--- title: Microsoft PowerToys quietly added a dock, and now my... description: Microsoft PowerToys' Command Palette recently added a stable dock feature that serves as a customizable alternative to the Windows 11 Taskbar. The dock lets... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/microsoft-powertoys-quietly-added-a-dock-and-now-my-entire-app-workflow-is-one-keystroke-away-wrscbznwq twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Microsoft PowerToys quietly added a dock, and now my entire app workflow is one keystroke away | daily.dev og:description: Microsoft PowerToys' Command Palette recently added a stable dock feature that serves as a customizable alternative to the Windows 11 Taskbar. The dock lets... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/microsoft-powertoys-quietly-added-a-dock-and-now-my-entire-app-workflow-is-one-keystroke-away-wrscbznwq og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/WrscbznWq.png og:image:alt: Microsoft PowerToys quietly added a dock, and now my entire app workflow is one keystroke away og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Microsoft PowerToys quietly added a dock, and now my entire app workflow is one keystroke away **[XDA Developers](https://daily.dev/sources/xda-developers)** · 6 min read · 31 upvotes · 4 comments ## Summary Microsoft PowerToys' Command Palette recently added a stable dock feature that serves as a customizable alternative to the Windows 11 Taskbar. The dock lets users pin commands, extensions, apps, system tools, and even resource monitors (CPU/GPU stats) to three configurable zones. It supports multi-monitor setups, flexible alignment, color and theme customization, and label toggling. Key limitations include no system tray replication, no thumbnail previews, and the native Taskbar cannot be fully disabled. Despite these gaps, the dock offers richer customization and broader pinning options than the native Taskbar, making it a viable replacement for tools like Explorer Patcher. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### What is the new dock feature in Microsoft PowerToys Command Palette and what can it do? The Command Palette dock in PowerToys is a stable-release feature (previously in beta) that acts as an alternative to the Windows Taskbar. It divides the screen into left, center, and right zones for pinning commands, extensions, apps, Control Panel features, and power settings, supports multi-monitor alignment, system resource stats display, and full theme customization. _Developers customizing their Windows setup can find dock configuration details and workflow tips on daily.dev._ ### What can't the PowerToys Command Palette dock do compared to the native Windows Taskbar? The dock cannot replicate the system tray, so managing open background apps still requires the native Taskbar. It also lacks thumbnail previews when hovering over pinned items and does not support window management actions like closing or ending a task directly from the dock, unlike the traditional Taskbar. _Anyone weighing Taskbar replacements can track these tradeoffs and similar tool comparisons on daily.dev._ ## Community discussion Top comments from developers on daily.dev. **@mavros\_lykos** · 2 upvotes >  **@baz14** · 1 upvotes > Strange logic MS 🤯 > > Eliminate bugs/improve Win usability VS create a patch collection to fix bugs, add at least some configuration, add necessary features **@sinema74** · 0 upvotes > So you got a kind of Rofi implantation in Windows? **@shapeshifta** · 0 upvotes > has been there for a while already, but it is way less powerful than in macos or linux. I hardly use it although I use it on other systems.,, ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [PowerToys keeps shipping features Windows should have had years ago, and the latest update proves it](https://daily.dev/posts/powertoys-keeps-shipping-features-windows-should-have-had-years-ago-and-the-latest-update-proves-it-fsbwwl6tr) · XDA Developers · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [I'm sticking with PowerToys Command Palette until Windows fixes taskbar and search](https://daily.dev/posts/i-m-sticking-with-powertoys-command-palette-until-windows-fixes-taskbar-and-search-nkgc1lnjo) · XDA Developers · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [I ditched Windows 11's taskbar for a week using only PowerToys, and it actually worked](https://daily.dev/posts/i-ditched-windows-11-s-taskbar-for-a-week-using-only-powertoys-and-it-actually-worked-xagmub0nu) · XDA Developers · 7 upvotes · 1 comments - [PowerToys 0.99 is here: new monitor controls, easier window management, and Dock upgrades](https://daily.dev/posts/powertoys-0-99-is-here-new-monitor-controls-easier-window-management-and-dock-upgrades-buq2ggj6w) · Windows Command Line · 142 upvotes · 3 comments --- Tags: [#productivity](https://daily.dev/tags/productivity), [#windows](https://daily.dev/tags/windows) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/microsoft-powertoys-quietly-added-a-dock-and-now-my-entire-app-workflow-is-one-keystroke-away-wrscbznwq) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Microsoft PowerToys quietly added a dock, and now my entire app workflow is one keystroke away","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/microsoft-powertoys-quietly-added-a-dock-and-now-my-entire-app-workflow-is-one-keystroke-away-wrscbznwq","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/microsoft-powertoys-quietly-added-a-dock-and-now-my-entire-app-workflow-is-one-keystroke-away-wrscbznwq"},"datePublished":"2026-07-20T11:02:20.502Z","dateModified":"2026-09-14T06:13:20.104Z","description":"Microsoft PowerToys' Command Palette recently added a stable dock feature that serves as a customizable alternative to the Windows 11 Taskbar. 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I hardly use it although I use it on other systems.,","datePublished":"2026-07-23T08:48:42.347Z","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/WrscbznWq#c-yEmY0OTx7","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Thomas Horster","url":"https://daily.dev/shapeshifta","image":"https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/a/ACg8ocKb6L6HT3s9ADrzllxFn2TGtdqVKVTKckrPjNiWqWXXfMQ9Lo2KTQ=s96-c"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/microsoft-powertoys-quietly-added-a-dock-and-now-my-entire-app-workflow-is-one-keystroke-away-wrscbznwq#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What is the new dock feature in Microsoft PowerToys Command Palette and what can it do?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"The Command Palette dock in PowerToys is a stable-release feature (previously in beta) that acts as an alternative to the Windows Taskbar. 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