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microsoft / PowerToys

Windows system utilities to maximize productivity
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The key combination of the screen ruler utility causes problems with standard key combinations in Windows 10 #21039

Open kvpdesperado opened 2 years ago

kvpdesperado commented 2 years ago

Microsoft PowerToys version

V0.63.0

Running as admin

Area(s) with issue?

Screen ruler

Steps to reproduce

  1. Change shortcut for screen ruler to "Windows logo key  + SHIFT + L" because the default shortcut of screen ruler has the same functionality like a default shortcut in Windows 10 and overrides it
  2. Hide the desktop via "Windows logo key"  + D
  3. Switch to an other PC via KVM switch
  4. Switch back to the first PC and restore minimized windows on the desktop with "Windows logo key  + SHIFT + M"
  5. Restoration of windows is not working at all

✔️ Expected Behavior

Restore minimized windows on the desktop

❌ Actual Behavior

Nothing happens

Other Software

No response

Jay-o-Way commented 2 years ago

Hello and thanks for your message. This is an issue already mentioned in #20194. Your steps to reproduce use both the letter "D" (for Desktop) and "M" (for Minimize) which are not exactly the same thing but I thing it means the same as the other issue. Am I right? Or is the problem that Win+Shift+M is "captured" even if the hotkey is changed? P.S. after a quick test I cannot reproduce.

kvpdesperado commented 2 years ago

The problem is that even if I changed the key combination for the screen ruler, the key combination Win+Shift+M does not seem to be "captured". Normally, when using a KVM switch and two monitors, I could restore the window position of each application by pressing Win+Shift+M. Since the integration of the feature in the Powertoys, this no longer works reliably.

MailYouLater commented 2 years ago

Just updated to the latest version of PowerToys and was shocked to find that Win+Shift+M had been clobbered by default by a ruler. Win+Shift+M has been a standard Windows shortcut since at least Windows 95 (and probably earlier NT releases), and there is no other way* to duplicate its functionality (Restore windows previously minimized using Win+M). Also, why is Win+Shift+M being used for "Screen Ruler" in the first place? Where's the mental connection that makes that make sense? Please change the Ruler's default keyboard shortcut to something more sensible, like perhaps Win+Shift+R (for Ruler) or, as suggested by @kvpdesperado in the OP, Win+Shift+L (I guess for ruLer? Still makes more sense than "M").

\ \ *Yes, I mean there is no other way. Win+D may appear similar, but it functions in a very different manner and while using Win+Dto show the desktop and Win+Shift+M to restore the hidden windows works, if you use Win+M to minimize all windows, then Win+D is not only unable to recover them, in fact, attempting to use it causes the stored window locations to be lost, such that Win+Shift+M no longer works.

Try this (on a system where Win+Shift+M is still being handled by Windows)

  1. Open a bunch of windows, such that you can't see your whole desktop.
  2. Minimize a few of them, so now you have a mix of minimized and restored windows.
  3. Press Win+M to minimize all windows. Yay, you can see your desktop.
  4. Double click an icon on the desktop that will open a window, e.g. Recycle Bin.
  5. Now that you have a window up that's not minimized, press Win+Shift+M to restore all the windows you minimized in step 3. Wow, the windows that were minimized to begin with still are, but the ones that weren't are back on the screen.

Sorry for the (perhaps mildly excessive) dramatization in my example, but it helps make my point. This simple, but very useful workflow is impossible without Win+Shift+M. Trying to do this with Win+D does not work, as it no longer keeps track of which windows were minimized using it once a window (any window) that isn't minimized is present.

Jay-o-Way commented 2 years ago

@crutkas can I ask your opinion about the choice that lead to use (default) hotkeys that are already in use by Windows? (same applies to Alt+Space) and - more importantly - the possibility to change our PT module hotkeys? I saw you gave a negative verdict on the PT Run hotkey issue, which - as you know - has lead to many issues. But why?

silversword411 commented 1 year ago

Agreed. 

<Alt>+<Space> (opening the window control menu) 
and 
<Win>+<Shift>+<m> (the undo of <Win>+<M> aka minimize all)

being global windows default hotkeys should not be broken by powertoys by default. Either use a different default, or don't turn the hotkey on unless manually selected by user.

MailYouLater commented 1 year ago

Yes, Alt+Space should also not be used by PowerToys by default. I'd very much like to see the default PowerToys Run hotkey changed too. Once again, that's a keyboard shortcut that has been used by Windows for ages, and activates a unique function which cannot be easily emulated with another keyboard shortcut.