Custom Alias Names for Anchors #465

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1. gileli121

   added

   Feature-Anchors

   enhancementNew feature or requestNew feature or request

   on Feb 21, 2026
2. gileli121 commented on Oct 16, 2026

   

   gileli121

   on Oct 16, 2026

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   Thanks for the suggestion! We drafted a way to give an Anchor your own name, so your presenters see "USP1 - Real-Time HIL" instead of a long technical window title. We'd like your feedback before we build it.

   What it would do

   • Rename an Anchor directly on the Anchor itself, with no extra dialog.
   • Show your custom name in the Anchor in place of the window title.
   • Keep the original window title visible in the Anchor tooltip, below your name.
   • Remember the name after a restart, so the PCs come back up with the same names.
   • Let you go back to the original title at any time with "Reset anchor name".

   Proposed UI

   Today the Anchor always shows the raw window title, and its right-click menu only has Minimize and Close:

   

   The proposed Anchor menu gets a new first item, "Rename anchor":

   

   1. Rename anchor: the first item of the Anchor menu. Choosing it turns the Anchor text into an edit box.

   Because a plain right-click on an Anchor is often set to Minimize, Ctrl + right-click would always open this menu. A plain right-click keeps doing what you configured.

   While renaming, the text becomes an edit box right on the Anchor:

   

   1. The edit box replaces the Anchor text. It starts with the current name (or the window title) fully selected, up to 100 characters.
   2. The Anchor grows to fit the box (at least 150 px, never wider than the normal Anchor text limit).
   3. Enter saves, Esc cancels, and clicking elsewhere saves. Saving an empty text (or the original title) brings back the window title.

   After renaming, the Anchor shows your name, and its menu offers "Reset anchor name":

   

   1. Reset anchor name: appears only on a renamed Anchor, right below "Rename anchor", and restores the original window title.
   2. Tooltip: your name on the first line, the original window title on the second line.

   These are illustrative mockups, not pixel-exact.

   Proposed behavior

   • A name belongs to one window: the program plus its exact window title. Two windows of the same program with different titles are renamed separately.
   • While a window stays open, its Anchor keeps the name even if the window title changes.
   • Names are saved in WindowTop's settings, so they survive restarts. Because they live in the settings file, they can be copied to other PCs together with the rest of your settings (for example with the existing settings export and import).
   • The Anchor does not move while you edit it. If your Anchors show only the icon, the text area opens for the edit and goes back to icon-only afterwards.
   • Names are trimmed and limited to 100 characters.
   • A window shown in a PiP view uses the name of its original window.

   Not included in this first version

   A settings page or window to manage many names at once, changing the title shown anywhere other than the Anchor (hover preview, tray, notifications), names per monitor or virtual desktop, and "apply to all windows of one program".

   Questions for you

   1. Is a name per window (program plus exact title) what you need, or do your demo windows change title so often that you'd want one name for every window of a program?
   2. Is Ctrl + right-click on the Anchor a good way to reach "Rename anchor", or would you prefer another way to start renaming?
   3. Is showing only your name in the Anchor, with the original title in the tooltip, enough, or would you like both visible in the Anchor text?
   4. For 20+ PCs, is copying the settings (export and import, or the settings file) good enough, or do you need an easier way to set the names on many PCs?

   Let us know what you think!