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If FancyZones stops keeping windows in place after a monitor resolution change, start with PowerToys > FancyZones and enable Keep windows in their zones when the screen resolution changes. Then open the FancyZones layout editor, verify the layout assigned to the affected monitor, and check the horizontal and vertical defaults if the monitor arrangement or orientation changed. These steps address different failure modes: windows leaving zones, the wrong layout being selected, and small edge gaps caused by DPI scaling.
The important distinction is whether FancyZones lost a layout definition, selected a different layout, or restored a window with an apparently incorrect size. Those symptoms can follow similar display events but require different checks.
First identify what actually changed
“FancyZones stopped working” can describe several different results. Diagnosis is faster when you separate the visible symptom from the event that triggered it.
| What you see | Likely branch | First check |
|---|---|---|
| Windows leave their previous zones immediately after a resolution change | The resolution-change behavior is disabled or did not apply to the affected windows | Enable Keep windows in their zones when the screen resolution changes in FancyZones settings |
| A different layout is active after docking, undocking, connecting, disconnecting, or rotating a display | The display configuration changed and an orientation-specific default was selected | Open the layout editor and review the monitor assignment and horizontal/vertical defaults |
| Only a narrow gap or slight size mismatch appears at a screen edge | Different DPI scaling factors and a non-DPI-aware application | Compare scaling on the monitors and test whether the affected application is DPI aware |
| A custom layout disappears, reverts, or moves to another monitor after reboot or reconnecting displays | A version- or topology-specific layout-state problem | Record the exact sequence, PowerToys version, Windows version, and monitor arrangement |
A resolution change alone is not the same event as a display-configuration change. Windows can also change which monitor is primary, add or remove a display, alter orientation, or assign a different monitor identity. FancyZones treats those events differently, so applying the wrong fix can leave the real problem untouched.
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Separate the trigger from the symptom
Write down what happened in order. For example, “I changed Display 2 from one resolution to another and every open window moved” is a resolution-change case. “I unplugged the dock, reconnected it, and Display 2 came back with a different template” is a topology and assignment case. “The editor still shows the right template, but an application leaves a two-pixel strip at the edge” is more consistent with the documented DPI caveat.
Also test one ordinary application and one application that shows the problem. If only one program has the mismatch while other windows fit the zones, do not immediately conclude that the layout file is corrupt. The application’s DPI behavior may be the deciding factor.
1. Enable the documented resolution-change setting
Microsoft’s FancyZones documentation describes a setting named Keep windows in their zones when the screen resolution changes. When enabled, FancyZones resizes and repositions windows into the zones they occupied before the resolution change. This is the correct first step when existing windows move out of their zones as a monitor switches resolution.
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- Select FancyZones in the left navigation.
- Find Keep windows in their zones when the screen resolution changes.
- Turn the setting on.
- Change the affected display’s resolution again, or restart the display connection in the same way that originally exposed the problem.
The setting governs how currently zoned windows are resized and repositioned. It does not guarantee that a missing custom layout assignment will be reconstructed, nor does it select a layout for a newly changed monitor configuration. Those are separate checks below.
When enabling it does not appear to help
- Confirm that the setting was enabled in the PowerToys installation that is currently running. Multiple installations or a stale background process can make a change appear ineffective.
- Check whether the event also disconnected, reconnected, docked, undocked, or rotated a display. Those actions can invoke default-layout behavior rather than only the resolution-change behavior.
- Determine whether windows were moved to different zones or whether the zones themselves are correct but the windows have a small edge offset. The latter points toward DPI scaling, not the keep-in-zones switch.
- Test with a single window first. A single controlled test makes it easier to tell whether FancyZones is restoring the window and whether a later display event is changing the result again.
Microsoft describes the setting as a response to a screen-resolution change, not as a promise that every monitor identity or custom assignment survives every docking sequence. Keep that scope in mind when evaluating the result.
2. Reapply and verify the layout on the affected monitor
After changing resolution, open the FancyZones layout editor and inspect the display that contains the misplaced windows. Make sure the intended layout is selected for that monitor. A saved custom layout can still exist while a different layout is active.
- Open PowerToys > FancyZones.
- Choose Launch layout editor.
- Select the monitor where the behavior occurs.
- Choose the intended template or custom layout.
- Apply the selection and place a test window into one of the zones.
Use a test window after applying the layout. If it snaps correctly while previously open windows remain misplaced, the layout is available and the remaining issue concerns window restoration. If the editor shows a different layout, the assignment—not the window positions—is the immediate problem.
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On a multi-monitor setup, select each display in the editor and note its current layout. A monitor that returns with a new identity or a changed position can appear to have “lost” its layout when the layout is actually assigned to another display entry. Record which physical screen is connected to each port and which screen Windows marks as primary. This information is especially useful after a dock or adapter has re-enumerated the displays.
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Apply the desired layout explicitly to the affected display rather than assuming the last-used layout will be restored automatically. Then move one window into a zone and close and reopen the editor. If the selection remains visible, the custom definition is present; if the window alone is wrong, continue with the restoration and DPI checks.
3. Check horizontal and vertical default layouts after configuration changes
FancyZones has separate default-layout choices for horizontal and vertical monitor orientations. Microsoft documents these defaults as the layouts used when the system display configuration changes, such as when a display is added. A docking event, monitor reconnect, orientation change, or other topology change can therefore select a default different from the one you normally use.
Review the defaults
- In PowerToys > FancyZones, open the layout editor or the default-layout controls shown for your installation.
- Check the layout assigned for a horizontally oriented display.
- Check the layout assigned for a vertically oriented display.
- Set each default to the layout you want used when that orientation is detected.
- Return to the editor and explicitly apply the desired layout to the affected monitor.
If you use a laptop dock, KVM switch, USB display adapter, or a monitor that is frequently disconnected, test the exact sequence: disconnect, reconnect, wait for Windows to finish enumerating displays, and then open the editor. Note whether the monitor keeps its identity and whether the expected orientation default is selected.
Distinguish assignment from restoration
There are two independent questions:
- Which layout is assigned? The editor and orientation defaults answer this.
- Where should already-open windows go? The keep-windows-in-zones setting controls the documented response to a resolution change.
Reapplying a layout can correct the first question without moving every existing window. Enabling the resolution-change setting can address the second without changing a wrongly assigned layout.
Changing the horizontal or vertical default is most relevant when Windows detects a configuration change. It is not a substitute for selecting a custom layout on a monitor that is already present and correctly identified. If the display was only switched from one resolution to another and no monitor was added, removed, or rotated, start with the keep-windows setting before changing defaults.
4. Rule out DPI scaling when the error is only a boundary gap
Microsoft documents a specific edge case involving monitors that use different DPI scaling factors. If a zone touches a screen edge and the application placed in that zone is not DPI aware, a small gap or size mismatch can appear at the boundary. The visual result may look like a damaged layout even though the saved zone geometry is intact.
Signs that DPI is the cause
- The layout grid in the editor looks correct.
- Windows snap into the expected zones, but a thin strip remains at an edge.
- The issue is limited to applications that are not DPI aware.
- The monitors use different scaling percentages.
- Zones that do not touch a display edge appear normal.
How to compare scaling
- Open Windows Settings > System > Display.
- Select each monitor in turn.
- Note the Scale value shown for each display.
- Compare the affected application with another application that is known to handle modern DPI scaling.
Do not treat every alignment error as a DPI problem. The documented caveat requires the combination of different scaling factors, an edge-touching zone, and an application that is not DPI aware. If the entire layout changes or the wrong template is selected, return to the assignment and default-layout checks.
A DPI-related gap is a visual placement issue, not evidence that FancyZones deleted the custom layout. Avoid deleting and recreating layouts merely because one application leaves a narrow boundary. First confirm whether the same zone behaves correctly with another program and whether an interior zone, away from the screen edge, has the same problem.
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5. Protect the custom-layout file before file-level troubleshooting
FancyZones stores custom layout data in:
%LocalAppData%MicrosoftPowerToysFancyZonescustom-layouts.json
Before renaming, moving, or editing anything, copy that file to a safe location. A backup gives you a way to recover your custom definitions if a troubleshooting attempt removes or alters them.
Safe backup procedure
- Close the FancyZones layout editor.
- Press Windows key + R, enter
%LocalAppData%MicrosoftPowerToysFancyZones, and press Enter. - Copy
custom-layouts.jsonto another folder, adding the date and the monitor arrangement to the backup filename. - Do not edit the original file while PowerToys is running.
- Reopen PowerToys and verify whether the custom layout is visible before considering any file change.
The documented file location tells you where the definitions are saved; it is not a universal manual-edit repair. JSON changes made without understanding the layout schema can remove valid definitions or create a file PowerToys cannot load. Preserve the backup first and prefer the Settings and layout-editor controls.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsIf the file is absent, do not infer that a resolution change alone caused its removal. Confirm that you are looking under the Windows user account that runs PowerToys and that the custom layout was actually saved. If the file exists but the editor does not show a definition, record that fact along with the PowerToys version rather than repeatedly editing the file.
6. Investigate resets after reboot, docking, or reconnecting displays
Historical reports in the Microsoft PowerToys GitHub repository describe several different symptoms: custom layouts reverting after reboot, layouts resetting after an external monitor is disconnected, resolution-specific layouts not being retained, and custom layouts swapping monitors. Those reports come from different versions and hardware arrangements. They show that the failure shapes have been reported, but they do not establish one current bug, one universal cause, or one guaranteed fix.
Record a reproducible sequence
Before changing more settings, write down the state that works and the event that breaks it:
- PowerToys version and Windows version.
- Monitor models, connection types, and which display is primary.
- Resolution and scaling percentage for every monitor before and after the change.
- Whether the display is connected directly, through a dock, KVM, adapter, or other intermediate hardware.
- Whether the display was disconnected, reconnected, powered off, rotated, or merely changed to another resolution.
- The exact layout selected for each monitor.
- Whether the failure affects all windows or only a particular application.
- Whether a reboot reproduces the result, and at which point the layout changes.
Capture the layout editor before and after the event if possible. This distinguishes a layout assignment change from a window-position restoration failure and gives maintainers enough context to compare your case with older reports.
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Use version context correctly
Do not assume that an old issue report describes current PowerToys behavior. A report may have been fixed, may depend on a particular display driver, or may require a monitor arrangement unlike yours. Include the current version and a short reproduction sequence when seeking support instead of applying an old workaround blindly.
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Reports involving a reboot, a disconnected monitor, a resolution-specific profile, and monitors swapping assignments should be logged as separate scenarios. Reproduce one trigger at a time: first a resolution-only change, then a disconnect/reconnect, and finally a reboot. If only one sequence fails, that narrows the issue without implying that every display event is broken.
7. A controlled test that separates the branches
After recording the original behavior, use a minimal test rather than changing several settings at once:
- Leave the monitor arrangement connected and unchanged.
- Apply the intended layout to the affected monitor.
- Enable the keep-windows-in-zones setting.
- Place one simple window in a zone and note its size and position.
- Change only that monitor’s resolution.
- Observe whether the window is resized and repositioned into its previous zone.
- Restore the original resolution, then repeat the actual dock, reconnect, or rotation event separately.
If the resolution-only test succeeds but the dock test fails, focus on display configuration and orientation defaults. If both tests place the window in the correct zone but one application shows an edge gap, focus on DPI scaling. If the editor itself shows a different custom layout after the event, document the assignment change and the monitor identity details.
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Use this order when you want one controlled pass through the likely causes.
- Classify the symptom. Decide whether windows moved, the active layout changed, only an edge gap appeared, or the custom definition reset.
- Enable the documented setting. In PowerToys > FancyZones, turn on Keep windows in their zones when the screen resolution changes.
- Open the layout editor. Select the affected monitor and apply the intended layout.
- Check orientation defaults. Verify the horizontal and vertical defaults used when Windows detects a changed display configuration.
- Test with one window. Snap a simple application into a zone and change only the resolution. Observe whether it is resized and repositioned as expected.
- Test the real trigger. If the failure originally followed docking or reconnecting, repeat that event separately from a pure resolution change.
- Check DPI scaling. Investigate scaling differences only when the remaining symptom is a small edge gap or boundary mismatch.
- Back up the custom file. Preserve
custom-layouts.jsonbefore any deeper file-level action. - Document persistent behavior. Record versions, resolutions, scaling, monitor connections, and exact steps if the problem returns.
What not to treat as a FancyZones fix
The reviewed documentation and issue reports do not support a physical item as the remedy. Changing a monitor, cable, adapter, calibration device, or repair tool is not an established fix for a FancyZones layout-state problem. One historical report mentioned changing a cable while investigating monitor swapping, but that anecdote does not justify recommending cables generally.
Likewise, do not delete the custom-layout file as a first response. Deletion can remove the definitions you are trying to preserve, and the official documentation does not present arbitrary manual edits as a general repair. Use the settings and editor first, create a backup, and only then consider controlled troubleshooting based on a reproducible failure.
When to seek a version-specific fix
Escalate with a detailed report when the layout repeatedly changes after the same reboot, dock, disconnect, or resolution sequence even after the settings and assignments are correct. Include the information in your reproduction record and state the visible result precisely: “windows leave zones,” “wrong layout is selected,” “edge gap appears,” or “custom layout moves to another monitor.” That wording prevents a restoration issue from being mistaken for a layout-assignment issue.
Because monitor identity, DPI scaling, connection topology, and PowerToys version can all affect the outcome, a fix confirmed for one arrangement may not apply to another. Treat historical GitHub reports as evidence that a symptom has occurred, not as proof that every installation has the same defect.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which FancyZones setting keeps windows in place after a resolution change?
In PowerToys, open FancyZones and enable Keep windows in their zones when the screen resolution changes. Microsoft documents that this resizes and repositions windows into the zones they occupied before the resolution change.
Why did FancyZones choose a different layout after I docked or reconnected a monitor?
Docking, reconnecting, adding, removing, or rotating a display can change the display configuration. Check the monitor assignment in the layout editor and review the horizontal and vertical default layouts used for configuration changes.
Does enabling the keep-windows setting restore a missing custom layout?
Not necessarily. The setting controls restoration of currently zoned windows after a resolution change. A missing or wrongly assigned custom layout must be checked separately in the layout editor.
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Why is there a thin gap at the edge of a FancyZone?
Microsoft documents an edge case involving different DPI scaling factors, a zone that touches a screen edge, and an application that is not DPI aware. Compare each monitor’s Scale value and test another application before rebuilding the layout.
Where does FancyZones save custom layouts?
Custom layout data is stored at %LocalAppData%MicrosoftPowerToysFancyZonescustom-layouts.json. Copy the file to a safe location before any file-level troubleshooting.
Should I delete custom-layouts.json to fix a reset?
No. Deleting it can remove the definitions you are trying to preserve, and the documented file location is not presented as a universal repair. Back up the file and use PowerToys settings and the layout editor first.
What information should I collect if the problem keeps returning?
Record the PowerToys and Windows versions, monitor models and connections, primary display, resolutions and scaling before and after, the exact layout on each monitor, the trigger sequence, and whether all windows or only one application are affected.
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No physical item is established as the remedy for this FancyZones state problem. The supported path is software settings, monitor-specific layout assignment, DPI checks, file backup, and a precise version-specific report if the behavior persists.
The Bottom Line
Start with the documented keep-windows-in-zones setting, then verify the layout assigned to the affected monitor and its horizontal or vertical default. Treat a small edge gap as a possible DPI-scaling issue, back up custom-layouts.json, and record the exact display sequence if resets continue.
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