FancyZones: Bottom of windows being snapped underneath taskbar.

[jeremy-cain]

ℹ Computer information

• PowerToys version: v0.20.01
• PowerToy Utility: Fancy Zones
• Running PowerToys as Admin: Yes
• Windows build number: 2004 (19041.450)

📝 Provide detailed reproduction steps (if any)

1. Have zones in columns
2. Snap window to zone
3. Bottom of window is underneath taskbar.

✔️ Expected result

Bottom of windows is above taskbar.

❌ Actual result

Bottom of window is underneath taskbar.

[enricogior]

@jeremy-cain
can you please provide more detailed repro steps?
Does it happen with all applications?
Do you have space around zones?
Provide a screenshot when the FZ editor to show the current zones and a screenshot showing the zoned window that goes underneath the taskbar.

[jeremy-cain]

This happens with all windows since I upgraded to 20.01.

You can see that the scroll bar arrow is hidden underneath the taskbar. (Note I have an ultrawide monitor so this screenshot has been cropped to show just 2 of the 5 columns)

[revan415]

This happens for me when I change monitor sizes. I use a laptop with a thunderbolt dock. If I am on the laptop, using fancy zones, then plug in the external monitor, shut my laptop and use only the external, this happens to me. Rebooting PT while plugged into the external monitor solves this issue.

[enricogior]

@jeremy-cain
have you tried to re-apply the template?

[enricogior]

@revan415
if you just re-apply the template doesn't fix it?

[OddSquirrel]

Just noticed this myself when I downloaded a file and didn't see it on the bottom of my browser. Pulled down the top of the window, moved the whole thing up a bit and lo and behold, there it was.

Edit: Tried to re-apply the template, but that didn't do anything.

[cjcaldwell]

Re-applying the template (and then dragging the affected windows into the updated zones) fixes it for me. I get the same issue with the application in the bottom row going behind the taskbar in rows templates too.

I had this happen after a user-switch. My monitors are connected through a USB3 dock that makes my monitors appear to be disconnected/reconnected when I switch users, so it's probably the set of available monitors changing rather than specifically a user-switch thing.

I suspect that this is essentially the same issue as #5918, #4920, and #4694

[joshkreud]

Hi,
The issue does not seem to get fixed by reapplying the Zoneset when the TaskBar is not at the Bottom.
PT 0.21.1 as Admin on Win10.0.18363 Build 18363
Screen1: 1920x1200 Screen2:1920x1080(Main) Screen3:1200x1920

Zones show correctly in the Editor (Screen2):

But Shift+Dragging results in:

Everything is shifted underneath the Taskbar.

[enricogior]

@joshkreud
can you please post the repro steps since just moving the taskbar doesn't seem to cause the problem you are reporting.

[joshkreud]

@enricogior
Apparently it works now. Maybe kb4566116 fixed it? That one got installed yesterday.

[enricogior]

@jeremy-cain
is this still happening with 0.23? https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/releases/download/v0.23.0/PowerToysSetup-0.23.0-x64.exe

[ghost]

This issue has been automatically marked as stale because it has been marked as requiring author feedback but has not had any activity for 5 days. It will be closed if no further activity occurs within 5 days of this comment.

[glasody]

Not sure if this issue is related but if I have my task bar on the top of the display and I snap to a zone in that display, the snapped windows are pushed down by the amount of the height of the task bar.
The snapped window is the full height of the zone, but just pushed down leaving a big gap between the taskbar and the window and the window getting hidden on the bottom by the amount pushed down.

I have a 3 monitor setup with two top and 1 bottom.

running PowerToys 0.23.2
Window 10 build 19041.450 version 2004

[mcclown]

I'm also having the same problem with v0.23.2. I've had to create a custom layout which doesn't go as far as the taskbar, as a workaround.

[ghost]

This issue has been automatically marked as stale because it has been marked as requiring author feedback but has not had any activity for 5 days. It will be closed if no further activity occurs within 5 days of this comment.

[mr-salty]

This is happening for me in 0.27.

I don't know what causes it, I am not changing the zone configuration or anything about the taskbar, nor am I changing resolutions intentionally, although it's possible it happens after sleep and resume, I will do some further testing in that area. I have a single monitor (5k x 1440).

I'll eventually notice that the bottom of a window extends behind the taskbar. If I re-snap it the same thing happens. If I open the layout editor and press "Apply" with no changes then re-snap, it works properly. Is there any logging, etc I can enable to debug?

[enricogior]

@mr-salty
is this happening for all zones in the layout?
Is it happening for all applications?
When the zones are activate, before the window is snapped to the zone, do the zones border appear above or under the taskbar?
Screenshots or screen capture may help.

[joshkreud]

Hi,
Happening to me again as well in 0.27.
The zones show correct in the Editor.
But when dragging a window, the preview (which now is super smooth BTW 👌) is under the Taskbar.
Reapplying another Lay-out didn't help.
Will post som me gifs when I'm back at the computer.

[przemeqq]

I have the same problem. v0.27 - 2 monitor setup. Taskbar only shown on primary monitor.

[przemeqq]

I have this bug for one week, last week I changed DPI scaling to custom (106%) maybe it is related.

[enricogior]

In 0.35 there will be a fix for several taskbar issues, we didn't manage to reproduce this particular one, so we are not 100% sure it will be fixed, but after releasing 0.35 we will close the issue as fixed and then reopen it if it will reproduce.
Thanks.

[crutkas]

This has been resolved in the 0.35 release. https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/releases/latest

[chrisbues]

I'm still seeing this on .35 after moving between different resolutions (Thunderbolt dock/Laptop Screen) - Specifically 5140x1440, 2840x1080 and 1920x1080. The editor sets all zones to be under the taskbar. Restarting does not correct the issue.

[Ivan-McA]

I am having this issue. It occurs with regular Windows Snap as well, it's not specific to FancyZones. Like if I drag the window to the Windows Snap side and snap it, it will put the bottom of the window below the taskbar.

I have multiple monitors, at different resolutions and different % scaling. It doesn't seem to happen on the main screen but on others. It's also a laptop, and it's possible this is related to waking up from sleep.

I'm on Windows 11 also using StartAllBack to get my taskbar ungrouping and labels back. I'm pretty sure I saw this behaviour before from time to time, in earlier versions of Windows.

Restarting explorer.exe sometimes (not always) seems to fix it. Sometimes, restarting explorer.exe the window will resize itself correctly when the taskbar comes back.

It's working OK right now, after restarting explorer / re-applying the layout / switching back to Windows 11 taskbar and then back to old taskbar in StartAllBack. Not sure exactly which step fixed it this time.

My suspicion, as I see it with Windows Snap as well, is it's some more general issue with Windows rather than FancyZones specifically. There are other reports out there going back a long way of Windows apparently forgetting about the taskbar for maximize/snap and sizing windows so they go under the taskbar (example, from 2009 on Windows 7: https://www.sevenforums.com/general-discussion/21697-bug-windows-maximize-behind-taskbar.html)

EDIT/UPDATE: OK, it just happened again now. It happened after some of my monitors disconnected, and reconnected. In this instance, it only happened on one (of four) monitors, #4, a secondary display, but I have had it happen on #2/#3 secondary displays in the past. Not sure I've actually had it happen on my primary (laptop display).

When it happened the two windows I had on that monitor (Tidal and Excel) both extended below the taskbar and FancyZone snapping them them mouse drag and the modifier fitted them in the zone, but below the taskbar. Snapping with Windows Snap did exactly the same thing.

Restarting explorer.exe fixed the Windows Snap behaviour so now they snapped above the taskbar. But it didn't fix the FancyZone behaviour.

Restarting PowerToys fixed the FancyZone behaviour.

So it seems to me, this is definitely some general glitch in Windows, and explorer can suffer from it as well. But there's some point at which, apparently triggered by a monitor reconfiguration, Windows redefines the area to lose the taskbar, and both explorer and FancyZones seem to acquire that new area. But they don't resize it again when the taskbar comes back. They get the correct area then after a restart.

EDIT2: it happened again. This time I tried restarting PowerToys first. That didn't fix the problem, both explorer and FZ were snapping below the taskbar. Restarting explorer fixed it for Windows (it resizes the windows when explorer comes back with the taskbar) but PowerToys was still putting the window under the taskbar on selecting a zone. Restarting PowerToys after explorer, fixes it.

[pouyaman]

Summary

I have a similar issue as explained above, however the root cause of mine is dual monitor with different taskbar heights.

Detailed

I have 2 monitors and on my main monitor the taskbar height is set to two rows of icons; while the second monitor is only 1 row of icons.

FancyZones favours whichever is "lower".
So on my main monitor windows will be below the taskbar as it is twice as long.
If I swap this (make main monitor shorter and second monitor longer) now windows on second monitor go bellow the taskbar.
If I make both single or double height the issue goes away.

My current solution is to run both monitors double height, which is not ideal as I lose screen real state on the second monitor where I don't need double height (I have taskbar set to show on main taskbar and the taskbar where the window is open; so I need more space on main screen and less on second screen).

Refer to pictures below for better understanding.

Both monitors double height

Main monitor double height, second monitor single height

Main monitor single height, second monitor double height

Both monitors single height

Conclusion

Windows snap honours the taskbar height correctly.
FancyZones seems to take the "lowest" taskbar height.

Suggested solution

If possible

Get taskbar height per monitor and honour it per monitor.

Otherwise

Use the "longest" taskbar height to avoid windows falling behind taskbar.
A void space below a window is more acceptable than hidden content under taskbar.

[Fair-Tech]

This still seems to be an issue. This still happens when I change resolutions, or active monitors. It requires restarting both Explorer, and PowerToys to reset the taskbar offsets.
I frequently change between Display Profiles, and it happens every single time. I've tried on a separate computer as well, and it happens there too.

[crutkas]

@Fair-Tech please create a new issue, this is a pretty tricky item so knowing details is critical. DPIs, versions of PT, versions of windows, ....

[Razor68]

Ran into this today, but also noticed Window 11's normal Snapping is doing the same thing, including when FancyZones is turned off. Could it be the issue is with Windows itself, and for that reason FancyZones, is not working right?
Windows info:
Edition Windows 11 Pro
Version 22H2
Installed on ‎12/‎7/‎2022
OS build 22621.2070
Experience Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.22659.1000.0

PowerToys 0.71.0 (up to date as of 7/31/2023)

Displays: 5120x1440 primary, 2560x1440 in portrait to the right. NVIDIA RTX-3080/12GB, Intel i5-11600k

[kvnmlm]

Still a problem with v0.76.2 exactly as described by pouyaman above.

I'm using Win 10, multi monitor where the taskbar is double height on one monitor out of 4. Fancy Zones works properly on all monitors except the one with dual height task bar as it treats it just like the other 3. It tucks the windows behind the task bar obscuring them and any attempt to use anything down there. Turning this back off.

Monitors are all 4K, don't have a non-4K around to test on to see if this ever works with different task bar heights. Seems like this should have been resolved years ago. Sigh.

[Scotsman-15]

Ran into this exact same problem today (v0.79.0).

This has only began to materialise after swapping to an Ultrawide monitor and when waking up from sleep.

The issue can be fixed if using the shortcut:
CTRL + SHIFT + WIN KEY + B