Microsoft’s PowerToys has just become even more powerful with the introduction of Peek, a new tool designed to preview file content without ever leaving File Explorer. So there is no need to open it, wait for the app to load, and then view what’s inside.
Peek gives you a quick, lightweight preview experience that supports a wide range of file types, including images, Office documents, videos, Markdown files, text, developer formats, and even web pages. It also provides summary information about folders.
How to Preview Files with PowerToys Peek
To use Peek, simply select a file in File Explorer and press the default shortcut Ctrl + Space. You can choose to customize it from the settings.
If you want to scan through multiple files quickly? Use your arrow keys (Left/Right or Up/Down) to scroll through files in the current folder or select multiple files to scroll only between those.
The Peek window automatically adjusts its size based on the file type (like image dimensions), but if you’d rather keep a fixed window size and position, just use the pinning feature. A simple click on the pin icon locks the window in place, and clicking it again unpins it.
How to set up the preview for the best experience
From the Peek settings menu, you can adjust several options:
- Set a custom activation shortcut.
- Choose whether to run Peek non-elevated, even when PowerToys is elevated (useful for network shares).
- Enable or disable the auto-close feature when the window loses focus.
- Toggle the confirmation dialog for deletions.
Whether you’re a developer, designer, or just someone who juggles a lot of files daily, Peek is a must-have utility that saves time and reduces digital clutter. Read more on this here on microsoft.com.
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