Boost Your Windows Productivity with These 2 PowerToys! (Fancy Zones & Mouse Without Borders)
Have you heard of PowerToys? It is a Microsoft-created add-on for Windows that adds some amazing time-saving features. I often wonder why many of the tools included in PowerToys are not built directly into Windows but instead remain hidden, available only to those who are aware of the add-on's existence.
In this blog post, I will cover my two favourite PowerToys tools that will give you the most value when it comes to saving time!
Fancy Zones
Windows has many handy features, one of which is Windows Snap. This feature lets you quickly move windows around your screen and snap them into preset positions. However, these positions are fixed in Windows and cannot be customised.
Fancy Zones enhances Windows Snap by allowing you to personalise your desktop layout, so programs open in your preferred areas instead of being limited to non-customisable, preset locations.
In the screenshot below, you can see how I have set up Fancy Zones to create four distinct areas for the apps I use. On the left side of my screen, I have Google Chat. In the centre of my monitor, I have my web browser, which is always front and centre since I do most of my work there. To the right, I have two sections: one for my To-Do list and the other for my AI assistant, allowing me to easily see and interact with these services.
Additionally, I have configured all my apps in the taskbar to open in one of these four sections when I click their icons. Assigning an app to a Fancy Zone is simple. The first time you open an app, move it to the zone where you want that app to appear, then close it. The next time you open it, it will automatically open in that designated area. If you later decide that an app would be more useful elsewhere on your screen, you can easily move it to a different zone at any time. To do this, simply hold shift and drag the app window to the desired zone and release the mouse button. The app will then snap to the new zone.
Mouse Without Borders
This feature is amazing if you have two computers but only one mouse and keyboard to interact with both. It genuinely blew my mind when I first used it; I never imagined it would work as well as it does.
Traditionally, if you have two computers but only one keyboard and mouse, you would need a hardware box with a knob to switch between them. You would connect your keyboard and mouse to this box, along with the two computers, and turn the knob to choose which computer you want to control. Mouse Without Borders eliminates the need for this hardware box. Instead, all you have to do is install PowerToys on both computers and enable the Mouse Without Borders feature. Your mouse can then seamlessly move between the two computers, just as it would if you had multiple monitors. It's incredible! Whichever screen your mouse is on, that's the computer your keyboard will also automatically interact with.
This is fantastic for me because I have a desktop that my mouse and keyboard are plugged into, along with a separate laptop. I can now easily interact with both devices simultaneously, turning my laptop screen into a second display while it sits beside my desktop.
How do you get PowerToys?
PowerToys is entirely free, and you have two convenient options for obtaining the software. You can either visit the PowerToys page on GitHub to download and install the program or, for a more user-friendly installation, open the Microsoft Store app on your Windows computer, search for 'Microsoft PowerToys,' and click the install button.
PowerToys is a treasure trove of over 25 tools that add new abilities to Windows, so you may find additional time-savers. Explore the other available tools and unlock the full potential of your Windows experience.
