I use a lot of different tools on my Windows 11 PC every single day, but there’s one I use more than any other; PowerToys Run.
Part of the excellent PowerToys suite (and if you’re not using PowerToys yet, you’re using Windows 11 wrong), Run is a launcher at heart, but so much more than that.
It started out as a way to launch things on your PC. I started using it because not only did it mimic a keyboard-first launcher such as I use on Linux, but also because the Start Menu on Windows 11 is horrible.
PowerToys Run has grown, though, and it’s so much more than a way to launch apps with the keyboard. Here are seven other things you can do with it that make it a tool you simply have to use.
1. Windows Package Manager (winget)
I’ve been using a third-party plugin for PowerToys Run for a while that integrates the Windows Package Manager (winget). With this, I don’t have to open the terminal to use winget to install new packages, simply trigger PowerToys Run and use the commands there.
However, soon this feature will be natively available, and slightly better even than the third-party offering. I use winget for almost all of my software installation and updating on Windows 11, being part of PowerToys just makes it even more convenient and awesome.
2. Quick access to a calculator
Sure, Windows 11 has a calculator app. But with PowerToys Run, you don’t even need it. By triggering the launcher and using =, you can enter calculations or even equations, should you need those, and it will solve it right in front of your eyes.
It’s definitely quicker and more convenient even than using PowerToys Run to launch the calculator app.
3. Executing terminal commands
Granted, this isn’t like having a full terminal inside PowerToys Run, but it is useful for entering quick commands. For example, if I quickly want to jump into WSL and use a specific distro, I can enter it through PowerToys Run as below.
> wsl.exe -d FedoraThis will launch me straight into a terminal window, loaded into Fedora, ready to roll. Another neat little time saver for those of use who use the keyboard to do as much as possible in the course of the day.
The only drawback here is that if you need elevated permissions, aka, Administrator, you can’t currently execute such commands automatically through PowerToys Run. For this you need to use your mouse (the horror!) and select the option to run as Administrator.
4. Searching Windows Settings
Naturally, you can also do this to some degree through the Start Menu, but the whole purpose (at least in my case) of using PowerToys Run is replacing the Start Menu.
By entering $ and then your search term, you’re able to launch straight into the Settings app at the right place. I’ve actually found it to be more reliable, too, in finding some Settings options compared to the Start Menu.
5. File search
This is depending on making sure you keep on top of your indexing, but PowerToys Run is fantastic at quickly locating files on your Windows 11 PC.
It works in the same way as number four in this list, only you use ? instead, then type what you’re looking for. It’s lightning fast, too, and will respect any excluded folders you have set up in your Windows Settings regarding what gets indexed.
6. Quickly launching web addresses
There is actually a command (//) to do this, but it also just works by typing a regular website. Simply launch PowerToys Run, enter your favorite website (windowscentral.com of course) and it’ll automatically launch it in a new tab in your default browser.
Again, you can do this in the Start Menu, but it’ll always force you to open Microsoft Edge. PowerToys Run respects your choice of default web browser. So it’s better.
7. Registry navigation
This isn’t something I do a lot myself, but on the occasions I do go into the Windows Registry, I do it through PowerToys Run.
Why? Because, like everything else it does, it’s fast and easy. By entering : and then starting to type the Registry term I need, it’ll start bringing up suggestions and then just quickly launch the Registry Editor into the right place.
The Windows 11 Start Menu may look pretty, but it’s cumbersome, and none of its ‘features’ actually make my life any easier on a day-to-day basis.
I started using PowerToys Run initially to replicate the experience I could have on Linux, being a keyboard-first way to quickly move about the system. Hopeful it could remove the need to use the Start Menu. These are just seven things you can do with it, but there’s still plenty more on the table.
As it has grown, it’s become more than just this, becoming an integral part of how I use Windows 11. I couldn’t operate without it. The PowerToys suite is such an amazing creation, and if you’re not using it, you’re not using Windows to the best it can be.
