Author: Gil Eli (WindowTop Developer)

v5.31.4

Posted on by Gil Eli (WindowTop Developer)

Download

WindowTop v5.31.4 Setup

WindowTop v5.31.4 Portable

Get it from the Microsoft Store

Get it from Microsoft

Major Feature Updates (5.31)

Demo video

pip-minimize-feature.webm

Minimize & Close Buttons for PiP (Picture in Picture) Windows (#319)

You can now minimize a PiP window directly to the taskbar — a highly requested workflow improvement. Previously, PiP windows could only be closed or kept visible on screen. Now, you can temporarily get them out of the way without losing your PiP session.

image

When PiP is minimized, it appears in the taskbar in one of two ways: with Crop enabled or without crop. If Crop is enabled (as shown in the second screenshot), the specific crop region will also be highlighted when you hover over the taskbar button:

image
image

WindowTop: Difference between Crop Disabled and Crop Enabled

image

How it works:

  • The PiP titlebar now includes Minimize and Close buttons for quick access.
  • When minimized, the PiP window hides from the screen while remaining active in the taskbar.
  • The taskbar button displays a combined icon — the original application icon overlaid with a PiP or Crop indicator — so you can easily identify the state of your PiP window at a glance.
  • Hovering over the taskbar button shows a live preview of the original window content using native Windows DWM thumbnail APIs, just like any regular window.
  • Clicking the taskbar button restores the PiP window back to its previous position and size.
  • You can also right-click the PiP window and use the context menu to minimize it.

What’s Next?

See the roadmap https://github.com/WindowTop/WindowTop-App/issues/389 thread 🙂

Minor Changes (5.31.X)

5.31.4

  • Fix a potential bug in Gecko-based Windows applications, such as the Firefox browser, where the live preview in Picture-in-Picture mode might not work (#479)

5.31.3 (MS Store build only, not released as Standard Installer version)

  • Updated MS Store licensing to require upfront purchase

5.31.2

  • Fixed a bug where, with taskbar button combining/grouping enabled, the PiP taskbar button would incorrectly show the WindowTop icon instead of the target app’s icon.
  • Fixed PiP taskbar preview (peek & button thumbnail) rendering incorrectly when the PiP is minimized on a secondary monitor with a different DPI scaling.

5.31.1 (beta until proven stable)

  • Fixed a bug that caused unnecessary extra CPU processing when moving windows. Moving windows should now feel lighter and more efficient.
  • Fixed a bug in the taskbar icon hiding option of the Anchors feature, where, under different DPI scaling, hiding the taskbar button would temporarily change the window’s DPI.
  • Fixed a bug with the PiP titlebar when minimizing or restoring a PiP window.
  • Fixed a bug where the PiP taskbar icon was not displayed correctly in some cases.
  • Fixed a bug where the titlebar icon shown in the taskbar was not updated when the PiP window was minimized.
  • Fixed several bugs and implemented proper logic for taskbar button preview and Aero Peek preview when a PiP window is minimized.
  • Fixed a bug where changing the crop state while a PiP window is minimized did not update the taskbar icon accordingly.
  • Improved the visual appearance of the combined taskbar icon to make the PiP/Crop state indicator clearer and easier to distinguish.
  • Fixed memory leaks and other resource management issues related to the taskbar preview of minimized PiP windows.

5.31.0 (beta until proven stable)

  • Introduced the ability to minimize PiP windows to the taskbar with a combined process + PiP/Crop icon.
  • Added minimize and close buttons to the PiP titlebar popup.
  • Updated PiP context menu labels for clarity and updated all translations.

v5.31.2

Posted on by Gil Eli (WindowTop Developer)

Download

WindowTop v5.31.2 Setup

WindowTop v5.31.2 Portable

Get it from the Microsoft Store

Get it from Microsoft

Major Feature Updates (5.31)

Demo video

pip-minimize-feature.webm

Minimize & Close Buttons for PiP (Picture in Picture) Windows (#319)

You can now minimize a PiP window directly to the taskbar — a highly requested workflow improvement. Previously, PiP windows could only be closed or kept visible on screen. Now, you can temporarily get them out of the way without losing your PiP session.

image

When PiP is minimized, it appears in the taskbar in one of two ways: with Crop enabled or without crop. If Crop is enabled (as shown in the second screenshot), the specific crop region will also be highlighted when you hover over the taskbar button:

image
image

WindowTop: Difference between Crop Disabled and Crop Enabled

image

How it works:

  • The PiP titlebar now includes Minimize and Close buttons for quick access.
  • When minimized, the PiP window hides from the screen while remaining active in the taskbar.
  • The taskbar button displays a combined icon — the original application icon overlaid with a PiP or Crop indicator — so you can easily identify the state of your PiP window at a glance.
  • Hovering over the taskbar button shows a live preview of the original window content using native Windows DWM thumbnail APIs, just like any regular window.
  • Clicking the taskbar button restores the PiP window back to its previous position and size.
  • You can also right-click the PiP window and use the context menu to minimize it.

Minor Changes (5.31.X)

5.31.2

  • Fixed a bug where, with taskbar button combining/grouping enabled, the PiP taskbar button would incorrectly show the WindowTop icon instead of the target app’s icon.
  • Fixed PiP taskbar preview (peek & button thumbnail) rendering incorrectly when the PiP is minimized on a secondary monitor with a different DPI scaling.

5.31.1

  • Fixed a bug that caused unnecessary extra CPU processing when moving windows. Moving windows should now feel lighter and more efficient.
  • Fixed a bug in the taskbar icon hiding option of the Anchors feature, where, under different DPI scaling, hiding the taskbar button would temporarily change the window’s DPI.
  • Fixed a bug with the PiP titlebar when minimizing or restoring a PiP window.
  • Fixed a bug where the PiP taskbar icon was not displayed correctly in some cases.
  • Fixed a bug where the titlebar icon shown in the taskbar was not updated when the PiP window was minimized.
  • Fixed several bugs and implemented proper logic for taskbar button preview and Aero Peek preview when a PiP window is minimized.
  • Fixed a bug where changing the crop state while a PiP window is minimized did not update the taskbar icon accordingly.
  • Improved the visual appearance of the combined taskbar icon to make the PiP/Crop state indicator clearer and easier to distinguish.
  • Fixed memory leaks and other resource management issues related to the taskbar preview of minimized PiP windows.

5.31.0

  • Introduced the ability to minimize PiP windows to the taskbar with a combined process + PiP/Crop icon.
  • Added minimize and close buttons to the PiP titlebar popup.
  • Updated PiP context menu labels for clarity and updated all translations.

v5.30.3

Posted on by Gil Eli (WindowTop Developer)

Major Feature Updates (5.30)

Native ARM64 Support (beta build until proven stable)

WindowTop now has a native ARM64 build for Windows on ARM devices. If you’re running Windows on a Snapdragon X or similar ARM64 processor, you can now run WindowTop natively without x64 emulation.
This was requested by few users (e.g. https://www.reddit.com/r/WindowTop/comments/1pgpxo5/windowtop_arm64_binaries_for_copilot_pcs/ )

Note: GPU acceleration (CUDA) for Glass Mode is not available on ARM64, as CUDA is x64-only. Glass Mode itself works using CPU rendering. This build is beta until proven stable.

New option to hide windows from the taskbar when the Anchor is visible! (#473)

This update introduces a highly enhancement for the Anchors feature. You can now choose to automatically hide a window from the taskbar whenever its Anchor is shown.

The goal of this feature is to declutter your taskbar by removing icons for windows that are already easily accessible via their on-screen Anchor. 

How it works:

  • The window remains in the taskbar if it is minimized or currently visible on your screen.
  • The window is hidden from the taskbar only when it is fully covered by other windows and its Anchor is shown.
  • This feature is disabled by default and can be toggled in the settings.

You can access this new option from the quick settings page:
image

And also, from the “Advanced Feature Settings”.

Disable Arrow Dragging (#350 – New since 5.30.3!)

You can now lock the position of the WindowTop arrow (the toolbar trigger) to prevent accidental movement. This is particularly useful for users who have a specific workflow and want the toolbar trigger to remain in a fixed location on the window frame.

How to enable:

  • Go to Toolbar Settings.
  • Toggle Disable arrow drag to On.
image

For more details, see #350

Minor Changes (5.30.X)

5.30.3

  • Added a feature to disable dragging the WindowTop arrow button (#350).

5.30.2

  • Fixed a bug in the new feature where, when a window is minimized via the Anchor while its taskbar button is hidden, a side effect caused a small window to appear above the taskbar at the bottom left of the screen.
5.30.2 Microsoft Store build only:
  • Critical Fix (Microsoft Store only): Resolved an issue affecting customers who made purchases between 2026-02-10 and 2026-03-15. Previously, the software failed to recognize valid licenses and incorrectly prompted users to purchase the app again. Following this update, all purchases made during this period will be properly recognized, and the app will correctly activate.

5.30.2 ARM64 Initial Build (beta until proven stable)

I am pleased to introduce the first native ARM64 build for WindowTop. Please note that this build is currently in beta until it is proven stable. Once stability is confirmed, it will also be made available on the Microsoft Store.

5.30.1 (beta until proven stable)

  • Fixed a bug in the new feature where, when the window’s taskbar button is hidden, the window could not be accessed via the Alt+Tab menu.

5.30.0 (beta until proven stable)

  • The installation and software file size has been reduced by nearly 10MB. Instead of 32.7MB, it now weighs 26.2MB.
  • Fixed a potential bug that could cause Windows to ignore focus events when using the PiP (Picture in Picture) feature.
  • Fixed a bug in the PiP (Picture in Picture) feature where, in some cases, the original window is not completely hidden and its taskbar button icon remains visible (may happen if “live preview” and “hide original window” options are enabled).
  • Improved the Anchors tips window by adding more important options that many users are unaware of (and often ask about without knowing they exist).
  • Changed the default setting of the Anchor feature regarding the “Stay away from text or image” option—the algorithm’s default is now “Minimum movement,” so it will attempt to move the anchor icons shorter distances.
    Several bug fixes for the Anchor feature.

v5.30.2

Posted on by Gil Eli (WindowTop Developer)

Major Feature Updates (5.30)

New option to hide windows from the taskbar when the Anchor is visible! (#473)

This update introduces a highly enhancement for the Anchors feature. You can now choose to automatically hide a window from the taskbar whenever its Anchor is shown.

The goal of this feature is to declutter your taskbar by removing icons for windows that are already easily accessible via their on-screen Anchor.

How it works:

  • The window remains in the taskbar if it is minimized or currently visible on your screen.
  • The window is hidden from the taskbar only when it is fully covered by other windows and its Anchor is shown.
  • This feature is disabled by default and can be toggled in the settings.

You can access this new option from the quick settings page:
image

And also, from the “Advanced Feature Settings”.

For more details, see #473

What’s Next?

See the roadmap #389 thread 🙂

Minor Changes (5.30.X)

5.30.2

  • Fixed a bug in the new feature where, when a window is minimized via the Anchor while its taskbar button is hidden, a side effect caused a small window to appear above the taskbar at the bottom left of the screen.
5.30.2 Microsoft Store build only:
  • Critical Fix (Microsoft Store only): Resolved an issue affecting customers who made purchases between 2026-02-10 and 2026-03-15. Previously, the software failed to recognize valid licenses and incorrectly prompted users to purchase the app again. Following this update, all purchases made during this period will be properly recognized, and the app will correctly activate.

5.30.1 (beta until proven stable)

  • Fixed a bug in the new feature where, when the window’s taskbar button is hidden, the window could not be accessed via the Alt+Tab menu.

5.30.0 (beta until proven stable)

  • The installation and software file size has been reduced by nearly 10MB. Instead of 32.7MB, it now weighs 26.2MB.
  • Fixed a potential bug that could cause Windows to ignore focus events when using the PiP (Picture in Picture) feature.
  • Fixed a bug in the PiP (Picture in Picture) feature where, in some cases, the original window is not completely hidden and its taskbar button icon remains visible (may happen if “live preview” and “hide original window” options are enabled).
  • Improved the Anchors tips window by adding more important options that many users are unaware of (and often ask about without knowing they exist).
  • Changed the default setting of the Anchor feature regarding the “Stay away from text or image” option—the algorithm’s default is now “Minimum movement,” so it will attempt to move the anchor icons shorter distances.
    Several bug fixes for the Anchor feature.

v5.29.2

Posted on by Gil Eli (WindowTop Developer)

The CROP feature has been significantly enhanced with new functionality that lets you quickly select crop regions based on window elements! (#324)

Until now, the only way to mark a crop region was to manually select the area to match the part you wanted to crop.
Now there’s a new capability — the feature can analyze elements from the window and display region selection options based on those elements, allowing you to quickly choose any crop region!

What’s Next?

See the roadmap #389 thread 🙂

Minor Changes (5.29.X)

5.29.2

  • Fixed anchor delay issues when a window is covered or uncovered (#472)
  • Fixed a minor bug that caused extra processing power usage when Anchors or Dark/Glass mode are disabled
  • Fixed other minor bugs

5.29.1

  • Changed the text “Mapping element” to “Detecting crop regions” and added missing translations for it in other languages
  • Fixed minor bugs