How I finally got the Crop and Lock feature working in Windows using PowerToys
Honestly, if you’re like me, you’ve probably tried to figure out how to crop or lock parts of application windows on Windows without messing around with complicated resizing or multiple monitors. I kept hearing about PowerToys ‘Crop and Lock’ — but finding it in the crazy menus and actually making it work was a whole saga. Let me tell you, it’s not just right there staring at you, and the default options aren’t exactly obvious. Took me a few evenings of messing around, but I finally cracked it, so here’s what helped.
Getting PowerToys from Microsoft Store (or GitHub)
If you haven’t installed it yet, the first step is grabbing PowerToys. The easiest way seems to be through the Microsoft Store — just search for “PowerToys” and install. Sometimes, it’s a little tricky if your Store refuses to load or update, but that’s a different story. You can also just grab the latest release directly from GitHub (https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/releases), which might be safer if you want the cutting-edge or beta features. After installing, you’ll probably need to open PowerToys as an admin, especially if you encounter weird permission issues. Sometimes, it doesn’t run on startup right away, so check Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) to confirm it’s running in the background. If it’s not, start it manually and see if the Crop and Lock toggle is available after updating.
Locating and enabling the Crop and Lock module
This part tripped me up the most — the Crop and Lock isn’t on the main dashboard of PowerToys. It’s tucked under General or possibly under Experimental Features, depending on your version. If you don’t see it listed outright, check those sections. Once you find it — which isn’t always obvious — there’s a toggle labeled Enable Crop and Lock. Make sure it’s switched On. The thing is, if it’s off, the feature doesn’t work at all, no matter what else you do. Sometimes, the toggle isn’t enabled by default, so double-check that. If it still doesn’t respond, try turning it off and on again, or restart PowerToys. Also, a quick restart of your PC never hurts—sometimes Windows needs a kick to fully recognize new features.
Setting your shortcuts—because defaults might not cut it
Once enabled, you can customize the hotkey that triggers cropping. Usually, it’s Windows + Control + Shift + T by default, but honestly, that combo felt awkward for me. You can change it in the settings — just click the Shortcut field next to the Crop and Lock module, then press your preferred key combo. I ended up setting Win + Alt + C because it felt more natural, and it didn’t conflict with my other shortcuts. Just keep in mind, if you pick something too common or already in use, it might not work or could trigger other functions, so test it first!
How to actually crop and lock parts of your windows
This took me some trial and error. Once you press your shortcut, your screen dims a bit — like a selection overlay appears. Your mouse turns into a crosshair, and you can draw a rectangle around any part of an app window that you want to crop or lock. When you release, the selected region gets “locked” in place, and you can move or resize it just like a smaller window. It’s not perfect — sometimes, resizing the original window messes up the crop or causes it to shift — but it’s great for keeping a particular section in view, say, a chat box on a webpage or a specific area of a report.
Keep in mind, it’s not technically cropping the app content; it’s overlaying a mask on top, which stays locked to that area. So if the original app moves or resizes, your crop might need redoing. It’s more like a screenshot overlay that stays put for quick reference — pretty handy if you’re bouncing between multiple tasks and don’t want to resize everything manually. Also, you can toggle the feature back on by pressing the shortcut again, or clear your crops through the right-click menu on the PowerToys icon in the system tray — there’s an option to remove all crops if needed.
Limitations I ran into and bits to watch out for
Not everything was smooth sailing. Some apps—especially Chrome with hardware acceleration—can behave unpredictably when cropped. Also, if you resize or move the original window, your crop overlay might get out of sync, so you sometimes have to recrop. If you want to remove a crop, just trigger the shortcut again or right-click the PowerToys tray icon and pick Clear Crops. Be cautious: cropping doesn’t affect the underlying window content—it’s just an overlay, so resizing, moving, or even restarting the app can mess things up. Sometimes, the Crop and Lock feature requires PowerToys to run as administrator for full functionality—especially if you’re cropping windows that need higher permissions.
Another gotcha: on some setups, the option to enable Crop and Lock might be grayed out or missing, typically due to outdated PowerToys versions or OEM restrictions. If that happens, try updating PowerToys to the latest release, ensure you’re running it as admin, or check if your device’s firmware (like BIOS or OEM-specific security settings) might be disabling certain features—secure boot, TPM configs, or similar. Also worth mentioning: if your BitLocker encryption is on, clearing or cropping might trigger warnings or require disabling encryption temporarily, so back up your keys first!
A quick wrap-up
In the end, after spending way too many hours fiddling with settings, I finally got the Crop and Lock feature to work decently. It’s a bit hidden, not perfectly reliable in all cases, but for quick snippets or keeping some window parts ‘locked’ in view, it’s a lifesaver. Just remember to check that PowerToys is updated, the feature is enabled, and your shortcuts don’t conflict. Also, keep an eye on app behavior—some programs might not respond well to cropping overlays, but basic cropping works just fine for most things.
Double-check your PowerToys version, make sure it has the Crop and Lock module activated, and test your shortcuts before trusting them during busy work. Oh, and don’t forget to save your key configs if you’ve customized them. Hope this helps — it took me way too long to figure it out, and I’d hate for someone else to spend days like I did. Anyway, good luck cropping, locking, and staying organized!