Windows 11 PowerToys transcode feature

When PowerToys unveiled Advanced Paste last year, we were already content with what it offered. Initially, it could paste as plain text, JSON, and more and could convert text into code using OpenAI. Now, developers plan to integrate a file transcoding feature that could help convert media files to mp3 and mp4 formats.

As spotted by Windows Latest, Clint Rutkas, the lead for PowerToys and several other Microsoft products, shared a few images of the transcoding feature in action.

The shared images show two new options in the Advanced Paste feature, namely the Transcode to .mp3 and Transcode to .mp4(H.264/AAC) options, along with their custom keyboard shortcuts.

The idea is to convert a media file copied to the clipboard in Advanced Paste and apply one of these conversions. It’ll reduce the need to upload the file to an online audio extractor tool to convert it into .mp3 format. Similarly, converting a video file to a compressed H.264 codec with AAC as the audio codec becomes easier.

Do you need a media conversion feature?

As an avid PowerToys user, I’m delighted to hear about this feature, which is in preview right now. Natively converting a media file without using any other app or online tool can get the job done faster and without the risk of sharing sensitive data.

After examining the shared screenshots, we found that when the transcoding begins, you’ll see a circular progress bar (progress ring) and a cancel button to abort the operation. You can control the type of transcoding options that appear and work in Advanced Paste. So, you are free to keep one or both options enabled.

cancel and progress button in power toys advanced paste transcoding feature

The official GitHub page doesn’t have a GIF or small clip on how the feature works live and the time taken to extract audio or convert a video file.

According to details seen by Windows Latest, Advanced Paste supports two media actions: one that extracts audio from both audio and video files to save as an .mp3, and another that converts video files to an .mp4 using H.264 for video and AAC for audio. The conversion keeps quality settings and metadata from the source file.

It would have been more helpful to compare it with the web tools and third-party app performance for audio extraction or .mp4 conversion. Microsoft’s documentation does mention that the feature uses Windows.Media.Transcoding API to apply the conversion.

Some users even suggested more befitting ideas, like offering PNG to WEBP conversion for images and more, but we guess it’ll take a while to move in that direction. There is image-to-text conversion available in Advanced Paste, but direct image conversion is something that you’ll have to wait for.

About The Author

Abhishek Mishra

Abhishek Mishra is a skilled news reporter working at Windows Latest, where he focuses on everything about computing and Windows. With a strong background in computer applications, thanks to his master's degree, Abhishek knows his way around complex tech subjects. His love for reading and his four years in journalism have sharpened his ability to explain tricky tech ideas in easy-to-understand ways. Over his career, he has crafted hundreds of detailed articles for publications like MakeUseof, Tom's Hardware, and more in the pursuit of helping tech enthusiasts.