Powertoys: [FancyZones] does not activate while holding down Shift key

[anishre]

ℹ Computer information

Device name MATEBOOKXPRO
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-8550U CPU @ 1.80GHz 1.99 GHz
Installed RAM 16.0 GB (15.8 GB usable)
Device ID BBC3387A-5CB6-4748-A107-222ACF3102EA
Product ID 00330-80201-67079-AA014
System type 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
Pen and touch Touch support with 10 touch points

• PowerToys version:
  v0.20.1
• PowerToy Utility:
  FancyZones
• Running PowerToys as Admin:
  Yes
• Windows build number: [run "winver"]
  19041.450

📝 Provide detailed reproduction steps (if any)

1. Selected checkbox to enable activation of FancyZones while holding down Shift Key.
2. Closed power toys to task bar tray

✔️ Expected result
Holding down shift key and dragging window should fancy zones.

What is the expected result of the above steps?
Nothing happens. Unchecking the shift key option does activate the FancyZones.

❌ Actual result
Zones don't get activated.

[frenchiveruti]

Out of curiosity, did you setup your fancy zones? Did you try setting a custom one and trying again?
(Using the zones editor)

[frenchiveruti]

I mean this window, and select "apply".

[anishre]

Hi,
Yeap, I enabled and setup a custom 3 window layout

[enricogior]

@anishre
can you please try turning on "Use a non-primary mouse button..."

and then right-click while dragging a window? Does it activate the zone?

[mark-conner]

I can confirm that Fancy Zones quit working after the last update (v0.20.1) with any option for dropping on to zone.

With "Hold Shift key to activate zones while dragging" enabled, zones do not highlight with selected "Zone highlight color" when a window is dragged with a shift key held down. Windows do not snap to expected zones when dropped.

With "Override Windows Snap shortcut (Win + Arrow) to move windows between zones" enabled, Win + Arrow acts as normal (no override).

---

MSI X470, AMD Ryzen 7 2700X Eight-core, 3700 MHz, 64 GB RAM
Windows 10 Education 10.0.1904, x64

[anishre]

@anishre
can you please try turning on "Use a non-primary mouse button..."

and then right-click while dragging a window? Does it activate the zone?

Yeap. Tried that as well, didn't work

[anishre]

I can confirm that Fancy Zones quit working after the last update (v0.20.1) with any option for dropping on to zone.

With "Hold Shift key to activate zones while dragging" enabled, zones do not highlight with selected "Zone highlight color" when a window is dragged with a shift key held down. Windows do not snap to expected zones when dropped.

With "Override Windows Snap shortcut (Win + Arrow) to move windows between zones" enabled, Win + Arrow acts as normal (no override).

MSI X470, AMD Ryzen 7 2700X Eight-core, 3700 MHz, 64 GB RAM
Windows 10 Education 10.0.1904, x64

Thanks. I thought i was the only with the issue.

[deto]

This also just stopped working for me. It had been working fine for weeks but now I can't use the shift-drag. :(

[enricogior]

@deto
a machine reboot does it fix it?

[mark-conner]

Uninstall/reinstall fixed issue. A machine reboot did not fix issue.

[enricogior]

@mark-conner
that's very strange, since the installer does nothing with regard to the keyboard hook used by FZ to receive the shift pressed event.

[mark-conner]

@enricogior I never found anything in System Event Viewer that may give a clue as to why it quit working. Do you keep a log file somewhere?

[enricogior]

@mark-conner
it's a case of not receiving the event, so there is nothing that would trigger an error.

[anishre]

Uninstall/reinstall fixed issue. A machine reboot did not fix issue.

Tried this as well. Didn't work for me

[sympleton]

Same issue: Shift+Drag does not activate zones (zones do not appear on screen, no snapping happens, it just behaves like regular dragging as if I didn't have FancyZones).

Win + left/right arrows does move the windows through the zones, so this is currently how I am using FancyZones (but I preferred the Shift+Drag method).

If I turn off requiring the Shift key, then the zones activate without problem, but then of course it activates every time you drag anything, which is not what I want.

Using the non-primary mouse button setting is not working. I'm not sure how it's supposed to work, but with that option checked, dragging while right-clicking does nothing (not even drag the window), clicking both buttons and dragging works just like the single mouse button. I tried this setting both with and without requiring the Shift key, and it seems like the non-primary mouse button setting makes no difference to anything.

FYI, I am using custom-defined zones. I have multiple monitors but I tried unplugging one and that made no difference. I tried quitting PowerToys from the system tray and reopening it both as an admin and not as an admin; neither fixed the problem. I have not tried uninstalling PowerToys. I am using a Lenovo IdeaPad, Windows 10 (x64).

[Fonta]

It seems that the zones don't activate if a profile was created which spans multiple monitors.
When I edit and apply a profile that only uses 1 monitor it seems to work ok for a while.
This might have some correlation with the "span across monitors" setting not being saved imho.

[laurieherault]

I have exactly the same problem and i work with two monitor. The checkbox "span across monitors" is not saved... Shift or WIN+ Arrow not work as espected.

[anishre]

Issue has been resolved in the 0.21.1 update