pin virtually any program to stay visible and accessible
In the quiet accumulation of small tools that make complex work feel manageable, Microsoft has added two long-requested capabilities to its PowerToys suite for Windows: the ability to hold any window permanently in view above all others, and the ability to reach the wider web directly from a launcher search. Released this week as version 0.53.1, the update reflects a recurring human desire — to shape our digital environments to match the way we actually think and work, rather than the other way around.
- Power users have long had to rely on app-by-app luck to keep a reference window visible — PowerToys now makes that control universal, for any application, old or new.
- A single keyboard shortcut pins any window to the top of the screen, with colored borders and optional sounds signaling what's locked in place — a small ceremony of order amid desktop chaos.
- Gamers aren't left out: a Game Mode toggle ensures pinned utility windows stay out of fullscreen games, preserving immersion while keeping tools ready on alt-tab.
- The Run launcher now reaches the web with a simple '??' prefix, collapsing the gap between local search and online query into a single unbroken motion.
- The release also brings G-code thumbnail support to File Explorer and a sweep of bug fixes, reflecting the steady, collaborative momentum of Microsoft's open-source PowerToys community.
Microsoft's PowerToys — a suite of utility tools built for Windows power users — has received a notable update this week, with version 0.53.1 delivering two features that users have been requesting for some time.
The first is Always On Top, a mode that lets you pin any application above all other windows on your screen. While many modern apps offer this natively, PowerToys extends the capability universally, including to older software that never built it in. Activated with Windows key plus Ctrl plus T, the feature lets users customize pinned windows with colored borders or sound cues, and exclude specific apps from being pinnable. For those who work across multiple monitors and need a reference window constantly in view, it's a meaningful addition. Microsoft also included a Game Mode toggle, so that pinned windows won't intrude on fullscreen games — they stay ready in the background, accessible the moment you alt-tab away.
The second addition lives inside the Run launcher, PowerToys' Spotlight-style search tool. Users can now type '??' to trigger a web search through their default browser and search engine, and if a local search comes up empty, web results surface automatically. It's a modest change that removes one small but persistent friction from the daily workflow.
Rounding out the release are bug fixes across PowerToys' many tools and new support for G-code thumbnails in File Explorer — useful for anyone working with 3D printing or CNC files. The update is available through GitHub and the Microsoft Store, a product of the ongoing partnership between Microsoft's engineers and the open-source community that has gathered around these tools.
Microsoft is rolling out a fresh batch of improvements to PowerToys, its collection of utility tools for Windows power users, and this time the update addresses two features that have been sitting high on user wish lists. Version 0.53.1, released this week, introduces an Always On Top mode that lets you pin any application above others on your screen, and adds web search directly into the launcher—a Spotlight-like search tool that Microsoft debuted nearly two years ago.
The Always On Top feature solves a real problem for anyone juggling multiple windows. Many modern applications already have this capability built in, but PowerToys now extends it universally: you can pin virtually any program to stay visible and accessible, even when you click away to work on something else. This matters especially for older software that never got the feature, or when you're working across multiple monitors and want a reference window always within reach. You activate it with Windows key plus Ctrl plus T, and you can customize how it behaves—add a colored border around pinned windows so you know which ones are locked in place, play a sound when you pin something, or exclude certain apps from being pinnable at all.
Microsoft even thought about gamers. Since games typically demand fullscreen real estate and sit on top of everything else anyway, the Always On Top tool includes a Game Mode toggle. Flip it on, and your pinned utility windows won't interfere with fullscreen gaming—the game stays supreme, but your pinned apps remain accessible when you alt-tab back to the desktop.
The second addition is more straightforward but no less useful. The Run launcher—that Spotlight-style search box that lets Windows users quickly hunt for apps and files across their system—now searches the web. Type "??" and you'll get online results pulled through your default browser and search engine. If the launcher can't find what you're looking for locally, it will offer web results automatically. It's a small thing, but it collapses one more step in the workflow: you don't have to open a browser separately to search anymore.
Beyond these two headliners, the update includes a long roster of bug fixes and refinements across PowerToys' dozen tools. The team also added support for G-code thumbnails in File Explorer, a feature that will matter to anyone working with 3D printing or CNC files. The update is available now through Microsoft's PowerToys GitHub repository or the Microsoft Store, and it reflects the ongoing collaboration between Microsoft's engineers and the open-source community that has grown around these tools. PowerToys has always been about giving Windows users the kind of fine-grained control and customization that power users crave, and this release keeps that momentum going.
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does Always On Top matter so much that users have been asking for it?
Because plenty of older software never got the feature, and you can't always modify an app that isn't yours. If you're referencing something while you work—a document, a chat window, a reference image—you want it visible without constantly switching back to it.
But doesn't this create clutter? Won't people just pin everything?
Maybe some will. But the colored border and sound feedback let you see what's actually pinned, and you can exclude apps you don't want pinned. It's about giving control back to the user.
The Game Mode toggle is interesting. Why do games need special handling?
Games run fullscreen and demand to be on top of everything. If you pin a utility window, the game would normally sit behind it. Game Mode says: no, the game still wins. It's a small detail but it shows they thought about how people actually use their computers.
And the web search in the launcher—is that really a big deal?
Not revolutionary, but it removes friction. Right now if the launcher can't find a file or app, you have to open your browser separately. Now you just keep typing. It's the kind of thing that saves you five seconds a hundred times a day.
Who's driving these features? Microsoft or the community?
Both. Microsoft maintains the project, but the open-source community contributes heavily. This release shows that collaboration—the community wanted these things, and they got built.