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How to Arrange Windows with Snap and Custom FancyZones

Windows Snap handles standard tiling; PowerToys FancyZones adds custom layouts for recurring window arrangements.
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Start with Windows’ built-in Snap tools: choose a layout with Windows+Z, then use Snap Assist to place other open apps. If those presets do not fit a layout you use repeatedly, Microsoft PowerToys’ FancyZones lets you define custom zones and move windows into them.

Arrange windows with Windows Snap first

Windows 11 includes window tiling, so you can try it without installing anything. Microsoft documents several ways to place a window: use the Snap flyout, drag a window to an edge or corner, or use the keyboard. Microsoft’s Snap instructions cover these options.

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Choose a preset with the Snap flyout

  1. Open the apps you want to arrange.
  2. Press Windows+Z, or hover over the window’s maximize/restore button, to open the Snap flyout.
  3. Select a layout and choose a position for the current window.
  4. When Snap Assist shows the remaining open windows, select one to fill another position. Continue until the layout is filled, or dismiss the suggestions if you do not need them.

The layouts shown can depend on your display size, so the available presets may differ between screens.

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Use dragging or the keyboard instead

Drag a window to a screen edge or corner to snap it into position. Alternatively, select a window and press Windows+Arrow to move it into a snapped position. The exact result depends on the direction and the current window arrangement.

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Adjust and restore a snapped group

To change the space allocated to adjacent snapped windows, drag the divider between them. If you switch away from a set of arranged apps, Snap Groups can help you return to it from the taskbar, Task View, or Alt+Tab.

When custom layouts call for FancyZones

Built-in Snap is a good starting point for standard arrangements. If its presets do not match a recurring layout—for example, a narrow notes window beside a browser and a larger work area—FancyZones adds custom zones. It is a separate, free, open-source utility in Microsoft PowerToys, not a replacement built into Windows. See Microsoft’s PowerToys overview.

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Set up a layout in the editor

  1. Install and open PowerToys, then open FancyZones in its settings.
  2. Open the FancyZones layout editor from its settings.
  3. Choose a starting layout or create one, then apply it to the display you want to arrange.
  4. Use Shift while dragging a window to display the zones. Drop the window in the highlighted zone where you want it placed.

Microsoft’s FancyZones documentation describes the editor and its layout options. The default mouse workflow is to hold Shift while dragging; selecting a highlighted zone places the window there.

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Choose Grid or Canvas

  • Grid: Starts as a three-column grid. You can split or merge zones; the relative layout resizes across different screen sizes.
  • Canvas: Starts with one zone. You can move and resize zones, including arranging them so they overlap.

Use a hotkey to switch layouts

FancyZones can assign a hotkey to a layout. When quick layout switching is enabled, apply a layout with Win+Ctrl+Alt+[number], using the number assigned to that layout. This is useful if you alternate between recurring arrangements.

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Optional keyboard behavior

In FancyZones settings, Override Windows Snap enables keyboard snapping through FancyZones. Microsoft notes that the behavior of Win+Arrow changes according to the selected movement mode when the override is enabled. Leave the option off if you want to keep the standard Windows Snap shortcut behavior.

Check your display setup before spanning zones

FancyZones can span zones across multiple monitors only when all connected monitors use the same DPI scaling. Microsoft also warns that monitors with different orientations may produce unexpected effects. If a cross-monitor layout behaves oddly, check the scaling and orientation configuration, or apply separate layouts to individual displays.

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Windows version and the practical choice

Use Windows Snap for quick arrangements that fit its presets; use FancyZones when you need a custom arrangement you return to. That is a feature-based choice, not a claim that one method produces a measured productivity improvement: Microsoft’s reviewed documentation publishes no such comparison.

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The Snap instructions include Windows 10, but that does not mean the operating system remains supported. Microsoft says Windows 10 support ended on October 14, 2025; free updates, technical assistance, and security fixes ended with it.

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