I’ve been using this handy tool called PowerToys. That contains a bunch of utilities that make working on Windows easier and faster. One of my favorite features in PowerToys is Workspaces.
I truly hate restarting my machine. The pain is, all your apps and windows disappear, and it takes forever to get everything back the way it was.
That’s where PowerToys Workspaces is a helpful tool. It’s a desktop manager that lets you save your current desktop setup (all apps and window positions), and later launch everything back in place with just one click.
Here’s the simple guide that you can follow and use the tool:
Install PowerToys and Enable WorkSpaces
Download and install PowerToys from the official link:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/powertoys/install
Open, and turn on Workspaces toggle if it’s turned off.
You can open the editor using by selecting “Launch editor” from PowerToys Workspaces settings or by using the shortcut Win+Ctrl+ `
Open Your Desired Setup
Now open all the apps and windows you want to save. I have 3 screens with VS Code, browser tabs, Outlook, Teams, and more.
Once everything is ready, click on “Create workspace”
Capture the Workspace
Click the “Capture” button and PowerToys will take a snapshot of your current layout.
You’ll see an editor where you can:
- Give your workspace a name
- Remove windows you don’t want to include
- Create a desktop shortcut
After editing, click on “Save workspace”
Open Workspace
And that’s it. Your saved workspace will now appear in the PowerToys dashboard.
Even after restarting machine, you can launch it anytime and all your apps will reopen exactly where you had them before.
Try it out! Create a workspace and let me know how it goes for you.
Powertoys utilities:
If you are curious about other utilities that tool offer, check out below list.
If I had to pick from this list, I would start with Color Picker, Text Extractor, and ZoomIt (which is underrated)
If you’re already using PowerToys or planning to start using it now, let me know your favorite utility in the comment box below.