Command Palette

Extensible command launcher and quick action tool - the next generation of PowerToys Run

Overview

Command Palette (CmdPal) is an extensible, modern command launcher that serves as the next iteration of PowerToys Run. With extensibility at its core, it provides a unified interface to start anything, run commands, and interact with system features through a plugin architecture.

Command Palette is currently in preview. The API may introduce breaking changes before reaching v1.0.0 stability.

Activation

1. Enable Command Palette

   Open PowerToys Settings and enable Command Palette

2. Open Launcher

   Press the activation shortcut: Win+Alt+Space (default)

3. Start Typing

   Enter commands, search queries, or action triggers

Key Features

Extensible Architecture

Extension System

WinRT-based plugin interface

Language-agnostic extension development

Command Providers

Custom command sources

Integrate any data or action

Page Extensions

Full UI extensions

Custom interfaces within palette

Native Integration

Built-in PowerToys commands

System-level integration

Extension Development

Create extensions in any language supporting WinRT:

// Example C# extension structure
using Microsoft.CommandPalette.Extensions;

public class MyExtension : ICmdPalExtension
{
    public string DisplayName => "My Extension";
    public string Description => "Custom functionality";
    
    public IListPage GetListPage()
    {
        // Return command list
    }
    
    public IEnumerable<ICommandItem> GetCommands(string query)
    {
        // Return matching commands
    }
}

API Documentation: Microsoft Learn - Command Palette Extensibility

Built-in Features

Command Palette includes these capabilities out of the box:

Application Launcher

• Launch installed applications
• Search Start Menu items
• Open UWP and Win32 apps
• Recent app suggestions

File Search

• Find files and folders
• Recent documents
• Quick file actions
• Path navigation

Calculator

• Inline calculations
• Mathematical expressions
• Unit conversions
• Result clipboard copy

System Commands

• Windows settings shortcuts
• PowerToys utility actions
• System utilities
• Power options

Creating Extensions

The fastest way to create an extension:

1. Run Create Command

   Open Command Palette and run “Create extension”

2. Provide Details

   Enter project name, display name, and output directory

3. Open Solution

   Navigate to the generated .sln file and open in Visual Studio

4. Build & Deploy

   Build the project - it automatically deploys to Command Palette

Configuration

Activation Shortcut

activation_shortcut · hotkey · default: "Win+Alt+Space"

Global hotkey to open Command Palette

Configurable in PowerToys Settings

Extension Management

Manage installed extensions:

1. Open Command Palette
2. Type “extensions” or “plugins”
3. View installed extensions
4. Enable/disable individual extensions
5. Configure extension settings

Search Behavior

max_results · number · default: "10"

Maximum number of results to display

search_delay_ms · number · default: "150"

Debounce delay for search queries (milliseconds)

fuzzy_matching · boolean · default: "true"

Enable fuzzy search for command matching

Use Cases

Quick Actions

Launch Applications

Fastest way to open applications:

1. Press Win+Alt+Space
2. Type: "vscode"
3. Press Enter
→ Visual Studio Code opens

Calculations

Quick math without opening calculator:

Win+Alt+Space → "= 1234 * 56" → Enter to copy result

File Navigation

Jump to files and folders:

Win+Alt+Space → "documents\report" → Open location

Developer Workflows

Quick Repository Access

# Custom extension for Git repos
Win+Alt+Space
→ "repo project-name"
→ Opens in VS Code

System Management

Settings Access

Quick access to Windows settings

Win+Alt+Space → "settings display"

PowerToys Control

Manage PowerToys utilities

Win+Alt+Space → "powertoys color picker"

Process Management

Extension for task management

Custom commands for process control

Power Options

Quick power commands

Shutdown, restart, sleep actions

Custom Integrations

Examples of custom extensions:

• API Testing: Quick REST API calls
• Cloud Services: Interact with Azure, AWS, etc.
• Database Queries: Run quick database lookups
• Documentation: Search local documentation
• Snippets: Insert code snippets
• DevOps: Trigger CI/CD pipelines

Extension Development

Getting Started

1. Install Prerequisites

   • Visual Studio 2022+ with C++ and .NET workloads
   • Windows SDK 10.0.26100.0+
   • PowerToys installed
2. Create Extension Project

   Use the “Create extension” command in Command Palette

   Or manually with project template

3. Implement Interface

   Implement ICmdPalExtension interface:

   public class MyExtension : ICmdPalExtension
   {
       public string DisplayName { get; }
       public IExtensionIcon Icon { get; }
       public IListPage GetPage() { }
   }
   
4. Build & Test

   Build project - extension auto-deploys to Command Palette

   Test immediately in running instance

Extension Types

Command Providers

Provide searchable commands:

public class MyCommandProvider : ICommandProvider
{
    public IEnumerable<ICommandItem> GetCommands(string query)
    {
        // Return matching commands
        yield return new CommandItem
        {
            Name = "My Command",
            Description = "Does something",
            Icon = myIcon,
            Action = () => ExecuteCommand()
        };
    }
}

Page Extensions

Full UI pages within Command Palette:

public class MyPage : IListPage
{
    public string PageName => "My Custom Page";
    
    public IList<IListItem> GetItems()
    {
        // Return list items with custom UI
    }
    
    public void OnItemInvoked(IListItem item)
    {
        // Handle item selection
    }
}

Form Pages

Input forms for complex commands:

public class MyFormPage : IFormPage
{
    public IList<IFormField> GetFields()
    {
        return new List<IFormField>
        {
            new TextBoxField { Label = "Name" },
            new DropdownField { Label = "Type" }
        };
    }
    
    public void OnSubmit(IFormData data)
    {
        // Process form data
    }
}

Extension Packaging

Package and distribute extensions:

<!-- Extension manifest -->
<Package>
  <Identity Name="MyExtension" Version="1.0.0" />
  <DisplayName>My Command Palette Extension</DisplayName>
  <Description>Custom commands for X</Description>
  <Dependencies>
    <TargetDeviceFamily Name="Windows.Desktop" />
  </Dependencies>
</Package>

Sample Extensions

Official samples in repository:

• Generic samples: src/modules/cmdpal/ext/SamplePagesExtension
• Real-world samples: src/modules/cmdpal/ext/ProcessMonitorExtension
• Shipped extensions: GitHub - CmdPalExtensions

Source reference: src/modules/cmdpal/README.md:48

Technical Details

Architecture

Key Projects

Project	Purpose
Microsoft.CmdPal.UI	Main Command Palette application
Microsoft.CommandPalette.Extensions	Extension interface (language-agnostic WinRT)
Microsoft.CommandPalette.Extensions.Toolkit	C# helper library for extensions
SampleExtensions/*	Example extension implementations

Build location: src/modules/cmdpal

Extension SDK

The extension interface is designed to be language-agnostic:

// WinRT interface allows implementation in:
// - C#
// - C++/WinRT
// - Rust (with windows-rs)
// - Python (with pythonnet)
// Any language with WinRT support

SDK Spec: src/modules/cmdpal/doc/initial-sdk-spec/initial-sdk-spec.md

Extension Discovery

Command Palette discovers extensions through:

1. Installation Directory: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\PowerToys\CommandPalette\Extensions
2. Package Registration: Windows package registration
3. Development Mode: Direct DLL loading for debugging

Keyboard Shortcuts

Global

Shortcut	Action
Win+Alt+Space	Open Command Palette (default)

In Command Palette

Shortcut	Action
Type to search	Filter commands
↑ / ↓	Navigate results
Enter	Execute selected command
Esc	Close Command Palette
Tab	Auto-complete / Next field
Shift+Enter	Alternative action (if available)
Ctrl+[Number]	Quick select result

Troubleshooting

Command Palette won't open

Check:

• PowerToys is running
• Command Palette enabled in settings
• Shortcut not conflicting

Debug:

• Check PowerToys logs
• Try alternate activation shortcut
• Restart PowerToys

Extension not loading

Verify:

1. Extension built successfully
2. Extension in correct directory
3. Extension manifest valid
4. Dependencies installed

Location: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\PowerToys\CommandPalette\Extensions

Logs: Check Command Palette logs for load errors

Extension crashes Command Palette

Steps:

1. Disable extension
2. Review extension error handling
3. Check exception logs
4. Debug extension in Visual Studio

Best practices:

• Wrap extension code in try-catch
• Validate all inputs
• Handle async operations properly

Search results not appearing

Check:

• Extension implementing search correctly
• Query parsing logic
• Result filtering
• Performance (timeout issues)

Performance tip: Return results quickly, use async for slow operations

See Also

• PowerToys Run - Previous generation launcher
• Extension Development Guide
• Sample Extensions
• Command Not Found - Shell integration