At Hand is a Windows desktop companion for screenshots, plain-text notes, recordings, links, file references and live webpage panes. The official description presents it as a place for material that supports current work without necessarily becoming a separate document. Its appeal is proximity: keep a reference beside the task, annotate it and hand a useful result to another application when needed.
This First look is based on the Microsoft Store description. We have not used the workspace, recorded a clip or checked external handoffs. The source is unusually explicit about local storage, optional online activity and the distinction between a reference, a copy and an original.
Based on official store information. We have not tested this app hands-on.
What it does
Images can be pasted from a capture and marked with editable arrows, shapes, pen strokes and text. The result can be copied at original resolution or saved as PNG. Plain-text notes and snippets save locally and can become TXT files. These are practical ways to retain a small explanation or reference without assuming a full document editor.
Live webpage panes preserve an interactive region of a page within the workspace. Layouts, crops and webpage dimensions can be adjusted, with a separate choice of background-audio source. Website sessions are retained through profiles, and restored panes begin paused. The developer warns that some sites, sign-ins and protected media may not work, with DRM video unsupported.
Video capture covers the desktop or a selected area and is silent by default. System audio must be explicitly enabled and includes other sound through the current Windows output, not microphone input. Imported MP4 files become managed copies. Timed arrows, circles and text can annotate a clip, with export limited by supported media and a compatible single AAC soundtrack.
Links retain addresses, titles and descriptions, while file shortcuts point to existing files without copying them. Named groups called Knots collect references to entries; removing a group or untying a reference does not delete its content according to the description. A file shortcut and its original target therefore have different roles.
Dual Mode places two sections together, and Open In can hand supported material to another application. File handoff defaults to a separate copy, with opening the original explicitly distinguished. Optional command entries remain hidden until enabled and require an explicit Run plus confirmation using normal Windows permissions.
Before you install
The local-storage claim has clear exceptions for activity you choose. Online links and webpage panes require connectivity, and websites may store cookies or sessions in a local WebView2 profile under their own policies. External applications also have their own handling, and temporary handoff copies may remain. Do not reduce this to a claim that every possible interaction stays within At Hand.
System-audio recording needs particular attention. Enabling it can capture notifications or another application's playback, not only the material you intended to demonstrate. The source explicitly says there is no microphone capture. Test a short recording and inspect the saved sound before relying on it for a client explanation.
A clean video copy and an annotated export are different outputs. Unsupported formats or multiple audio tracks may be refused, and the developer says the app is not a universal converter. Check your representative input rather than assuming any media file can pass through the same workflow.
References are convenient because they avoid duplicating originals, but they still depend on those targets remaining available. Learn what a shortcut removal, label change and external handoff actually do with disposable files before organising important material.
Commands are another separate capability. A stored command is not executed merely by being present according to the description, yet an explicit confirmed run can act with your user's permissions. Use only commands you understand and keep that section disabled if it is irrelevant to the task.
Price and access
The linked US Microsoft Store offer is $2.99, described as a one-time purchase without an At Hand account or subscription. Saved material is local to the PC, and there is no At Hand cloud sync. Online sources and external apps remain separate dependencies. Confirm the current regional price and supported Windows setup before buying.
Our take
The strongest fit is a working desk for small, related pieces of context: an annotated screenshot, a short note and a nearby web reference. The source's distinctions between references, copies, originals and optional online content make the workflow more concrete than a generic promise to collect everything.
Start with a disposable screenshot, a note and a file shortcut. Try a handoff, then inspect what remains locally and in the receiving app. If recording matters, verify the opt-in system audio and the absence of microphone capture before planning the explanation.
We have not assessed stability, privacy implementation or media compatibility. Our take is a source-based introduction to a flexible local workspace, with deliberate control over external content and the final handoff essential to using it well.
For a screenshot handoff, check the exported PNG rather than assuming every editable mark appears as expected. The workspace version and the flattened image serve different purposes. Retain the editable entry if another revision is likely.
Sources
App icon from the official store listing.
