At will means whenever you want, as you choose: visitors can leave and return at will. It's about freedom and control: she can switch voices at will. In the US there's also at-will employment: an employer can fire a worker at any time without giving a reason, and the worker can leave just as freely.
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can + verb + at will; enter / leave / change something at will
- Visitors can leave the garden and return at will during the afternoon.
- The player could change the colour of the lights at will.
- She can switch between a whisper and a loud stage voice at will.
What changed
First versionUsers can rearrange the panels by will.
RevisionUsers can rearrange the panels at will.
We say by choice and by request, so by will looks natural. But this phrase is built with at: at will. Will here is a noun meaning wish or determination, not the future auxiliary.
At random means without choosing: you don't control the result. At will is the opposite: you choose when and what: change the colour at will. As you wish is a polite as you like, agreeing to someone else's wish.
Your turn
You may repeat the recording whenever you choose: You can replay it at ___.
Show the answer
will — The fixed phrase is at will. At wish isn't used, even though wish means something similar.
Describe what visitors, participants or users can do whenever they want. Use can ... at will.
During the workshop, participants can move between the three activity tables at will.
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