Windows 11 hotkey conflicts are a pain — PowerToys just introduced a smarter way to manage them

PowerToys has a new tool to help you keep track of and manage your PC's keyboard shortcuts. The app now has a hotkey conflict detection system in its settings to help resolve conflicting shortcuts.

Since PowerToys has a growing collection of utilities, many of which have associated shortcuts, there's a good chance that you'll run into a conflict at some point. The new feature will highlight conflicts to help you assign different hotkeys.

The latest PowerToys update brings the app to version 0.94. It also adds a "Gliding cursor" accessibility feature to Mouse Pointer Crosshairs, which is a relatively new utility that has returned to PowerToys after a hiatus.

Below are the highlights from the update, as well as a full changelog courtesy of the PowerToys GitHub page.

PowerToys v0.94: Highlights

• 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!

PowerToys v0.94: Changelog

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.

What is PowerToys?

We write a lot about PowerToys here at Windows Central, so it's easy to take the app for granted or assume that everyone has heard about it.

PowerToys is a set of utilities for Windows PCs. As the name implies, the app has tools for power users, but you should not brush it off if you "just" use your PC for productivity and casual use.

Always On Top is a great feature that allows you to pin a window above all other windows. It's also an example of why you may appreciate a keyboard shortcut manager, since Always On Top is enabled by Win+Ctrl+T by default.

PowerToys Awake lets you keep a PC on without adjusting your power and sleep settings, Command Palette helps you find apps and files, and FancyZones improves window management. Those are just some of the utilities included in PowerToys.

To be honest, the full list of PowerToys utilities can be a bit intimidating. There are so many tools that Microsoft is considering a redesigned dashboard that makes the app easier to navigate.

PowerToys | Free at GitHub | Free at Microsoft Store

This collection of utilities includes a large library of features to enhance the Windows experience. PowerToys is designed with power users in mind, but it has handy features for people who just use their PC for everyday computing too.