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If FancyZones stops placing windows correctly after you change a monitor’s resolution, start in PowerToys > FancyZones. Turn on Keep windows in their zones when the screen resolution changes, then open the FancyZones layout editor and reselect the intended layout for the affected monitor. If you also connected, disconnected, docked, or rotated a display, check the horizontal and vertical default-layout choices because those settings can assign a different layout when Windows detects a display-configuration change.
Those steps address three different symptoms: windows leaving their zones, the wrong layout being assigned, and windows that are technically in a zone but appear slightly mis-sized. The distinction matters; a resolution change does not always mean that your custom layout was deleted.
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What changes when you change resolution
FancyZones stores layouts and assigns them to displays. A resolution change changes the drawable dimensions of a monitor, so windows may need to be resized and repositioned. Microsoft’s FancyZones documentation describes a setting specifically for this situation: Keep windows in their zones when the screen resolution changes. When enabled, “FancyZones will resize and reposition windows into the zones they were previously in, after a screen resolution change.” This is documented behavior, not a guarantee that every layout-assignment problem has the same cause.
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Identify the symptom before changing settings
| What you see | Most relevant branch | First check |
|---|---|---|
| Windows leave their zones immediately after a resolution change | Window-position preservation is disabled or did not apply | Enable Keep windows in their zones when the screen resolution changes |
| A different layout is active after adding, removing, docking, or rotating a display | A display-configuration change selected a default layout | Open the editor, reassign the desired layout, and review horizontal and vertical defaults |
| Only screen edges show a narrow gap or a small size mismatch | DPI scaling and application awareness | Compare scaling factors and whether the affected app is DPI aware |
| A custom layout appears to reset after reboot, reconnect, or monitor swapping | Version- or setup-specific state or monitor-identity behavior | Record the exact sequence, versions, monitor arrangement, resolution, and scaling |
Do not treat these symptoms as interchangeable. Reapplying a layout will not explain a one-pixel-looking edge gap caused by DPI handling, and changing DPI scaling will not restore a layout that was reassigned after a dock event.
Step 1: enable preservation across resolution changes
- Open PowerToys.
- Select FancyZones in the left navigation.
- Find Keep windows in their zones when the screen resolution changes.
- Turn the setting on.
- Change the monitor resolution again, or use the setting during your next planned change, and observe whether currently zoned windows are resized and repositioned into the zones they occupied before the change.
The setting concerns windows that are already assigned to zones when the resolution changes. It does not by itself choose a new custom layout, repair a damaged configuration file, or guarantee that an application will draw exactly to a physical screen edge.
Step 2: verify the layout assigned to the monitor
- Open the FancyZones layout editor from the FancyZones settings page. Use the editor shortcut shown in your installed PowerToys version if you prefer a keyboard command.
- Identify the monitor whose resolution changed. If several displays are connected, select the affected display in the editor rather than assuming the layout shown belongs to the monitor you intended.
- Check the active layout preview and select the custom or built-in layout you actually want on that display.
- Save or apply the selection, then move a test window into each important zone.
- Change the resolution once more, if practical, to verify that the intended layout remains associated with that monitor and that windows are repositioned as expected.
A display can retain a custom layout while the editor is currently showing another assignment. Reapplying the intended layout is a safe configuration step; it does not require editing files.
Review the horizontal and vertical defaults
FancyZones has separate default-layout choices for horizontal and vertical monitor orientations. Microsoft documents these defaults as the layouts used when the system’s display configuration changes, such as when a display is added. If your laptop rotates, a monitor is reconnected, or a dock changes the detected arrangement, Windows may present a configuration that causes one of those defaults to be selected.
- In PowerToys > FancyZones, locate the horizontal default-layout setting.
- Choose the layout you want used for a horizontal display configuration.
- Locate the vertical default-layout setting and choose the appropriate layout for a vertically oriented configuration.
- Return to the editor and confirm the actual layout on each connected monitor. Defaults affect configuration changes; they are not a substitute for checking the current assignment.
If the wrong layout appears only after docking, undocking, reconnecting, or rotating a display, this branch is more relevant than the resolution-preservation switch alone.
Separate a resolution change from a display-configuration change
Ask what happened immediately before the failure:
- Resolution only: The same monitor stayed connected and its pixel resolution changed in Windows Display settings. Start with the keep-windows-in-zones option.
- Connection change: A monitor, dock, adapter, or cable was connected or disconnected. Check monitor-specific assignments and orientation defaults.
- Identity or arrangement change: Windows changed the primary display, numbering, orientation, or the physical order of monitors. Reopen the editor and verify every display individually.
- Mixed event: A dock or reconnect changed both resolution and scaling. Work through the preservation setting, then the assignment and DPI checks rather than assuming one switch covers all effects.
For a reliable diagnosis, write down the sequence in order: for example, “undocked, Windows switched to the laptop panel, reconnected the dock, external display returned at a different resolution, then the custom layout appeared on the other monitor.” That sequence is more useful than describing the result simply as “FancyZones reset.”
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Check for DPI-scaling edge gaps
Microsoft documents a specific caveat involving different DPI scaling factors across monitors. When a zone touches a screen edge and an application is not DPI aware, the application can show a small gap or a slightly unexpected size at that boundary. This visual effect does not prove that FancyZones lost the layout.
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- Open Windows display settings and note the scaling percentage for each monitor.
- Compare the affected monitor with the neighboring monitor. Different scaling factors make this caveat more plausible, but they do not establish it by themselves.
- Test with another application that is known to handle Windows DPI scaling well. If the gap appears only in one older or non-DPI-aware application, the application’s rendering behavior is a stronger suspect than the saved FancyZones layout.
- Check whether the zone touches the physical edge of the display. The documented caveat is about edge-touching zones; do not generalize it to every spacing or alignment problem.
A narrow boundary gap and a completely different zone arrangement are different failures. Keep the layout assignment intact while testing DPI behavior so that you do not erase useful evidence.
Protect the custom-layout file
FancyZones stores custom layout data in:
%LocalAppData%MicrosoftPowerToysFancyZonescustom-layouts.json
Before deeper troubleshooting, preserve a copy of that file. Close PowerToys first if you are going to copy it, then paste the copy into a separate folder with a date in the filename. The documented location tells you where the layouts are saved; it does not endorse arbitrary manual edits as a universal repair.
Safe backup procedure
- Press Windows key + R, enter
%LocalAppData%MicrosoftPowerToysFancyZones, and press Enter. - Copy
custom-layouts.jsonto another folder, such as a dated folder under Documents. - Do not overwrite the backup while experimenting with settings.
- Use the FancyZones editor and PowerToys settings for normal changes. Treat direct file editing as an advanced recovery action only when you understand the JSON and have a known-good backup.
If the file is missing, empty, or clearly different after a failure, record that fact along with the PowerToys version and the display sequence. Do not assume that recreating a file by hand will restore monitor identity mappings.
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When rebooting or reconnecting displays triggers the reset
Historical reports in the Microsoft PowerToys GitHub repository describe several failure shapes: custom layouts reverting after reboot, layouts resetting after an external monitor is disconnected, layouts not being retained for different resolutions, and custom layouts appearing on the wrong monitors. These reports come from different versions and hardware arrangements. They show that the symptoms have been reported, not that one current bug or one universal fix applies to everyone.
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Collect a reproducible case
- PowerToys version.
- Windows version.
- Monitor make and model for each display.
- Connection path and arrangement, including a dock or adapter if present.
- Resolution and scaling before and after the change.
- Which monitor Windows identifies as primary.
- Whether the display was added, removed, rotated, docked, or undocked.
- The exact order of actions that produces the failure.
- Whether the problem affects all applications or only one non-DPI-aware application.
Use the same sequence twice if possible. For example, test a reboot without changing the resolution, then test a resolution change without disconnecting the display. Separating those variables can show whether the trigger is the resolution event, monitor reconnection, or a combination.
A practical recovery sequence
Use this order when you need a single checklist rather than symptom-by-symptom analysis:
- Back up
custom-layouts.jsonbefore making file-level changes. - In PowerToys > FancyZones, enable Keep windows in their zones when the screen resolution changes.
- Open the layout editor and select the intended layout for the affected monitor.
- Check horizontal and vertical default layouts if a dock, reconnect, orientation change, or monitor addition occurred.
- Compare monitor scaling and test whether the apparent defect is limited to an edge gap in one application.
- Reproduce the event with one controlled change at a time.
- Record versions, monitor identities, resolutions, scaling, and the action order if the behavior persists.
This sequence preserves evidence and avoids using an unsupported physical remedy. Changing a monitor cable, buying a calibration device, or replacing hardware is not established as a fix for FancyZones layout state in the documented material.
Additional checks that prevent false diagnoses
Before concluding that a layout vanished, check whether the affected window is actually being managed by FancyZones. A window moved manually after the resolution event may no longer be in the position you remember even though the layout assignment is unchanged. Test with a second window and deliberately place it into a zone. If the second window snaps correctly, the problem may be limited to the first application’s saved position or DPI behavior.
Also compare one-monitor and multi-monitor behavior. Temporarily leave only the affected display active, if your work permits, and open the editor again. This is a diagnostic comparison, not a permanent recommendation: it can show whether the failure appears only when Windows has to map layouts across multiple monitor identities. Restore the normal arrangement and recheck each monitor before drawing a conclusion.
Do not repeatedly change several settings at once. Turn on the preservation option, test; reassign the layout, test; then test the docking or reconnect sequence. A controlled order gives you a clear before-and-after record and makes an escalation report substantially more useful.
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What not to assume
- “The layout was deleted.” A different default may have been selected after the display configuration changed.
- “Every misalignment is a DPI problem.” The documented DPI caveat is limited to particular edge, scaling, and application-awareness conditions.
- “A report from an older issue proves a current release is broken.” Repository reports are version- and setup-specific unless the current version and reproduction are verified.
- “Editing the JSON is the normal fix.” The file path is documented for storage; arbitrary edits are not presented as a universal repair.
- “Changing hardware will restore the layout.” The supported path is software settings, monitor-specific assignment, and controlled configuration troubleshooting.
When to escalate the problem
Escalate with a concise reproduction report when the setting is enabled, the intended layout is selected, and the failure can still be reproduced. Include the backup status of custom-layouts.json, the exact display topology, before-and-after resolution and scaling, and whether the failure occurs after a reboot, a disconnect/reconnect, or only a resolution change.
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Bottom line
For a pure resolution change, enable Keep windows in their zones when the screen resolution changes and verify the layout on the affected monitor. If the monitor arrangement also changed, review the horizontal and vertical defaults and reapply the monitor-specific layout. Treat small edge gaps as a possible DPI-awareness issue, back up custom-layouts.json before deeper troubleshooting, and use exact version and reproduction details for any persistent reset.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will enabling the resolution-change option restore a layout that was assigned to the wrong monitor?
No. Microsoft documents that the option resizes and repositions already-zoned windows into their previous zones after a resolution change. If a different layout is assigned after docking, reconnecting, rotating, or adding a display, open the editor, select the affected monitor, and reapply the intended layout. Review the horizontal and vertical defaults as well.
Should I edit custom-layouts.json to fix FancyZones?
Use the file as a backup and diagnostic reference first. Its documented location is %LocalAppData%MicrosoftPowerToysFancyZonescustom-layouts.json, but Microsoft does not present arbitrary manual editing as a universal repair. Preserve a dated copy before any advanced recovery attempt.
Why is there a thin gap between a zone and the screen edge?
Different DPI scaling factors can produce this effect when a zone touches a screen edge and the application is not DPI aware. Compare scaling on the monitors and test another application. A gap limited to one older app does not show that the FancyZones layout was lost.
What details should I collect if the layout resets after a reboot?
Record the PowerToys and Windows versions, monitor models, dock or adapter path, monitor order and primary display, resolutions and scaling before and after, and the exact action sequence. Test a reboot separately from a resolution change or display disconnect so the trigger is clear.
Do I need a new monitor, cable, or calibration device?
No physical item is established as the remedy for this layout-state problem. Start with PowerToys settings, monitor-specific layout assignment, orientation defaults, DPI comparisons, and a controlled reproduction. A cable anecdote in an issue report is not a general hardware recommendation.
Why does the layout change only when I dock or undock?
Docking changes the detected display configuration, sometimes including orientation, primary-monitor status, resolution, or scaling. FancyZones may then apply its horizontal or vertical default layout. Reopen the editor after the event and verify the assignment on every connected display.
What if only one application leaves a gap or appears the wrong size?
Test another application in the same zone. If the issue is limited to one legacy or non-DPI-aware program, its handling of Windows scaling is a stronger suspect. Keep the saved layout unchanged while testing so you can distinguish rendering from assignment problems.
The Bottom Line
Enable the resolution-change preservation setting, verify the layout on the affected monitor, and review orientation defaults whenever the display arrangement changes. Check DPI scaling for edge-only gaps, back up custom-layouts.json, and document versions and exact reproduction steps before escalating.
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