made up our minds to run within the background. The EnergyToys Settings app, which runs within the background and can also be accessed from the Windows 11 gadget tray, calls for about 104 MB of RAM. Each further operating app calls for extra RAM to beef up it, which you’ll gauge for your self in Windows Task Manager.
Editor’s observe: This article used to be up to date via Megan Crouse to mirror the newest model of Microsoft EnergyToys.
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