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The latest PowerToys release, labeled 0.99, expands the toolkit with two headline utilities aimed at daily frustrations: Power Display and Grab and Move. These additions join a wave of refinements across the suite, including updates to the Command Palette, Dock, Keyboard Manager, and capture tools. The collection remains a free add-on from Microsoft that targets small but persistent productivity problems on Windows, turning fiddly hardware controls and cramped window chrome into software-driven shortcuts. This overview explains what each new feature does, how it behaves today, and what limitations you should expect during early rollout.
Power Display: monitor controls inside Windows
Power Display relocates common monitor adjustments into a compact system-tray flyout, so you no longer need to grope for tiny buttons on the back or underside of a display. When activated, the flyout lists detected screens and exposes accessible controls such as brightness, contrast, volume, and selectable color profiles where the monitor supports them. You can summon the panel from the tray icon or a configurable shortcut, and create per-screen profiles that store preferred settings for different tasks or lighting conditions. For users who tie visual modes to system themes, profiles can be paired with the Light Switch actions to swap configurations automatically.
What it can and cannot do
Functionality depends on both Windows and the connected display’s exposed capabilities; some screens will offer more options than others. One notable limitation observed during testing is that Power Display may not detect displays routed through certain hubs or docks—especially when using Thunderbolt or USB-C docking stations. In those cases, the app may become aware of the screen only when connected directly over HDMI to the host system. This appears to be a connectivity discovery issue rather than a core design flaw, and it is likely to be refined in subsequent updates. Meanwhile, core display settings such as arrangement and refresh rates remain in the Windows Settings app.
Grab and Move: drag and resize windows from anywhere
Grab and Move addresses a long-standing annoyance: modern app chrome and dense tab bars make it hard to find the draggable title area. With this tool enabled you can hold Alt + left click anywhere inside a window to drag it and use Alt + right click to resize from the cursor’s position. For people who already rely on Alt for other system shortcuts, the modifier can be switched to the Win key instead. This behavior is especially handy on large displays, multi-monitor setups, or when a window has gone off-screen and the usual title bar is inaccessible.
Practical benefits and policy controls
The feature integrates with PowerToys’ configuration experience and supports organizational controls such as GPO policy options and an out-of-box experience page to make deployment straightforward. In everyday use, the gestures are responsive and remove the need to hunt for tiny draggable zones; they also complement traditional keyboard shortcuts for window management. Because the implementation changes how mouse input is interpreted inside windows, it’s an early-stage preview and Microsoft provides toggles for users to enable or disable the capability if conflicts occur with other utilities.
Other improvements and where to get the update
Beyond the two headline utilities, this release tightens many existing modules. The Command Palette received reliability fixes, plain text and image content support for extensions, and better pinning into the Dock, which now offers a compact mode and an always-on-top option. The Keyboard Manager editor allows finer control of recorded remaps and introduces a Disabled action to nullify troublesome keys. ZoomIt can now capture scrolling screenshots and extract text during snips, and the Image Resizer UI moved to WinUI 3 for a cleaner look. Various stability and UX fixes across the suite make the overall experience more polished.
Installing and enabling features
You can obtain or update PowerToys via the Microsoft Store or the Windows package manager; for command-line installs use winget with the package id: winget install –id Microsoft.PowerToys –source winget. After installing or updating, open the PowerToys settings to toggle new utilities on and customize their shortcuts and behaviors. Because these components are still evolving, check for point releases if you run into detection issues with docks or third-party hardware. For power users, the suite remains a low-friction way to add practical Windows conveniences without third-party licensing.
In sum, PowerToys 0.99 continues the project’s pragmatic philosophy: small, focused tools that remove friction. Power Display and Grab and Move are not revolutionary, but they directly address everyday hassles—putting monitor controls where you see them and making windows easier to manipulate. Expect refinements as the preview matures, and consider installing or updating if you want immediate relief from fiddly monitor buttons and hard-to-grab title bars.