Microsoft has introduced a new PowerToy for Windows users to create a more consistent, organized application structure. It’s called Workspaces.
Microsoft already offers a number of PowerToys, such as Advanced Paste (for custom formatting), Always On Top and Image Resizer. It is described as “a set of tools that help power users tune and streamline their Windows experience for greater productivity”.
Workspaces gives you the ability to create, save, and launch sets of applications in custom desktop configurations, so employees can pick up where they left off.
Windows Gets a New PowerToy – Workspaces
Workspaces allow users to save the precise layout and configuration of open applications. When the Workspace is restarted, all applications open in the same positions as before.
Users can open the Workspaces editor from the PowerToys setting or use the keyboard shortcut Win+Ctrl+`. A ‘Create Workspace’ option will be available in the editor, where users can then ‘Capture’ their preferred settings.
Microsoft summarized in a support article: “You can capture your desktop state as a new workspace using the editor, add arguments to apps to configure their state at startup, and pin the workspace as a desktop shortcut for quick startup.”
Redmond also noted that where a window may already be open before the Workspace is launched, it can be reused or a new instance opened. Settings for this can be configured using a CLI argument.
PowerToys can be installed from GitHub or Microsoft Store and requires Windows 11 or Windows 10 v2004 (19041) or newer with x64 and Arm64 architectures.