In April 2020 developers released Version 0.16.0 of Windows 10 PowerToys. This version added three new features to the PowerToys toolkit, including Preview Pane support for Windows 10 File Explorer, Window Walker (a searchable alternative to Alt-Tab), and Image Resizer.

The Image Resizer Windows 10 PowerToy allows users to apply bulk image resizing through File Explorer eliminating the need for third-party image processing tools. Whether you are a content creator working with images all day long as part of your job responsibilities or an amateur photographer managing your recent photoshoot, being able to resize images in a few mouse clicks is a real time saver.

This how-to tutorial shows you how to use the Windows 10 PowerToy Image Resizer.

Windows 10 PowerToys Image Resizer

First things first, to activate Image Resizer, load up Windows 10 PowerToys and navigate to the General Settings tab. The button controlling Image Resizer should be set to the “on” position, as shown in Figure A. Remember to click the Save button to complete the process.

Figure A

Now, when you open Windows 10 File Explorer and navigate to a directory or folder with photos, screenshots, or other images, you will have a new “Resize pictures” option available when you right-click an image to display the context menu, as shown in Figure B.

Figure B

Select the Resize Picture item from the context menu to open the screen shown in Figure C. This settings screen allows you to resize the image to one of the established settings or to resize to a custom resolution of your choosing.

Figure C

As you can see, the default preconfigured settings are standard screen resolutions, but you are not limited to those choices. Click the Settings link at the bottom of the resizing screen to display Figure D. From here you can reset the default settings to whatever settings suit your needs.

Figure D

The Encoding tab on the Settings screen (Figure E) allows you to choose your preferred encoding method. For example, you may wish to convert JPEG images into different-sized PNG images.

Figure E

The File tab on the Settings screen (Figure F) allows you to enter a preferred naming convention for the images you resize. The default is to use the current name and then add the new size name, but you may also specify height, length, and pixels is you wish.

Figure F

Saving time and effort

Before the release of Windows 10 PowerToys Image Resizer in version 0.16.0, resizing an image would require a tool like Paint, Snip & Sketch, or a third-party application. Bulk resizing of several images would require users to open, process, and then save each image individual image. A tedious exercise to be sure. The ability to resize images directly from Windows 10 File Explorer will definitely save time and effort, making Image Resizer a must-have PowerToy.


Image: Microsoft

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