What you need to know
- Microsoft's PowerToys just received an update to version 0.81 that includes a brand-new utility.
- Advanced Paste uses AI to convert clipboard content into other formats, such as pasting JASON or markdown.
- The update also brings several other improvements and fixers to PowerToys.
Microsoft PowerToys just received another AI feature through its latest update. Starting with PowerToys version 0.81, you can use a new utility called Advanced Paste to convert clipboard content into other formats. For example, you can use the tool to paste XML content as a markdown table.
We've known about Advanced Paste for a while, having seen the Build 2024 session description for it last month. But we now have a better idea of what it can do and how it works. We also have a video of it in action, courtesy of Craig Loewen.
"Advanced Paste" as a title may not do the new feature justice. While the utility is pasting content, it can do much more than that. Advanced Paste integrates with ChatGPT to fill content contextually. In Loewen's example, he pastes content as a markdown table and uses ChatGPT to fill one of the columns.
Another feature in Advance Paste lets you describe how you'd like your content pasted. In that text field, you can describe your desired format and add details to help the pasting work correctly. Asking the text box a question uses ChatGPT to answer the question and then include the results.
Loewen also demonstrates using Advanced Paste to identify characteristics of copied content, such as finding email addresses that are not formatted correctly and then only pasting email addresses with proper formatting. Advanced Paste also supports several developer-focused features, such as converting content into a CSV file.
Using the AI parts of Advanced Paste requires an OpenAI key and credits. There are, however, some Advanced Paste features that do not require AI, including using shortcuts to paste as plan text, as Markdown, and as JSON. Those Paste As functions run locally on your PC and don't need an OpenAI key or credits.
The highlights of the update are below, and you can see the full change long on the PowerToys GitHub page.
PowerToys version 0.81: Highlights
- New utility: Advanced Paste, an AI powered tool to convert your clipboard content into another format. Thanks @craigloewen-msft for the core functionality and @niels9001 for the UI/UX design!
- Command Not Found now uses the PowerShell Gallery release and now supports ARM64. Thanks @carlos-zamora!
- Fixed most accessibility issues opened after the latest accessibility review.
- Refactored, packaged and released the main Environment Variables Editor, Hosts File Editor and Registry Preview utilities functionality as controls to be integrated into DevHome. Thanks @dabhattimsft for validating and integrating into DevHome!
