A PowerToys alternative
for Ubuntu and Kubuntu
PowerToys is a Windows app with no official Linux version. Knobu is a free, open source project that brings the PowerToys tools people miss most to Ubuntu and Kubuntu: Keyboard Manager, Awake, Color Picker and Text Extractor, with the same shortcuts where Linux allows it. It also adds touchpad volume gestures, which PowerToys never had.
Version 0.1.0 · 42 KB · Ubuntu 24.04 or newer
PowerToys tools and their Knobu equivalents
What Knobu has today, what only Knobu has, and what you can already use on your desktop while Knobu catches up.
| PowerToys | Knobu | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keyboard Manager | Keyboard Manager | In Knobu | Remap a key everywhere or change one shortcut. Works on Wayland and X11, on every keyboard. |
| Awake | Awake | In Knobu | Keep the computer awake until you turn it off or for a set time, optionally with the screen on. |
| Color Picker | Color Picker | In Knobu | Super+Shift+C, the same keys as PowerToys. HEX, RGB and HSL, recent colors, and a magnifier on KDE. |
| Text Extractor | Text Extractor | In Knobu | Super+Shift+T, the same keys as PowerToys. Local OCR with Tesseract, in any language you install. |
| No equivalent | Touchpad Gestures | Only in Knobu | Slide three fingers to change the volume, tap to mute or to play and pause. Not part of PowerToys. |
| FancyZones | Not yet | Not yet | KDE Plasma and GNOME both have built in window tiling you can use today. |
| PowerToys Run | Not yet | Not yet | KRunner on KDE Plasma and the Activities search on GNOME cover launching apps and files. |
| PowerRename, Image Resizer, Peek | Not yet | Not yet | File tools are on the list of ideas. Suggestions are welcome on GitHub. |
Missing a tool you rely on? Suggest it on GitHub.
Why Knobu fits Linux
Wayland and X11
Knobu reads the touchpad and keyboards directly, so gestures and remaps behave the same on both display servers.
Native to your desktop
A GTK 4 settings app, a systemd user service and your desktop's own color picker and volume popup on KDE Plasma.
Free and local
GPL v3, no account and no telemetry. Text recognition runs on your computer with Tesseract OCR.
Install it in three steps
- 01
Install the package
Download the latest .deb and install it with apt from the folder you saved it to.
sudo apt install ./knobu_*_all.deb - 02
Join the input group
This lets Knobu read your touchpad and keyboards. Log out and back in afterwards.
sudo usermod -aG input $USER - 03
Turn on what you want
Open Knobu from the app menu, turn on the background service on the General page, then switch on your tools.
knobu enable
PowerToys on Linux, answered
Is there a PowerToys for Linux?
PowerToys is a Windows app and there is no official Linux version. Knobu is an independent, open source project that brings several PowerToys style tools to Ubuntu and Kubuntu: Keyboard Manager, Awake, Color Picker and Text Extractor, plus touchpad volume gestures.
Is Knobu made by Microsoft?
No. Knobu is an independent open source project and is not affiliated with Microsoft or the PowerToys team. PowerToys is a trademark of Microsoft.
Which PowerToys tools does Knobu have?
Keyboard Manager, Awake, Color Picker and Text Extractor, using the same shortcuts as PowerToys where Linux allows it. Knobu also adds Touchpad Gestures for volume and media control, which PowerToys does not have.
Does Knobu work on Wayland?
Yes. Knobu reads the touchpad and keyboards directly, so gestures and key remapping work the same on Wayland and X11.
Which Linux distributions does Knobu support?
Ubuntu 24.04 or newer. Kubuntu with KDE Plasma 6 is fully supported and Ubuntu with GNOME is in beta. Xubuntu, Lubuntu and Ubuntu MATE are planned.
How do I install it?
Download the .deb from the latest GitHub release and run sudo apt install ./knobu_*_all.deb. Add yourself to the input group with sudo usermod -aG input $USER, log out and back in, then open Knobu and turn on the background service.
Bring your PowerToys habits to Ubuntu
Free, open source and easy to remove. Install it and keep the tools you use.
Version 0.1.0 · 42 KB · Ubuntu 24.04 or newer
Knobu is an independent project and is not affiliated with Microsoft. PowerToys is a trademark of Microsoft.