Microsoft PowerToys, Part 2: FancyZones — Stop Using Windows Snap Like an Amateur

The default Windows snapping system (holding Win + Arrow keys) is fine if you are working on a 13-inch laptop and only need to compare two files side-by-side. But the moment you plug into a 27-inch 1440p monitor or a 34-inch ultrawide, default snapping is completely useless. Split-screen vertical halves leave windows too wide to read and leave empty screen real estate unused.

This is where FancyZones comes in. It replaces standard snapping with a highly customizable grid system. If you hold Shift while dragging a window, zones appear on your screen, and releasing the window inside a zone snaps it to those exact pixel boundaries.

Designing a Solo Developer Layout

Don't just use the template layouts (like columns or rows) that FancyZones provides. You should build a custom layout tailored to your specific work.

To open the layout editor, launch the PowerToys dashboard, go to FancyZones, and click Launch layout editor (or press the default shortcut `Win + Shift + ``).

For a developer working on a single monitor, I recommend creating a custom Priority Grid layout with three zones:

The Code Space (60% width, centered): This is where VS Code lives. It needs to be wide enough to support an explorer sidebar, two editor tabs side-by-side, and code line lengths up to 120 columns without wrapping.
The Output Space (20% width, docked left): This is for your local development browser window (e.g., viewing localhost:5173 while coding) or a terminal output tailing Docker/Server logs.
The Spec Space (20% width, docked right): This is for documentation (API references, Figma mockups, or your todo list).

On an ultrawide monitor, you can duplicate this layout with nested canvas zones or split it into 4-5 zones, creating dedicated quadrants for communications (Slack/Teams) and background logs.

As developers, we want to keep our hands on the keyboard as much as possible. Dragging windows with a mouse to snap them is slow. FancyZones allows you to override default Windows snap keys.

In FancyZones settings, enable:

Override Windows Snap: Set this to On.
Move windows based on: Set to Zone index.

Now, pressing Win + Arrow keys will move your active window between your custom zones in numerical order instead of Windows' default half-screen snaps.

Multi-Zone Snapping

If you have a large monitor, you might occasionally want a window to occupy more than one zone (e.g., your IDE spanning both the center and left zones).

Grab the window with your mouse.
Hold Shift to show the zones.
Hold Ctrl and drag your cursor across the boundary of multiple zones.
The zones will highlight together; release the mouse to snap the window across them.

Power User Tip: Layout Hotkeys & CLI Control

If you regularly switch between different types of work (e.g., active coding vs. screen sharing/meetings vs. research), you shouldn't manually open the editor to change layouts.

Setting Hotkeys

You can bind direct shortcuts to specific layouts in the editor:

Open the FancyZones layout editor (`Win + Shift + ``).
Hover over your custom layout card and click the edit pencil icon.
In the layout settings, assign a hotkey number (e.g., 1, 2, or 3).
Now, pressing Win + Ctrl + Alt + [Number] will instantly apply that layout to the active monitor.

Advanced: FancyZones CLI Control

If you are running automation scripts or setting up a Windows home server, you can control FancyZones programmatically using FancyZonesCLI.exe located in the PowerToys install directory.

To see all available layouts and their UUIDs, open PowerShell and run:

& "C:\Program Files\PowerToys\modules\FancyZones\FancyZonesCLI.exe" ls

To apply a specific layout UUID to your second monitor, run:

& "C:\Program Files\PowerToys\modules\FancyZones\FancyZonesCLI.exe" s {your-layout-uuid} --monitor 2

Recommended Configuration Checklist

To make FancyZones behave predictably, ensure these settings are toggled under FancyZones Settings:

Keep windows in their zones when screen resolution changes: Essential if you regularly dock/undock your laptop from external monitors.
Move newly created windows to their last known zone: Prevents newly launched apps from opening in random places across your screen.
Show zones on all monitors when dragging a window: Crucial for multi-monitor setups.
Disable FancyZones when sharing screen: Automatically turns off snapping overlays when using MS Teams, Zoom, or Discord to prevent distracting your audience.

In Part 3, we will look at PowerToys Run and the new Command Palette, showing you how to replace your mouse entirely with a keyboard-first app launcher and system calculator.