Microsoft is working on an app in style Apple Spotlight for replace the current launcher (Run) which appears with the Windows + R key combination. The new launcher, available through PowerToys, will include quick search options between apps and files, and will support plugins such as dictionaries, calculators and search engines. The current Windows + R has been unchanged for years and allows you to launch command prompts, the registry, powershell instances and apps within Windows. The new launcher will support all Run functionality, but should become over time more and more powerful and versatile.
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The new launcher will be available in beta from May and as mentioned we are not talking about a change integrated directly into the operating system, but will be accessible through PowerToys. The PowerToys are a set of utilities that dates back to the days of Windows 95 and that allow you to customize the operating system with some extra features.
The PowerToys were brought back to life last September on Windows 10 and according to Microsoft they are dedicated to experienced users, who want to "adapt the Windows 10 interface to their needs and workflows". Starting with a limited number of features, the PowerToys aim to offer more and more capacity, and represent a good way for Microsoft engineers to test some features in prototype form, perhaps in view of a future native integration in Windows.
Among the current PowerToys (downloadable from here) there are some interesting ones: FancyZones is a window manager that allows you to create predefined or customized layouts, Image Resizer allows you to change the size of the images with a right click from File Explorer and finally Window Walker and an alternative to ALT + TAB in text form, that is, it allows you to search and switch between open windows by typing on the keyboard.
