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PowerToys Workspaces saves a group of apps and their window positions, then launches them together from one place. That removes the chore of rebuilding a task layout by hand each time you return to it. It does not restore snapped windows, it cannot tell an app to open at a given screen position, and its results depend on how each application handles being launched again. Microsoft describes PowerToys as “a set of free, open-source utilities designed to help power users and developers get more out of Windows,” and Workspaces is one of those utilities.
What Workspaces actually does
Workspaces launches applications into custom positions and configurations with one click. You capture the current arrangement in the Workspaces editor, name and adjust it, and can create a desktop shortcut for quick launch. Optional app-specific command-line arguments control an app’s starting state, such as opening particular browser tabs or a file in an editor. What those arguments do depends entirely on the target application.
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The problem it targets is repetitive: reopening the same code editor, terminal, browser, and document apps in the places you normally keep them whenever you come back to a task. Those combinations are illustrative examples of the kind of setup Workspaces handles, not configurations Microsoft tested or recommends.
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Set up a workspace
- Open PowerToys Settings and enable Workspaces.
- Open the Workspaces editor from Settings. The documented default shortcut is
Win+Ctrl+`. - Select Create workspace. In the capture view, open, close, and move apps until the arrangement looks right, then select Capture.
- In the editor, name the workspace and adjust each app’s window size and position. Optionally add app-specific CLI arguments, remove apps you don’t want, and optionally create a desktop shortcut. Save the workspace.
- Launch it from the editor, or from the desktop shortcut you created.
The launch dialog reports the launch and reposition status of each app. You can dismiss it, or use it to cancel the launch.
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Pinning a workspace to the taskbar
Microsoft’s FAQ asks how to pin a workspace to the taskbar. Direct pinning from Workspaces is not currently supported. Instead, create the desktop shortcut during setup and pin that shortcut to the taskbar.
Why windows jump into place
Workspaces cannot instruct an app to open at a particular screen position. It launches the app first, then tells the window to move and resize. The transition is therefore often visible, which is the behavior Microsoft’s FAQ describes as app windows launching and then jumping to their saved positions. If that flicker matters to you, the feature will feel less like a clean restore and more like an automated rearrangement.
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Snap state does not carry over
Workspaces positions windows using publicly available APIs and the FancyZones engine, but Microsoft states that this positioning does not include snapping capabilities. A window that was snapped when you captured the workspace may open unsnapped when you launch from a clean state. Plan on setting size and position, not snap layouts.
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Not every application behaves the same way when it is already open:
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- Some apps reposition an existing instance; others open a second window or instance instead.
- The “Move existing windows” option moves windows of apps that are already running into the workspace position.
- App-specific arguments can steer that behavior. Microsoft’s example is VS Code’s
--reuse-windowargument, which is the kind of flag you would add to make a launch reuse the open window rather than create another one. - Single-instance apps, such as Windows Settings, cannot launch a new instance while one is already active, so the workspace cannot produce a second copy.
Apps launched as administrator
Microsoft warns that apps set to launch as administrator may fail to move into the desired layout, and says a fix is planned for an upcoming release. Because this is a known issue that may change between PowerToys releases, check the live Workspaces page before relying on the feature for elevated tools.
Re-capturing removes earlier settings
Capturing an adjusted workspace performs a clean re-capture, which removes the previous CLI arguments and settings. Microsoft says the re-capture can be reverted. Before you re-capture a workspace whose arguments took time to work out, copy those arguments somewhere safe.
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Workspaces or FancyZones
FancyZones is the PowerToys window manager for defining screen zones and snapping windows into custom layouts. Workspaces is for launching several apps into a saved arrangement. The two can complement each other, but Workspaces does not reopen a FancyZones snap layout.
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|---|---|---|
| Main job | Launches a saved group of apps into saved positions | Defines screen zones and snaps or moves windows into them |
| Starts apps that are not running | Yes, it launches them | Not described in Microsoft’s FancyZones overview |
| Restores snap state | No; Microsoft says its positioning does not include snapping | Snapping into zones is its core function |
| App-specific launch arguments | Supported | Not described in Microsoft’s FancyZones overview |
Microsoft documents the two as separate utilities and does not provide a benchmark comparing them. See the FancyZones documentation for its zone model.
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When Workspaces is the right tool
Workspaces fits when you repeatedly start the same set of ordinary, non-elevated apps for the same task, and when approximate placement is enough. Before you build one, check these points:
- The apps you need accept a new launch, or you have decided how existing windows should be handled.
- You do not need a snapped layout restored exactly as it was.
- You are comfortable seeing windows move into position after launch.
- None of the apps you need run elevated, or you have confirmed the current status on Microsoft’s Workspaces page.
For repeatable task layouts built from standard apps, Workspaces does what it promises. It is a launcher with a positioning step, not a full restore of how a desktop looked.
Microsoft’s Workspaces documentation is at learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/powertoys/workspaces, and the PowerToys utilities overview is at learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/powertoys.
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