Powertoys: [FancyZones] Enhancement: Snap between Multiple Monitors

[wirerydr]

Summary of the new feature/enhancement

Enhance FancyZones to support seamless multi-monitor snap capability, equivalent to what Windows 10's built-in Snap function supports.

Description

Currently, Win10's built-in Snap feature, although extremely limited in configurability, allows windows to be freely snapped between multiple monitors. FancyZones greatly enhances configurability, but reduces functionality by presently only allowing apps to be snapped around the monitor they are currently positioned on. (This is most evident if the FancyZones option Override Windows Snap hotkeys (win+arrow) to move windows between zones has been enabled.)

While It is possible to manually drag windows to other monitors where they can then be snapped, this undermines Snap's inherent efficiency.

It would be greatly beneficial to enhance FancyZones enabling it reproduce the multi-monitor snapping ability provided by Windows 10 out-of-the box, increasing efficiency vs current state and improving seamless operation vs Windows 10 alone.

[skillshrine]

Does FancyZones support multi-monitor at all presently? I can't seem to get it to let me move a zone to a new monitor. They all appear on whatever monitor has the zone editor window on.

[crutkas]

Is this more "if i'm cycling between zone and have two monitors, at the end of the zone array, go to next logical monitor?" Example, i hit WinKey+Left while the item is on the left snap, it would go to the next logical monitor?

[skillshrine]

Is this more "if i'm cycling between zone and have two monitors, at the end of the zone array, go to next logical monitor?" Example, i hit WinKey+Left while the item is on the left snap, it would go to the next logical monitor?

Sorry, my comment was more about how do I even add a layout to any monitor other than the current one. If I edit my layout, I can add new zones, but they all appear (and appear locked within) the boundary of the current monitor. I guess the powertoys are more for widescreen displays that can't leverage Windows 10 built-in snap controls in a sane way? In the attached image I am trying to drag the new zone on to the left monitor, but it's constrained within the bounds of the current one.

[crutkas]

Yes we do support multiple monitors. For editor, it is currently bound to a single one. Would love to better understand the apps you’d want to cross the monitor boundry

[skillshrine]

Hmm, maybe I misunderstand this issue context - I thought it was asking to enhance FancyZones to allow snapping to zones in multiple monitors? I can only create zones on Monitor 1. There appears no way to enable zones on Monitors 2 and 3 - unless I am missing something. I don't want apps to span monitor boundaries (i.e. I don't want an app to snap to a zone that is partly on Monitor 1 and partly on Monitor 2). I want to have zones present on Monitor 1, 2 and 3. Even the built-in layouts, only appear on Monitor 1 and I cannot add/drag to any other monitor.

[crutkas]

Either have your mouse on the target monitor and Winkey+~ or have setting window on target monitor and launch via the FZ setting page. Improving this is a big editor v2 push

[wirerydr]

Hmm, maybe I misunderstand this issue context - I thought it was asking to enhance FancyZones to allow snapping to zones in multiple monitors? I can only create zones on Monitor 1. There appears no way to enable zones on Monitors 2 and 3 - unless I am missing something.

Speaking as the end-user who originally opened this issue: The problem-scope (as I envisioned it) consisted of being unable able to snap windows freely between all configured zones including those on multiple monitors. The scope did _not_ encompass problems creating those zones in the first place, because I personally did not have any trouble with that. I did what crutkas is indicating in the previous comment, and positioned my settings window first on one target monitor and then the other one to configure their respective zones.

I subsequently learned that you can use _Shift+WinKey+arrrow_ to snap from a zone to another zone on a different monitor, although there seems to be some sizing weirdness happening depending (I think) on whether or not it's in an edgemost zone when you snap it.

I still believe the ideal case would be seamlessly snapping back-and-forth across multiple zones/monitors without using _Shift_, but discovering you can do it at all has improved my workflow considerably.

[alecperkey]

@crutkas

Yes we do support multiple monitors. For editor, it is currently bound to a single one. _Would love to better understand the apps you’d want to cross the monitor boundry_

I am using my code editor multi monitor since vscode insiders won't let me pop out the interface into extra panels. but there's probably a better way... hardware wise at least

monitor/app layout : https://i.imgur.com/ASNl8Xm.jpg

[enricogior]

This was implemented in 0.16.
Closing the issue as duplicate of https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/issues/629

[spjutbjorn]

I didn't understand it either. You need to move the setup window to each screen to configure that screen. After that you will have a multi setup and can move between zones and screens with win + arrow override

[nikfp]

Since this is closed I don't know if this will be picked up, but I could really use the FancyZones with a zone that would span 2 full monitors. The use case for this is that I regularly need to RDP in to coworker's computers that are set up with multiple monitors, and being able to stretch their double monitor desktop across my 2 screens is key to making it visible. At current it's a resizing nightmare, and I use FancyZones for all manner of other things already so this would be a big addition.

BTW loving PowerToys, especially FancyZones, PowerToys Run, and Shortcut Guide. My mouse is getting lonely.

[enricogior]

@nikprotsman
this issue is regarding a different feature, what you are looking for is https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/issues/480