How to preview files with PowerToys Peek: There are a lot of useful utilities in PowerToys that can speed up and make everyday chores and functions easier. One tool that does this is Peek, which lets you see what a file looks like before you open it. PowerToys has recently been updated to handle even more file types. This means you can now open and look at these files without stopping what you’re doing. Here’s everything you need to know about Windows’ Peek tool from PowerToys to look at files before you open them.
How to preview files with PowerToys Peek?
Even though Windows 11 File Explorer already has the ability to preview files, the preview box is on the side, which can make it hard to use.
PowerToys’ Peek tool, on the other hand, lets you do a lot more. For example, you can scroll through the previews of files in the same folder, save the window’s size and position, and have it close itself when you take your attention off of it. In terms of what files it could open, PowerToys wasn’t as good as File Explorer’s built-in file preview.
But since the last update, you can now explore a lot more file types, even Microsoft 365 files. Here’s how to look at files in PowerToys with the Peek toy.
1: Put PowerToys in place.
Figure out what PowerToys is in the Microsoft Store and click on “Install.”
You can also download PowerToys from the link below.
To get the PowerToysUserSetup.exe file, click on the link to it.
After that, run the setup.
Check that you agree to the rules and click “Install.”
2: Make the Peek tool work.
Start PowerToys and go to the left side menu.
Turn on Enable Peek on the right.
Ctrl + Space is the usual way to preview files.Click on the pencil next to the link to change it.
Then type your new code. To begin, press Win, Ctrl, Alt, or Shift.Then click “Save.”
3: Use Peek to look at the files.
Select the file you want to look at and then press the key (Ctrl+Space by default) to open the PowerToys Peek tool.
This will bring up the preview box, where you can see what the file is about.
To see other files in the same folder, press the left and right arrow keys or the up and down arrow keys.
Make sure to first choose the things you want to scroll through.
After that, press the Peek key. In the upper left part of the preview window, it will say how many files have been chosen.
4: Set the Peek sample window’s size and location.
It depends on the type of file that the preview window is for that it changes its size and position. This can be annoying, though, if you’re looking at images of different file types. You can, however, keep the sample window’s size and position.
To begin, make sure to change the sample window’s size and place it where you want it on the screen.
Then, to pin it, click on the pin button in the upper right corner of the preview window.
The sample window will now stay the same size and position as you scroll through the file previews.
You can close the preview window and start a different file preview with the shortcut. The size and position will stay the same.
5. Open the file in the app that came with your phone.
Peek lets you open the file in the app that came with it right from the sample window. To do this, click on the “Open with…” button at the top of the preview box.
Step 6: Close the Peek sample window on its own when it loses focus.
One useful aspect of the Peek utility is that the preview window closes itself when you move your mouse away from it. The setting is blocked by default, though, so it needs to be turned on first.
To play “Peek,” open PowerToys and choose it from the side menu. Next, turn on Automatically close the Peek window when it loses focus on the right.
From now on, the sample window will close itself whenever you leave it.
You can quickly see what’s in a file this way, and then get back to work without having to close the peek window by hand.
FAQ
Let’s look at some questions that people often ask about PowerToys Peek and how to preview files.
What is the quick way to look at files in PowerToys Peek?
PowerToys Peek’s usual way to look at files before opening them is to press Ctrl+Space. In the PowerToys Peek settings window, click on the pencil icon next to “Activation shortcut” to change this to a different shortcut that you like. You can only make shortcuts that begin with Windows, Ctrl, Alt, or Shift.
What kinds of files does PowerToys Peek work with?
There are many kinds of files that the PowerToys Peek tool can preview. These include images, Microsoft Office files, web pages, text files, developer files, and any other file type that your computer can handle.
What’s the difference between the Preview screen in File Explorer and PowerToys Peek?
PowerToys Peek and File Explorer’s sample side panel both let you see what’s inside supported files without opening them in the app that goes with them. But the built-in preview panel for File Explorer pops up inside of File Explorer. You can do a lot more with PowerToys Peek preview. For example, you can scroll through previews of files in the same folder, save the size and position of the window, and have the preview stop itself when you take your attention off of it.
The Peek tool in PowerToys is a useful little previewer. It’s not like its cousin File Explorer; it has a lot more features that can make your work easier and let you see what’s inside a file without actually opening it. We hope that this guide helped you use the PowerToys Peek tool. Until then!
