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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchPowerToys FancyZones lets you divide an ultrawide display into repeatable areas and snap each application into the area you choose. Open the FancyZones layout editor, select the ultrawide monitor, create either a relative Grid layout or a freely positioned Canvas layout, then drag windows while holding Shift to place them. The arrangement is saved and can be reused whenever you work.
What FancyZones does on an ultrawide display
FancyZones is the window-management utility included with Microsoft PowerToys. It overlays named zones on a display, and a window dropped into a zone is resized and positioned to fit that region. Unlike manually dragging borders, a custom layout gives you the same arrangement every time you open your development tools, documents, browser windows or communication apps.
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Microsoft documents two custom-layout styles: Grid and Canvas. Grid creates a relative arrangement that adapts as the display dimensions change. Canvas gives you individually positioned and sized zones, including zones that overlap. Neither style is universally better; the right choice depends on how your ultrawide workspace is organized.
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Check the requirements before creating a layout
Install PowerToys and confirm that FancyZones is available in PowerToys Settings. Microsoft’s current minimum requirements are Windows 11, or Windows 10 version 2004 (20H1, build 19041) or newer, running on a 64-bit x64 or ARM64 processor. See Microsoft’s installation requirements at How to Install PowerToys on Windows 11 and Windows 10.
- Connect and enable the ultrawide monitor in Windows display settings before opening the editor.
- Start PowerToys and open PowerToys Settings. If FancyZones is disabled, turn it on.
- If a program runs with elevated privileges and does not respond to FancyZones, PowerToys may also need to run in administrator mode. Compatibility can vary by application, so administrator mode is not a guarantee that every window will behave identically.
Open FancyZones and select the correct monitor
- Open PowerToys Settings and select FancyZones in the left navigation.
- Choose Open layout editor. You can also use the default Win+Shift+` shortcut (the key that usually shares a key with the tilde). The shortcut can be changed in FancyZones settings, so use the configured shortcut if this combination does not open the editor.
- In the editor, select the thumbnail for the ultrawide monitor you want to configure. If more than one display is connected, do not assume the highlighted screen is the one you are looking at; select it explicitly.
The selected layout is applied automatically to that display. Double-clicking a layout applies it and closes the editor, which is useful when switching among layouts you have already created.
Create a custom Grid layout
Choose Create new layout, then select Grid. Grid is the practical starting point when your applications should form a tiled arrangement: for example, a wide central editor, a narrow reference column and a side column for messages.
How Grid sizing works
Grid zones are defined by relative splits rather than fixed pixel coordinates. You split a zone, merge zones and move the dividers between them. Because the geometry is relative, the same layout can resize with different screen dimensions instead of preserving a rigid set of pixel widths.
- In the new-layout dialog, choose Grid and give the layout a recognizable name, such as “Code plus reference”.
- Start with the broadest division you need. Split the ultrawide surface into major columns or rows.
- Split individual zones again where a column needs two applications, or merge adjacent zones when a larger uninterrupted area is preferable.
- Drag the dividers until the proportions match your normal work. A central zone can be wider for an editor, while side zones can remain narrow for a chat or terminal.
- Save the layout and double-click it if you want to apply it immediately.
Grid is suitable for equal tiles and asymmetric but still regular arrangements. It is less suitable when one application must float over another or when regions need to be positioned independently of a common tiled structure.
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Create a custom Canvas layout
Select Create new layout, then choose Canvas when you need independent placement. Canvas lets you add zones, move them and resize them individually, much like arranging rectangles on a design surface. Zones may overlap, so a window can occupy a region that visually intersects another zone; this is useful for deliberate overlays or irregular compositions, but it requires more care when dropping windows.
Build an irregular ultrawide workspace
- Choose Canvas and name the layout according to the workflow rather than the monitor, such as “Research overlay”.
- Add a zone for each application region you actually use. Create fewer, larger zones if you want windows to remain readable.
- Drag each zone to its desired position and resize it from its handles. Leave enough separation to identify neighboring zones unless an overlap is intentional.
- Save the layout, then apply it to the selected ultrawide display.
Canvas is the better match for a layout with a large primary workspace, a small utility region in a corner and a floating reference area. Because overlapping zones can make several targets appear at once, test the drop behavior with real windows before relying on the arrangement.
Grid or Canvas: choose by workflow
| Question | Choose Grid when… | Choose Canvas when… |
|---|---|---|
| How are regions arranged? | You want tiled rows or columns built from splits and merges. | You need zones placed and sized independently. |
| Should proportions adapt? | Yes. The relative arrangement resizes with the display dimensions. | You want direct control over each zone’s position and size. |
| Do zones overlap? | Normally no; the layout is a tiled grid. | Yes, overlapping zones are supported. |
| Typical use | Editor, terminal and browser columns; multiple equal work areas. | Primary workspace plus irregular utilities or deliberate overlays. |
Decide from the number of application regions you need at the same time, whether equal or relative tiles are acceptable, and whether overlap is necessary. An ultrawide screen does not require a particular zone count; the useful count is the one that keeps your applications legible and your switching predictable.
Snap windows into the zones
With a layout applied, use the default mouse workflow:
- Press and hold Shift while dragging a window by its title bar.
- FancyZones displays the available zones on the selected monitor.
- Move the pointer over the intended zone until it is highlighted.
- Release the mouse button to resize and place the window in that zone.
FancyZones activation options are configurable. If your installation uses a different modifier or activation behavior, check the FancyZones settings rather than assuming the default. You can also hold Ctrl while dragging to select multiple zones for one window. This is useful when a single application needs a wider span than one zone, provided the selected zones are adjacent in the layout.
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Move a window out of its current zone and repeat the same gesture to reposition it. If a window does not show the overlay, verify that FancyZones is enabled, that you are dragging the title bar rather than an inner control, and that the configured activation modifier is being held.
Make spacing and adjacent-zone behavior readable
Open FancyZones settings when the zones feel cramped or difficult to target. Space around zones controls the margin between zones. Increasing it creates visible gutters and makes neighboring targets easier to distinguish; reducing it gives applications more usable area.
Distance to highlight adjacent zones controls how close adjacent zones must be before FancyZones highlights or allows them to be activated together. Adjust this when a pointer near a boundary selects the wrong region or when selecting neighboring zones is too difficult. Change one setting at a time and test with the applications you use most.
Optional settings for a more repeatable setup
Orientation-specific layouts
If a display can be used horizontally and vertically, configure separate default layouts for horizontal and vertical orientation where the FancyZones settings provide those choices. A portrait arrangement usually needs different proportions from a wide landscape arrangement. For a fixed ultrawide panel, this option can be left alone.
Keyboard snapping
FancyZones can override Windows Snap arrow-key shortcuts when that option is enabled. The documentation describes different behavior for zone-index and relative-position modes. Enable the override only if you want keyboard movement to follow your FancyZones zones; otherwise, leave familiar Windows shortcuts unchanged and use the Shift-drag method.
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Quick layout switching
Keep more than one custom layout when your work changes substantially, such as a “writing” arrangement and a “coding” arrangement. Use the layout editor to apply a saved layout, or configure the available quick-switch behavior in FancyZones settings if you want to change layouts without rebuilding them.
Keyboard editing in the editor
The layout editor supports keyboard editing. Grid layouts can be adjusted by focusing zones or dividers and using the documented keyboard commands. Canvas zones can be moved and resized with arrow-key combinations. This is useful when precise pointer placement is difficult, but the exact commands depend on the current editor behavior; use the on-screen focus and key instructions rather than relying on a remembered shortcut.
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Three-column tiled layout
Use a Grid layout with a wide center zone and narrower left and right zones. Put the primary application in the center, a terminal or file browser on one side and documentation or communications on the other. Because Grid proportions are relative, the arrangement can be adjusted by moving the two dividers rather than rebuilding every zone.
Four equal work areas
Choose Grid and split the display into four similarly sized zones when you monitor several independent windows. This is useful for dashboards or parallel documents, but reduce the number of zones if text becomes too small at the monitor’s effective scaling.
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Primary canvas with utility overlays
Choose Canvas for one large zone occupying most of the display and smaller zones for a calculator, preview or reference window. Place the utility zones where they are visible without covering the controls you use in the primary application. Because Canvas permits overlap, keep the overlay regions intentional and test which zone highlights first near an intersection.
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Using FancyZones with multiple monitors
A single ultrawide monitor does not need the multi-monitor option. The caveat applies when you deliberately enable zones across monitors. In that mode, FancyZones treats the connected displays as one large screen. Microsoft requires the monitors to use the same DPI scaling and warns that different physical orientations can produce unexpected effects.
- Match the Windows display-scaling percentage on every monitor before enabling a cross-monitor layout.
- Expect to retest zone boundaries if one monitor is rotated or has a different orientation.
- If you want each display to have its own independent arrangement, select each monitor separately in the editor and apply a layout to that display instead of treating the monitors as one surface.
Where custom layouts are stored
FancyZones saves custom layout definitions at %LocalAppData%MicrosoftPowerToysFancyZonescustom-layouts.json. Microsoft does not recommend editing this file manually because a malformed or incompatible change can cause other FancyZones problems. Use the layout editor for ordinary creation and adjustment; treat the file path as a troubleshooting or backup reference rather than an editing interface.
Troubleshooting common problems
The editor opens on the wrong screen
Return to the editor and click the ultrawide monitor’s thumbnail before creating or applying a layout. FancyZones applies the selected layout automatically, so an incorrect selection changes the wrong display even when the layout itself is valid.
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Dragging does not reveal zones
- Confirm FancyZones is enabled in PowerToys Settings.
- Hold the configured activation modifier while dragging the window’s title bar. The default is Shift.
- Check whether another utility or an application has captured the same shortcut or modifier.
- Try a standard desktop application. Some elevated or unusual windows have compatibility limitations.
A window will not stay in the expected zone
Apply the layout again, then drag the window into the highlighted zone and release only after the target is clearly selected. If the layout uses overlapping Canvas zones, move the pointer until the intended zone is highlighted. For an elevated application, run PowerToys with administrator privileges and test again, while keeping in mind that compatibility varies.
Windows Snap keys behave differently
FancyZones may be overriding the arrow-key Snap shortcuts. Disable that override if you want the standard Windows behavior, or choose the FancyZones mode that matches how you want keyboard movement to address zones.
The layout looks wrong after changing monitors or scaling
Grid layouts adapt to screen dimensions, but a monitor change can still alter the available working area. Reopen the editor and adjust the relative dividers. For a cross-monitor layout, verify that all displays use the same DPI scaling and reconsider the arrangement if their orientations differ.
A repeatable setup checklist
- Verify a supported Windows version and 64-bit processor, then install and enable PowerToys.
- Open FancyZones from PowerToys Settings or the configured Win+Shift+` shortcut.
- Select the ultrawide display in the editor.
- Choose Create new layout, then select Grid for relative tiles or Canvas for individually positioned or overlapping regions.
- Save and apply the layout.
- Hold Shift while dragging a window, choose a highlighted zone and release.
- Use Ctrl during a drag when one window should occupy multiple adjacent zones.
- Tune zone spacing, adjacent-zone distance, orientation defaults or keyboard behavior only after the basic arrangement works.
- Test the layout with every important application, including any that run with elevated privileges.
For the complete feature list and current labels, consult Microsoft’s FancyZones Window Manager for Windows – PowerToys documentation. Microsoft can change shortcuts, labels and behavior, so the current documentation and the labels in your installed PowerToys version take precedence.
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