microsoft/PowerToys v0.94.0

Release v0.94

on GitHub

In the v0.94 release cycle, we focused on new features, stability, optimization improvements, and automation.

Installer Hashes

Highlights

For an in-depth look at the latest changes, visit the release blog.

• PowerToys Settings added a Settings search with fuzzy matching, suggestions, a results page, and UX polish to make finding options faster.
• A comprehensive hotkey conflict detection system was introduced in Settings to surface and help resolve conflicting shortcuts. Note that the default hotkey settings (Win+Ctrl+Shift+T, Win+Ctrl+V, Win+Ctrl+T, Win+Shift+T) may overlap with existing Windows system shortcuts. This is expected. You can resolve the conflict by assigning different hotkeys.
• Mouse Utilities added a “Gliding cursor” accessibility feature to Mouse Pointer Crosshairs for single‑button cursor movement and clicking. Thanks @mikehall-ms!
• The installer was upgraded to WiX 5 after WiX 3 reached end-of-life; this move improved installer security, reliability, and community support.
• Tons of bug fixes and improvements for Command Palette, including visual updates and new support for filters on ListPages (handy for extension developers).
• Hosts Editor now has a “No leading spaces” option so active host entries can start at column 0 even if others are disabled. Thanks @mohammed-saalim!
• Context menu registration was moved from the installer to runtime to avoid loading disabled modules (runtime registrations).
• Quick Accent now supports Maltese, and frequently used accents appear first (and are remembered across sessions). Thanks @rovercoder! @davidegiacometti!

Always On Top

• Fixed the border hover cursor so it shows the arrow instead of the wait cursor. Thanks @davidegiacometti!

Command Palette

• Applied single-click activation only to pointer input; keyboard always activates immediately. Thanks @jiripolasek!
• Let context menus open at the cursor by removing window-bound constraints. Thanks @jiripolasek!
• Made error messages clearer with timestamps, HRESULTs, and full details for easier diagnosis. Thanks @jiripolasek!
• Prevented crashes and improved robustness when updating providers without commands. Thanks @jiripolasek!
• Ensured the Settings window reliably comes to the front when opened. Thanks @jiripolasek!
• Replaced the Clipboard History icon with a colorful Fluent icon. Thanks @jiripolasek!
• Hardened ContentIcon to avoid duplicate parenting and improve diagnostics. Thanks @jiripolasek!
• Standardized null checks using C# pattern matching for safer behavior.
• Improved accessibility by focusing the activation shortcut dialog and making text reachable. Thanks @chatasweetie!
• Moved the extension SDK to a stable Windows SDK and cleaned up message namespaces.
• Added path shortcuts: ~ to home, and / or \ to system root, plus UNC support. Thanks @davidegiacometti!
• Fixed a race in cancellation handling to avoid InvalidOperationException. Thanks @jiripolasek!
• Aligned separator styling with WinUI 3 for consistent visuals. Thanks @jiripolasek!
• Added ARM64 PDBs to the Extensions SDK NuGet for better debugging.
• Added single-select filters to DynamicListPage and updated Windows Services sample.
• Updated main page placeholder text to better describe what can be searched. Thanks @jiripolasek!
• Removed explicit WinAppSDK/WebView2 dependencies from toolkit and API. Thanks @rluengen!
• Added a local keyboard hook to handle the GoBack key reliably. Thanks @jiripolasek!
• Propagated alias changes safely and resolved conflicts across view models.
• Allowed providers to override Dispose with a virtual method.
• Fixed memory leaks by cleaning up removed or cancelled list items.
• Sorted DateTime extension results by relevance for better usability.
• Reduced search text “jiggling” by avoiding redundant change notifications.
• Centralized automation notifications in a UIHelper for better accessibility. Thanks @chatasweetie!
• Preserved Adaptive Card action types during trimming via DynamicDependency.
• Added an acrylic backdrop and refined styling to the context menu. Thanks @jiripolasek!
• Prevented disposed pages and Settings windows from handling stale messages. Thanks @jiripolasek!
• Made the extension API easier to evolve without breaking clients.
• Added “evil” sample pages to help reproduce tricky bugs.
• Fixed WinGet trim-safety issues by replacing LINQ with manual iteration.
• Cancelled stale list fetches to avoid older results overwriting newer ones in CmdPal.

Command Palette extensions

• Improved empty states and ranking logic for multiple extensions. Thanks @htcfreek!
• Added app icons to the All Apps "Run" context command when available.
• Restored missing builtin icons by standardizing extension dependencies.
• Unblocked local deployment by adding WinAppSDK to two sample extensions.

Hosts File Editor

• Added a "No leading spaces" option so active hosts entries can start at column 0 even when others are disabled. Thanks @mohammed-saalim!

Image Resizer

• Fixed Image Resizer localization by installing satellite resources under the WinUI 3 apps culture path.

Mouse Utilities

• Introduced "Gliding cursor" to control the pointer and click with a single hotkey for better accessibility. Thanks @mikehall-ms!

Mouse Without Borders

• Blocked Easy Mouse from switching machines during fullscreen apps, with an allow-list for exceptions. Thanks @dot-tb!

Peek

• Added Visual Studio shared project file types to XML preview and fixed bgcode handler registration. Thanks @rezanid!
• Fixes bgcode preview handler registration and events for reliable previews. Thanks @pedrolamas!

PowerRename

• Changed the Explorer accelerator key to PowErRename to avoid clashing with the New menu. Thanks @aaron-ni!

Quick Accent

• Remembered character usage across sessions so frequently used accents appear first. Thanks @davidegiacometti!
• Added Maltese language support with specific characters and the Euro symbol. Thanks @rovercoder!
• Reduced GPU usage issues by making the window Topmost only when the picker is visible. Thanks @daverayment!

Settings

• Added telemetry to track usage of the new shortcut conflict detection workflow.
• Moved the shutdown action from the title bar to a footer menu item with confirmation. Thanks @davidegiacometti!
• Implemented comprehensive hotkey conflict detection with a dedicated resolution dialog.
• Added branded visuals for Office and Copilot keys in the KeyVisual control.
• Introduced Settings search with fuzzy matching and navigation to specific controls.
• Corrected Spanish localization so product names like Awake remain in English across Settings and OOBE.
• Simplified the Advanced Paste description in Settings for quicker reading and consistent capitalization. Thanks @OldUser101!
• Localized conflict messages in the conflict window and dialog.

Installer

• Upgraded the installer to WiX 5 with silent "Files in Use" handling for smoother winget installs.
• Switched Win10 context menu modules to runtime registration and added cleanup on uninstall to avoid stale entries.

Documentation

• Adds docs for building the installer locally and testing winget installs.
• Fixed a broken style guide link in developer documentation. Thanks @denizmaral!

Development

• Excluded test and coverage DLLs from BinSkim scans to cut false positives and speed up security analysis.
• Simplified NOTICE maintenance by removing version numbers and filtering out Microsoft/System packages.
• Improved NuGet dependency validation to prevent package downgrades and catch issues during restore.
• Updated UTF.Unknown to a modern version to improve compatibility without breaking changes. Thanks @304NotModified!
• Refreshed package catalog in CI before installing dependencies to prevent Linux workflow failures.
• Refactored CmdPal tests with dependency injection and added coverage for queries and settings.
• Added unit tests to verify Close on Enter swaps Copy/Save as expected. Thanks @mohammed-saalim!
• Added accessibility IDs to CmdPal UI for stable UI tests.
• Rewrote system command tests with a new test base and cleaner patterns.
• Added unit tests for WebSearch and Shell extensions with mockable settings.
• Added unit tests and abstractions for Apps and Bookmarks extensions.
• Cleans up AI‑generated tests; adds meaningful query tests across extensions.
• Removed the obsolete debug dialog from Settings for a smoother developer loop.