Crop and Lock - Microsoft PowerToys

Overview

Crop and Lock allows you to crop any window to display only a specific region of its content. The cropped area becomes an independent, always-visible window that updates in real-time with the source window, perfect for monitoring specific UI elements or data while working in other applications.

Cropped windows remain synchronized with their source windows, updating in real-time as the source content changes.

Activation

Enable Crop and Lock

Open PowerToys Settings and enable Crop and Lock

Select Window to Crop

Focus the window you want to crop

Trigger Crop Mode

Press the activation shortcut (default: Win+Ctrl+Shift+T) to enter crop mode

Select Region

Click and drag to select the area you want to crop

Confirm Selection

Release mouse button to create the cropped window

Key Features

Window Cropping

Interactive Selection

Click and drag to select any regionVisual overlay shows selection area

Real-Time Updates

Cropped window mirrors source contentLive synchronization

Independent Window

Cropped area becomes separate windowCan be moved and positioned anywhere

Reparenting

Window reparenting for content captureMaintains connection to source

Window Management

Cropped windows are fully manageable:

// Reparenting implementation (ReparentCropAndLockWindow.cpp:23)
ReparentCropAndLockWindow::ReparentCropAndLockWindow(
    std::wstring const& titleString, 
    int width, 
    int height)
{
    // Create independent window with WS_OVERLAPPEDWINDOW style
    auto style = WS_OVERLAPPEDWINDOW | WS_CLIPCHILDREN;
    style &= ~(WS_MAXIMIZEBOX | WS_THICKFRAME);
    
    CreateWindowExW(exStyle, ClassName.c_str(), titleString.c_str(), 
                    style, CW_USEDEFAULT, CW_USEDEFAULT, 
                    adjustedWidth, adjustedHeight, nullptr, nullptr, 
                    instance, this);
    
    m_childWindow = std::make_unique<ChildWindow>(width, height, m_window);
}

Features:

Non-resizable by default (no maximize/resize borders)
Can be moved freely
Always on top behavior
Maintains aspect ratio of cropped region

Overlay Selection Interface

When crop mode is activated:

Visual Overlay: Semi-transparent overlay covers the window
Selection Rectangle: Drag to define crop region
Real-time Preview: See selected area highlighted
Escape to Cancel: Press Esc to cancel without cropping

Focus Management

// Focus handling (ReparentCropAndLockWindow.cpp:62)
case WM_MOUSEACTIVATE:
    if (m_currentTarget != nullptr && 
        GetForegroundWindow() != m_currentTarget)
    {
        SetForegroundWindow(m_currentTarget);
    }
    return MA_NOACTIVATE;

case WM_ACTIVATE:
    if (static_cast<DWORD>(wparam) == WA_ACTIVE)
    {
        if (m_currentTarget != nullptr)
        {
            SetForegroundWindow(m_currentTarget);
        }
    }
    break;

Cropped windows don’t steal focus from the source window, maintaining seamless workflow.

Configuration

Activation Shortcut

activation_shortcut

hotkey

default:"Win+Ctrl+Shift+T"

Global hotkey to enter crop modeConfigurable in PowerToys Settings

Crop Behavior

No additional configuration options currently available. The utility provides straightforward crop-and-display functionality.

Use Cases

Monitoring Dashboard Widgets

System Resource Monitoring

Crop Task Manager’s performance graph:

Open Task Manager
Switch to Performance tab
Press Win+Ctrl+Shift+T
Select CPU graph area
Position cropped window in corner
→ Always-visible CPU monitoring

Build Status Tracking

Monitor CI/CD dashboard status:

Open build dashboard in browser
Crop the build status section
Keep visible while coding
Instantly see build failures

Stock Ticker

Keep eye on stock prices:

Crop stock price widget from trading platform
Position on secondary monitor
Monitor prices while working

Video Conferencing

Crop Meeting Controls

Crop Zoom/Teams control panel from main meeting window

Position on Screen

Place cropped controls in accessible location

Full Screen Presentation

Share screen full screen, controls remain accessible

Mute/Unmute Easily

Use cropped controls without switching windows

Reference Material

Code Examples

Crop documentation example while codingKeep reference visible on screen

Design Specifications

Crop design specs sectionReference while implementing features

Chat Messages

Crop important chat conversationMonitor specific discussion thread

Terminal Output

Crop log section from terminalWatch for specific log messages

Multi-Application Workflows

Trading
Video Editing
Data Analysis

Crop multiple charts from trading platform:

Crop price chart
Crop order book
Crop portfolio summary
Arrange cropped windows on screen
Custom trading dashboard from single app

Gaming & Streaming

Game Overlays

Create custom overlays from game UI:

Crop minimap from strategy game
Crop resource counters
Crop chat window
Arrange as custom HUD on secondary monitor

Stream Monitoring

For streamers:

Crop streaming software stats (bitrate, FPS)
Crop chat window
Crop donation alerts
Monitor while gaming full screen

Technical Details

Architecture

Window Hierarchy

Reparent Window (Independent)
  └─ Child Window (Content Container)
      └─ Source Window Content (Mirrored)

The implementation uses three window layers:

ReparentCropAndLockWindow: Top-level independent window
ChildWindow: Container for captured content
Content Mirror: Real-time display of source window region

Window Styles

// Window creation styles (ReparentCropAndLockWindow.cpp:30)
auto style = WS_OVERLAPPEDWINDOW | WS_CLIPCHILDREN;
style &= ~(WS_MAXIMIZEBOX | WS_THICKFRAME);

// Behaviors:
// WS_OVERLAPPEDWINDOW: Standard window with title bar
// WS_CLIPCHILDREN: Prevent parent drawing over child
// ~WS_MAXIMIZEBOX: No maximize button
// ~WS_THICKFRAME: No resize borders

Content Synchronization

Real-time mirroring mechanism:

DWM Integration: Uses Desktop Window Manager for content capture
Update Rate: Synchronized with source window refresh
Performance: Minimal CPU overhead, GPU-accelerated

Key Components

Component	Purpose	File
`ReparentCropAndLockWindow`	Main window container	`src/modules/CropAndLock/CropAndLock/ReparentCropAndLockWindow.cpp`
`ChildWindow`	Content display surface	`src/modules/CropAndLock/CropAndLock/ChildWindow.cpp`
`OverlayWindow`	Selection interface	`src/modules/CropAndLock/CropAndLock/OverlayWindow.cpp`

Keyboard Shortcuts

Global

Shortcut	Action
`Win+Ctrl+Shift+T`	Enter crop mode (default)

During Crop Selection

Shortcut	Action
`Click + Drag`	Select crop region
`Esc`	Cancel crop operation
`Release Mouse`	Confirm selection and create cropped window

Managing Cropped Windows

Action	Method
Move	Drag title bar
Close	Click X button or Alt+F4
Always on Top	Use Always On Top utility on cropped window

Combine Crop and Lock with Always On Top to ensure cropped windows stay visible above all other windows.

Troubleshooting

Crop mode doesn't activate

Check:

Crop and Lock is enabled in PowerToys Settings
Target window is in focus
Shortcut not conflicting with other applications
PowerToys is running

Test:

Try different target windows
Verify shortcut in PowerToys Settings
Restart PowerToys

Cropped window shows black/blank

Possible causes:

Source window using protected content (DRM)
Graphics driver issues
Source window minimized or hidden

Solutions:

Ensure source window is visible and unminimized
Update graphics drivers
Some content (e.g., video players with DRM) cannot be cropped

Content not updating in cropped window

Troubleshooting:

Check if source window is still open
Verify source window is not minimized
Close and recreate crop if sync is lost

Note: If source window closes, cropped window shows last captured frame

Cannot select region in crop mode

Verify:

Mouse cursor is over the target window
Window is not obscured by other windows
Graphics acceleration is enabled

Workaround: Try cropping a different window to test functionality

Cropped window has wrong DPI scaling

For high-DPI displays:

Cropped content should match source DPI
If blurry, check display scaling settings
Ensure PowerToys is DPI-aware

Windows Settings: System > Display > Scale and layout

Limitations

Content Protection: Some windows cannot be cropped due to content protection:

DRM-protected video players
Secure input fields (passwords)
Some fullscreen games with anti-cheat
Banking/financial application secure areas

These windows may show black or blank content in cropped windows.

Performance Considerations

Multiple Crops: Many cropped windows may impact performance
Large Regions: Larger crop areas use more GPU memory
High Refresh Rate: Source windows updating frequently may increase GPU usage

Best Practices:

Crop only necessary portions (smaller is better)
Close cropped windows when no longer needed
Limit simultaneous crops to 3-5 for best performance

Get Started

Core Utilities

Mouse & Input

Productivity Tools

Configuration

Community & Support

​Overview

​Activation

​Key Features

​Window Cropping

Interactive Selection

Real-Time Updates

Independent Window

Reparenting

​Window Management

​Overlay Selection Interface

​Focus Management

​Configuration

​Activation Shortcut

​Crop Behavior

​Use Cases

​Monitoring Dashboard Widgets

​Video Conferencing

​Reference Material

Code Examples

Design Specifications

Chat Messages

Terminal Output

​Multi-Application Workflows

​Gaming & Streaming

​Technical Details

​Architecture

​Window Hierarchy

​Window Styles

​Content Synchronization

​Key Components

​Keyboard Shortcuts

​Global

​During Crop Selection

​Managing Cropped Windows

​Troubleshooting

​Limitations

​Performance Considerations

​See Also

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Activation

Key Features

Window Cropping

Window Management

Overlay Selection Interface

Focus Management

Configuration

Activation Shortcut

Crop Behavior

Use Cases

Monitoring Dashboard Widgets

Video Conferencing

Reference Material

Multi-Application Workflows

Gaming & Streaming

Technical Details

Architecture

Window Hierarchy

Window Styles

Content Synchronization

Key Components

Keyboard Shortcuts

Global

During Crop Selection

Managing Cropped Windows

Troubleshooting

Limitations

Performance Considerations

See Also