Microsoft PowerToys updated with support for more languages, reworked update settings, and fixes

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By Kevin Okemwa
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Here's everything new with the latest PowerToys update, including support for more languages.

Microsoft PowerToys getting a new update
(Image credit: Kevin Okemwa)

What you need to know

  • Microsoft has released a new update for PowerToys, bringing it to version 0.78.0.
  • The update ships with quality-of-life improvements and bug fixes.
  • It also adds support for more languages, including Arabic (Saudi Arabia), Hebrew, Persian, and Ukrainian.

Microsoft just shipped a new update for PowerToys, bringing it to version 0.78.0. The update ships with quality-of-life improvements, bug fixes, and more. It also supports more languages, including Arabic (Saudi Arabia), Hebrew, Persian, and Ukrainian.

This is the second update to ship to PowerToys this year, with the first one adding a new module designed to detect failed commands in PowerShell 7.4 and recommend a package to install using Winget. PowerToys version 0.78 also ships with new settings and GPO policies to help control behavior after an upgrade.

Here's the full changelog as highlighted in the GitHub's repository:

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A collection of utilities aimed at power users on Windows, PowerToys continues to integrate new features that improve your experience with the OS.

Microsoft Store | GitHub

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POWERTOYS V0.78: HIGHLIGHTS

  • New languages added: Arabic (Saudi Arabia), Hebrew, Persian and Ukrainian. We are going to assume we have some bugs. We want to identify & fix them and are open for community help.
  • Many dependencies updated, aiming for security and stability.
  • Fixed commonly reported PowerToys Run startup crashes after an upgrade.
  • New settings and GPO policies to help control behavior after an upgrade. Thanks @htcfreek!

POWERTOYS V0.78: GENERAL

  • Added Arabic (Saudi Arabia) translation.
  • Added Hebrew translation.
  • Added Persian translation.
  • Added Ukrainian translation.
  • Improved the file watcher used across many utilities to consume less resources. Thanks @davidegiacometti!

POWERTOYS V0.78: ALWAYS ON TOP

  • Fixed an invisible border issue when the border color was set to the black color.
  • Added the AlwayOnTop icon to the base application executable. Thanks @ckirby19!

POWERTOYS V0.78: COMMAND NOT FOUND

  • Signed the PowerShell scripts used by the Command Not Found installation process.

POWERTOYS V0.78: FILE EXPLORER ADD-ONS

  • Fixed an issue causing SVG Thumbnail generation to hang when trying to preview SVG files at the same time.

POWERTOYS V0.78: FILE LOCKSMITH

  • Improved the context menu entry caption. Thanks @niels9001!

POWERTOYS V0.78: FIND MY MOUSE

  • Added more settings to tune shake detection when activating through mouse shake.

POWERTOYS V0.78: HOSTS FILE EDITOR

POWERTOYS V0.78: INSTALLER

  • Included the new languages localization files in the installer.

POWERTOYS V0.78: IMAGE RESIZER

  • Improved the context menu entry caption. Thanks @niels9001!

POWERTOYS V0.78: PEEK

  • Added a missing tooltip for the file size. Thanks @HydroH!

POWERTOYS V0.78: POWERRENAME

  • Improved and added localization to the context menu entry caption. Thanks @niels9001!

POWERTOYS V0.78: POWERTOYS RUN

  • Removed references to unused settings from the code, which were causing crashes on some machines. Thanks @davidegiacometti!
  • Fixed an issue causing a scrollbar to be out of view. Thanks @niels9001!
  • Added logic to try and detect running games to full screen detection. Thanks @anaisbetts!
  • Added support for converting negative values in the Unit Converter plugin. Thanks @Dub1shu!
  • Fixed stale results in the Visual Studio Code Workspaces plugin by checking if files still exist. Thanks @anderspk!
  • Fixed an activation crash that occurred after 0.77 on some configurations.
  • Fixed a startup crash that occurred when saving the new version of settings after an upgrade.
  • You can now calculate bigger hexadecimal numbers in the Calculator plugin.
  • The "max results to show before scrolling" setting can now also be applied to the initial plugin hint listing.

POWERTOYS V0.78: QUICK ACCENT

  • Added the ellipses character to all languages. Thanks @HydroH!
  • Added an option to not activate when playing a game. Thanks @HydroH!
  • Added the E with breve and pilcrow characters to all languages. Thanks @PesBandi!

POWERTOYS V0.78: SETTINGS

  • Removed the Command Not Found listing from the Settings dashboard and flyout, since it can't really be enabled or disabled from there.
  • Added a settings and GPO rule to disable opening the What's New OOBE page after an update. Thanks @htcfreek!
  • Added a settings and GPO rule to disable toast notifications about new updates being available. Thanks @htcfreek!
  • Fixed an issue causing the Settings window to not be brought to the foreground after activating through the system tray icon.
  • Standardized accent brush and corner radius on the dashboard page.
  • Improved UI and messages for GPO locked settings. Thanks @htcfreek!
  • Fixed an issue causing the OOBE window to maximize and hide the system taskbar.
  • Reworked the update settings in the General page. Thanks @htcfreek!
  • Tweaked UI for the update settings in the General page. Thanks @niels9001!
  • Updated the modules images in the Settings and OOBE screens. Thanks @niels9001!
  • Updated OOBE descriptions to take into account the changes in context menu captions. Thanks @niels9001!

POWERTOYS V0.78: DOCUMENTATION

  • Added Spotify plugin to PowerToys Run thirdPartyRunPlugins.md docs. Thanks @waaverecords!
  • Added InputTyper and ClipboardManager plugins to PowerToys Run thirdPartyRunPlugins.md docs. Thanks @CoreyHayward!
  • Added CurrencyConverter plugin to PowerToys Run thirdPartyRunPlugins.md docs. Thanks @Advaith3600!
  • Updated and cleaned up the new PowerToys plugin checklist documentation. Thanks @Parvezkhan0 and @hlaueriksson!
  • Added a documentation page to describe status code colors for Mouse Without Borders. Thanks @ckirby19!

POWERTOYS V0.78: DEVELOPMENT

  • Fixed dependency issues on upgrading .NET from 8.0.0 to 8.0.1.
  • Upgraded Microsoft.Extensions.ObjectPool from .NET 5 to .NET 8.
  • Upgraded the Windows SDK Build Tools to 10.0.22621.2428.
  • Upgraded the Windows Implementation Library to 1.0.231216.1.
  • Upgraded NLog.Schema to 5.2.8 and NLog.Extensions.Logging to 5.3.8.
  • Upgraded Markdig.Signed to 0.34.0.
  • Upgraded Microsoft.NET.Test.Sdk to 17.8.
  • Upgraded CommunityToolkit.WinUI dependencies to 8.0.240109.
  • Upgraded CommunityToolkit.Mvvm to 8.2.2. Thanks @davidegiacometti!
  • Upgraded Windows App SDK to 1.4.4. Thanks @snickler!
  • Upgraded WPFUI version to 3.0.0-preview.13. Thanks @niels9001!
  • Upgraded StyleCop.Analyzers to 1.2.0-beta.556. Thanks @davidegiacometti!
  • Upgraded Microsoft.Windows.Compatibility to 8.0.1.
  • Upgraded System.Data.SqlClient to 4.8.6.
  • Consolidate XAML Namespaces across the solutions. Thanks @Jay-o-Way!
  • Removed the toolkit labs package source reference, since the controls we were using made it to the generally available community toolkit.
  • Added Microsoft.MSBuildCache to experiment with build caching to reduce pipeline runs duration. Thanks @dfederm!
  • Configured the release CI to follow the latest 1ES pipeline release version again.
  • Removed the copyright year from assembly information. Thanks @Aaron-Junker!
  • Added the Command Not Found entry to the GitHub templates.
  • Removed unused code for a GPO policy to control auto updating of PowerToys. Thanks @htcfreek!
  • Improved code behind for getting the localization of context menu entries.
  • Locked some terms in resource files to avoid localization.

If Microsoft PowerToys is installed on your PC, you should receive a notification to upgrade to the latest version. Alternatively, you can manually trigger the update by launching the app, clicking on General, selecting Check for Updates, and finally clicking the Install Now button.

Image

A collection of utilities aimed at power users on Windows, PowerToys continues to integrate new features that improve your experience with the OS.

Microsoft Store | GitHub

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Kevin Okemwa
Kevin Okemwa
Contributor

Kevin Okemwa is a seasoned tech journalist based in Nairobi, Kenya with lots of experience covering the latest trends and developments in the industry. With a passion for innovation and a keen eye for detail, he has written for leading publications such as OnMSFT, MakeUseOf, and Windows Report, providing insightful analysis and breaking news on everything revolving around the Microsoft ecosystem. While AFK and not busy following the ever-emerging trends in tech, you can find him exploring the world or listening to music.