Open PowerToys Settings → FancyZones → Open layout editor, select your ultrawide monitor, and apply either a preset or a custom layout. For a first setup, use a two- or three-column Grid, then move its dividers so your main application gets the most width. To snap a window, hold Shift while dragging its title bar, hover over the target zone until it highlights, and release. FancyZones applies the layout per display, so selecting the correct ultrawide monitor in the editor is the step that prevents layouts being assigned to the wrong screen.
The controls below let you adapt that basic arrangement for unequal columns, combined work areas, floating zones, keyboard movement, multiple monitors, and display changes. The Microsoft documentation for the feature is available in FancyZones Window Manager for Windows – PowerToys.
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What you need before creating a layout
FancyZones is a window-management utility in Microsoft PowerToys. You need PowerToys running on Windows and an ultrawide display connected and recognized by Windows. The editor works on the monitor you select; it does not automatically make one layout span every display.
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Keep a few terms straight while you work:
- Layout: the complete arrangement assigned to one monitor.
- Zone: a destination rectangle within that layout.
- Grid: a relative arrangement whose zones can be split, merged, and resized by moving dividers.
- Canvas: independently positioned and resized zones that may overlap.
- Activation: the way zones appear when you drag a window, normally by holding Shift.
There is no required monitor resolution, keyboard, mouse, or paid accessory for this setup. Your useful dimensions are determined by the applications you keep visible and by how much empty space you find comfortable around each zone.
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Open the editor and target the ultrawide monitor
- Open PowerToys Settings.
- Select FancyZones in the left navigation.
- Choose Open layout editor. The default shortcut is Win+Shift+` (the grave or backtick key). You can change that shortcut in FancyZones settings if it conflicts with another application.
- In the editor, click the thumbnail or display selector for the ultrawide monitor you want to configure. The selected monitor is the target for the layout you choose.
- Click a preset to preview it. Click the layout to apply it, or double-click to apply it and close the editor.
If several monitors have similar thumbnails, move the editor to the screen you intend to configure and verify the highlighted display before applying anything. A layout assigned to another monitor will not change the zones on your ultrawide.
Choose Grid or Canvas for the way you work
Choose based on how your windows should relate to one another, rather than on the monitor’s aspect ratio alone.
| Layout model | How it works | Best fit | Important behavior |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grid | Starts with three columns. You can split zones, merge adjacent zones, and move the gutters between them. | Rows and columns that should keep a relative relationship as the display changes. | Changing a divider changes neighboring zones together; it is efficient for orderly columns. |
| Canvas | You add, move, and resize each zone independently. | Floating panels, irregular compositions, or areas that need deliberate overlap. | Zones can overlap, so a window may have more than one visually plausible destination. |
The Grid and Canvas descriptions above follow Microsoft’s feature documentation. The workflow examples below are practical starting points, not tested presets for a particular ultrawide resolution.
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Use Grid when you want predictable columns for a browser, an editor, a terminal, or communication tools. It resizes proportionally with the screen and keeps edges aligned. Start with two or three columns, then adjust the gutters after placing real windows; equal-width columns are only a starting point.
When Canvas is worth the extra control
Use Canvas when a fixed-size side panel, floating reference window, or overlapping region matters more than a strict column structure. Because each zone is independent, you can reserve a narrow strip for monitoring, put a large work area in the center, and position a secondary panel wherever it is easiest to reach.
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Build an ultrawide Grid layout
- In the layout editor, choose Grid or create a new custom layout and select the Grid model.
- Decide how many windows must remain visible at once. Two wide zones suit two primary workspaces; three columns suit a main application plus one or two supporting windows.
- Use the Grid controls to divide a zone when you need another destination. Splitting creates additional zones while preserving the overall arrangement.
- Move a vertical or horizontal divider to give more width or height to the application that needs it. For example, make the central zone wider for a document editor and leave narrower zones for a browser and chat.
- Merge adjacent zones when one task occasionally needs a larger surface. The merged region can then receive a single maximized working window.
- Save the custom layout with a recognizable name, such as “Ultrawide—work” or “Ultrawide—editing.”
- Apply the layout to the selected monitor.
Do not judge the proportions only from the miniature editor preview. Open the applications you actually use, snap them, and return to the editor to move a divider if a title bar, toolbar, or side panel is cramped.
Create a free-form Canvas layout
- Open the editor for the ultrawide display and choose Create new layout.
- Select Canvas as the layout model.
- Add a zone for each destination you need. Drag its edges to set the width and height, and drag the zone itself to position it.
- Leave intentional breathing room around a zone if you do not want neighboring windows to touch. If you deliberately overlap zones, remember that the pointer may highlight more than one possible destination.
- Give the layout a name, save it, and apply it to the selected monitor.
Canvas is useful for an ultrawide monitor where one application occupies a large central region and smaller tools sit at custom positions. If you later find that windows drift into ambiguous overlapping areas, rebuild the arrangement as a non-overlapping Grid or remove the overlap.
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FancyZones exposes two spacing controls that are easy to confuse:
- Space around zones sets the margin surrounding each zone. Increasing it creates visible gutters between windows; reducing it lets windows sit closer together.
- Distance to highlight adjacent zones controls how close the pointer must be to a shared edge before adjacent zones snap together or both become highlighted.
No universal pixel value is established for either setting. Adjust them while watching the highlight on your own display: use larger margins if borders feel crowded, and change the adjacent-zone distance if it is too easy or too difficult to select a combined area.
Snap windows with the mouse
- Open a normal application window. FancyZones may not be able to control every application, so start with a standard resizable window.
- Drag the window by its title bar.
- Hold Shift while dragging. The FancyZones regions appear by default.
- Move the pointer over the desired zone until that zone highlights.
- Release the mouse button. The window is moved and resized to that zone.
If you turn off Shift activation in FancyZones, zones appear as soon as a drag starts. FancyZones can also use a non-primary mouse button to toggle activation when that option is enabled. Choose one activation method and test it before troubleshooting the layout itself.
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Use adjacent zones as one larger area
When the pointer is near the common edge of adjacent zones, FancyZones can highlight them together. Release to place the window across that combined area. For a deliberate multi-zone selection, drag into one zone and hold Ctrl while dragging to select multiple zones.
This is useful when a three-column layout normally hosts three windows but a single task occasionally needs two columns. It avoids rebuilding the layout for every large document or timeline.
Configure keyboard movement
Keyboard placement is optional. To enable it, open PowerToys Settings → FancyZones and turn on Override Windows Snap hotkeys. Then choose how the arrow keys should interpret the layout.
| Mode | Arrow-key behavior | When to choose it |
|---|---|---|
| Zone index | Win+Left/Right moves by zone index. Win+Up/Down retain their usual Windows behavior. | When you want to preserve normal vertical snapping and move mainly between numbered columns. |
| Relative position | All four Win+arrow directions are overridden and move the window relative to its current position in the layout. | When the layout has meaningful rows as well as columns and you want directional movement in every direction. |
FancyZones does not override Win+Shift+arrow, so that shortcut remains available for quickly moving a window to an adjacent monitor.
Keep windows in place when displays or layouts change
FancyZones includes settings for preserving placement instead of making you re-snap every window after a change:
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- Enable the option that keeps windows in their zones when screen resolution changes if you want existing placements retained after a resolution switch.
- Enable the option to resize and reposition zoned windows after a layout change when you want FancyZones to use the previous zone number in the new layout.
- Turn on Move newly created windows to the last known zone when an application should return to the zone it used previously.
- If last-known-zone behavior is off, or an application has no known zone, use the setting that moves new windows to the current active monitor when that is your preferred starting location.
These choices matter when you dock a laptop, change resolution, or alternate between work and personal layouts. A changed layout may have different zone numbers, so inspect the result after applying it rather than assuming every window will have the same size.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Switch between custom layouts quickly
- In FancyZones settings, enable quick layout switching.
- Assign a number to each custom layout you want immediately available.
- Press Win+Ctrl+Alt+[number] to switch to the corresponding layout.
- You can also press the custom layout’s assigned shortcut while dragging a window, as described in Microsoft’s FancyZones documentation.
A practical arrangement is to keep one layout for focused work and another with a narrow monitoring column. Give each a distinct name and number so you can switch without reopening the editor.
Practical ultrawide layouts to try
Browser, primary app, and side panel
Create three unequal Grid columns. Make the primary application the widest, reserve a medium column for the browser, and leave a narrow column for a reference panel or messaging tool. Move the dividers after placing real windows; browser sidebars and application tool palettes often need more width than their window outlines suggest.
Two large side-by-side workspaces
Use two wide Grid zones when you regularly compare documents, code and a preview, or two full workspaces. If one side repeatedly needs more room, shift the divider rather than relying on a maximized window that hides the other task.
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Central work area with floating tools
Use Canvas for a large central zone and smaller independently positioned zones around it. This suits a workflow where a main editor stays prominent while a calculator, reference, or monitoring window remains visible. Avoid overlapping zones unless you are comfortable selecting the intended one during a drag.
Troubleshoot snapping and sizing problems
Zones do not appear while dragging
- Confirm that FancyZones is enabled in PowerToys.
- Check whether Shift activation is enabled. If it is disabled, zones should appear immediately when a drag begins.
- If you expect a mouse-button toggle, verify that the non-primary mouse button option is enabled and that you are using the configured button.
- Make sure you are dragging the title bar of a normal window, not a borderless or full-screen surface that does not expose standard resize behavior.
An elevated app will not move or resize
PowerToys may be unable to reposition a window running with administrator privileges unless PowerToys itself is also running as administrator. Microsoft documents this case, including Task Manager, in Run PowerToys in Administrator Mode on Windows. Run PowerToys elevated only when needed; Microsoft advises against always running applications with elevated rights.
A window lands a few pixels from an edge
Microsoft notes that an application that is not DPI-aware can land slightly away from a screen edge when a zone touches that edge and monitors use different DPI scaling. This is an application- and scaling-compatibility issue, not necessarily a faulty divider. Try matching scaling factors where practical, or leave a small margin at the affected edge.
Cross-monitor zones behave unexpectedly
The Allow zones to span across monitors option requires every connected monitor to use the same DPI scaling factor. Microsoft also notes that different monitor orientations can produce unexpected effects. Disable spanning and assign separate layouts when your displays use different scaling or portrait and landscape orientations.
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FancyZones lists applications that cannot be zoned, and compatibility is application-specific. A borderless, fixed-size, or otherwise nonstandard window may refuse the requested dimensions. Test another ordinary resizable window to distinguish an application limitation from a layout problem, then check the FancyZones documentation for the current compatibility guidance.
Windows move after a resolution or layout change
Review the settings for keeping windows in zones through resolution changes and for resizing or repositioning windows after a layout change. The latter preserves the prior zone number, so a redesigned layout can produce a different physical location even when the number is retained. Reopen the editor and adjust the new layout if the old zone numbering no longer matches your workflow.
A final setup checklist
- The ultrawide monitor is selected in the layout editor before the layout is applied.
- Your layout model matches the workflow: Grid for relative rows and columns, Canvas for independently positioned or overlapping regions.
- Dividers give the main applications enough width after testing real windows.
- Spacing and adjacent-zone highlighting are comfortable at your normal pointer speed.
- Shift activation, immediate activation, or the non-primary-button option is configured intentionally.
- Keyboard override is enabled only if its Zone index or Relative position behavior is useful to you.
- Elevated applications, DPI scaling, and cross-monitor spanning have been checked if you use them.
- Resolution-change, layout-change, last-known-zone, and quick-switch settings match how often your display arrangement changes.
Once those choices are set, the repeatable workflow is simple: select the ultrawide display’s layout, drag a window by its title bar, activate zones with your chosen method, and release on the highlighted destination. Reopen the editor only when your work changes enough to justify different proportions or a different layout model.
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