Microsoft updated its Windows PowerToys toolset with a new utility dubbed "Window Hopper" that lets users switch between an app's windows more quickly.

The Window Hopper added in this release works like the standard ALT + TAB Windows feature, but it only works for the currently focused app, helping users switch back and forth between its windows.

"Once the utility is enabled, press the configurable Alt + backtick shortcut to cycle through that app's windows without stepping through everything else on your desktop," Microsoft explains.

"It is especially useful when you're juggling multiple browser windows, terminals, File Explorer windows, or editor instances."

Those who want to customize the default activation keyboard shortcut can also do so in PowerToys settings to switch to the next and previous app window.

The new feature is included in PowerToys version 0.101.2362.0, released today, along with a new compact mode for the Command Palette quick launcher that opens the tool as a search box at a configurable vertical position.

This version also adds support for PowerDisplay linked controls to adjust brightness across all displays at the same time and Windows-key activation for Shortcut Guide, a PowerToys tool introduced in June that displays keyboard shortcuts for Windows and the current active app.

Additional improvements include DemoMirror, a new ZoomIt feature that allows you to mirror a region of the screen, a window, or the entire screen onto a second monitor, and a new Mouse Highlighter ripple mode for composition-based effects on mouse clicks.

In January, Microsoft released PowerToys 0.97, which added CursorWrap, a new mouse utility for multi-monitor setups that "teleports" the mouse pointer to the opposite edge of active monitors and makes it easier to drag cursors across large screen distances.

PowerToys is now available through the official GitHub repository, which also provides a detailed changelog for each version.

Microsoft PowerToys was released during the Windows 95 era and started as a collection of small freeware tools created by Windows developers as personal projects.

However, in 2019, Microsoft revived the project as an open-source utility pack designed to enhance Windows functionality and streamline tasks previously requiring third-party tools.