Microsoft has decided to update the veteran Run menu in Windows 11, integrating fragments of PowerToys code to speed up its opening. This tool, which has been the favorite shortcut of advanced users for decades, now loads faster and responds more smoothly. The update is already available in test versions of the operating system, aiming to modernize a feature that seemed forgotten.
How PowerToys integration optimizes command loading 🚀
The improvement leverages the Run module of PowerToys, an open source project that Microsoft maintains to experiment with advanced features. By merging its startup logic, the native Run menu reduces response time when pressing Win+R. Technically, the old sequential initialization is replaced by an asynchronous load, avoiding freezes. The result is a more agile tool, although without notable visual changes. Users in the Canary channel can already test this new feature.
Microsoft rediscovers the Win+R shortcut, 30 years later 🕰️
Finally, the engineers in Redmond have remembered that there is a menu that opens with Win+R, something many users used almost in secret. Now, after decades of neglect, they have turbocharged it with PowerToys, like swapping the engine on an 80s car. Next, they will add a shortcut to open Notepad or rediscover the start button. Pure innovation, folks.