How to Configure Multitasking Snap Layouts for Multiple Windows in Windows 11

How to Access Snap Layouts with a Mouse

The maximize button hover menu is the quickest mouse method. Hover over the square maximize icon in the top-right corner of a window to reveal the grid layouts, then click the spot where you want that app to sit.

Before you start, check that you are on Windows 11. Windows 10 has no maximize-button layout menu. Also expect fewer layouts on a small or low-resolution screen, because Windows only offers grids that fit.

1. Open the first application you want to arrange.
2. Move the mouse pointer over the Maximize button. It is the square icon in the top-right corner of the window frame, next to the close and minimize icons.
3. Wait a moment. A pop-up menu of grid layouts should appear below the button. If nothing shows up after a second or two, move the pointer off the button and back on again.
4. Click the zone within the layout where you want the current window to sit. The window jumps into that zone right away.
5. Click another open application in the Snap Assist grid to fill the next empty zone. Snap Assist is the feature that shows thumbnail previews of your other open apps. Repeat until every zone has a window.

Dragging is an alternative to hovering. On Windows 11 24H2 and later, drag a window by its title bar to the top of the screen and a snap layouts bar appears. Drop the window onto the zone you want. Recent builds also show a snap suggestion or preview while you drag, so you can see where the window will land before you release the mouse button.

If the hover menu never appears, the option is probably switched off. See the settings section at the end of this guide, where you can also check the option for dragging to the top of the screen. Pressing the Win+Z opens the same layout menu from the keyboard.

How to Use Snap Layouts with Keyboard Shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts let you arrange windows without touching the mouse. Press the Win with the left or right arrow to snap the active window to one side of the screen. Then use the up or down arrow to move it into a corner.

1. Click the window you want to move to make it active.
2. Press the Windows logo key + Left Arrow or Right Arrow to snap the window to either half of the screen. The window fills that half, and Snap Assist may show thumbnails on the other side.
3. Press the Windows logo key + Up Arrow or Down Arrow to move the window into a screen quadrant after it is already snapped to a side. Up sends it to the top corner of that side, and Down sends it to the bottom corner. If it is already in a bottom quadrant, Up returns it to the half.
4. Release the keys once the window occupies the zone you want.

Order matters here. The up and down arrows only place a window in a quadrant if you have already snapped it left or right. On a window that is not snapped, they maximize or minimize it instead.

To undo a snap, drag the window by its title bar and it returns to its earlier size. Pressing Ctrl+Z immediately after snapping also works.

How to Resize Snapped Windows Simultaneously

Snapped windows resize together when you drag the border between them. Move the pointer over the line between two snapped apps until the cursor becomes a double-sided arrow, then click and drag to change how much space each window gets.

1. Move the mouse pointer directly over the dividing line or border separating your snapped windows.
2. Click and hold the left mouse button when the cursor changes into a double-sided arrow.
3. Drag the border to the left or right to resize both adjacent windows at the same time. For windows stacked top and bottom, drag up or down.
4. Release the mouse button once the proportions look right.

Using Snap Assist to Fill Remaining Screen Space

Snap Assist fills the leftover screen space for you. Once you dock an app to one side of the display, Windows shows thumbnail previews of your running programs on the opposite side. Click one to fill the gap.

1. Snap your primary window to one side of the screen using the mouse hover method or a keyboard shortcut.
2. Look at the opposite side of the display. Windows shows thumbnail previews of your other running apps there.
3. Click any thumbnail to fill the blank zone. The chosen app snaps into place and the thumbnails disappear.

To skip the thumbnails, press Esc to dismiss the panel. Snap Assist suggestions can also be turned on or off in the Multitasking settings. Minimized apps still appear in the thumbnail list, but a few apps with fixed window sizes may not snap the way you expect.

Working with Snap Groups

Snap Groups let you minimize or restore a whole multi-window layout at once, without rearranging each app. A Snap Group is a set of snapped apps that Windows remembers together on the Taskbar, the horizontal bar that holds your pinned apps. One click brings the whole set back.

1. Set up a multi-window layout using Snap Layouts.
2. Move the mouse pointer over one of the open app icons from that layout in the Taskbar🖥️, usually at the bottom of the screen.
3. Look at the combined preview that appears for your Snap Group. It shows thumbnails arranged the way your windows were laid out.
4. Click the group thumbnail to restore all windows in that layout together.

This only works if Windows is allowed to show snapped windows when you hover over taskbar apps. If the group preview never appears, check the Multitasking settings in the next section. Snap Groups also show up in Task View and when you press Alt+Tab.

Configure Snap Settings

The snap settings control how window layouts behave when you drag items around the desktop. They live at Settings › System › Multitasking, in the Snap windows section. Checkboxes there turn individual layout features on or off.

1. Open Settings, the app that holds your Windows system configuration. Pressing the Win+I is the quickest way.
2. Click System in the left sidebar.
3. Click Multitasking on the right side of the window. A Snap windows toggle should appear near the top of the page.
4. Make sure the Snap windows toggle is set to On. If it is off, none of the snap features work and the options below stay hidden.
5. Click the dropdown arrow next to the Snap windows heading to reveal more options.
6. Check or uncheck the boxes to enable or disable features. These include showing snap layouts when you hover over a window’s maximize button, showing snap layouts when you drag a window to the top of the screen, suggesting what you can snap next to a window, and showing snapped windows when you hover over taskbar apps.

Changes apply immediately and you do not need to restart. If a feature is not working, this is the first place to check. To undo any change, return to this page and flip the same box back.

What to do next

With your screen space organized into custom multitasking grids, the next step is to set up virtual desktops to separate work and personal applications. Test different layouts to see which grid configuration matches your daily workflow best.