Microsoft PowerToys now runs natively on Surface Pro X and other ARM PCs

Surface Pro X side
(Image credit: Future)

What you need to know

  • PowerToys  now fully supports ARM64 PCs.
  • Full support for ARM64 arrives with version 0.59 of PowerToys, which started rolling out this week.
  • The update also swaps the Power Rename feature to run on WinUI 3 and includes a handful of other new features.

Microsoft's PowerToys just received a significant update to version 0.59. The program now fully supports Windows on ARM PCs, such as the Surface Pro X and Lenovo ThinkPad X13s. As part of the update, the app's developers fixed PowerRename and the File Explorer tools to work on ARM64.

Full support for ARM64 should result in noticeably better performance on Windows on ARM PCs. Microsoft got PowerToys ready for ARM with version 0.58, but the work wasn't completed until this week's update.

In addition to fully adding support for ARM64, version 0.59 of PowerToys swaps the PowerRename feature to run on WinUI 3 and adds the ability to use up to four modifier keys for shortcuts through Keyboard Manager.

Here are the highlights from Microsoft for version 0.59 of PowerToys:

  • The work for running natively on ARM64 has been wrapped up and a build is released. Thanks @snickler!
  • Power Rename now is running on WinUI 3.
  • Keyboard Manager now allows up to 4 modifier keys for shortcuts and has received some quality fixes.
  • Upgraded the Windows App SDK runtimes to 1.1.0, fixing an issue where Settings wouldn't start with UAC off and improving performance.
  • The Windows App SDK runtime binaries are being shipped with PowerToys which should resolve the installations issues reported with WinAppSDK.

The changelog for the update is rather extensive and includes a complete list of fixes, improvements, and known issues.

Microsoft PowerToys

Microsoft PowerToys

This app is a collection of tools aimed at power users, including an image resizer, keyboard manager, and a powerful launcher called PowerToys Run. It has a growing list of features and is regularly updated. The latest version adds full support for ARM64.

Sean Endicott
News Writer and apps editor

Sean Endicott is a tech journalist at Windows Central, specializing in Windows, Microsoft software, AI, and PCs. He's covered major launches, from Windows 10 and 11 to the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT. Sean's journey began with the Lumia 740, leading to strong ties with app developers. Outside writing, he coaches American football, utilizing Microsoft services to manage his team. He studied broadcast journalism at Nottingham Trent University and is active on X @SeanEndicott_ and Threads @sean_endicott_.