Guides
A free DisplayFusion alternative: what you get and what you give up
DisplayFusion by Binary Fortress Software is the best-known multi-monitor toolkit for Windows, with a free edition and a paid Pro license. People look for an alternative when they need only part of it, want everything free, or prefer a smaller app. WindowLayout covers many of the same everyday jobs across hotkeys, wallpapers, brightness, monitor profiles and automation. This page compares them fairly, area by area, including the things WindowLayout does not do. For window position profiles specifically, see the dedicated comparison guide.
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Start from what you actually use
DisplayFusion's feature list is long: multi-monitor taskbars, title bar buttons, window position profiles, monitor configuration profiles, wallpaper and screen saver management, monitor fading, triggers, scripted functions, remote control from a phone and more. Which features are in the free and Pro editions changes over time, so check the Binary Fortress website. Write down the five or six features you use every week; that list decides whether a lighter tool is enough.
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Compare hotkeys and window actions
WindowLayout has more than 30 window actions, most with default Ctrl+Alt hotkeys: move to the next or previous monitor, halves, quarters, thirds, center, maximize, maximize across all monitors, zones, always on top, gather all windows to the main display and minimize other windows on a monitor. Every shortcut can be changed on the Hotkeys page, and the command palette (Ctrl+Alt+Space) runs any action by name. DisplayFusion's functions go further with custom scripted functions, which WindowLayout does not offer.
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Compare wallpapers and monitor dimming
On the Wallpaper page, WindowLayout sets a picture per monitor, spans one across all screens or repeats one, with a slideshow from a folder and a Next wallpaper hotkey. For brightness, it changes the real backlight over DDC/CI with sliders, hotkeys and a day-night schedule, offers Software dimming for screens without DDC/CI, Focus fade to dim every monitor except the active one, and Blackout for any screen. DisplayFusion has wallpaper providers and screen savers that WindowLayout does not have.
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Compare profiles and automation
WindowLayout's display profiles store which monitors are on, their arrangement, resolution, refresh rate, orientation, scaling, HDR and the main monitor; window profiles store every window on every monitor, with preview, undo and automatic restore after sleep or docking. Triggers react to A monitor is connected, A monitor is disconnected, An app starts, An app gets focus and WindowLayout starts, and can apply a profile, move an app, arrange zones, set brightness or run any window action. Both tools have triggers; DisplayFusion's support scripting, WindowLayout's are simpler.
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Know what WindowLayout does not have
There are no multi-monitor taskbars, so use Windows' own Show my taskbar on all displays setting. There are no title bar buttons, no screen savers, no phone remote and no scripting. WindowLayout cannot import DisplayFusion settings. In return, it is free with no Pro edition, no trial and no account, about 10 MB to install, works offline with no telemetry, and has an optional AI assistant that is off by default.
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Switch over without two tools fighting
Install WindowLayout and recreate the parts you use: save a display profile and a window profile, set your hotkeys and pick wallpapers. While both apps are installed, let only one of them restore windows, change wallpapers and run triggers automatically, otherwise both may react to the same event. Pick distinct hotkeys, because WindowLayout can only warn about conflicts between its own actions. Once you are happy, disable the features you no longer need in the other app.
Frequently asked questions
Is WindowLayout affiliated with Binary Fortress Software?
No. WindowLayout is an independent project. DisplayFusion is a trademark of Binary Fortress Software and is named here only to compare features.
Does WindowLayout have multi-monitor taskbars?
No. Windows 10 and 11 can show a taskbar on every display themselves: open Settings, Personalization, Taskbar, Taskbar behaviors and turn on Show my taskbar on all displays.
Is everything in WindowLayout free?
Yes. There is no paid edition. The optional AI assistant uses your own API key, an OpenRouter sign-in or a local Ollama model, so any AI costs are with your provider.