You were able to “snap” windows into various positions in previous versions of the Windows OS, but in Windows 11 this process has been made easier and expanded to allow you to create multiple groups of snapped items. Learn how to create Snap Layouts and Snap Groups in Windows 11, and why you should.
In This Lesson…
- What is Snapping?
- Using Snap Layouts
- Creating Snap Groups
- Enable Snap Windows
- Windows Tip – Using Window Shake
What is Snapping?
Snapping essentially means automatically moving and resizing a window to occupy a certain portion of the screen. Previously, this meant making a window occupy a quarter or half of the screen (both horizontally and vertically). This was, and indeed still can be, achieved by dragging a window into a corner or to the side of your screen.
Using Snap Layouts
Windows 11 introduces an easier way to snap windows into place with Snap Layouts. You can access the available snap layouts by hovering the mouse pointer over the maximise/minimise button on any open window.
1 – When you do this, a small panel will appear, showing you up to six different layouts available. These are:
- Two equally-sized windows, aligned vertically
- Two unequally-sized windows, aligned vertically
- Three equally-sized windows, aligned vertically
- One full height and two half-height windows, aligned vertically
- Four quarter-sized windows
- Large central window and two narrower windows at the sides
2 – Click on one of the layouts and the window will snap into the first of the positions. You can actually click on one of the individual positions in the layout to move the window into a specific position.
3 – A panel will then appear in one of the free positions that shows the other windows you currently have open. Click one of them to open it in that layout position. You can continue to do this for as many positions as your chosen layout has (or for as many windows you have open).
4 – You can then customise the size of the different snap positions in your layout by hovering the mouse over the slight gap where they join. A drag handle will appear, allowing you to tweak the exact dimensions of the snap layout.
Creating Snap Groups
Snap Groups are a part of Snap Layouts, automatically created whenever you start a new layout.
1 – You can view the group by hovering your mouse over any of the apps (in the Taskbar) that are part of the Snap Layout. The Peek window will show the app on its own, and the app within the Snap Group.
2 – You can right-click on the group preview in Peek to see options such as Restore and Minimise Group.
3 – This allows you to create multiple Snap Layouts and Snap Groups. For example, you could have one group containing email, calendar and To Do, and another group containing Word and Excel.
4 – Switching between the groups is as easy as hovering over one of the apps and then clicking on the group preview. All windows in that group will open.
Enable Snap Windows
These features should be enabled by default in Windows 11, but if you are not seeing Snap Layouts when you hover over the maximise/minimise button on a window, you may need to enable the feature in the settings.
Go to Settings > System > Multi-tasking and then click on Snap windows. Here you can enable and disable all of the snap features in Windows 11.
Windows Tip – Using Window Shake
There is a cool little trick to instantly minimise all windows apart from the one you want to view. Just click and hold on the title bar of the window and shake your mouse side to side. Every other window that is open will minimise. If this doesn’t work, make sure it is enabled in Settings > System > Multi-tasking > Title bar window shake.
Creating Snap Layouts & Snap Groups
Both Snap Layouts and Snap Groups are very useful Windows 11 tools, and learning how to make the most of them will help you do more on your PC, more efficiently.