microsoft--powertoys/doc/dsc/modules/PowerAccent.md

description, ms.date, ms.topic, title

description	ms.date	ms.topic	title
DSC configuration reference for PowerToys PowerAccent module	10/18/2025	reference	PowerAccent Module

PowerAccent Module

Synopsis

Manages configuration for the Power Accent utility, a quick accent character selector.

Description

The PowerAccent module configures PowerToys Power Accent (Quick Accent), a utility that provides quick access to accented characters. Hold down a key and use arrow keys or numbers to select from available accent variations.

Properties

The PowerAccent module supports the following configurable properties:

ActivationKey

Sets which key triggers the accent selection.

Type: string
Allowed values:

• "LeftRightArrow" - Hold left or right arrow keys
• "Space" - Hold spacebar
• "Both" - Hold either left/right arrows or spacebar

Default: "Both"

InputTime

Sets how long the activation key must be held (in milliseconds) before showing accents.

Type: integer
Range: 100 to 1000
Default: 300

ExcludedApps

List of applications where Power Accent is disabled.

Type: string (newline-separated list of executable names)

ToolbarPosition

Sets the position of the accent selection toolbar.

Type: string
Allowed values:

• "Top" - Above the cursor
• "Bottom" - Below the cursor
• "Left" - To the left of cursor
• "Right" - To the right of cursor
• "Center" - Centered on screen

Default: "Top"

ShowUnicodeDescription

Controls whether Unicode descriptions are shown for each accent character.

Type: boolean
Default: false

SortByUsageFrequency

Controls whether accent characters are sorted by usage frequency.

Type: boolean
Default: false

StartSelectionFromTheLeft

Controls whether selection starts from the left side.

Type: boolean
Default: false

Examples

Example 1 - Configure activation method with direct execution

This example sets spacebar as the activation key.

$config = @{
    settings = @{
        properties = @{
            ActivationKey = "Space"
            InputTime = 250
        }
        name = "PowerAccent"
        version = "1.0"
    }
} | ConvertTo-Json -Depth 10 -Compress

PowerToys.DSC.exe set --resource 'settings' --module PowerAccent `
    --input $config

Example 2 - Configure toolbar appearance with DSC

This example customizes the toolbar position and display options.

dsc config set --file poweraccent-toolbar.dsc.yaml

# poweraccent-toolbar.dsc.yaml
$schema: https://aka.ms/dsc/schemas/v3/bundled/config/document.json
resources:
  - name: Configure Power Accent toolbar
    type: Microsoft.PowerToys/PowerAccentSettings
    properties:
      settings:
        properties:
          ToolbarPosition: Bottom
          ShowUnicodeDescription: true
          SortByUsageFrequency: true
        name: PowerAccent
        version: 1.0

Example 3 - Install and configure with WinGet

This example installs PowerToys and configures Power Accent for multilingual typing.

winget configure winget-poweraccent.yaml

# winget-poweraccent.yaml
$schema: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/PowerShell/DSC/main/schemas/2023/08/config/document.json
metadata:
  winget:
    processor: dscv3
resources:
  - name: Install PowerToys
    type: Microsoft.WinGet.DSC/WinGetPackage
    properties:
      id: Microsoft.PowerToys
      source: winget
  
  - name: Configure Power Accent
    type: Microsoft.PowerToys/PowerAccentSettings
    properties:
      settings:
        properties:
          ActivationKey: Space
          InputTime: 300
          ToolbarPosition: Top
          SortByUsageFrequency: true
        name: PowerAccent
        version: 1.0

Example 4 - Fast activation configuration

This example configures for quick accent selection.

dsc config set --file poweraccent-fast.dsc.yaml

# poweraccent-fast.dsc.yaml
$schema: https://aka.ms/dsc/schemas/v3/bundled/config/document.json
resources:
  - name: Fast accent activation
    type: Microsoft.PowerToys/PowerAccentSettings
    properties:
      settings:
        properties:
          InputTime: 150
          SortByUsageFrequency: true
        name: PowerAccent
        version: 1.0

Example 5 - Exclude applications

This example excludes specific applications from Power Accent.

$config = @{
    settings = @{
        properties = @{
            ExcludedApps = "notepad.exe`nWordPad.exe"
        }
        name = "PowerAccent"
        version = "1.0"
    }
} | ConvertTo-Json -Depth 10 -Compress

PowerToys.DSC.exe set --resource 'settings' --module PowerAccent --input $config

Use cases

Multilingual content creation

Configure for efficient multilingual typing:

resources:
  - name: Multilingual configuration
    type: Microsoft.PowerToys/PowerAccentSettings
    properties:
      settings:
        properties:
          ActivationKey: Space
          SortByUsageFrequency: true
          ShowUnicodeDescription: false
        name: PowerAccent
        version: 1.0

Language learning

Configure for language learning with Unicode descriptions:

resources:
  - name: Learning configuration
    type: Microsoft.PowerToys/PowerAccentSettings
    properties:
      settings:
        properties:
          ShowUnicodeDescription: true
          InputTime: 400
        name: PowerAccent
        version: 1.0

See also

• Settings Resource
• PowerToys DSC Overview
• Workspaces
• PowerToys Quick Accent Documentation