- To crop and lock an app on Windows 11, open “PowerToys” and enable the “Paste Crop And Lock” feature, then use the “Windows key + Ctrl + Shift + T” keyboard shortcut to crop a region of the app.
- Or use the “Windows key + Ctrl + Shift + R” keyboard shortcut to crop and lock an interactive region of the app.
On Windows 11, PowerToys includes a tool that allows you to crop and lock an application, and in this guide, you will learn how.
Although you can always resize an application or take a screenshot with the Snipping Tool, it’s now possible to use the “Crop And Lock” tool to either crop an application window or take a temporary capture of a region of the app to show only the details you need on the desktop.
PowerToys is an open-source application available through GitHub (and Microsoft Store) that allows you to enhance the functionalities of Windows 11 with additional features (in addition to Crop And Lock). For example, plaintext pasting, text extractions from images, process finder locking files and folders, hosts file editor, mouse sharing across desktops, and more.
This guide will teach you the steps to paste clipboard content as plain text on Windows 11.
Crop and lock an app on Windows 11
If you don’t have PowerToys, you can install it from the Microsoft Store, or you can also use the winget install --id Microsoft.PowerToys command to install the app from Command Prompt.
To crop and lock an app on Windows 11, use these steps:
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Open PowerToys on Windows 11.
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Click on Windowing & layouts.
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Click on Crop And Lock.
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Turn on the “Enable Crop And Lock” toggle switch.
Once you complete the steps, you can use the “Windows key + Ctrl + Shift + T” keyboard shortcut to open the “Thumbnail” experience. Then, use the mouse to select the region to capture. This action will create a temporary screenshot of the window on the desktop.
Alternatively, you can use the “Windows key + Ctrl + Shift + R” keyboard shortcut to open the “Reparent” experience. Then, use the mouse to crop the region to capture. This action will create an interactive window of the application.
Whether you use the Thumbnail or Reparent features, the cropped window will always lock on top of the desktop.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert and founder of Pureinfotech (est. 2010). With over 21 years as a technology writer and IT Specialist, Mauro specializes in Windows, software, and cross-platform systems such as Linux, Android, and macOS.
Certifications: Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA), Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP), VMware Certified Professional (VCP), and CompTIA A+ and Network+.
Mauro is a recognized Microsoft MVP and has also been a long-time contributor to Windows Central.
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