Microsoft PowerToys: reimagined Run tool CmdPal is the "one-stop launcher to start anything"
Microsoft is working on a new program called Command Palette for its open source PowerToys collection that will replace the Run module in the near future.
PowerToys Run is a quick launcher for Windows that is invoked with the shortcut Alt-Space. You may use it to run programs quickly and for other tasks, including web searches, Shell commands, or finding files.
Command Palette will expand the functionality. In fact, plans are to "eventually graduate [the module] out of PowerToys" to turn it into a standalone application.
It should then work like other dedicated launchers for Windows, including Launchy, PinPoint, or Flow Launcher.
As far as differences to PowerToys Run are concerned, there are some. Not all modules that Run uses have been ported at this stage. Most, including the option to run installed apps, search for files, or run web searches, are already integrated.
The biggest change is the introduction of new extensions that expand the functionality. One of the major additions is support for winget, the Windows package manager. This allows you to install, uninstall, or update extensions directly from the Command Palette interface.
Winget commands can be very useful. There is a command to upgrade all installed programs or to install Microsoft Store apps without using the Store.
Another new feature of the redesigned launcher is the option to save bookmarks. The developer notes say that you may use them to save shortcuts to files, folders, and webpages as top-level commands. Whether that includes bookmarking commands remains to be seen, as this is not mentioned specifically.
Closing Words
The new application is not yet available. It remains to be seen how snappy it is going to be in comparison to existing launchers, especially once it is available as a standalone application and not as an integrated module of the PowerToys collection of Windows tools.
The development progress is highlighted on GitHub. Just follow this link and you see the exact state of the new run module and launcher for PowerToys.
Now You: do you use a launcher application on your systems? If so, which and why?
You know what REAL power toys are? Try out Linux. Tinker with the many Desktop Environments and Window Managers.
Microsoft (a convicted monopoly) being the CRIMINALS that they are, only give you one desktop and anything else they offer you should be grateful and kiss their rings.
Fuck them. I am free.
When I was still using Windows, I always disliked how it looks new and modern on the surface, but underneath it’s still old and archaic and they try to hide it at first glance.
For a billion dollar company to not be able to update older parts of the system is for me ridiculous.
They should have the money, resources, manpower and technical know-how to do it, but they aren’t. And I’m not talking about updating and replacing old code just for the sake of it. There are parts of the UI that haven’t changed since probably 1998. They only have a slightly modern skin on top, but those components don’t scale or use dark mode.
For me this is ridiculous and unacceptable. I think they just don’t want to do it because they see no reason. But instead keep updating the facade and add more bloat and so-called modern features. Like Copilot and say “look how modern Windows is” when it really isn’t.
It was so annoying to me and one of the reasons I moved to Linux, because I call this Microsoft strategy a hypocrisy.
I want to see Windows modernized both on the outside and on the inside. I also don’t get why they removed themes from it, like Luna, Olive, Silver, Classic, Aero, Aero Basic and such and made it so difficult for users to install 3rd party themes.
Even all the official changes like new taskbar or start menu or taskbar icons in the middle look counter-intuitive and they make it hard for people to install 3rd party alternatives. In XP and 7 there were no 3rd party start menu alternatives, because nobody needed the, but now it’s a huge market.
@Allwynd, I couldn’t agree more. Like repainting a home’s walls without first cleaning them.
> “Even all the official changes like new taskbar or start menu or taskbar icons in the middle look counter-intuitive and they make it hard for people to install 3rd party alternatives.”
An example of this is the ‘7+ Taskbar Tweaker’ application, which I use since always here on Windows 7, which is supported by Windows 10 but not by Windows 11. The developer explains why :
“7+ Taskbar Tweaker and a first look at Windows 11” at
[https://ramensoftware.com/7-taskbar-tweaker-and-a-first-look-at-windows-11]
An enlightened digital environment certainly no longer includes Microsoft products and services, as it no longer includes other companies of the GAFAM. Future, clean & healthy digital environments are elsewhere now. GAFAM are has-been in terms of privacy if not in terms of efficiency especially when it comes to Microsoft 11+. Microsoft nowadays is a cash machine when it comes to its users, yet nevertheless a solid actor in terms of combating worldwide intruders which is IMO its only fame.
>complains about dark mode
Ignore comment.
Yeah, the issue with Windows is not universal dark mode compatibility. And you masquerade as a serious PC user… you sound like a 16 yr old OperaGX user.
@bruh
Really? That’s the only thing from my comment you could latch yourself at?
I have been noticing these things since around 2009 with Windows 7 when I started noticing older parts of the UI when I dug deeper, like GPEdit, Regedit, MSConfig and others. Tools that have the UI from 1998 and haven’t been updated. I only used these programs not being able to use dark mode as an example how archaic they are. I also said they don’t scale properly. If you have a big display with big resolution, those programs won’t scale properly if at all and remain small and hard to see, not only it’s a discomfort, it can lead to things worse than temporary eye strain. And just because they are system tools that maybe only system admins use, it doesn’t justify why they’ve been left to decay while the rest of the UI gets updated on literally every new version of Windows.
Which brings me to my next point – there are literally leftover UI assets from every version. I remember even in Windows 11, there was a point where while using File Explore, you could position the mouse somewhere, wait for the tooltip to appear, and it looked exactly as it did in Windows 7. This is so unprofessional, they literally did not notice it since Windows 8 in 2012 and in 2025 it’s still there, maybe someone needs to tell them it’s still there. I’ve seen the blue selection boxes from 7 with the very slight gradient and rounded corners also in Windows 10 and 11.
I think it’s unprofessional from Microsoft to treat their users like semi-sentient wallets who will keep buying the next version of Windows when Microsoft decides to drop support for the old one and even go as far as to install updates that make it slower or less stable prior to those updates. I’ve seen this firsthand when I was still using Windows 7 around 2018-19 and I had to install a fresh Windows 7 from a build from around 2011 and then disable updates completely, because installing updates up to 2018 made it much slower and worse, as well as bloating it with useless things like Edge and whatnot.
They literally don’t care about their OS and it feels like Firefox since 2011 – they slap a fresh coat of paint on it and hope the most uninterested users won’t notice that everything beneath is exactly the same, only with more limitations.
And finally, you wanted to disagree with me, so you insulted me about caring about Opera GX and being a 16 year old who cares about dark mode. Well thank you, I wish I was 16 years old again, but I’m 33 and I don’t use dark mode on my PC, I tried it for a few months, but went back to light mode and on Linux I can actually install a theme that’s not the boring and blinding black text on flat pure white background, but a black text on light gray background with gradients. But thank you anyways.
Q: How do you recognize a linux user?
A: You don’t need to recognize them – they will tell you about it in their first message in a conversation. Even if the conversation is about something else entirely.
@Cap.O.
And that’s your only argument about why you disagree with me? I’m a Linux user therefore my opinion is not valid in your eyes. OK, that’s why it’s an opinion, I don’t care about everyone else’s opinions and I try not to pay attention to them and waste energy, sometimes I just don’t say anything and move on.
And I think the discussion is related to the topic of the article. PowerToys is a platform for testing Windows features, some of which eventually make it into the base Windows based on users’ feedback.
The relation of my original comment to the article is that Microsoft has created this platform, allowed people to take active part in what features exist and are implemented into Windows, but they refuse to update archaic parts of Windows and let them get older and older while they only update and add small things on the surface.
Why would I care of there are super secret and special settings for the mouse’s middle click button if used 3 times forwards, twice backwards and once for a click and initiates some fancy shortcut or whatever when Microsoft can’t be bothered to update small things like Regedit or MSConfig or GPEdit or there are everywhere visible leftovers from the flat UI of Windows 10 with the sharp corners, or the even more unrefined and oversized UI of Windows 8 or even from Windows 7, XP or 98?
If you don’t mind this and enjoy current-Windows as it is, then good for you, I didn’t enjoy it for many years, wasted time and energy trying to customize and modify it to how I want it to be and in the end I just gave up and left it.
Windows as enough and cool for me when I was using my first 2 PC between ages 14 and 18, first one with XP and second one with 7. When I didn’t knew enough and the pastel blue stripes of Windows XP or 7’s glossy buttons and Aero blur fascinated me and this was all I cared about, it was OK. But you can’t deny that they changed much of that UI, the taskbar and start menu are completely rewritten from scratch and applying 3rd party themes, which up to Windows 7 worked system-wide, now only affects the title bars of Win32 programs, nothing else.
To this day, I can’t answer myself why did they remove the theme system from XP and 7 and replaced it with something much simpler and less customizable. It’s not like they are a small indie company who can’t afford to keep those features implemented and was forced to remove them, they did is slowly and gradually so people wouldn’t notice, only because they don’t want to support it anymore – they want people to use Windows however Microsoft feels is best and in no other way.
Around 2012-13 there was an issue brought up and people wrote articles about it. Someone discovered if you copy the start menu files from Windows 7 and put them in the proper place on Windows 8, you could then install a patch and enable the Windows 7 start menu as it was in Windows 8. This was the first time Microsoft acted super fast and within days they released a patch that broke this small and interesting hack. I don’t remember ever before seeing them going out of their way so fast as to make something like that work. If that’s not deranged pride and stubbornness from Microsoft, as well as hypocrisy, I don’t know what else to call it.
If you don’t agree with me or you think these issues are unimportant, that’s OK, but please, like that other user @bruh, find some real arguments and disagree with me using them. I am eager to have a discussion, but when there is actually something to discuss, not answering to immature remarks and insults, I don’t feel insulted, it’s just pointless and you aren’t bringing anything meaningful to the discussion, your and @bruh’s opinions can be translated into basic human speech as “I don’t agree with you, my argument is that you are a stupid child or your shirt is lame”. Wow, you guys killed it. xD
@Allwynd
Didn’t read it. I’m busy man. Keep it to twenty words or less.
@Cap.O. I am a Linux user B.T.W.
@Allwynd, TL;DR; you wrote too much things to clearly say nothing to Cap.O., just write less to these kind of flaming guys, you know it, dude, please be more clever next time!
@You Know Bro
You are right, I have the bad habit of writing too much or speaking too much, I should say I’m working on it, but clearly I’m not.
@Allwynd You talk too much, song by Joe Ones ;)
Generalizing is a mental disturbance. Linux users this & that, women, men this & that, Chinese, Russians, Americans, French this & that … not to mention religions this and that. Good Lord.
@Tom H. you forgot Windows users this and that.
I’ve never used a launcher application on a PC. I’ve never even heard of them. After following the links to the 3 different ones you mentioned, I still don’t understand the purpose.
I click start and all my stuff is there, it is not too difficult to find. It’s not as easy to organize as it once was and some things just can’t be changed now (win 11) but you can still do a lot by opening the 2 actual folders in explorer.
If it were that good, it would already be built into Windows itself without having to install anything external. Who knows what Trojan horses are in there trying to keep us under control.
It’s a shame they don’t graduate everything out of PowerToys. For example, if I am only interested in Awake, I have to get the entire package, in which no concern is paid to it hogging disk space.