Turn your desktop into an infinite canvas. Every window stays where you put it.
Arrange your windows on a canvas that continues past the edges of your screen. They keep their positions, even after a restart. Press Alt+Tab to zoom out and see all of them.
OverlookWM is for Windows 11. You pay one time, with no subscription and no account.
This is your desktop without OverlookWM.
You keep many windows open, but you see only one or two of them. The others are behind the window that you use.
This is Alt+Tab.
Alt+Tab shows thumbnails of your windows in the order that you last used them. When you select a different window, the order changes. Then you must find the window again.
This is Alt+Tab with OverlookWM.
Alt+Tab zooms the desktop out to the canvas. Each window stays in its position, and its image changes when the window changes. You find a window in the same position each time.
Each window can have its own key.
Put the pointer on a window, and press a key that no window has. Then that key moves the view to that window, not to other windows of the same app.
Press the key to move the view to the window.
The view moves until the window is in the center of the screen. The windows around it stay in their positions.
Press Alt+Tab again. Every window is where it was.
Windows’ own Alt+Tab changed its order after one switch. On the canvas, each window keeps its position, so you find it in the same position every time.
This illustration uses sample windows.
Window switchers change the order. OverlookWM keeps the positions.
| Feature |  OverlookWM |
Alt+Tab and Task View | PowerToys | Stardock AltTabby |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All windows in fixed positions | Yes | No. It shows thumbnails in an order that changes. | No. It shows a list of window titles. | No. It shows thumbnails in an order that changes. |
| A desktop that is larger than the screen | Yes | No | No | No |
| A key for one window | Yes | No | No | No. Each key is for an app, not for a window. |
| The layout stays when you restart the PC | Yes. Click an outline to open a closed app. | No | Partly. Workspaces moves the windows after they open. | No |
| A canvas for each virtual desktop | Yes | No | No | No |
Source: the web page of each product, October 2026
Why fixed positions help
People keep 6 to 9 windows open, but they see only 1 or 2 of them.
It is faster to find a window in a fixed position than in a list that changes its order.
Try the canvas here.
This small copy of OverlookWM runs in your browser, with sample windows. Select it to start.
Touch a window to move the view to it. Drag to move the view.
Arrange your windows one time. They stay in position.
The desktop continues past the edges of the screen.
Right-drag an empty part of the desktop, and all windows move together. Release the button, and the desktop stays in its new position. On a laptop, you get more space than the screen has.
- Scroll down on the desktop to zoom out.
- Press Space on the canvas to show all windows.
Your layout stays after a restart.
Each window goes back to its position and gets its key again. An app that is not open shows as an outline. Click the outline, and the app opens in that position.
Drag a window on the canvas to move it.
The window moves from dot to dot on the grid, and the real window moves with it. Hold Ctrl to put it in any position. Drag a corner to change its size.
Also in OverlookWM
- A canvas for each virtual desktop
- Each Windows virtual desktop keeps its own windows and positions, and shows its own wallpaper. The tray icon shows the number of the desktop.
- A canvas for each monitor
- Tab selects windows on all monitors, in the order that you last used them. In Settings, you select the monitors that have a canvas.
- A minimap of all the canvas
- Click a window on the minimap to move the view to it. In Settings, you can move the minimap, change its size or hide it.
- Administrator windows
- Windows that run as administrator, for example Task Manager, are on the canvas too, when OverlookWM is installed in the Program Files folder.
- Animated wallpapers
- Wallpaper Engine and Lively continue to move behind the canvas on Windows 11 24H2 or later.
- Zoom from 10% to 100%
- The mouse wheel zooms at the pointer. A double-click on an empty area shows all windows.
Your keyboard and your windows always come back.
OverlookWM uses a low-level keyboard hook to see Alt+Tab and your window keys, and it moves windows off the screen. These rules make sure that you never lose either.
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A watchdog gives the keyboard back.
The keyboard hook runs on its own thread. If OverlookWM stops, the watchdog lets all keys through after 2.5 seconds and closes OverlookWM after 10 seconds.
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Every window comes back when you quit.
Quit OverlookWM, and all windows go back onto the screen. At any time, “Bring all windows on screen” in the tray menu does the same. After a crash, the next start puts each window back.
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Nothing leaves your PC.
OverlookWM does not connect to the internet. It has no account and no analytics.
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It is lightweight and uses few resources.
When the canvas is closed, OverlookWM only copies each window image one time each second (Windows 11 24H2 or later), so the canvas opens at once. When the canvas is open, it draws a frame only when something changes. 30 seconds after you close the canvas, it releases the memory that the canvas used. OverlookWM uses Rust and Direct3D 11.
Pay one time. Use it on all your PCs.
- All version 1 updates are included.
- One purchase covers all the PCs that you use.
- There is no subscription and no account.
OverlookWM
$9
One payment, for Windows 11
Buy OverlookWM for $9You cannot buy OverlookWM on this page yet.
You can ask for a refund in the 30 days after you buy OverlookWM.
Questions
Alt+Tab is part of Windows. Why pay for OverlookWM?
Alt+Tab shows your windows in an order that changes each time. OverlookWM keeps each window in a fixed position, and it is faster to find a window in a fixed position. OverlookWM also gives you a desktop that is larger than the screen, a key for each window and a layout that stays after a restart.
Does a quick Alt+Tab still go to the last window?
Yes. Press Alt+Tab and release it at once, and OverlookWM goes to the last window, as Windows does. Hold Alt to see the canvas. In Settings, you can also choose a different shortcut.
Can my antivirus software show a warning?
Yes, it can. OverlookWM uses a low-level keyboard hook to know when you press Alt+Tab or a window key. Some antivirus software shows a warning for all keyboard hooks. OverlookWM does not connect to the internet, so nothing that you type leaves your PC.
Where do windows go when they are off the screen?
They wait past the edge of the screen, in their positions on the canvas. Alt+Tab shows them. When you quit OverlookWM, all windows go back onto the screen.
What occurs if OverlookWM stops?
After 2.5 seconds, a watchdog gives the keyboard back to Windows. After 10 seconds, the watchdog closes OverlookWM. When you start OverlookWM again, each window that is off the screen goes back to its position.
Does OverlookWM make games slower?
No. OverlookWM is lightweight. When the canvas is closed, it only copies each window image one time each second. When the canvas is open, OverlookWM draws a frame only when something on it changes. A game in exclusive full-screen mode shows its last frame on the canvas.
I also use a Mac. Is this the same as Mission Control?
No. Mission Control arranges your windows again each time that you open it. OverlookWM keeps each window in the position that you give it, and each window can have its own key.
Does OverlookWM tile my windows?
No. OverlookWM does not divide the screen into zones. Your windows keep the size and position that you give them.
Does OverlookWM work on Windows 10?
No. OverlookWM is for Windows 11 only.
On how many PCs can I use OverlookWM?
You can use OverlookWM on all the PCs that you use. You pay one time, and there is no subscription.
Do you sell licenses for a team or a company?
Yes. Contact us for pricing on bulk licenses.
Can I ask for a refund?
Yes. Ask for a refund in the 30 days after you buy OverlookWM.
Never lose a window again.
OverlookWM is for Windows 11. You pay one time, with no subscription and no account.