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How to split an ultrawide monitor into zones on Windows

A 34-inch 21:9 or a 49-inch 32:9 monitor is wonderful until you maximize a window and get a single spreadsheet stretched across a meter of glass. Ultrawides need splitting: a wide center for the main work and columns at the sides, or three equal thirds. Windows can do part of it with Snap Layouts, and a zone tool does the rest. This guide covers both, with layouts that suit common ultrawide sizes.

Updated 6 steps

  1. Start with Windows Snap Layouts

    On Windows 11, hover over a window's maximize button or press Win+Z to open Snap Layouts. On wide screens Windows offers extra layouts such as three columns or a wide center with two sides. Pick a position, then choose the windows for the remaining spots. Win+Left and Win+Right still snap to halves. Snap Layouts is quick, but the layout is not saved: close the windows or move them and you build it again next time. Windows 10 offers only halves and quarters.

  2. Choose a zone layout for the ultrawide

    In WindowLayout, open Windows & Zones and, under Zone layouts, pick a layout for the ultrawide only. Priority 25/50/25 gives you a 50 percent center zone with a 25 percent column on each side, which suits a 34-inch 21:9 screen: browser or editor in the middle, reference and chat at the edges. Thirds splits the screen into three equal columns, which works well on a 49-inch 32:9 monitor where even half the screen is wider than a normal monitor. WindowLayout also lets you split the monitor itself with Split & padding on the Monitors page: the areas then act like separate monitors, so maximize fills one area and moving to the next monitor steps through them.

  3. Fill the zones in one click

    Click Arrange windows now to place the windows already on the ultrawide into its zones, the front window first. To move a single window, use Next zone (Ctrl+Alt+PageDown) and Previous zone (Ctrl+Alt+PageUp). The window steps through the zones from left to right and, past the last zone, continues onto the next monitor if you have one. Set Gap between snapped windows if you like a little space around each window.

  4. Use thirds and two-thirds hotkeys

    Sometimes you want a layout on the fly rather than fixed zones. WindowLayout has actions for Left third, Center third, Right third, Left two-thirds and Right two-thirds, besides the halves and quarters. They are unbound by default; open Hotkeys, click the box next to an action and press the keys you want, for example Ctrl+Alt+1 to 3 for the thirds. Center on monitor (Ctrl+Alt+Numpad5) keeps a window at its size and centers it, which suits a single app on a huge screen.

  5. Save the arrangement as a window profile

    Once the zones are filled the way you like, open Window Profiles and click Save current. The profile remembers which window was in which spot, including several windows of the same app, and you can restore it with a Hotkey, from the tray or from the command palette (Ctrl+Alt+Space). If you switch between tasks, save one profile per task, such as Coding and Editing, and restore whichever you need.

  6. Fix games and video that stretch

    Games and players sometimes stretch or letterbox on ultrawides. Set the game's resolution to the monitor's native size in its own settings. If you want a 16:9 game centered with black bars, set it to borderless windowed at 16:9 and use Center on monitor. When a single window should cover two monitors, Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Enter maximizes it across all screens.

Frequently asked questions

Can I draw my own zones on the ultrawide?

Zone layouts come from a built-in set per monitor: Halves, Thirds, 2 × 2 grid, Priority 25/50/25 or Three rows, or a custom layout drafted by the optional AI Layout designer. For your own proportions, WindowLayout lets you split the monitor with Split & padding, where you drag dividers to size columns and rows that act like separate monitors.

Can I drag a window into a zone with the mouse?

WindowLayout zones are filled with hotkeys, Arrange windows now and window profiles rather than by dragging. If you prefer dragging, Windows Snap Layouts works alongside it.

Does the ultrawide layout affect my other monitors?

No. Zone layouts are set per physical monitor, so the ultrawide can use Priority 25/50/25 while a side monitor uses Halves.