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PowerToys Command Palette utility
PowerToys Command Palette puts everything you need just a keystroke away. Launch apps, run commands, search files, browse the web, manage system services, and more, all from a single, blazing-fast interface. Built for Windows power users, Command Palette is fully customizable, deeply extensible, and designed to keep you in your flow.
Press ++ and start typing. That's it.
Important
Command Palette must be enabled and running in the background. You can enable or disable it from the PowerToys settings Home page, and change the activation shortcut in Command Palette settings.
What you can do
| Capability | How to use it |
|---|---|
| Launch apps | Start typing the name of any app and press to launch it. |
| Run commands | Type > followed by a command (for example, > cmd or > Shell:startup). |
| Search files and folders | Navigate to Search files or type file followed by a space. |
| Search the web | Type ?? followed by your query to search with your default browser. |
| Calculate | Type a math expression like 23*47 or sqrt(256), or type = followed by a space. The calculator supports the same operations as the PowerToys Run Calculator plugin, including rand() and randi(x). |
| Navigate Windows Settings | Type $ followed by a settings page name (for example, $ display). |
| Find and install apps with WinGet | Navigate to Search WinGet to discover and install apps. |
| Switch windows | Quickly switch between open windows without +. |
| Access clipboard history | Browse and paste from your recent clipboard entries. |
| Look up time and date | View the current time and date in various formats. |
| Manage Windows Services | Start, stop, or restart system services directly from the palette. |
| Open Windows Terminal profiles | Launch any configured Terminal profile or run commands in a specific profile. |
| Query the Windows Registry | Look up and manage Registry entries without opening regedit. |
| Connect to Remote Desktop | Start Remote Desktop sessions from discovered connections, or type any hostname directly into the list to connect on the fly. |
| Monitor system performance | Check CPU, memory, network, GPU, and battery metrics at a glance, or pin individual metrics to the Dock as standalone bands. |
| Execute system commands | Restart your computer, empty the Recycle Bin, and more. |
| Access PowerToys modules | Jump to other PowerToys utilities directly from Command Palette. |
| Customize your look | Personalize with themes, backdrop effects, background images, and custom colors in Settings. |
Home page
The Home page is what you see when you first open Command Palette. It surfaces your most relevant commands, recent items, and a Pinned commands section that you control. Right-click any command in Command Palette and select Pin to Home to add it. From the Home page, use the right-click context menu to reorder your pinned commands or unpin them. Pinning to Home is independent of pinning to the Dock: use Home pins for quick access inside the palette and Dock pins for one-click access without opening the palette.
Bookmarks
Create Bookmarks for files, folders, URLs, or shell commands so you can launch them by name from Command Palette. Bookmarks can include placeholder values (for example, {query} in a URL). When you run a bookmark with placeholders, Command Palette prompts you for the values inline in the search experience instead of opening a separate dialog. You can also pin a Bookmark to the Dock by dragging the underlying file or URL onto the Dock.
Dock
Pin your most-used commands to a persistent toolbar that stays visible on the edge of your screen. The Dock gives you one-click access to frequently used commands and extensions without opening the full Command Palette. On multi-monitor setups, each display has its own Dock and its own set of pinned bands.
For more information, see Command Palette Dock.
Extensions
Command Palette is built to be extended. There's a large and growing ecosystem of extensions that add new commands, tools, and integrations to your workflow. Browse, install, update, and uninstall community extensions directly from the built-in Extension Gallery in Command Palette settings.
To learn more, see Finding and installing extensions and Extension development overview.
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