Rediger

PowerToys Command Palette settings

Use the Settings button in the Command Palette to open the settings page:

A screenshot of the Command Palette interface with the Settings button highlighted in red.

The Command Palette settings page provides the following options.

General

Setting Description
Activation shortcut Define the keyboard shortcut to show or hide the Command Palette.
Use low-level keyboard hook Enable this option to use a low-level keyboard hook for activation key detection. This setting can help improve responsiveness but might cause compatibility issues with some software.
Ignore shortcut in fullscreen mode When enabled, the Command Palette activation shortcut is ignored when an application is in fullscreen mode.
Ignore shortcut when the system heuristically detects fullscreen Windows may detect that a fullscreen application is running or Presentation Settings are applied. Some applications (such as NVIDIA overlay) can trigger this incorrectly, preventing the shortcut from working.
Press the shortcut 3 times within 2 seconds to override suppression Press the activation shortcut 3 times within 2 seconds to bypass the fullscreen or busy state guard.
Return home after closing Configure how long Command Palette waits before automatically returning to the home page. Options include Never, immediately, or a set interval (10, 20, 30, 60, 90, 120, or 180 seconds).
Select search text when opened Select the previous search text when you open Command Palette.
Keep search text when reopened Retain the last search query when you reopen Command Palette.
Preferred monitor position Choose the preferred monitor for the Command Palette to open on. Options include Monitor with mouse cursor, Primary monitor, Focused window monitor, In place, or Last position.
Escape key behavior Configure how the Escape key behaves: clear search first then go back, always go back, always dismiss, or always hide.
Automatically expand app details Automatically expand app details when an app appears as a result.
Go back with Backspace when search is empty Press Backspace on an empty search box to return to the previous page.
Activate list items with a single click Activate list items with a single click. When disabled, single-clicking selects the item and double-clicking activates it.
Show Command Palette in system tray Show or hide the Command Palette icon in the system tray.
Quit Command Palette with Alt+F4 Let Alt+F4 quit Command Palette instead of leaving it running in the background. This setting is off by default.
Disable page transition animations Disable page transition animations in the Command Palette interface.
Enable external reload Allow external processes to request a reload of Command Palette with the x-cmdpal://reload command.

Personalization

Setting Description
App theme mode Choose the Command Palette theme: Light, Dark, or Use system settings.
Backdrop style Select the window backdrop effect: Acrylic (default), Transparent, Mica, or Mica Alt.
Backdrop opacity Adjust the opacity of the backdrop effect (0–100).
Colorization mode Customize how the Command Palette theme color is applied.
Custom theme color Set a custom RGB color for the Command Palette theme.
Custom theme color intensity Adjust the intensity of the custom theme color (1–100).
Background image path Set a custom background image for the Command Palette window.
Background image opacity Adjust the opacity of the background image (0–100).
Background image tint intensity Adjust the tint overlay intensity on the background image (0–100).
Background image blur amount Set the blur effect applied to the background image.
Background image brightness Adjust the brightness of the background image.
Background image fit Choose how the background image is scaled to fit the window.
Open with a compact search box When enabled, Command Palette opens as a compact search box and expands only when results or nested pages need more space. This setting is off by default.
Vertical search box position Move the compact search box higher or lower on the screen when compact mode is enabled. Higher percentages place it higher. Default: 75.
On-screen indicator position Choose where Command Palette confirmation messages and other on-screen indicators appear: Use system settings, Bottom center, Top left, or Top center.

Dock

For a full description of Dock settings, including appearance and behavior options, see Command Palette Dock.

Related content

  • Last updated on