Quick answer: The documented defaults are Alt + Space for PowerToys Run and Win + Alt + Space for Command Palette. Check which utility is enabled and which activation shortcut it actually has before troubleshooting. Both defaults can be changed.
Downloading PowerToys, opening the intended launcher and finding the intended result are three different tasks. This guide helps with the middle one: choosing between two launcher entry points and narrowing down a shortcut problem. For installers and architecture choices, see our PowerToys download guide and GitHub ZIP versus EXE guide.
Which shortcut opens which launcher?
| Utility | Documented default | Where to check |
|---|---|---|
| PowerToys Run | Alt + Space | Its own PowerToys settings page: enable Run and inspect Activation shortcut. |
| Command Palette | Win + Alt + Space | Enable the utility in PowerToys and inspect its Command Palette settings. |
Microsoft describes Command Palette as the evolution of Run. That description does not mean an old custom shortcut tells you which utility is currently enabled. If instructions say “open Run” while your settings say “Command Palette”, start with the settings you can actually see.
Our selection rule: keep Run when it already covers the tasks and plugins you use. Explore Command Palette when its documented commands or extensions address a task you need. For a plugin you depend on, check its maintainer’s supported launcher before switching. We have not benchmarked launch time, memory, battery use or plugin compatibility, so this is a workflow choice rather than a speed ranking.
A short check before reinstalling
- Name the utility. Write down “Run” or “Command Palette” from its settings page. A guide for one entry point can send you to the wrong shortcut for the other.
- Confirm it is enabled and available in the background. Microsoft documents that prerequisite for both utilities. A downloaded installer sitting in Downloads is not evidence that a launcher is running.
- Read the assigned shortcut. Use the combination shown in settings, especially after a migration or a previous customization. Compare it with the defaults in the table.
- Separate a shortcut conflict from a missing result. If a launcher opens but an application is absent from its results, its activation succeeded. Keep the missing-result problem separate instead of repeatedly changing the hotkey.
If Windows changes the input language instead, check whether you assigned Win + Space. Microsoft documents that combination for switching input language and keyboard layout. Prefer testing the launcher’s documented default before attempting to override a Windows shortcut.
Run opens normally, but not over one window
Run’s documentation lists a centralized keyboard-hook setting for activation issues involving an elevated window. It also lists an option that suppresses its shortcut in full-screen mode. Check the relevant Run setting if your symptom depends on that context; these are Run-specific checks, not a confirmed fix for Command Palette.
Keep a small diagnostic note
A useful report describes what you pressed, what opened and where it happened. Use the following worksheet before asking for help:
- PowerToys version and the utility selected.
- The activation shortcut currently shown in settings.
- Whether the launcher opens from an ordinary desktop window.
- Whether the failure occurs only over a full-screen or elevated window.
- The visible outcome: nothing opens, the wrong launcher opens, Windows changes input language, or the launcher opens with an unwanted result.
This separates a repeatable condition from a general “PowerToys is broken” report. Remove private paths or identifying information from any screenshot you attach.
What we reviewed
Documentation review: 13 October 2026 UTC. We read Microsoft’s Run, Command Palette and Windows keyboard-shortcut documentation. We also reviewed a historical user report about a custom Win + Space shortcut when moving between launchers. That report supports the relevance of the question; it does not prove your device has the same cause or that its reported bug persists today.
We did not install or run these utilities for this guide, reproduce the reported issue, or test the suggested checks on a device. The checks above are a documentation-based diagnostic sequence.
