Microsoft is exploring a new Command Palette Dock feature for its PowerToys utility, drawing inspiration from Linux desktops to add a customizable secondary panel to Windows. This optional UI element would allow users to pin widgets for quick access to system information and controls. The proposal aims to address user demands for more flexible desktop customization in Windows 11.
Microsoft's PowerToys team has proposed a Command Palette Dock, an optional UI surface designed to enhance the Windows desktop experience. Posted by designer Niels Laute on GitHub, the feature would let users add a secondary panel that can be positioned along any screen edge—top, left, right, or bottom. This dock complements the existing Command Palette in PowerToys, a keyboard-driven launcher for extensions handling quick settings and system tools.
The proposed dock enables pinning of PowerToys extensions as widgets without code changes, providing persistent access to glanceable information such as RAM usage, CPU temperature, application shortcuts, and music controls. Users can customize its appearance, including background color, styling, and theme behavior, and organize it into start, center, and end zones for better workflow efficiency. Laute emphasizes the convenience, noting it allows quick access to vital information without disrupting workflows.
This addition echoes functionalities in Linux environments like GNOME Shell and KDE Plasma, where customizable panels and widgets are standard. It also resembles elements in macOS. PowerToys itself is a set of utilities for Windows power users, offering features like color pickers and file previews that must be installed separately from the core OS.
The proposal comes amid Microsoft's broader plans to fix 'pain points' in Windows 11 during 2026, focusing on performance, reliability, and user experience. In a discussion with The Verge, Microsoft's Pavan Davuluri stated: “The feedback we’re receiving from our community of passionate customers and Windows Insiders has been clear. We need to improve Windows in ways that are meaningful for people. This year you will see us focus on addressing pain points we hear consistently from customers: improving system performance, reliability, and the overall experience of Windows.”
Currently in early proof-of-concept stage, the feature is not yet in the main PowerToys release. Microsoft is gathering feedback on GitHub, where users have expressed enthusiasm but also concerns about screen real estate and calls to make the standard Windows Taskbar more customizable instead of adding a second panel.
