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

The latest addition to PowerToys includes a useful feature that allows you to monitor and organize the keyboard shortcuts on your computer. Notably, it comes equipped with a setting for identifying and resolving any conflicts among your shortcut keys.

Due to the expanding library of tools in PowerToys, several of these tools come with their own shortcut keys. It’s possible that you might encounter a shortcut clash at times. To help avoid this issue, the latest update includes a feature that will signal potential conflicts, allowing you to assign unique hotkeys for each tool.

In simpler terms, the recently updated PowerToys software now stands at version 0.94. This update also incorporates a “Gliding cursor” accessibility option into the Mouse Pointer Crosshairs tool, a handy feature that’s been reintroduced to PowerToys after a brief absence.

Here’s an engaging way I would rephrase it in the first person perspective, as a fan expressing excitement about the updates and sharing the details:

“I just couldn’t wait to share with you the amazing updates to my beloved PowerToys! Here are the key takeaways, along with the comprehensive changelog available on their GitHub page. I hope these improvements make your tech life as seamless as mine!

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

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.
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.

Image Resizer

Fixed Image Resizer localization by installing satellite resources under the WinUI 3 apps culture path.

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.
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?

It’s possible that some readers might overlook PowerToys due to its frequent mention on our site, Windows Central, or mistakenly think that it’s a well-known tool among all users.

The PowerToys collection is a suite of useful tools designed specifically for Windows-based computers. Despite its name suggesting it’s meant for advanced users, it’s still worth considering even if your computer usage is primarily for productivity and casual tasks.

The “Always on Top” function is incredibly useful as it lets you float a window over all others. This feature might make you realize the value of a shortcut manager, especially since the default command for this feature is easily accessible with the keyboard shortcut Win + Ctrl + T.

As an analyst, I’d rephrase that as follows:

With PowerToys Awake, I can maintain my PC’s power on without having to tweak my power and sleep settings. The Command Palette feature empowers me to swiftly locate applications and files. Lastly, FancyZones enhances my window management experience, making it an invaluable suite of utilities within PowerToys.

frankly speaking, the complete collection of PowerToys utilities might seem overwhelming. With numerous tools at hand, Microsoft is contemplating a revamped interface for smoother navigation within the app.

2025-09-03 00:43