Microsoft has released PowerToys 0.102, bringing two new mouse utilities, expanded command-line automation, and several improvements to Command Palette and Keyboard Manager. The update also adds dictation to ZoomIt, modernizes Color Picker and Text Extractor, and introduces a collection of smaller refinements designed to make Windows workflows more convenient.

Announced on October 21, 2026, the latest release continues Microsoft’s efforts to make PowerToys a more capable toolkit for Windows users, developers, and power users who want more control over everyday desktop tasks.

PowerToys 0.102 adds two new mouse utilities

The biggest additions for everyday users are Mouse Button Lock and CursorHide, two utilities that address common frustrations when working with a mouse.

Mouse Button Lock lets users maintain a mouse-button hold without physically keeping the button pressed. After holding a button briefly, users can release it while Windows continues to treat it as held until another mouse button is clicked. This can make long drag-and-drop operations, text selection, and work in professional applications less tiring. It may also help users who have difficulty holding down a mouse button for extended periods.

CursorHide takes a different approach by automatically hiding the mouse pointer while typing, after a period of inactivity, or under both conditions. The pointer reappears as soon as the mouse moves, helping keep it out of the way when users are working with text or other content.

Command Palette gets faster access to favorite commands

PowerToys 0.102 expands Command Palette, Microsoft’s keyboard-driven launcher, with an optional quick-access shelf for pinned commands.

When Compact mode is enabled, users can display their favorite commands beneath the search box even while the palette is collapsed. Pressing Alt+1 through Alt+9 launches the corresponding pinned command, while Alt+Shift plus a number selects an item without executing it. Users can also reorder pinned commands, access additional options through the context menu, and optionally display recent commands and apps.

Other Command Palette improvements include fuzzy search across settings, extensions, commands, aliases, and keyboard shortcuts. The update also introduces keyboard navigation for the dock using Win+Alt+J, support for assigning Command Palette to the Copilot key through Windows Settings, and the ability to pin multiple clocks with individual time zones and display formats.

Users can now choose a language specifically for Command Palette and copy links that open a particular page, execute a command, or navigate directly to a setting. Microsoft has also refined icons, nested menus, and browsing performance.

New command-line tools make PowerToys easier to automate

Another significant part of the release is the expanded collection of command-line capabilities. These tools allow users to control more PowerToys features from a terminal and incorporate them into scripts rather than relying exclusively on the graphical interface.

Advanced Paste can execute built-in and custom actions using files, standard input and output, or the clipboard. Its AI actions follow the providers and policies already configured by the user.

The Light Switch utility now supports checking its status, changing or toggling the system theme, and managing schedules, with JSON output available for automation. PowerToys Settings can report which utilities are enabled and switch them on or off even when PowerToys itself is not running.

The update also enables command-line previews of multiple files and folders through Peek. PowerDisplay gains JSON Lines output, making its results and errors easier for scripts to process. Meanwhile, FancyZones, Image Resizer, File Locksmith, and PowerDisplay commands can now be run from any terminal directory when available on the user’s PATH.

These changes make PowerToys more useful beyond its traditional role as a collection of graphical Windows utilities, particularly for developers and users building repeatable desktop workflows.

Keyboard Manager gets more flexible remapping

Keyboard Manager gains support for tap-alone remapping, allowing a key pressed by itself to trigger a different action while retaining its normal behavior in keyboard shortcuts and mouse combinations.

Microsoft has also improved the experience of managing extensive remapping lists. Users can search entries, filter by modifiers or applications, and delete multiple mappings at once. A searchable key picker makes it easier to choose keys, including media keys and keys that may not physically exist on the connected keyboard, and build shortcuts using the mouse.

The update also improves key-recording behavior in the editor and adds support for deploying and exporting remapping profiles through Desired State Configuration (DSC) v3, which is particularly relevant to IT administrators managing Windows environments.

ZoomIt, FancyZones, Peek, and other utilities also improve

ZoomIt, Microsoft’s screen-zooming and presentation utility, now supports dictation while capturing a screen region. After enabling Snip with dictation in its settings, users can press Space while selecting an area and describe what they are capturing. ZoomIt transcribes the speech on the device, allowing the screenshot and accompanying text to be pasted together.

ZoomIt also receives smoother zoom transitions, improved audio pacing during recordings, and a fix for silent recordings on devices using multichannel or spatial audio.

Several other PowerToys utilities receive useful changes. Color Picker and Text Extractor have moved to WinUI 3, with Color Picker gaining a refreshed overlay, editor, and magnifier while retaining existing shortcuts and settings.

FancyZones can now switch layouts by scrolling the mouse wheel while dragging a window, with an optional indicator identifying the selected layout. Peek adds read-only SQLite previews, folder file and subfolder counts with scanning progress, and keyboard navigation between files.

Screen Ruler can measure in device-independent pixels to account for individual monitor scaling, while Environment Variables gains a tool for removing duplicate entries from PATH without changing the remaining entries’ order. Quick Accent also gets a searchable character reference in Settings.

The release includes smaller improvements to Grab and Move, Shortcut Guide, Workspaces, Awake, New+, and PowerToys Settings. Among them, Workspaces now asks for confirmation before launching an unverified application configured to run as administrator, and Awake can turn off the display while a PC is locked without ending an active keep-awake session.

How to get PowerToys 0.102

Users can check for updates within PowerToys or download the release through the official PowerToys release page on GitHub. Microsoft’s PowerToys installation guide provides additional instructions.

PowerToys 0.102 is a broad update rather than a release centered on a single headline feature. Its new mouse tools address practical usability issues, while Command Palette and the expanded command-line controls make it easier to launch, configure, and automate Windows utilities. For users who rely on PowerToys to customize their desktops, the combination of new features and smaller refinements makes this a worthwhile update.