Microsoft is working on new features and a fresh coat of paint for Keyboard Manager, a PowerToys utility that lets you re-assign global and per-app keyboard shortcuts. An upcoming update will bring improved visuals and new capabilities, such as launching apps, opening links, and more.
Keyboard Manager in the current PowerToys release lets you remap keys and shortcuts in specific apps (or system-wide) or create shortcuts for quick text input. For example, you can create a shortcut to paste a text snippet you frequently use.
Microsoft understands that Keyboard Manager has the potential to become a much more capable tool for power users, so it is working on adding extra features (via Deskmodder). You will be able to launch apps using custom shortcuts and specify additional options, such as app arguments and launch state (minimized or maximized).
In addition, PowerToys will let you create shortcuts for websites, so you can launch Neowin or another page in the default browser using your keyboard. Finally, the update will introduce much more convenient and modern-looking user interfaces.
Here is an early look at the upcoming Keyboard Manager rework in PowerToys:
There is no information on when Microsoft plans to ship the update to the general public. The company released version 0.76.2 in December 2023, adding the ability to map shortcuts to text, a reworked and modernized PowerToys Run, new File Explorer add-ons, and plenty of other fixes. You can check out the complete changelog here.
PowerToys is an open-source app for Windows 10 and 11. You can download it for free from the Microsoft Store, the official GitHub repository, or winget. Developers and enthusiasts with the necessary skills can contribute to the project"s development by suggesting new features, fixes, and other improvements. More information about PowerToys, its tools, and its capabilities is available in the official documentation.