Microsoft has released PowerToys 0.97.2, which addressed several crashes in its latest patch. The update fixes issues with Advanced Paste, Image Resizer, Explorer-related crashes, and more, which should improve everyday use for users. Additionally, the Color Picker now has better contrast on low-brightness displays, while the Command Palette respects localization strings for extensions.
PowerToys 0.97.2 – What the Latest Patch Actually Fixes
The newest PowerToys 0.97.2 build addresses a handful of crashes that managed to slip through the 0.97.0 release. Readers will learn which components got a sanity check, how to get the update installed without a hiccup, and whether any of the fixes matter for everyday use.
Crash‑heavy components finally steadied
Advanced Paste was notorious for blowing up on the settings page when it tried to read an empty JSON blob; that bug has been squashed, so tweaking clipboard actions no longer ends the session. The Image Resizer now clears out old sparse app packages during upgrade, a step that previously left Windows 10 users staring at a frozen dialog. Explorer‑related crashes in Quick Access and Measure Tool were traced to an IsShownInSwitchers flag being queried while Explorer was offline – the patch adds a guard check, preventing the whole utility from taking a nosedive when Explorer isn’t running.
Color Picker and Command Palette get polish
A subtle contrast glitch that made the picker’s UI hard to read on low‑brightness displays is gone, meaning color swatches are legible again. The Command Palette also now respects localization strings for extensions; users who run non‑English Windows will finally see proper menu text instead of placeholder keys.
Cursor Wrap and Light Switch get smarter options
The “activate on startup” toggle for Cursor Wrap now remembers the disabled state across reboots, a detail that annoyed power users who preferred manual activation. An extra switch lets you turn off cursor wrapping entirely when only one monitor is attached – handy for anyone who’s tired of the pointer snapping back to the opposite edge for no reason. Light Switch’s launch routine has been tightened so the correct theme applies right away, eliminating the momentary flash of the wrong color scheme.
Workspaces layout bug resolved
Workspace snapshots used to draw their overlay a few pixels off when the system ran with DPI scaling enabled; the new coordinate handling aligns the preview exactly where it belongs, which matters for anyone juggling high‑resolution monitors.
How to install the update without drama
The installer comes in four flavors – per‑user and machine‑wide builds for both x64 and ARM64. Download the appropriate file from Github, verify the SHA‑256 hash if paranoid about tampering, then run it like any other executable. The installer will replace the existing binaries in place, preserving all custom shortcuts and settings. No need to uninstall first; the process is designed to be painless.
| Description | Filename | sha256 hash |
|---|---|---|
| Per user - x64 | PowerToysUserSetup-0.97.2-x64.exe | 54A39F62334F7481C1BDDE8ABF4928F2E74F100A049F50C7339DABFD34134C98 |
| Per user - ARM64 | PowerToysUserSetup-0.97.2-arm64.exe | BB24AEE4B0B8EBDC007D04A84843D44008AB585192CF145816F4C07C99251BE0 |
| Machine wide - x64 | PowerToysSetup-0.97.2-x64.exe | D0316CCE8A586CE060390830FD0E3ECC298498159EEAFF2472A1BF3D2616A5E4 |
| Machine wide - ARM64 | PowerToysSetup-0.97.2-arm64.exe | 0CC6651BF7A3CA7CF63BAC0886FD7B314A5C4648D8C7212F22B4D5729CBD54D9 |
If you’ve been plagued by random PowerToys crashes or have a multi‑monitor rig that misbehaves with cursor wrapping, this patch is worth the few megabytes of download time. For users who run the suite without incident, the update is still advisable because it tightens up edge cases that could turn into bigger headaches later.
