microsoft / microsoft/PowerToys
[Peek] Support Right-to-Left (RTL) text alignment in the preview window
- Dominant language
- C
- Stars
- 139k
- Forks
- 8.6k
- PR merge metrics
- PR metrics pending
Description
### Description of the new feature / enhancement
I would like to request the addition of an RTL (Right-to-Left) toggle button or a setting within the Peek preview window.
When viewing text files (code, logs, or plain text) that contain RTL languages like Hebrew, Arabic, or Persian, the text currently defaults to Left-to-Right alignment. This makes the content difficult to read and breaks the formatting of sentences.
Since Peek utilizes the Monaco Editor engine, which already has built-in support for RTL, I am requesting:
A UI button in the Peek toolbar to toggle RTL/LTR alignment.
(Optional) An option in PowerToys Settings to "Auto-detect" or "Default to RTL" based on system locale or content analysis.
### Scenario when this would be used?
As a user who frequently works with multilingual files or develops software involving RTL languages, Peek is currently less useful for a quick glance at text content.
Currently, to read an RTL text file properly, I have to actually open the file in a full editor (like VS Code or Notepad), which defeats the purpose of "Peek" being a quick, lightweight preview tool. Adding an RTL toggle would bring Peek's text-viewing capabilities on par with modern editors and make it accessible for a massive global user base.
### Supporting information
_No response_
Contributor guide
Research direction
Start by inspecting the Peek preview window and its Monaco Editor integration, then review how the Peek toolbar and PowerToys Settings are structured. Determine whether the requested RTL/LTR toggle belongs in the toolbar, settings, or both; done means RTL text is readable in the preview while LTR behavior remains available.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Domain
- accessibility, desktop, internationalization
- Issue type
- Feature
- Difficulty
- 4/5
- Estimated time
- 3-5 days
- Activity status
- Quiet
- Clarity
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 48/100