What is the Power User Menu?

Power User Menu is available by default (you don't have to download it) in Windows 10 and Windows 8 as a popup menu with shortcuts for managing, configuring and other Windows tools.

Power User Menu is often called Windows Tools Menu, Power User Task Menu, Power User Hotkey, WinX Menu or WIN + X Menu. There are many different names!

Note: "Power Users" is also the name of a group of Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows Server 2003 users. This group gives users more permissions than ordinary users but not administrative privileges. However, this was removed in Windows Vista and new Windows operating systems due to the introduction of User Account Control.

How to open WIN + X menu

You can display Power User Menu via the keyboard by pressing WIN (Windows) and X keys simultaneously.

You can also display the Power User Menu by right-clicking on the Start button.

On the touch screen, you can activate Power User Menu by pressing and holding the Start button or any right-click operation with a stylus.

Before updating Windows 8.1 to Windows 8, you can only turn on the Power User Menu with the mentioned shortcut, as well as right-click on the bottom left corner of the screen.

What's on the Power User Menu?

By default, Power User Menu in Windows 10 and Windows 8 includes shortcuts for the following tools:

Programs and Features (F)
Mobility Center (B)
Power Options (O)
Event Viewer (V)
System (Y)
Device Manager (M)
Network Connections (W)
Disk Management (K)
Computer Management (G)
Command Prompt (C)
Command Prompt (Admin) (A)
Task Manager (T)
Control Panel (P)
File Explorer (E)
Search (S)
Run (R)
Turn off or logout (U, then I, S, U, R)
Desktop (D)

Common keys used in the Power User Menu

Each Power User Menu tool has its own shortcut key to open without clicking or clicking on it. Shortcuts are defined by the corresponding letters above.

With Power User Menu already open, just press one of those shortcuts to open it.

For the option to turn off or log off, you must first press "U" to open the submenu, then press "I" to log out, "S" to select sleep state, "U" to turn off or "R" to restart.

How to customize WIN + X menu

Power User Menu can be customized by rearranging or deleting shortcuts in different Group folders in C: Users [USERNAME] AppDataLocalMicrosoftWindowsWinX.

HKEY LOCAL MACHINE is a part of the Windows Registry, where you will find registry keys linked to the Power User Menu shortcuts. The correct location is HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionShellCompatibilityInboxApp .

However, one of the easiest ways to delete, rearrange, rename or add items to Power User Menu, is to use a graphics program that can do it for you.

An example is Win + X Menu Editor, which allows you to add your own programs to the menu as well as Control Panel shortcuts, Administrative Tools items and other shortcut options such as hibernation and user switching.

Just one click can restore all default settings and return to the original Power User Menu.

Hashlnk is another Power User Menu editing software that you can download to perform changes to the menu. However, its use is not as easy and fast as with Win + X Menu Editor. You can learn how to use Hashlnk from The Windows Club.

What about Power User Menu on Windows 7?

Only Windows 10 and Windows 8 have access to Power User Menu, but you can also install other programs like WinPlusX with a menu like Power User Menu on a Windows 7 computer. This special program is even allows opening the menu with the same WIN + X shortcut.

WinPlusX by default has some shortcuts like the ones listed above for Windows 10/8, like Device Manager, Command Prompt, Windows Explorer, Run, and Event Viewer, but also Registry Editor and Notepad. Like Win + X Menu Editor and HashLnk, WinPlusX also allows you to add your own menu options.

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