JetPane help

Portable desktop arrangements, visual locations, and keyboard control for Windows. Version 1.1. This help file works offline; use your browser’s Find command to search it, or Print to save a PDF.

Getting started

1. Extract the complete ZIP into a writable folder, such as a folder in Documents. Run JetPane.exe. No installer, .NET installation, Store licence, or account is needed.
2. Accept the first-launch offer to save your current layout, or choose No and save later.
3. Find the tray icon beside the clock. It may be inside the taskbar overflow menu. Right-click for commands; double-click for Settings.
4. Arrange windows across your displays, then save a profile. Create named locations if you want to move one active window with a shortcut.

Profiles manage an entire collection of applications. Snap layouts divide one monitor into slots. Named locations define a rectangle for whichever application you are using. Choose the approach that suits your task.

Arrangement previews

Choose Arrangement preview in the tray or press its configured shortcut. The default is Ctrl+Alt+P. Selecting an item only changes the preview. Click Apply arrangement to move windows.

Profiles

The diagram shows the monitor geometry recorded when the profile was last saved, with application names inside their saved window rectangles. Windows are drawn in stacking order, so overlapping windows can cover labels beneath them. Maximized windows fill the saved monitor work area. Minimized entries appear in the textual list, not in the diagram. The list also gives coordinates, size, state and stacking order.

Older profiles

Profiles created before visual previews have no recorded monitor geometry. Their preview uses your current monitors and displays a notice. Load and save such a profile again to record its monitor arrangement.

Snap layouts

Choose the target monitor using the Snap monitor selector. The diagram labels each slot and shows locks for the currently saved matching layout. Apply uses the explicitly selected monitor. Other monitors are not tiled by this command.

Locations

The preview shows the saved location on its recorded monitor arrangement. Apply moves your active application, or the most recently active external application when you are interacting with JetPane. This is a position diagram, not a live screenshot of application contents.

Create and edit locations visually

1. Choose Locations → Create / edit locations, or open Settings → Locations.
2. Click New location. Enter a unique name, such as “Main display — writing” or “Left screen — terminal.”
3. Use the monitor and preset selectors for a starting rectangle, or draw directly on the diagram by dragging outside the existing selection.
4. Drag inside the highlighted region to move it. Drag any of its eight edge/corner handles to resize it.
5. For precision, edit X, Y, Width and Height. The diagram and fields update together. X and Y are virtual-desktop pixel coordinates and may be negative. Width and height must be at least 100 pixels.
6. Click Save location. Open Keyboard shortcuts and assign a combination to “Move active window: [location name].”
7. Activate an application, then press the shortcut to move that application into the region.

Presets: Full work area, left/right halves, top/bottom halves, three columns, and four quarters. Presets use the selected display’s work area, leaving room for its taskbar. Editing any coordinate changes the preset to Custom rectangle.

Copy an open window’s rectangle: Choose a manageable application from the picker to copy its observed normal position and size. This does not copy its document, executable, or contents into the location. The location remains independent of that application.

Edit and delete: Select a saved location in Settings and choose Edit or Delete. Editing retains its assigned shortcut. Deletion removes that location’s shortcut after confirmation. A location may also be selected from the tray menu.

Locations move one application window. They do not launch an application or lock it in place. An active snap layout can subsequently reposition it when snapping is triggered again. Clear or disable snapping if you want to use locations alone. If the target monitor is disconnected, placement is adjusted into a connected monitor’s work area. Very small locations may be rejected by an application’s minimum-size rules or fall below JetPane’s normal window-management threshold.

Keyboard shortcuts

Open Settings → Keyboard shortcuts. Each row has an action and an editable combination. Change a cell and click Save shortcuts. Leaving a cell blank disables that action.

Use modifiers Ctrl, Alt, Shift, and Win, joined by plus signs to one main key. Examples: Ctrl+Shift+S, Alt+F8, Ctrl+Alt+NumPad2. Letters, digits, function keys and named keys such as Space, Home and End are supported. Include at least Ctrl, Alt or Win; Shift alone is not accepted.

Equivalent duplicate combinations are rejected, even if written in a different modifier order. Windows or another application can reserve a valid combination: the registration status lists any actions JetPane could not register. Change those combinations and save again. A failed shortcut does not prevent its tray command from working.

Reset to defaults removes all custom bindings after confirmation. Existing numbered profile assignments remain. Default numbered profile bindings accept both the number row and numpad. Once edited through the custom editor, a binding is exact: assign NumPad1 explicitly if that is the key you want.

Disable global hotkeys in the tray turns off all global shortcuts without deleting their settings. This is useful for AltGr keyboards: Windows often represents AltGr as Ctrl+Alt. Untick it to register shortcuts again. The shortcuts tab shows when they are disabled.

Profile commands

Select a profile

Loads its saved positions, sizes and states, restores stacking order, and launches missing applications from saved executable paths. Applications saved as minimized are not launched. The active profile is ticked when snap mode is inactive. A square marker indicates assignment to the current monitor configuration.

Save to current profile / Save all positions

Records manageable open applications and the current monitor geometry. This replaces the profile’s snapshot: apps absent from the current scan are removed. One position is stored per process name; when multiple windows share that name, the first enumerated window is used.

Restore all positions

Repositions currently open matching applications without launching missing ones. Unlike loading a profile, manual Restore brings saved minimized entries back onto the screen.

New profile

Creates a uniquely named profile, makes it active, and immediately saves the current windows into it.

Rename current profile

Changes its name while preserving monitor assignments, startup selection and custom shortcut. Default cannot be renamed.

Delete current profile

Deletes it after confirmation and switches to Default. Related monitor assignments and shortcuts are removed. Default cannot be deleted.

Assign shortcut to current profile

Legacy convenience menu for Ctrl+Alt+1–9. A number can belong to only one profile. None removes its numbered shortcut. Use the full editor for other combinations.

Assign current profile to these monitors

Associates the current display geometry with the active profile. Clear assignment removes that association without deleting the profile.

Startup profile

Selects which profile to load at login and enables the profile startup mode. Monitor-specific assignments take priority.

Snap-layout commands

Left/right creates two side-by-side slots. Top/bottom creates two stacked slots. Three columns creates three equal-width slots. Four quadrants creates a 2×2 grid. Slots use the monitor work area, and numbering runs left to right, then top to bottom. Tray commands and snap shortcuts use the monitor under your pointer; the preview’s Apply button uses its monitor selector.

Apply layout

Arranges open eligible windows, prioritizing the foreground window and nearby available slots. Changing to a different layout clears previous locks and slot memory. Only one snap layout is active at a time, on one monitor. Selecting a profile exits snap mode.

Automatic slot filling

New and unminimized windows use free unlocked slots. Slot memory prefers the application’s previous slot when available. If all unlocked slots are occupied, a newly appearing window can reuse an unlocked slot; the previous window is not closed or minimized. During the initial arrangement, excess windows are left alone.

Lock application to slot

Select an open application and a slot. That slot is reserved for the process name. Multiple slots can be reserved for different applications; one application has one lock. A closed locked application leaves its slot reserved until it is unlocked.

Unlock slot

Removes its reservation. This does not close or move the previously locked application.

Swap unlocked windows

Reverses the order of windows currently tracked in unlocked slots. Locked slots are not changed.

Disable snapping

Suspends snapping and retains the saved layout, locks and slot memory. Unticking restores the retained layout. Choosing a layout also re-enables snapping.

Clear snap layout

Stops the active layout and clears its locks. Windows remain where they are. Profile mode becomes active again.

Multiple monitors and docking

Profile positions use the virtual desktop, including displays to the left or above the primary monitor. JetPane accounts for monitor work areas and taskbars, and declares per-monitor DPI awareness. A configuration signature is made from each display’s size and position; two physically different setups with identical geometry are treated as the same setup.

Display geometry is polled about once per second. When it changes, an assigned profile is loaded. Automatic monitor switches do not perform Clean Desktop minimization. At startup, a profile assigned to the connected configuration takes priority over the chosen startup profile or saved snap mode. If no assignment matches, the normal startup preference is used.

To create docking arrangements, connect your desk displays, arrange and save a profile, then assign it to those monitors. Repeat with your undocked configuration. Resave a profile after changing display geometry if its saved preview should show the new configuration.

Other tray options

Clear saved positions

Removes the active profile’s saved windows after confirmation. Its name and monitor assignments remain.

Start with Windows (profile)

Writes a current-user login startup entry and restores the chosen startup profile when launched. This can open that profile’s applications. Clicking the already enabled option disables login startup.

Start with Windows (snap layout)

Enables login startup and persists/reapplies the snap layout and locks. This does not launch missing applications. It is mutually exclusive with profile startup. Both modes are initially off.

Auto save to profile

Off initially. Saves a window’s last observed position when it disappears from enumeration, provided snap mode is inactive. Sampling is about once per second, so very recent movement before closure can be missed. A minimized or hidden window can also change enumeration eligibility.

Auto restore new windows

On initially. Newly observed or unminimized windows are placed into their saved profile position after a short settling delay. Active snapping takes precedence.

Clean desktop on manual profile switch

Off initially. Minimizes windows belonging to other saved profiles but absent from the selected profile. Applications never saved into any profile are left alone. Automatic monitor changes do not perform this cleanup.

Switch to light/dark tray menu

Changes the tray menu theme. Settings and preview windows use the standard light interface.

Open config folder

Opens the executable’s directory, containing local settings and backups.

Detailed help

Opens this offline file in your browser.

Open debug log

Opens crash.log if errors have been logged. The log is local and never sent automatically. If none exists, a notification says no issues were logged.

About

Shows the application version and portable delivery information.

Exit

Saves configuration, stops scanning, releases hotkeys and removes the tray icon. It does not rearrange windows on exit.

Settings tabs

Saved positions

Select any profile to inspect application names, positions, sizes, states, stacking order and last-seen timestamps. Remove selected from profile removes only the selected entries.

Exclude list

Applications excluded entirely are neither saved nor restored. Adding an exclusion removes that app’s existing entries from all profiles. Explorer and ApplicationFrameHost are permanent built-in exclusions. Add an open app or enter a process name without .exe.

Snap exclude

Skips listed applications during snapping, while allowing normal profile behavior. This is separate from the global exclusion list.

Monitor profiles

Shows the current signature, lets you assign a profile, and lists stored associations. Remove selected deletes an association only.

Keyboard shortcuts

Edits action bindings and reports registration conflicts.

Locations

Creates, edits and deletes named visual regions.

About and help

Summarizes behavior and opens the detailed help file.

Backup, export and import

Export settings saves profiles, recorded monitor geometry, locations, bindings, exclusions, assignments and snap settings into one JSON-based .wpilot file. The historical extension is retained for compatibility with the earlier WindowPilot build.

Import settings reads and validates the file before requesting replacement confirmation. Import replaces the current settings and profiles and makes a settings.json.pre-import.bak backup. It does not alter your Windows login startup preference. Matching monitor assignments take priority; otherwise a imported active snap layout may be applied. Import only files you trust: profile executable paths can launch programs when that profile is loaded.

settings.json lives beside the executable. Each save is written through a temporary file, with a previous-save copy at settings.json.bak. Settings from the original WindowPilot build can be loaded. PositionPro’s proprietary .ppro format is not supported.

Troubleshooting and limits

A shortcut does nothing

Check Disable Global Hotkeys and the registration status. Change a conflicting key combination. Make sure an active external application exists for a location shortcut.

A window does not move

Elevated applications can reject movement from a normal process. Applications may impose minimum sizes or move themselves afterwards. JetPane skips tool windows, invisible/cloaked windows, Explorer, ApplicationFrameHost and windows with normal bounds smaller than 400×300.

Two windows of one app overlap

Profiles identify applications by process name and keep one position per application. Multiple windows are not separately identified. Use location shortcuts to move a particular active window manually; they do not add multiple-window profile identity.

A profile fails to launch an app

The saved executable path may be missing, inaccessible or no longer valid. Launch is attempted once and window detection waits up to 30 seconds. Profile launching does not restore document paths or command-line arguments.

A preview differs from the live desktop

It is a schematic of saved positions. Windows may enforce minimum sizes, monitors may be absent, or overlapping labels may be covered. Save again to update a snapshot.

A location shifts on a disconnected display

JetPane keeps the rectangle inside a connected monitor’s work area. This may resize an oversized region. Reconnect the display or edit the location.

Settings cannot be saved

Use a writable extracted folder, not a ZIP viewer or protected directory. Preserve settings.json and its backups before investigating a damaged configuration.

Upgrade, rename and removal

In-app updates: choose Check for updates… from the tray menu or Settings → About & help. The check contacts GitHub only when requested and includes published prereleases. Click Download update, then Restart and install after verification. JetPane checks the release SHA-256 checksum and application version, closes, replaces its application files and restarts. Settings, profiles, exclusions, shortcuts and unrelated files are preserved. A .jetpane-backup-* folder keeps the old application and a settings recovery copy. Keep the executable named JetPane.exe. Install updates from a normal, unelevated launch; protected folders need a manual upgrade. You can cancel before installation. Temporary downloads use Windows’ temporary folder; failures are recorded locally in update.log. Versions before 1.1.4 need one manual upgrade to gain this feature.

Exit WindowPilot/JetPane before upgrading. Keep a backup of settings.json or export settings. Extract JetPane into the same writable data folder, or copy your settings.json into the new folder. Do not run the old and new utilities together. If login startup was enabled in WindowPilot, disable it in the old app before moving, then enable it in JetPane if desired. The explicit startup-menu action also removes the legacy WindowPilot startup entry to avoid duplicate launches.

To remove JetPane, disable login startup from its menu, exit, then delete its folder. Keep an export if you want your layouts later. The executable contains its runtime; native runtime files may be automatically extracted into Windows’ temporary cache. There is no telemetry, online account or Store dependency. Update checks and downloads contact GitHub only when you request them.

JetPane is an independent implementation. The offline guide describes this build’s behavior; it does not claim binary equivalence with PositionPro.