Use this monitor layout visualizer to design and preview window zones for any display before you commit to a setup. Choose from 30+ built-in presets for streaming, coding, gaming, and general productivity — or build your own layout from scratch. Supports standard 16:9 monitors, 21:9 and 32:9 ultrawides, and even stacked 16:18 panels. Export your finished layout directly to PowerToys FancyZones on Windows, or use the visual grid as a reference for Rectangle, Magnet, or any tiling window manager. Whether you're optimizing a single ultrawide or planning a multi-monitor workspace, this tool lets you see exactly how your windows will sit before you move a single pixel.
A monitor layout visualizer is an interactive tool that lets you divide a virtual display into window zones — rectangular regions where your applications will snap into place. Unlike generic grid planners that only offer equal columns or rows, this tool models your actual monitor's resolution and aspect ratio so every zone is pixel-accurate. You can split zones horizontally or vertically, resize them by dragging dividers, assign labels and colors, and preview the result at true proportions. The output is a zone map you can export to window management software or simply use as a reference when setting up your desktop. It answers a question that's surprisingly hard to solve in your head: 'If I put VS Code on the left 60% and a browser on the right 40% of my 3440x1440 ultrawide, how wide is each window in pixels and does that leave enough room for my sidebar?'
Most people discover their window layout through trial and error — dragging windows around until something feels right, then repeating the process every time they restart or switch tasks. This costs real productivity. A coding layout that works on a 27-inch 16:9 monitor won't transfer to a 34-inch ultrawide without adjustment, because the extra horizontal space changes the optimal split ratios. A streaming setup that looks balanced in your head may leave your chat panel too narrow to read at 1080p. Planning ahead with a visualizer lets you answer concrete questions: Is a 70/30 split wide enough for a code editor and terminal on a 2560x1440 panel? Will a 4-column trading layout leave each column under 480 pixels on a 1920x1080 screen? How much vertical space does a stacked OBS preview take from your game on a 32:9 super-ultrawide? Getting these answers before you configure your window manager saves the frustration of discovering problems mid-workflow.
| Use Case | Recommended | Layout | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Development | 60/40 split | Editor (60%) + terminal/browser (40%) | Gives the code editor enough width for 120-character lines at readable font sizes while keeping a reference pane always visible. On a 2560x1440 monitor, the 60% pane is 1536 pixels wide — comfortable for side-by-side diff views. |
| Streaming (OBS + Chat) | 70/30 stacked sidebar | Game/content (70%) + chat + OBS preview (30% stacked) | Maximizes your primary content while keeping stream chat and a preview panel accessible. The 30% sidebar on a 3440x1440 ultrawide gives you 1032 pixels — wide enough for chat without wasting game real estate. |
| Day Trading | 4-column equal split | 4 equal columns for charts, order book, positions, news | Financial dashboards need simultaneous visibility across multiple data sources. Four equal columns on a 3840x2160 4K display give each column 960 pixels — enough for detailed candlestick charts with indicators. |
| Video Editing | Timeline layout (70/30 horizontal) | Preview + bins (70% top) + timeline (30% bottom) | Video editors need a wide timeline for precision cuts. A horizontal 70/30 split dedicates the bottom strip to your timeline while the top area holds your preview monitor and media browser side by side. |
| General Productivity | Main + dual sidebar | Center main (50%) + left reference (25%) + right comms (25%) | Balanced three-column layout for office work. The center pane handles your primary task (documents, spreadsheets) while sidebars hold email, Slack, or reference material. On a 2560x1440 screen, the center is 1280 pixels — a full HD-width workspace. |
| Gaming (non-streaming) | Center focus (80/20) | Game (80% center) + Discord/music (20% side) | Keeps the game front and center while providing quick access to voice chat or a music player. On a 3440x1440 ultrawide, the 20% strip is 688 pixels — enough for Discord's compact mode without intruding on gameplay. |
Different aspect ratios demand different layout strategies. A layout that works beautifully on a 16:9 panel may waste space or feel cramped on an ultrawide. Here's what works best for each common ratio.
| Aspect Ratio | Common Sizes | Best Layouts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16:9 | 24", 27", 32" | 50/50 split, 60/40, single fullscreen | The standard desktop ratio. Two-column layouts are the sweet spot — three columns start feeling narrow below 2560x1440. At 1920x1080, a 50/50 split gives each pane 960 pixels, which is tight for complex applications. |
| 21:9 (ultrawide) | 34", 38" | 60/40, 33/33/33, center + dual sidebar | Ultrawides excel at three-column layouts. A 34-inch 3440x1440 in three equal columns gives each column 1147 pixels — wider than a 1080p monitor. The 60/40 split is ideal for coding: 2064px for editor, 1376px for reference. |
| 32:9 (super-ultrawide) | 49", 57" | 4-column, 2x 16:9 zones, center focus + dual sidebars | Effectively two 16:9 monitors in one panel. Most users split into two virtual displays (2560x1440 each on a 5120x1440), but the tool lets you plan asymmetric layouts that aren't possible with simple left/right splitting. |
| 16:10 | 24", 27", 30" | 50/50 split, 60/40, main + sidebar | The extra vertical space (compared to 16:9) benefits coding and document work. At 2560x1600, a 60/40 split gives a 1536x1600 editor pane — the taller viewport means fewer scroll operations per code review. |
| 16:18 (stacked) | 28" | Top/bottom 50/50, 60/40 horizontal, quadrant grid | LG DualUp and similar stacked monitors are designed for vertical workflows. A top/bottom 50/50 split at 2560x2880 gives each half 2560x1440 — equivalent to a standard 27-inch QHD monitor per zone. |
Once you've designed your ideal layout in the visualizer, you need window management software to enforce it on your actual desktop. These tools snap windows into predefined zones when you drag them or use keyboard shortcuts.
| Tool | Platform | Price | Description | Direct Export |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PowerToys FancyZones | Windows | Free (Microsoft) | The most popular Windows zone manager. Lets you define custom zone layouts and snap windows by holding Shift while dragging. This visualizer can export layouts directly to FancyZones format. | Yes |
| Rectangle | macOS | Free | Keyboard-driven window manager for Mac. Supports halves, thirds, quarters, and custom sizes via keyboard shortcuts. No custom zone editor, but you can replicate any layout from the visualizer using its shortcut system. | No |
| Rectangle Pro | macOS | $9.99 | Paid upgrade to Rectangle with custom zone layouts, window groups, and app-specific rules. Supports drag-to-snap zones similar to FancyZones. | No |
| Magnet | macOS | $9.99 | Simple drag-and-snap window manager for Mac. Supports halves, thirds, and quarters. Good for basic layouts but lacks the custom zone flexibility of Rectangle Pro. | No |
| i3 / Sway | Linux | Free (open source) | Tiling window managers that automatically arrange windows into non-overlapping tiles. Layouts are defined in config files. The visualizer helps you plan your i3/Sway layout before writing the config. | No |
| KDE KWin | Linux (KDE) | Free (open source) | KDE's window manager with built-in tiling scripts. Supports custom tiling layouts through the Bismuth or Polonium plugins. Use the visualizer to plan zone ratios before configuring. | No |
A window layout visualizer is a tool that lets you plan how applications will be arranged on your monitor before you configure your actual desktop. You divide a virtual screen into zones — rectangular regions sized to your monitor's resolution and aspect ratio — and preview how each zone will look at true proportions. It's especially useful for ultrawide monitors (3440x1440, 5120x1440) where standard window snapping doesn't offer enough flexibility.
Click the Export button in the visualizer's toolbar and select the FancyZones JSON format. This downloads a file compatible with Microsoft PowerToys FancyZones. Open PowerToys Settings, go to FancyZones, click "Launch layout editor," switch to Custom layouts, and import the JSON file. Your zones will appear exactly as you designed them, including zone sizes and positions.
For 21:9 ultrawides (3440x1440), a three-column layout or 60/40 split works best. Three equal columns give each pane 1147 pixels — wider than a full HD monitor. For 32:9 super-ultrawides (5120x1440), most users start with a 50/50 split mimicking two 27-inch monitors, then customize from there. The visualizer lets you try different ratios at your exact resolution before committing.
The visualizer designs layouts for a single monitor at a time. For multi-monitor setups, plan each monitor's layout separately — your window manager (FancyZones, Rectangle, etc.) handles cross-monitor zones. Most multi-monitor users benefit from different layouts per screen: a productivity layout on the main display and a simpler two-pane layout on the secondary.
A 60/40 vertical split is the most popular coding layout: the 60% pane holds your code editor and the 40% pane holds a terminal, browser, or documentation. On a 2560x1440 monitor, this gives you 1536 pixels for the editor — enough for 120-character lines at a comfortable font size. On ultrawides, a 50/25/25 three-column layout adds a dedicated documentation pane.
It depends on your resolution and use case. At 1920x1080, stick to 2 zones — three columns would give each only 640 pixels. At 2560x1440, 2-3 zones work well. At 3440x1440 (ultrawide), 3-4 zones are comfortable. At 5120x1440 (super-ultrawide), 4-6 zones give each column at least 853 pixels. The key rule: each zone should be at least 640 pixels wide for usable application windows.
The FancyZones built-in editor is designed for quick zone drawing on your actual screen. This visualizer adds several capabilities: true-to-scale monitor preview with actual pixel dimensions, 30+ categorized presets for common workflows, the ability to plan layouts before installing any software, and support for testing layouts across different monitor sizes and resolutions without owning the hardware.
The visualizer works in physical pixels, which don't change with OS-level scaling. A zone that's 1536 pixels wide stays 1536 pixels wide regardless of whether your Windows scaling is at 100%, 125%, or 150%. However, the content inside each zone — text size, UI elements — will appear larger at higher scaling. If you use 150% scaling on a 3840x2160 display, your effective workspace is equivalent to 2560x1440, so plan your zone count accordingly.