With Snap Layouts and Snap Groups, Windows 11’s Windows 11 helper tool for organizing windows just got better, and here’s how to get the most out of it.
If you’ve ever tried to manually organize windows while working with many applications, you know how tedious and time-consuming it can be.
Snap Assist, on the other hand, is a feature in Windows 11 that makes it easy to organize desktop windows using the mouse, keyboard, and touch to work more efficiently and increase productivity.
The functionality isn’t brand new, it’s been around since Windows 7, but it only allowed you to merge two windows.
Snap Assist in Windows 10 has been upgraded to handle up to four snaps.
Snap Assist has also been updated in Windows 11 with Snap Layouts, which make it easier to provide visual tips for capturing windows, and Snap Groups, which let you go back to previous groups of frozen windows without having to re-capture anything after switching to a new program.
In this Windows 11 article, we’ll show you how to use Snap Help, including Snap Layouts and Snap Groups, to better organize your screen’s windows.
How to enable Snap Assist in Windows 11 system
Follow these steps to activate Snap Assist on Windows 11.
- Open the Settings menu.
- Select System.
- On the right side, select the Multitasking page.
- To use this feature, turn on the Snap Windows switch.
Disable the Snap Windows feature by turning off the toggle button.
After you finish the instructions, you can adjust the settings and start using the function.
How you can set up Snap Assist in Windows 11 system
Follow these procedures to change Snap Assist settings in Windows 11.
- Open the Settings menu.
- Select System.
- On the right side, select the Multitasking page.
- To use this feature, turn on the Snap Windows switch.
- To see more options, go to the Snap windows setting.
- When snapping windows in Windows 11, check or uncheck the following options:
– When I snap a window, show what I can snap next to it – Prevents the preview from selecting additional windows to snap to the screen.
– Show snap layouts when I hover over a window’s maximize button – Disables the Maximize button to freeze layouts.
– Show snap layouts that the app is part of when I hover over the taskbar buttons – Disables the Taskbar for creating groups.
–Let me snap a window without dragging it to the screen edge (When I drag a window, let me snap it without dragging to the screen edge) – If this option is disabled, you will have to drag the window to the far edge of the screen to understand it.
If Snap Assist is on, it will react long before the screen ends.
– Automatically scale the window to fill the available space when I snap it (When I snap a window, automatically size it to fill available space) – Prevents another window from occupying the remaining screen area.
–When I resize a snapped window, simultaneously resize any adjacent snapped window – If you disable this function, you will have to manually resize the snapped windows.
Once you’re done with the instructions, you’ll be able to use Snap assist according to your settings.
Disable Snap schedules
Snap layouts are enabled by default in Windows 11.
If you don’t like this feature, follow these steps to turn it off.
- Open the Settings menu.
- Select System.
- On the right side, select the Multitasking page.
- Select the Snap windows to option from the menu.
- Uncheck the Show snap layouts when I hover over a window’s maximize button option.
Hovering over the Maximize button will no longer display the layout menu for window docking after completing the steps.
Disable Snap Groups
Taskbar Snap Groups are also enabled by default, but you can turn them off by following these instructions.
- Open the Settings menu.
- Select System.
- On the right side, select the Multitasking page.
- Select the Snap windows to option from the drop-down menu.
- Uncheck Show snap layouts that the app is part of when I hover over the taskbar buttons (Show snap layouts that the app is part of when I hover over the taskbar buttons).
Once you’ve completed the instructions, hovering over the recording group app will no longer provide a preview, allowing you to return to the group.
How to use Snap Assist in Windows 11 system
There are three ways to use snap help starting with Windows 11. You can drag and drop windows to the positions you want them to be snapped to using the mouse. To place windows where you want them, use keyboard shortcuts. You can also create separate snap groups using the Snap layouts menu from the Zoom button.
Snap schedules
Snap layout is a new feature in Windows 11 that is part of Snap Help that makes it easier for everyone to organize windows by providing a visual aid with multiple layouts for capturing windows on the screen.
This is a great approach not only to help non-technical users but also to better organize windows on larger screens.
Follow these steps to use Windows 11 Snap layouts.
- Hover over the zoom button.
- By deciding where you want the home window to jump, you can choose one of four or six alternative layouts.
- Select the next app you want to preview.
- Depending on the arrangement you have chosen, proceed with uploading.
If you accidentally deleted a window from the group, you can reattach it by hovering over the Maximize button and selecting the same layout and position.
Snap groups
Snap groups, on the other hand, allow you to go back to previously pinned windows without having to repin anything.
When the feature is enabled, you can dock windows normally, and then, if you switch to another program, you can hover over an application on the taskbar that belongs to a docking group and click preview to quickly jump to the docking group.
Follow these methods to return to the popup group.
- Hover over an app from one of the groups.
- To switch to a recording group, select the group view.
When working on a separate window after completing a step, you can quickly switch to the previous pin group without having to repin all windows.
Snap shortcuts
You can also use mouse and keyboard shortcuts to dock windows in Windows 11. You can dock only four windows at a time in four different layouts.
Snap layouts are required if you want to snap up to three windows in a vertical position.
Snapping or snapping two windows
Follow these steps to link two programs or shortcuts side by side using the mouse in Windows 11,
- You need to click on the title bar of the application.
- When you see the Snap Assist preview, drag the window to the left or right edge of the screen and drop it.
- In the overview, select another application that you want to run alongside the first one.
If the program you want is not visible, start it manually and drag it to the other edge of the screen.
You can also use Windows Key + Left Arrow to move the current focus window to the left or Windows Key + Right Arrow to move the current focus window to the right.
Snapping or snapping three windows
Follow these instructions to attach three windows to the screen.
- You need to click on the title bar of the application.
- When you see the Snap Assist preview, drag the window to the left or right edge of the screen and drop it.
- Press the Esc key on the keyboard.
- In the second window, click on the title bar.
- Move the window to one of the corners by dragging it there.
- To snap the third window to the remaining corner, select it.
Use Windows Key + Left Arrow to remove the window to the left, then Windows Key + Right Arrow + Down Arrow to move the window to the lower right corner, and Windows Key + Right Arrow + Up Arrow to snap the window to the upper right corner if you want to use keyboard shortcuts.
Snapping or snapping four windows
Follow these instructions to place the four windows on the screen.
- You need to click on the title bar of the application.
- Drag and drop the window to one of the four corners of the screen.
- Continue capturing windows to fill the screen with four windows following the visible hint.
Keyboard shortcuts can also be used to position windows in corners.
Use Windows Key + Left Arrow + Up Arrow to capture a window in the upper left corner or Windows Key + Right Arrow + Down Arrow to capture a window in the lower right corner.
Additionally, you can maximize a single program by pressing the Windows key + up arrow or minimize it by using the Windows key + down arrow.
Resizing a Snap Group
It is also possible to resize a window and at the same time resize the next window after you jump windows on the screen.
Simply place the cursor on the border between the windows, click on the grip, then drag and drop the window until it is the size you want.
See more on the blog.