As a Web Developer, having a comfortable and efficient desktop setup is an important part of my everyday work.
For the last six years, I have been using Actual Tools software to improve the way I work with multiple monitors. What initially started as a solution for my home setup has gradually become a tool that I also rely on professionally.
Today, I use three monitors at home, and being able to manage them efficiently makes a noticeable difference in my daily workflow.
Why I Started Using It
When you work with multiple monitors, simply connecting the displays to your computer is not always enough.
Windows provides basic multi-monitor functionality, but once you start using three displays regularly, you quickly encounter situations where you want more control over how windows behave and how you interact with your desktop.
As a Web Developer, I often have several applications open simultaneously. My workflow can involve an IDE, browser, WordPress administration, terminals, database tools, documentation, logs, and communication applications.
This is where Actual Tools became useful for me.
Rather than treating the three monitors simply as three larger areas of the same desktop, I use them as separate spaces for different parts of my workflow.
Six Years of Everyday Use
One of the reasons I feel comfortable reviewing the software is that I have not just used it for a few days while preparing a review.
I have been using Actual Tools for approximately six years.
During that time, it has been part of my regular Windows workflow, both for personal use and for professional development work.
My current setup consists of three monitors, and I use them as part of my normal working environment.
This long-term experience is important to me because there is a big difference between testing a piece of software for a few hours and using it continuously for years.
Software that you continue using for years is software that has successfully become part of your workflow.
How I Use Three Monitors Every Day
My three-monitor setup has a fairly simple purpose.
I use the two main monitors for my actual development work, while the third monitor is mainly dedicated to communication and chatting.
On my primary monitors, I normally have my IDE and browser open. As a Web Developer, this combination covers a large part of my everyday workflow.
I can work on the code in my IDE while keeping the website, application, or development environment visible in the browser on the other screen.
The third monitor is where I usually keep my communication applications. I can have chats, messages, or other communication tools visible there without constantly interrupting my development workflow.
This separation is surprisingly useful.
Instead of constantly switching between my code, browser, and communication applications, each type of activity has its own space.
For me, this is one of the main reasons why I prefer working with three monitors rather than simply having a single large display.
More Than Just Three Displays
However, having three physical monitors is only part of the solution.
Over the years, I have used several features of Actual Tools to make the desktop itself easier to manage.
One of the features I have used for a long time is the ability to activate or interact with a monitor when moving the mouse pointer to a particular area.
Small features like this may not sound particularly important on their own, but when you use multiple monitors every day, they can become a natural part of your workflow.
I also use features that allow me to move a window from one monitor to another.
Instead of manually dragging a window across the desktop, I can move it to another display when needed.
This is particularly convenient when I decide that an application that was initially on one of my development monitors would be more useful on the third monitor, or vice versa.
These are small interactions, but when they happen many times throughout a working day, having a convenient way to perform them makes a difference.
Window Management
Another area where I have used Actual Tools over the years is window management.
When you have multiple monitors and several applications open at the same time, managing where each window should be becomes increasingly important.
I have also used functionality similar to the window-zoning approach provided by tools such as Microsoft’s FancyZones.
Being able to define how windows should be arranged on a display gives me more control over the available screen space.
For development work, this can be particularly useful when I want to have multiple windows visible on the same monitor without constantly resizing them manually.
This becomes especially helpful when a monitor is large enough to comfortably accommodate more than one application.
Instead of repeatedly adjusting window sizes and positions, I can use predefined areas to organize the workspace.
Why This Is Useful for Developers
For development work, screen space is extremely valuable.
When working on a WordPress project, for example, I may need to switch continuously between PHP code, browser output, WordPress administration, database tools, logs, and documentation.
With three monitors, I can keep several of these things visible simultaneously instead of constantly switching between windows.
For example, I can have my IDE and code on one monitor, the browser showing the result on another, and communication or supporting development tools on the third.
This is particularly useful when debugging.
I can have the code on one screen, the browser showing the result on another, and logs or development tools on the third.
This makes it much easier to compare what I am changing with what is happening in the application.
Actual Tools adds another layer on top of the physical monitor setup by making it easier to control and organize those windows.
The Features Become Part of the Workflow
One thing I have noticed after using this type of software for several years is that you eventually stop thinking about many of the features themselves.
I do not necessarily think, “Now I am going to use a multi-monitor management feature.”
I simply perform the action I want to perform.
Moving a window to another monitor, organizing windows, or interacting with a particular display becomes part of the normal way I use Windows.
And I think that is one of the more interesting aspects of this type of software.
The most useful features are often the ones that eventually become invisible because you simply get used to having them available.
My Experience After Six Years
The most important thing I can say about Actual Tools is that it has remained useful to me over a long period of time.
I originally started using it because I wanted better control over a multi-monitor setup at home.
Six years later, I am still using it as part of my everyday computer setup, including my professional development workflow.
For me, that long-term experience is more meaningful than a short trial.
A feature can look impressive during a quick demonstration, but what matters to me is whether it remains useful after months or years of everyday use.
In the case of Actual Tools, the multi-monitor and window-management features have become a regular part of how I work.
Who Would Benefit From It?
In my experience, Actual Tools is particularly relevant to people who regularly work with multiple monitors and want more control than the standard Windows functionality provides.
This can include developers, designers, office workers, traders, content creators, and anyone who regularly works with several applications simultaneously.
For someone using two or three monitors every day, even relatively small improvements in window management can make the overall desktop experience more comfortable.
The benefits are not necessarily about adding more screen space. They are about making better use of the screen space you already have.
Final Thoughts
I have been using Actual Tools for approximately six years, and my three-monitor setup has become an important part of the way I work.
As a Web Developer, I spend many hours every day working with code, browsers, terminals, databases, documentation, and communication tools.
Having three monitors allows me to separate these different parts of my workflow, while Actual Tools gives me additional control over how I manage the windows across those displays.
After using it for so many years, I no longer see these features as something separate from my desktop environment.
They have simply become part of the way I work.
And for me, that is ultimately one of the strongest signs that a productivity tool is useful: you stop thinking about the software itself and start thinking about what you can accomplish with it.
