Stop typing in the Start menu — use this powerful new Windows launcher instead

The Windows Start menu isn’t the best search tool when it comes to professional productivity. Sure, it’s convenient — it’s better than clicking your way through the entire menu to find what you need. But more often than not, it mostly just gets in your way. 

In fact, Microsoft’s Start menu outright disrespects you by ignoring your choice of default web browser and search engine, automatically just shunting you to Bing and Edge for web results instead of doing what you want. I’d rather use a tool that respects my choices — whether that’s Chrome and Google or Firefox and DuckDuckGo.

But there is a better way within the ] Start menu universe, and it’s even made by Microsoft. The company’s new Command Palette tool is a polished replacement for the standard Start menu. It’s a next-gen version of Microsoft’s PowerToys Run tool, a keyboard-focused launcher I’ve spent a lot of time with. Microsoft is calling it “version 2” of that software.

If you ever hit the Windows key or click the Start button and find yourself typing something, you should give it a try. And, as an extra bonus, this new tool might just offer some hints about Windows 12, too.

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Why Command Palette beats the Windows Start menu

I could recount all the ways the Start menu fails us — advertisements, embedded web search results that require a registry hack to turn off, and, of course, that stubborn insistence on using Bing and Edge. We’ve all used it, and we all know the problems.

Instead, let’s talk about why Command Palette is an amazing alternative. First and foremost, it’s a power-user tool, and Microsoft’s marketing department doesn’t seem to have its hooks in it yet. Beyond advanced features, that means no ads — and more respect for your choices.

Specifically, Command Palette empowers you to:

Search using your default browser and search engine: You can’t really use the Start menu to search the web unless you actually like Bing and Edge. With Command Palette, you get an easy keyboard-focused launcher you can access from anywhere in Windows to perform a web search — no Alt+Tabbing to your web browser required. It’s how Windows should work out of the box.

Launch apps — and switch to windows, too: You can use this tool to find and launch apps just as you would from the Start menu, but you can also switch to open windows from right within it. It’s a keyboard-centric way of digging up any buried window — no matter where it might be hiding.

Install extensions to add features: It’s early days for Command Palette, so no extensions are publicly available. But you’ll soon be able to grab extensions from the Microsoft Store to add extra features. The older PowerToys Run tool has a wide variety of extensions for everything from searching your browser’s bookmarks to finding notes in OneNote.

Each “command” in the palette has its own customizable search shortcuts for easy access, too.

Command Palette includes a variety of “commands” — and you’ll eventually be able to install more.Chris Hoffman, Foundry

How to get started with Command Palette

Command Palette is easy to use. First, install Microsoft PowerToys if you haven’t already — it’s free. And there are many other useful tools within in it.

Then, press Windows+Alt+Space. You’ll see a search box in the middle of your screen.

From there, you can simply type whatever you want and use the arrow keys and Enter to select a result. Command Palette can help you launch applications on your computer, switch to open windows, find files, search the web with your default browser and search engine, perform quick math calculations, and more.

To dig into options and configure things, click the “Settings” button at the bottom of the Command Palette launcher window. For example, you can change the key combination that launches it, if you like. You’ll find options for configuring individual “extensions” — including those that let you assign shortcuts to different types of searches — by clicking “Extensions” at the left side of the window.

Note: if Command Palette doesn’t pop up for you at all, you might need to launch or update PowerToys first. To check, open your Start menu, search for “PowerToys,” and launch it. Then, click the “General” pane and look for the “Update” button. Install any available updates. (Command Palette was added in PowerToys v0.90.0.)

Easy web searches were perhaps the best feature in PowerToys Run, and they return in the new Command Palette interface.Chris Hoffman, Foundry

Advanced Command Palette tips

Command Palette can do even more than you see on the surface. Here are some ways to really upgrade your experience:

Use search shortcuts: Type the right characters before a query to search in a specific way. For example, you can type?? and then type a web search or type $ and then type a phrase (like “Bluetooth”) to search for specific settings.

Assign keyboard shortcuts to individual search types: Want an easy way to search the web from anywhere? Try assigning a custom keyboard shortcut to the web search shortcut. You can do this from the Command Palette’s Settings window — press Windows+Alt+Space to open Command Palette, click “Settings,” click “Extensions” at the left side, click an option (like Web Search), click the action under Commands (like “Search the Web”) and enter the hotkey and alias you prefer.

Make Caps Lock launch Command Palette: You can remap the Caps Lock key to send a Windows+Alt+Space signal when you press it, turning Caps Lock into your convenient Command Palette key. To do this in just a few clicks, open the PowerToys window and find the Keyboard Manager PowerToy — then follow these easy steps.

All of this is just scratching the surface. For more, dig your way through the settings app. Many parts of Command Palette and many of its extensions are customizable, and you’ll find ample options there.

You can assign global hotkeys and convenient aliases to any command you like.Chris Hoffman, Foundry

Why Command Palette smells like Windows 12

Now, for the extra twist: Either Microsoft is suddenly getting way more serious about PowerToys, or Command Palette may form the groundwork for a future Windows 12 feature.

First, this tool just feels too polished. PC power users like myself loved PowerToys Run — we didn’t need a whole new version of the tool with a more polished, streamlined interface.

Second, Microsoft has put a lot of work into the extension model. It’s built on the kind of model that Windows apps use — not just a collection of enthusiast-style add-on scripts dumped in a folder, like PowerToys Run. You’ll be able to get extensions from the Microsoft Store, while PowerToys Run has a community extension gallery. It feels as though Microsoft is building up infrastructure here. 

Third, Command Palette’s settings are designed in an unusual way. Rather than having the typical page of settings in the larger PowerToys window, Command Palette has its own settings window you access from the launcher. It’s like it’s being designed to be self-contained, so it can be picked out of the PowerToys package, modified, and bundled with Windows.

Hey, maybe I’m wrong — maybe Command Palette heralds a new and glorious age of Microsoft taking PowerToys much more seriously. Maybe Microsoft is invested in polish as we’re nearing version 1.0 of that software, more than five years after its initial public release. That would also be nice!

Of course, there’s one part of Command Palette that doesn’t feel like it belongs in Windows 12. I’ll be shocked if Microsoft makes a built-in Windows search feature that actually respects your chosen browser and search engine for a change. But, we’ll see. Maybe the company’s marketing department just hasn’t gotten its teeth into this new feature yet.

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