VirtualZones keyboard shortcuts (hotkeys) reference
Global hotkeys
Section titled “Global hotkeys”These work from anywhere in Windows. All of them can be rebound.
| Action | Default | Needs confinement running? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start / Stop | Ctrl+Alt+R | No | Toggles confinement |
| Hide / Show zones | Ctrl+Alt+Z | Yes | Hides the borders only. Confinement keeps running |
| Cycle layout | Ctrl+Alt+C | No | Next layout on the selected screen, wrapping around |
| Move window up | Ctrl+Alt+W | Yes | Moving windows |
| Move window left | Ctrl+Alt+A | Yes | Crosses to the next monitor at the edge |
| Move window down | Ctrl+Alt+S | Yes | |
| Move window right | Ctrl+Alt+D | Yes | |
| Share Zone 1 | Ctrl+Alt+1 | No | Share a zone on the active window’s monitor |
| Share Zone 2 | Ctrl+Alt+2 | No | |
| Share Zone 3 | Ctrl+Alt+3 | No | |
| Share Zone 4 to 9 | Unbound | No | Assign them if you use layouts with more zones |
Mouse and in-app shortcuts
Section titled “Mouse and in-app shortcuts”These can’t be changed.
| Where | Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Any window | Hold Shift while dragging the title bar | Drag-to-snap into the highlighted zone |
| Layout editor canvas | Click inside a zone | Split vertically (side by side) |
| Layout editor canvas | Shift+click inside a zone | Split horizontally (stacked) |
| Layout editor canvas | Click a shared border | Merge two zones |
| Layout editor | Esc / Enter | Close / Save |
| Main window | Tab, Shift+Tab, Space, Enter, Esc | Move focus, activate, close dropdown |
| License dialog | Enter / Esc | Activate / Close |
Changing a hotkey
Section titled “Changing a hotkey”- Click Keyboard Shortcuts… in the Preferences card.
- Click Change next to an action. The button reads
Press keys…. - Press the new combination. Esc cancels.
- Click Save. Nothing changes until you save, and Cancel discards everything.
Clear leaves an action Unbound.
A new combination is rejected with a message if:
| Message | Why |
|---|---|
Hotkeys need at least one modifier key (Ctrl/Alt/Shift/Win). |
A single key would hijack normal typing |
That combo is reserved by Windows. |
Ctrl+Shift+Esc, Alt+F4, Alt+Tab, Ctrl+Alt+Del, or any combination with the Windows key |
Already used by {action}. |
Another VirtualZones action already uses it |
Already in use by another app. |
Another running app has registered it |
While the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog is open, all VirtualZones hotkeys are paused.
Troubleshooting hotkeys
Section titled “Troubleshooting hotkeys”A hotkey stopped working
Section titled “A hotkey stopped working”If another app registers the same combination after you set it, the VirtualZones hotkey silently fails the next time VirtualZones starts. Open Keyboard Shortcuts… and rebind it. The dialog checks availability live.
Hotkeys and AltGr keyboards
Section titled “Hotkeys and AltGr keyboards”On many European keyboard layouts, Ctrl+Alt is the same as AltGr, which types characters such as @, € or {. If a VirtualZones hotkey swallows a character you need, rebind it, for example to Ctrl+Shift+Alt+key.
A binding shows as Ctrl+Alt+?
Section titled “A binding shows as Ctrl+Alt+?”The dialog only has display names for letters, digits, F4, Tab, Esc and Delete. Other keys such as F1–F12 or the arrow keys show as ? but work normally.
Older versions
Section titled “Older versions”Versions before 1.0 used different defaults (for example Ctrl+Alt+arrow keys to move windows). If you’ve upgraded from an early version, your old bindings were kept. Check Keyboard Shortcuts… to see your current ones.