Guides
An AquaSnap alternative focused on multi-monitor layouts
AquaSnap by Nurgo Software is a popular window manager that extends Windows snapping with docking, magnetic edges, tiling and stretching, available in a free personal edition and a paid Professional edition. It shines when you arrange windows with the mouse. If you mostly work from the keyboard, use several monitors and want your layout saved and restored, a different kind of tool may fit better. This page compares the two approaches fairly and shows how to set up WindowLayout for the same jobs.
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Know what AquaSnap is built for
AquaSnap's strength is mouse-driven arranging: drag a window to an edge or corner to dock it, let windows snap magnetically to each other, stretch a window to the screen edge, tile several windows, and shake a window to keep it on top. Several of these work across multiple monitors. Check Nurgo Software's website for which features are in which edition, because that can change. If you love dragging windows into place, AquaSnap does that very well.
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Decide whether you work by mouse or keyboard
WindowLayout takes a different approach. It does not add magnetic window edges or new drag gestures; Windows' own Snap still handles dragging. Instead it gives you global hotkeys, per-monitor zone layouts and saved window profiles. If you rearrange the same windows every day, or your layout falls apart after sleep or docking, saving and restoring the whole desk saves more time than faster dragging. Many people use mouse snapping for quick moves and a profile for the full layout.
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Set up hotkeys and zones
Install WindowLayout and open Hotkeys. Ctrl+Alt+Numpad keys snap to halves and quarters, Ctrl+Alt+Numpad5 centers, Ctrl+Alt+Enter maximizes and Ctrl+Alt+Right and Left move a window to the next or previous monitor. In Windows & Zones, pick a zone layout per monitor such as Thirds or Priority 25/50/25, then use Ctrl+Alt+PageDown and PageUp to step a window through the zones. Ctrl+Alt+T toggles always on top, much like AquaSnap's shake gesture.
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Save the whole desk as a window profile
Open Window Profiles, arrange your windows and click Save current. The profile records every window on every monitor with position, size, state and stacking order, recognizes monitors even when Windows renumbers them, and matches windows with changing titles. Restore it with a Hotkey, from the tray or from the command palette, check the result first with Preview restore and step back with Undo last restore. AquaSnap does not save layouts of open windows like this.
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Restore layouts automatically
Mouse-driven tools help you build a layout quickly, but they cannot rebuild it for you after the PC wakes from sleep, a monitor reconnects or you dock a laptop. In Window Profiles, switch on Restore windows after monitor changes, sleep and unlock under Automation, and turn on Apply automatically when this setup connects for your main profile. Remember app positions reopens each app where it was last closed, so even windows you arranged by dragging come back to the same spot on the same monitor.
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Add what AquaSnap does not cover
Beyond windows, WindowLayout handles the monitors themselves: display profiles for resolution, refresh rate, orientation and the main monitor, DDC/CI hardware brightness with a schedule, Software dimming and Blackout, per-monitor wallpapers, Cursor wrap and Smooth monitor edges on the Mouse page, and Triggers that react to monitors connecting or apps starting. Everything is free, offline and without an account. If you keep AquaSnap for dragging, the two tools can run side by side.
Frequently asked questions
Can WindowLayout and AquaSnap run at the same time?
Yes. AquaSnap acts when you drag windows; WindowLayout acts on hotkeys, profiles and triggers. Just make sure the hotkeys you set do not overlap.
Does WindowLayout snap windows to each other when dragging?
No. There are no magnetic edges or docking gestures. Dragging uses Windows' own Snap, and WindowLayout adds keyboard actions, zones and saved layouts.
Is WindowLayout affiliated with Nurgo Software?
No. WindowLayout is an independent project. AquaSnap is a product of Nurgo Software and is named here only to compare features.