PowerToys tools address key multi-monitor frustrations in Windows 11

At a glance:

• Microsoft PowerToys includes four productivity tools designed to enhance multi-monitor workflows in Windows 11
• Features like Workspaces, FancyZones, Always On Top, and Find My Mouse streamline window management and cursor navigation
• These tools are free, open-source, and solve common issues like window arrangement repetition and cursor visibility

Workspaces: Automate window layouts across multiple displays

Multi-monitor setups are great until you realize how much time you spend arranging windows on your desktop. Even when you're gaming, you're not just having the game open on your primary monitor. You may have Discord open on a secondary monitor, Spotify running on the third, along with a browser window for anything else. And when you're working, the number of apps you have open can easily double. Sure, Windows can restore apps to their previous positions in some situations, but that's not necessarily reliable.

That's why I now use Workspaces in PowerToys to handle that part of the workflow for me. It's pretty much a one-time setup. You create a new workspace in the Workspaces Editor, arrange your apps and windows how you like, take a snapshot, and save your workspace. Now, you can launch that workspace with a keyboard shortcut or even create a desktop shortcut for each workspace and access them with a single click. I still wish Windows 11 included a feature like this by default, but for now, Workspaces is the easiest way to avoid one of the most repetitive tasks that comes with using a multi-monitor setup.

FancyZones: Customizable window snapping for ultrawide and multi-display setups

You may already be familiar with the built-in Snap Layouts feature in Windows 11, and while that may be good enough for most people, its preset layouts aren't always what I want. I have an ultrawide monitor, and sometimes I feel like some windows need a bit more space than others. For example, I don't need Discord taking up 20% of my screen space when I'm just trying to keep up with the messages while gaming. FancyZones is simply what Snap Layouts should've been from the start, giving you complete control over the layouts.

For starters, I can create four vertical zones for my ultrawide monitor and decide exactly how much space each one gets. I can make the center zone wider for the browser and even create different layouts for each monitor in my setup. And unlike Snap Layouts, I don't even have to drag windows all the way to the top edge of the monitor just to access them. All I need to do is hold the Shift key while dragging a window and drop it in any of the sections I create. Honestly, Workspaces works better when you pair it with FancyZones since your saved apps launch directly in the zones you've already created.

Always On Top: Keep critical windows visible without minimizing others

If you're anything like me, you probably have far more windows open than you actually need at any given moment. And sometimes, when you're clicking through windows, one of them inevitably gets buried underneath everything else. When this happens, you're either Alt-tabbing or minimizing everything just to bring it back on top. With Always On Top, you don't have to worry about this happening at all.

After enabling this tool, all you need to do is press Win + Ctrl + T to keep the active window pinned on top of everything else. You'll see a colored border around this window by default so that you don't accidentally forget it's pinned. I find it particularly helpful for monitoring tools like HWiNFO and stat tracking apps like Valorant Tracker. You also have the option to decrease the opacity of a pinned window, allowing you to see the contents of the window behind it.

Find My Mouse: Spotlight your cursor in multi-display chaos

If you use multiple monitors, especially large 32-inch 4K and 34-inch ultrawide screens, you've probably lost track of your cursor more times than you'd like to admit. I certainly have. It usually happens when I'm moving quickly between displays and suddenly realize I have no idea where the cursor ended up. Usually, I'd just shake the mouse aggressively until I spot the cursor in my peripheral vision, but Find My Mouse makes it a bit easier.

It's enabled by default under Mouse Utilities, but all you need to do is press the Left Ctrl key twice, which will dim the rest of the screen and highlight the cursor with a spotlight effect. Of course, you can change the activation method to something you prefer, but I personally like the shake mouse option because it's similar to my MacBook's pointer locator feature. All in all, it's nothing crazy, but definitely a nifty quality-of-life feature that becomes more useful the more monitors you add to your setup.

Why aren't these features built into Windows 11 yet?

I get that most PC users aren't running dual- or triple-monitor setups like some of us, but if Microsoft can add these features to PowerToys, it makes more sense to make them available at least as an option in Windows 11. After all, Snap Layouts is pretty much a stripped-down version of FancyZones, so it's not like Microsoft hasn't borrowed ideas from PowerToys already. Moreover, features like Find My Mouse and Always On Top solve problems that even single-monitor users face. As it stands, PowerToys feels like an app almost every Windows user should have to make the OS feel more complete.

Microsoft PowerToys is a collection of free, open-source tools that can improve Windows productivity. While these tools are optional, they highlight gaps in Windows 11's native functionality that users have been requesting for years. Whether Microsoft will integrate them into future Windows updates remains to be seen, but for now, PowerToys remains an essential toolkit for power users and multi-monitor enthusiasts alike.