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Microsoft PowerToys — NHS Quickstart

🧰 Windows productivity · Window tiling · Quick launcher · File tools · 100% free
Why PowerToys for the NHS?

Most Trust laptops run Windows. PowerToys adds small, local-only utilities that make everyday BI/DS/Dev work faster without changing your core stack.

Great for

  • Keeping SQL/Notebook/Browser windows snapped side-by-side.
  • Launching apps/files without mousing (like macOS Spotlight).
  • Preventing the screen from sleeping during long refreshes.
  • OCR text from screenshots (meeting slides, PDFs on screen).
  • Finding what app is locking a file on a shared drive.
  • Bulk resize/rename outputs, peek previews, color picking for NHS branding.

⚙️ 10‑minute install​

Option A — Microsoft Store (simple)
Open Microsoft Store → search PowerToys → Install → Launch.

Option B — winget (one command)

winget install --id Microsoft.PowerToys -e

Then open PowerToys → General → enable Run at startup and Automatic updates.

You may need local admin rights to install. PowerToys is open‑source from Microsoft and runs entirely on your device.

🚀 Essentials to enable (recommended)​

1) FancyZones — window tiling​

  • Open FancyZones → Launch layout editor or press Win+Shift+`.
  • Choose Priority Grid (great for wide monitors) or create a custom layout.
  • Tick Hold Shift to snap so dragging a window shows zones.
  • Tip: Create a dual‑monitor template (SQL / Notebook left, Browser / Teams right).

2) PowerToys Run — quick launcher​

  • Toggle PowerToys Run → shortcut Alt+Space.
  • Type an app, file, or do quick maths (=45*1.2).
  • Plugins: // web search, > shell commands, reg: registry (optional).

3) Awake — prevent sleep​

  • Toggle Awake when running long queries, refreshes, or deployments.
  • Mode: Keep awake indefinitely or While app is running.

4) Text Extractor — on‑screen OCR​

  • Toggle Text Extractor → Win+Shift+T, draw a box → text copies to clipboard.
  • Great for copying codes or SQL from slides/screenshares.
  • IG note: avoid OCR on screens with patient‑identifiable data.

5) File Locksmith — “Who’s using this file?”​

  • Right‑click a file → What’s using this file? to see locking processes.
  • Handy for shared spreadsheets / CSVs that won’t move or delete.

6) Peek — quick preview​

  • Select a file in Explorer → press Space for a preview (Markdown, images, PDFs).

7) Image Resizer + PowerRename​

  • Select files → right‑click → Resize pictures or PowerRename.
  • Useful for shrinking screenshots for docs or removing verbose filenames.

8) Paste as Plain Text​

  • Enable Paste as plain text to strip formatting when pasting into tickets/notes.

9) Color Picker (Branding)​

  • Win+Shift+C → pick a color from screen; copy hex/RGB.
  • NHS Blue is #005EB8 — keep colour use consistent in dashboards and UIs.

🔒 Safe defaults for Trust machines​

  • Local only: PowerToys features run on‑device; no cloud account needed.
  • Respect PHI: Don’t OCR or copy sensitive data. Avoid saving screenshots to shared drives unless de‑identified.
  • Keyboard Scope: Keep global shortcuts standard (Alt+Space, Win+Shift+T). Avoid remaps that clash with EPR or clinical apps.
  • Updates: Leave Automatic updates on to receive security/bug fixes.
  • Accessibility: Peek and OCR improve accessibility for colleagues; use responsibly.

🧪 Quick recipes (copy‑paste)​

A) Two‑monitor “analysis” layout (FancyZones)​

  • Left monitor: 60% main zone (VS Code/Notebook), two 20% side zones (Terminal/Docs).
  • Right monitor: 70% browser (Power BI Service / dashboard), 30% comms (Teams).

B) OCR text from a slide (Text Extractor)​

  1. Press Win+Shift+T, draw around the code or SQL on screen.
  2. Paste into your editor and clean up; credit the source in your PR/README.

C) Find the app blocking my CSV (File Locksmith)​

  1. Right‑click the file → What’s using this file?
  2. Close the listed process or ask the owner to release the lock.

🖥 Works great with these pages​

  • Use FancyZones with VS Code to tile editor/terminal/docs.
  • Keep laptops awake during container builds from Docker.
  • Use Paste as plain text when filing PRs in GitHub.
See also: VS Code · Docker · Git · GitHub

📏 Measuring impact (tiny but real)​

  • Fewer clicks: use Alt+Space instead of Start Menu search.
  • Window time saved: snapping layouts avoids manual resizing.
  • Fewer blocked files: identify locks quickly with File Locksmith.
  • Cleaner pastes: fewer formatting errors in tickets/README/Teams.

What’s next?

You’ve completed the Learn — PowerToys stage. Keep momentum: