diff --git a/repos/gems/src/app/window_layouter/main.cc b/repos/gems/src/app/window_layouter/main.cc
index 700f0ef111..bd6092f530 100644
--- a/repos/gems/src/app/window_layouter/main.cc
+++ b/repos/gems/src/app/window_layouter/main.cc
@@ -195,19 +195,22 @@ struct Window_layouter::Main : Operations,
 	{
 		to_front(id);
 
-		bool window_geometry_changed = false;
+		bool window_layout_changed = false;
 
 		_window_list.with_window(id, [&] (Window &window) {
 
+			bool const orig_dragged  = window.dragged();
 			Rect const orig_geometry = window.effective_inner_geometry();
 			window.drag(element, clicked, curr);
+			bool const next_dragged  = window.dragged();
 			Rect const next_geometry = window.effective_inner_geometry();
 
-			window_geometry_changed = orig_geometry.p1() != next_geometry.p1()
-			                       || orig_geometry.p2() != next_geometry.p2();
+			window_layout_changed = orig_geometry.p1() != next_geometry.p1()
+			                     || orig_geometry.p2() != next_geometry.p2()
+			                     || orig_dragged       != next_dragged;
 		});
 
-		if (window_geometry_changed)
+		if (window_layout_changed)
 			_gen_window_layout();
 
 		_gen_resize_request();
diff --git a/repos/gems/src/app/window_layouter/window.h b/repos/gems/src/app/window_layouter/window.h
index 2f89406bab..f06a5971d8 100644
--- a/repos/gems/src/app/window_layouter/window.h
+++ b/repos/gems/src/app/window_layouter/window.h
@@ -120,6 +120,8 @@ class Window_layouter::Window : public List_model<Window>::Element
 
 		bool _dragged = false;
 
+		Element _dragged_element { Element::UNDEFINED };
+
 		bool _focused = false;
 
 		Element _hovered { Element::UNDEFINED };
@@ -149,6 +151,8 @@ class Window_layouter::Window : public List_model<Window>::Element
 		 */
 		void _initiate_drag_operation(Window::Element element)
 		{
+			_dragged_element = element;
+
 			_drag_left_border   = (element.type == Window::Element::LEFT)
 			                   || (element.type == Window::Element::TOP_LEFT)
 			                   || (element.type == Window::Element::BOTTOM_LEFT);
@@ -231,6 +235,8 @@ class Window_layouter::Window : public List_model<Window>::Element
 
 		Label label() const { return _label; }
 
+		bool dragged() const { return _dragged; }
+
 		Rect effective_inner_geometry() const
 		{
 			if (!_dragged)
@@ -372,10 +378,17 @@ class Window_layouter::Window : public List_model<Window>::Element
 				if (_focused)
 					xml.attribute("focused", "yes");
 
-				if (_hovered.type != Element::UNDEFINED) {
+				if (_dragged) {
+
 					xml.node("highlight", [&] () {
-						xml.node(_hovered.name());
-					});
+						xml.node(_dragged_element.name(), [&] () {
+							xml.attribute("pressed", "yes"); }); });
+
+				} else {
+
+					if (_hovered.type != Element::UNDEFINED)
+						xml.node("highlight", [&] () {
+							xml.node(_hovered.name()); });
 				}
 
 				if (_has_alpha)