Advanced Paste Archives

Winsage

April 2, 2025

Powertoys 0.90: Command palette allows quick program start

Microsoft has released version 0.90.0 of Windows Powertoys, featuring the new "Command Palette" that allows users to quickly search for and launch applications by pressing the Windows key, Alt, and the space bar. The update also includes minor bug fixes, improvements to the color picker, and enhancements to the New+ function for creating predefined files and directories with variable support. Users can check for updates directly within Powertoys. The new installation packages for Powertoys 0.90.0 are available for download in both user and system-wide installations for x64 and ARM64.

Winsage

March 9, 2025

Microsoft Weekly: Copilot updates, PowerToys updates, new Windows 11 builds, and more.

Windows 11 24H2 is experiencing performance throttling issues when applications are minimized, but the 0x80131500 Store error has been fixed. Windows 10 has regained its status as the most popular operating system on Steam, according to Valve's February 2025 survey. Microsoft has launched a native Copilot app for Windows 11 and 10 in the Insider program, featuring a XAML-based interface. PowerToys has been updated to version 0.89, enhancing tools like Advanced Paste and FancyZones. Microsoft Edge 134 has been released with improved Teams link handling, while Firefox 136 introduces vertical tabs and HEVC support for Linux users. Microsoft will discontinue Publisher in 2024 and has launched a support page for alternatives. The Xiaomi 15 smartphone received positive reviews for its build quality and fast-charging, while AMD's RX 9070 XT graphics card received a perfect score for performance. Upcoming Game Pass titles include Monster Train and Galacticare, and Amazon Prime Gaming is offering 20 PC games this month. A remake of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 and 4 is set to release on July 11.

Winsage

March 7, 2025

Best Windows apps this week

This week's highlights include the updated Copilot app from Microsoft, which has transitioned from a progressive web app to a fully native application available for Insiders in the Microsoft Store. Users should expect improved performance and usability, though it will gradually reach the stable release channel. Notable discounts are available this week, with some apps enjoying extended offers. New or improved apps include: - Intel Graphics Software (Beta): A management hub for Intel graphic cards, offering features like graphics settings and performance monitoring, requiring .NET Runtime 8 or newer. - PowerToys 0.89: An update introducing a new feature in the Advanced Paste tool that allows users to transcode audio and video files to mp3 or mp4 formats using a shortcut. - PreventSleep: A utility that keeps Windows systems awake by preventing sleep mode, screen dimming, or screensaver activation.

Winsage

February 15, 2025

Microsoft adding new PowerToys utlity for Windows package manager (WinGet)

Microsoft's PowerToys suite, designed for power users and Windows enthusiasts, includes features like Advanced Paste, FancyZones, File Explorer add-ons, Registry Preview, and a keyboard and mouse manager. PowerToys Run received a significant update in December, introducing version 2 with a refreshed UI and improved UX. Kayla Cinnamon announced a new utility for installing WinGet packages, which is being developed in collaboration with the Windows Terminal team. Clint Rutkas confirmed that this new feature represents the "next gen version" of PowerToys Run. WinGet is a command line tool for the Windows Package Manager service, automating software installation, upgrading, and configuration.

Winsage

February 3, 2025

Windows 11’s new feature converts audio and videos for you via PowerToys

PowerToys is enhancing its Advanced Paste feature with a file transcoding capability that allows users to convert media files into mp3 and mp4 formats. The new options, Transcode to .mp3 and Transcode to .mp4 (H.264/AAC), will include custom keyboard shortcuts and aim to simplify the conversion process for media files copied to the clipboard. Users will see a progress bar during transcoding and can customize which options appear in Advanced Paste. The feature supports extracting audio from files to save as .mp3 and converting video files to .mp4 while preserving quality settings and metadata. It utilizes the Windows.Media.Transcoding API for these conversions.

Winsage

December 18, 2024

PowerToys just fixed the one flaw stopping me from using one of the app’s best features

Microsoft's PowerToys version 0.87.0 includes several updates: - Workspaces now supports Progressive Web Applications (PWAs). - Advanced Paste introduces "Advanced AI" for clipboard transformations. - A feature in Workspaces allows users to move existing windows. - Mouse Jump has new customization settings for pop-ups. - New+ is now compatible with Windows 10. - Quick Accent enables selection of character sets in the UI. - Improvements in Awake, File Explorer add-ons, Keyboard Manager, Monaco Preview, Peek, PowerToys Run, Screen Ruler, and Settings have been made. - The Workspaces editor position is saved for consistent reopening, and issues related to application positioning and crashes have been resolved. - Documentation has been updated, and development has upgraded to .NET 9.

Winsage

December 17, 2024

PowerToys 0.87 is out with a new utility for Windows 10 users and a lot of improvements

The latest update for PowerToys, released in December 2024, includes the following enhancements for Windows 10 users: - New+ utility is now fully compatible with Windows 10. - Advanced Paste introduces "Advanced AI" using Semantic Kernel technology for clipboard transformations. - Workspaces now supports Progressive Web Applications and allows users to move existing windows. - Mouse Jump adds settings for customizing the pop-up appearance. - Quick Accent enables users to select displayed character sets in the user interface. Additional improvements include: - Advanced Paste now has an optional AI feature for clipboard transformations. - Awake has improvements in initialization, logging, and tray icon setup. - File Explorer Add-ons now utilize PerMonitorV2 DPI mode. - Keyboard Manager has added labels for IME keys and resolved an issue with the Shift key. - Monaco Preview supports .ahk and .ion files and adds syntax highlighting for .srt files. - Peek assesses local capabilities for image formats and resolves loading issues for the Code Files Previewer. - PowerToys Run includes a scoring function for WindowWalker plugin results and updates to the calculator plugin. - Screen Ruler can now display measurements in inches, centimeters, or millimeters. - Settings have been updated for milestone links, navigation bar icons, and accessibility issues. - Workspaces has improved features for window management and application version detection. PowerToys can be downloaded from the Microsoft Store or GitHub.

Winsage

November 3, 2024

5 ways to take copying and pasting to the next level on Windows

- Windows users can copy and paste using CTRL + C and CTRL + V shortcuts. - Clipboard history can be enabled to retain a list of the last 25 copied items, accessible by pressing WIN + V. - PowerToys Advanced Paste allows users to choose how to paste copied content, including options for plain text, Markdown, or JSON, activated with Windows key + Shift + V. - PowerToys Advanced Paste includes an AI feature for summarization, translation, or style adjustments, requiring an API key from OpenAI. - To paste without formatting, users can use Ctrl + Shift + V in certain applications or Ctrl + Alt + V in Microsoft Office, or use the "Paste as plain text" option. - Windows supports Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to extract text from images using the Photos app or Snipping Tool.

Winsage

October 2, 2024

This Microsoft app update reminded me how much I hate the Windows 11 context menu

Microsoft PowerToys has released version 0.85, which includes the following updates: - New utility: New+ allows users to create personalized templates for file and folder creation via the File Explorer context menu. - Users can select their preferred UI language for PowerToys utilities. - Quality fixes for Workspaces to enhance compatibility with various applications. - Memory optimization in Peek by addressing image leaks. - New variables added to the Environment Variables Editor: NTSYMBOLPATH, NTALTSYMBOLPATH, and NTSYMCACHEPATH. - Enhanced application snapping for programs launched through Workspaces in FancyZones. - Resolved an issue with File Locksmith being activated by unrelated context menu verbs. - Improvements in PowerToys Run for clearer communication during initialization failures. - Expanded character set in Quick Accent to include Middle Eastern Romanization and additional symbols. - Corrected link to Workspaces documentation and fixed flyout issues in Settings. - Enhanced detection and snapping capabilities for applications like Discord and Steam in Workspaces.

Winsage

September 7, 2024

Microsoft PowerToys: Advanced Paste Tool Overview

Microsoft's PowerToys version 0.84.0 introduces the Advanced Paste tool, which enhances traditional copy-and-paste functionality by incorporating generative AI. This tool allows users to transform text into two specific formats: Markdown and JSON. Users can access Advanced Paste after installing PowerToys and can customize its settings, including keyboard shortcuts. The feature also includes an option to enable Paste with AI, which requires a valid OpenAI API key and credits. The tool can reformat XML into JSON and HTML into Markdown, catering primarily to software developers and engineers.