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# PowerToys running with administrator elevated permissions
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# PowerToys running with administrator permissions
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If you're running any application as an administrator (also referred to as elevated permissions), PowerToys may not work correctly when the elevated applications are in focus or trying to interact with a PowerToys feature like FancyZones. This can be addressed by also running PowerToys as an administrator.
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## Options
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There are two options for PowerToys to support applications running as administrator (with elevated permissions):
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-**[Recommended]**: PowerToys will display a prompt when an elevated process is detected. Open PowerToys Settings. Inside the General page, select <kbd>Restart as administrator</kbd>.
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- Enable **Always run as administrator** in the PowerToys Settings.
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## Run as administrator elevated processes explained
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Windows applications run in _User mode_ by default. To run an application in _Administrative mode_ or as an _elevated process_ means that app will run with additional access to the operating system.
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The simplest way to run an app or program in administrative mode is to right-click the program and select <kbd>Run as administrator</kbd>. If the current user is not an administrator, Windows will ask for the administrator username and password.
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Most apps do not need to run with elevated permission. A common scenario, however, for requiring administrator permission would be to run certain PowerShell commands or edit the registry.
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If you see this User Account Control prompt, the application is requesting administrator level elevated permission:
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1.**Recommended**: PowerToys will display a prompt when an elevated process is detected. Open PowerToys Settings. Inside the General page, select <kbd>Restart as administrator</kbd>.
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2. Enable **Always run as administrator** in the PowerToys Settings.
In the case of an elevated command line, typically the text "Administrator" will be included in the title bar.
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## Support for admin mode with PowerToys
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PowerToys only needs elevated administrator permission when interacting with other applications that are running in administrator mode. If those applications are in focus, PowerToys may not function unless it is elevated as well.
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These are the two scenarios we will not work in:
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These are the two scenarios PowerToys will not work in:
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- Intercepting certain types of keyboard strokes
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- Resizing / Moving windows
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- Resizing / moving windows
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### Affected PowerToys utilities
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Admin mode permissions may be required in the following scenarios:
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- FancyZones
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- Snapping an elevated window (e.g. command prompt) into a Fancy Zone
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- Snapping an elevated window (e.g. Task Manager) into a Fancy Zone
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- Moving the elevated window to a different zone
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- Shortcut guide
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- Display shortcut
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- App-targeted shortcuts remapping
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- PowerToys Run
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- Display shortcut
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## Run as administrator: elevated processes explained
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Windows applications run in _User mode_ by default. To run an application in _Administrative mode_ or as an _elevated process_ means that app will run with additional access to the operating system.
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The simplest way to run an app or program in administrative mode is to right-click the program and select <kbd>Run as administrator</kbd>. If the current user is not an administrator, Windows will ask for the administrator username and password.
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Most apps do not need to run with elevated permission. A common scenario, however, for requiring administrator permission would be to run certain PowerShell commands or edit the registry.
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If you see this User Account Control prompt, the application is requesting administrator level elevated permission:
With the activation / deactivation shortcut (default: <kbd>⊞ Win</kbd>+<kbd>Ctrl</kbd>+<kbd>T</kbd>), the window will be toggled on top.
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With the activation / deactivation shortcut (default: <kbd>⊞ Win</kbd>+<kbd>Ctrl</kbd>+<kbd>T</kbd>), the targeted window will be placed above all non-topmost windows and should stay above them, even when the window is deactivated.
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## PowerToys settings
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## Settings
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From the settings menu, the following options can be configured:
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From the Settings menu, the following options can be configured:
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| Setting | Description |
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| --- | --- |
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| Activation shortcut | The customizable keyboard command to turn on or off always on top for that window |
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| Do not activate when Game Mode is on | Prevents the feature from being activated when actively playing a game on the system |
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| Color | The color of the highlight border |
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| Border thickness (px)| The thickness of the highlight border - Measured in pixels |
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| Play a sound | A small alert chirp is played to make you aware. Activating and deactivating are different so you can tell. |
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| Excluded apps | Add the application's name, or part of the name, one per line (e.g. adding `Notepad` will match both `Notepad.exe` and `Notepad++.exe`; to match only `Notepad.exe` add the `.exe` extension) |
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|:--- |:--- |
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| Activation shortcut | The customizable keyboard command to turn on or off always on top for that window.|
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| Do not activate when Game Mode is on | Prevents the feature from being activated when actively playing a game on the system.|
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| Color | The custom color of the highlight border.|
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| Border thickness (px)| The thickness of the highlight border. Measured in pixels |
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| Play a sound | A short alert chirp is played. Activating and deactivating use different sounds. |
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| Excluded apps | Add an application's name, or part of the name, one per line. (e.g. adding `Notepad` will match both `Notepad.exe` and `Notepad++.exe`; to match only `Notepad.exe` add the `.exe` extension) |
Copy file name to clipboardExpand all lines: hub/powertoys/awake.md
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title: PowerToys Awake utility for Windows
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description: A tool for a Windows computer to stay awake.
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ms.date: 06/28/2021
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ms.date: 04/27/2022
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ms.topic: article
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ms.localizationpriority: medium
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---
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PowerToys Awake is a utility tool for Windows designed to keep a computer awake without having to manage its [power & sleep settings](https://support.microsoft.com/windows/how-to-adjust-power-and-sleep-settings-26f623b5-4fcc-4194-863d-b824e5ea7679). This behavior can be helpful when running time-consuming tasks, ensuring that the computer does not go to sleep or turn off its screens.
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## Get started
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## Getting started
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PowerToys Awake can be used directly from PowerToys settings or as a standalone executable. When the tool is running from PowerToys, it can be managed from PowerToys settings or the system tray.
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PowerToys Awake can be used directly from PowerToys Settings or as a standalone executable. When the tool is running from PowerToys, it can be managed from PowerToys Settings or the system tray.
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> [!NOTE]
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> PowerToys Awake does not modify any of the Windows power plan settings, and does not depend on a custom power plan configuration. Instead, it spawns background threads that tell Windows that they require a specific state of the machine.
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## PowerToys settings
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<!-- [Jay] GUI text needs to be updated to "PowerToys Awake", then change following text and images accordingly -->
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In the PowerToys settings view, start PowerToys Awake by using the **Enable Awake** toggle. Once enabled, the application will manage the awakeness state of the computer.
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## Settings
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In the PowerToys Settings view, start PowerToys Awake by using the **Enable Awake** toggle. Once enabled, the application will manage the awakeness state of the computer.
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The following Awake states can be selected:
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-**Off (Passive)** - The computer awakeness state is unaffected. The application is waiting for user input.
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-**Keep awake indefinitely** - The computer stays awake indefinitely, until the user explicitly puts the machine to sleep or exits/disables the application.
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-**Keep awake temporarily** - Keep machine awake for a pre-defined limited time. Once the time elapses, computer resumes its previous awakeness state.
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| Setting | Description |
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| :-- | :-- |
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| Keep using the selected power plan | The computer awakeness state is unaffected. The application is waiting for user input. |
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| Keep awake indefinitely | The computer stays awake indefinitely, until you explicitly put the machine to sleep or exits/disables the application. |
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| Keep awake temporarily | Keep machine awake for a pre-defined limited time. Once the time elapses, the computer resumes its previous awakeness state. |
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> [!NOTE]
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> Changing the hours or minutes while the computer is kept awake temporarily will reset the timer.
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## Keep screen on
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###Keep screen on
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While PowerToys Awake can keep the computer awake indefinitely or temporarily, in its default state the displays connected to the machine will turn off, even though the computer won't go to sleep. If you need the displays to be available, use the **Keep screen on** switch, which will ensure that all monitors remain on.
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## System tray
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To manage the execution of the tool from the system tray, right-click on the PowerToys Awake icon.
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## Command Line Interface (CLI)
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PowerToys Awake can also be executed as a standalone application, directly from the PowerToys folder. The following command line arguments can be used when running `PowerToys.Awake.exe` from the terminal or via a `.lnk` shortcut file:
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| Argument | Description |
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|:------------------|:------------|
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|:----------------|:----------|
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|`--use-pt-config`| Use the PowerToys configuration file to manage the settings. This assumes that there is a `settings.json` file for Awake, generated by PowerToys, that contains all required runtime information. This includes the Behavior Mode (indefinite or timed), whether screens should be kept on, and what the values for hours and minutes are for a temporary keep-awake.<br/>When this argument is used, all other arguments are ignored. Awake will look for changes in the `settings.json` file to update its state. |
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|`--display-on`| Determines whether the screens should be kept on or off while the machine is kept awake. Expected values are `true` or `false`. |
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|`--time-limit`| Duration, in seconds, during which Awake keeps the computer awake. Can be used in combination with `--display-on`. |
description: A system-wide color picking utility for Windows that enables you to pick colors from the screen and automatically copies the default value to your clipboard.
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ms.date: 05/28/2021
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description: A system-wide color picking utility for Windows that enables you to pick colors from the screen and automatically copies the default value to your clipboard.
A system-wide color picking utility for Windows that enables you to pick colors from any currently running application and can copy it in a configurable format to your clipboard.
To start using Color Picker, make sure it is enabled in the PowerToys settings (Color Picker section).
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To start using Color Picker, enable it in the PowerToys Settings (Color Picker section).
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### Activate
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Once enabled, you can choose one of the following three behaviors to be executed when launching Color Picker with the activation shortcut (default: <kbd>Win</kbd>+<kbd>Shift</kbd>+<kbd>C</kbd>).
-**Color Picker with editor mode enabled** - Opens Color Picker. After selecting a color, the editor is opened and the selected color is copied to the clipboard (in the default format - configurable in the settings dialog).
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-**Editor** - Opens editor directly, from here you can choose a color from the history, finetune a selected color, or capture a new color with by opening the color picker.
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-**Color Picker with editor mode enabled** - Opens Color Picker. After selecting a color, the editor is opened and the selected color is copied to the clipboard (in the default format - configurable in the Settings dialog).
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-**Editor** - Opens editor directly, from here you can choose a color from the history, fine-tune a selected color, or capture a new color by opening the color picker.
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-**Color Picker only** - Opens Color Picker only and the selected color will be copied to the clipboard.
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### Select color
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The copied color will be stored in your clipboard in the format that is configured in the settings (default: HEX).
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> [!TIP]
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> To select the color of the non-hover state of a element:
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> - Move the mouse pointer close, but not over the element
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> - Zoom in by scrolling the mouse wheel up (image will be frozen)
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> - In the enlarged area, you can pick the color of the element
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## Editor usage
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The editor lets you see the history of picked colors (up to 20) and copy their representation in any predefined string format. You can configure which color formats are visible in the editor, and in what order that they appear. This configuration can be found in PowerToys Settings.
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The editor lets you see the history of picked colors (up to 20) and copy their representation in any predefined string format. You can configure which color formats are visible in the editor and in what order that they appear. This configuration can be found in PowerToys Settings.
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The editor also allows you to finetune any picked color or get a new similar color. Editor previews different shades of currently selected color: 2 lighter and 2 darker ones.
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The editor also allows you to fine-tune any picked color or get a new similar color. Editor suggests two lighter and two darker shades of the currently selected color. Clicking on any of those alternative color shades will add the selection to the history of picked colors. It will appear at the top of the colors history list.
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Clicking on any of those alternative color shades will add the selection to the history of picked colors (it will appear at the top of the colors history list). The color in the middle represents your currently selected color from the colors history. By clicking on it, the finetuning configuration control will appear, where you can change HUE or RGB values of the current color. Pressing <kbd>Select</kbd> will add newly configured color into the colors history.
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The color in the middle represents your currently selected color from the colors history. By clicking on it, the fine-tuning configuration control will appear, where you can change HSV or RGB values of the current color. Pressing <kbd>Select</kbd> will add newly configured color into the colors history.
- Color picker can't be displayed on top of the start menu or action center (you can still pick a color).
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- If the currently focused application was started with an administrator elevation (Run as administrator), the Color Picker activation shortcut will not work, unless PowerToys was also started with an administrator elevation.
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- Currently, there is a "blind spot" in the bottom right corner of the desktop.
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