Discover Microsoft’s Hidden Power Tools That Supercharge Windows

PowerToys

PowerToys is an open‑source suite of Windows utilities hosted on GitHub (https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys). It provides several independent modules:

FancyZones – custom window‑layout manager that lets users define complex tiling patterns.

Screen Color Picker – a quick‑access tool for sampling screen colors and copying their HEX/RGB values.

Image Resizer – integrates into File Explorer to batch‑resize images with selectable dimensions and formats.

Shortcut Guide – displays an overlay of Win‑key shortcuts when the Windows key is held.

File Explorer extensions – bulk rename, quick preview, and other context‑menu enhancements.

Process Explorer

Process Explorer (download: https://docs.microsoft.com/zh-cn/sysinternals/downloads/process-explorer) replaces the default Task Manager with a hierarchical view of all running processes. It shows process icons, colors indicating state (e.g., paused, service), and provides detailed columns for:

Open file handles

Registry keys accessed

Network ports in use

Event objects

The “target” (crosshair) tool lets users drag onto any window to identify the owning process, which is useful for locating the source of unwanted pop‑ups.

Process Monitor

Process Monitor (download: https://docs.microsoft.com/zh-cn/sysinternals/downloads/procmon) records real‑time system activity. It captures file‑system, registry, and network operations for selected processes, making it ideal for tracing “rogue” behavior.

Key features include:

Filter by process name, PID, or operation type.

Capture detailed event data such as path, result code, and timestamps.

Include or exclude specific processes (e.g., right‑click a process and select “Include ‘QQ.exe’” to monitor only that program).

Windows File Recovery

Windows File Recovery is a command‑line data‑recovery tool distributed via the Microsoft Store (https://www.microsoft.com/store/productId/9N26S50LN705). It supports NTFS, exFAT, FAT, and ReFS file systems and offers three recovery modes:

Default mode – restores recently deleted files on NTFS volumes.

Segment mode – recovers older or formatted files by scanning disk segments.

Signature mode – searches for file signatures on FAT, exFAT, ReFS, etc., useful when other modes fail.

Basic syntax:

winfr [source drive] [destination drive] [/switches] [path]

Example – recover a file named Pacific.txt located at E:\test and write it to drive D:

winfr e: d: /n \test\Pacific.txt

Microsoft AI Image (WeChat Mini‑Program)

This free WeChat mini‑program leverages Microsoft’s AI models to perform image‑based OCR. It can:

Extract printed or handwritten text from photos.

Detect and extract tables.

Convert recognized content into PDF files.

Access requires a Microsoft account; usage is unlimited and does not require payment.

Office Plus

Office Plus (https://www.microsoft.com/officeplus) is Microsoft’s official repository of free Word, PowerPoint, and Excel templates. Users sign in with a Microsoft account to download templates for various scenarios (business, education, personal projects) without any subscription fee. A WeChat mini‑program version provides the same functionality on mobile devices.