Crop And Lock

[abdulkadiryugruk]

Description of the new feature / enhancement

Hello,

I would like to suggest an improvement to the Crop and Lock feature. Currently, when I crop a window, the cropped section appears in a new window. However, I would prefer that the cropped area remains within the original window instead of generating a new one. To control this feature, an extra button could be added to the top bar of the window, allowing users to easily toggle the crop functionality on or off.

Scenario when this would be used?

This feature would be particularly useful for users who work on a single screen and want to minimize distractions by focusing on a specific part of a window. The current functionality is likely designed with dual-screen or presentation setups in mind, but many users aim to improve their workflow by focusing on one screen while clearing away unnecessary elements. The ability to manage everything within one window would make the experience smoother and more efficient.

Supporting information

If the option to keep the cropped area within the original window is not feasible or too complex, an alternative improvement could be to ensure that the second window is not just a visual display. The cropped section should remain functional, allowing users to interact with that area. For example, in the cropped section, users should be able to start or pause a video, or scroll through messages in a form. This would provide both a visual and functional experience for users.

[AlanThinks]

@abdulkadiryugruk the current "Crop and Lock" has 2 different functionalities.

1. Thumbnail which is the one you've tried, creates new non-interactive pop-up windows.
   and
2. Reparent which sounds like the one you would like; it crops the actual window and maintains the users ability to interact with it.

Check out the documentation to see if that's what you need:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/powertoys/crop-and-lock
See screenshot below as to how to activate it:

[abdulkadiryugruk]

When I did research, yes, as you said. But when I use it, it always appears as a thumbnail. I couldn't find the correction setting. But I will try again. Thank you for your feedback.

[abdulkadiryugruk]

When I did research, yes, as you said. But when I use it, it always appears as a thumbnail. I couldn't find the correction setting. But I will try again. Thank you for your feedback.

[AlanThinks]

@abdulkadiryugruk Try the "Reparent shortcut", it's WIN+Ctrl+Shift+R, you first have to select the window you want to crop. It's a bit buggy, you have to try it a few times sometimes

[abdulkadiryugruk]

I was using the app in Turkish. I thought it was the same as another feature in the PowerToys app, keep apps on top, and I had only tried the thumbnail tool. My mistake. Thank you for your efforts. :))