The latest Microsoft PowerToys update is exactly what your ultrawide monitor needs

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PowerToys is a must-have app on Windows 11, and it just got even better.

Dell Ultrasharp 49 Curved Monitor four windows open.
(Image credit: Rebecca Spear / Windows Central)

What you need to know

  • An update to Microsoft's PowerToys shipped this week.
  • The update improves the Text Extractor tool to version 2.0, which includes a new overlay and table mode.
  • FancyZones in PowerToys has been improved as well, including stability improvements and fixes for some common bugs.

Microsoft released an update to PowerToys this week that improves the utility in a few key areas. Following the update, WinUI 3 utilities should be more stable. Text Extractor has also been updated to version 2.0. Perhaps most notably, FancyZones is now more stable and several bugs have been fixed.

FancyZones is a window management tool that allows you to use included or personalized presets to organize the layout of your applications. While FancyZones is useful on PCs with any size screen, the tool is likely most useful for those with ultrawide monitors. Our Rebecca Spear said that "It's imperative to use window management tools if you're going to have multiple windows open at once on an ultrawide monitor" in her Dell UltraSharp 49 Curved Monitor review.

The full change log on the PowerToys GitHub page is rather extensive. Here are the highlights and general changes:

Highlights

  • Upgraded to Windows App SDK 1.4.1, increasing stability of WinUI3 utilities. Thanks @dongle-the-gadget for starting the upgrade!
  • Text Extractor was upgraded to its version 2.0, with a new overlay, table mode and more Quality of Life improvements. Thanks @TheJoeFin!
  • Improved FancyZones stability, fixing some layout resets and improving handling of newly created windows on Windows 11.
  • Fixed many silent crashes that were reported to Watson and the user's event viewer.

General

  • Turning animations off in Windows Settings will now also turn them off in PowerToys.
  • Upgraded the Windows App SDK dependency to 1.4.1. Thanks @dongle-the-gadget for the original 1.4.0 upgrade!
  • Show in the thumbnail label and application titles when running as administrator. Thanks @davidegiacometti!
  • Upgraded the Win UI Community Toolkit dependency to 8.0. Thanks @niels9001!
PowerToys | Free at GitHub

PowerToys | Free at GitHub

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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Sean Endicott
Sean Endicott
News Writer and apps editor

Sean Endicott is a news writer and apps editor for Windows Central with 11+ years of experience. A Nottingham Trent journalism graduate, Sean has covered the industry’s arc from the Lumia era to the launch of Windows 11 and generative AI. Having started at Thrifter, he uses his expertise in price tracking to help readers find genuine hardware value.

Beyond tech news, Sean is a UK sports media pioneer. In 2017, he became one of the first to stream via smartphone and is an expert in AP Capture systems. A tech-forward coach, he was named 2024 BAFA Youth Coach of the Year. He is focused on using technology—from AI to Clipchamp—to gain a practical edge.