PowerToys/doc/dsc/modules/CropAndLock.md

description, ms.date, ms.topic, title

description	ms.date	ms.topic	title
DSC configuration reference for PowerToys CropAndLock module	10/18/2025	reference	CropAndLock Module

CropAndLock Module

Synopsis

Manages configuration for the Crop And Lock utility, which crops and locks portions of windows.

Description

The CropAndLock module configures PowerToys Crop And Lock, a utility that allows you to crop a portion of any window and keep it visible as a thumbnail. This is useful for monitoring specific parts of applications, keeping reference information visible, or focusing on particular UI elements.

Properties

The CropAndLock module supports the following configurable properties:

Hotkey

Sets the keyboard shortcut to activate Crop And Lock for the active window.

Type: object
Properties:

• win (boolean) - Windows key modifier.
• ctrl (boolean) - Ctrl key modifier.
• alt (boolean) - Alt key modifier.
• shift (boolean) - Shift key modifier.
• code (integer) - Virtual key code.
• key (string) - Key name.

Default: Win+Ctrl+Shift+T

ReparentHotkey

Sets the keyboard shortcut to change the parent window of a cropped thumbnail.

Type: object (same structure as Hotkey)

ThumbnailOpacity

Sets the opacity of cropped thumbnails (0-100).

Type: integer
Range: 0 to 100
Default: 100

Examples

Example 1 - Configure basic settings with direct execution

This example sets the Crop And Lock hotkey and thumbnail opacity.

$config = @{
    settings = @{
        properties = @{
            ThumbnailOpacity = 90
        }
        name = "CropAndLock"
        version = "1.0"
    }
} | ConvertTo-Json -Depth 10 -Compress

PowerToys.DSC.exe set --resource 'settings' --module CropAndLock --input $config

Example 2 - Configure hotkeys with DSC

This example configures custom hotkeys for cropping and reparenting.

dsc config set --file cropandlock-hotkeys.dsc.yaml

# cropandlock-hotkeys.dsc.yaml
$schema: https://aka.ms/dsc/schemas/v3/bundled/config/document.json
resources:
  - name: Configure Crop And Lock hotkeys
    type: Microsoft.PowerToys/CropAndLockSettings
    properties:
      settings:
        properties:
          Hotkey:
            win: true
            ctrl: true
            shift: true
            alt: false
            code: 84
            key: T
          ThumbnailOpacity: 85
        name: CropAndLock
        version: 1.0

Example 3 - Install and configure with WinGet

This example installs PowerToys and configures Crop And Lock.

winget configure winget-cropandlock.yaml

# winget-cropandlock.yaml
$schema: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/PowerShell/DSC/main/schemas/2023/08/config/document.json
metadata:
  winget:
    processor: dscv3
resources:
  - name: Install PowerToys
    type: Microsoft.WinGet.DSC/WinGetPackage
    properties:
      id: Microsoft.PowerToys
      source: winget
  
  - name: Configure Crop And Lock
    type: Microsoft.PowerToys/CropAndLockSettings
    properties:
      settings:
        properties:
          ThumbnailOpacity: 75
        name: CropAndLock
        version: 1.0

Example 4 - Semi-transparent thumbnails

This example configures thumbnails to be semi-transparent for overlay use.

# cropandlock-transparent.dsc.yaml
$schema: https://aka.ms/dsc/schemas/v3/bundled/config/document.json
resources:
  - name: Semi-transparent thumbnails
    type: Microsoft.PowerToys/CropAndLockSettings
    properties:
      settings:
        properties:
          ThumbnailOpacity: 60
        name: CropAndLock
        version: 1.0

Use cases

Monitoring dashboards

Keep portions of monitoring tools visible:

resources:
  - name: Monitoring configuration
    type: Microsoft.PowerToys/CropAndLockSettings
    properties:
      settings:
        properties:
          ThumbnailOpacity: 80
        name: CropAndLock
        version: 1.0

Reference material

Crop and display reference information:

resources:
  - name: Reference display
    type: Microsoft.PowerToys/CropAndLockSettings
    properties:
      settings:
        properties:
          ThumbnailOpacity: 95
        name: CropAndLock
        version: 1.0

See also

• Settings Resource
• PowerToys DSC Overview
• MouseJump
• PowerToys Crop And Lock Documentation