How to Split Screen Using Windows 11 Snap Layouts

Using Snap Layouts to Organize Windows

Snap Layouts lets you hover over the maximize button of any open window and pick a grid position from a small menu. The arrangement stays in place until you close or move the windows.

Small or low-resolution displays show fewer options, and the three-column layouts usually appear only on wider screens. If you use more than one monitor, each monitor shows layouts that fit its own size.

Hover Over the Maximize Button

The layout menu is hidden until you ask for it. Hold your mouse pointer over the maximize button in the top-right corner of any open app window, without clicking, and a small pop-up appears with the grid templates.

1. Open the app window you want to place on your screen.
2. Move your mouse pointer over the square maximize icon in the upper-right corner of the window frame. Don’t click it, because clicking just maximizes the window.
3. Wait a moment. A small pop-up appears showing several grid layouts, with one zone highlighted in each.

See the settings ⚙️ section further down. You can also press the Win+Z with the window active to open the same layout menu from the keyboard.

Select Your Desired Screen Position

Click the zone in the pop-up that matches where you want the window. The active app snaps into exactly that section of the display, so you never have to drag borders to size it.

1. In the layout menu, click the region where you want the app, such as the left half or the top-right quadrant.
2. Watch the window snap into that area and resize to fit it.
3. Look at the rest of the screen. The other open apps appear as thumbnails in Snap Assist, which shows your other open windows so you can fill the empty space.

If you don't want to fill the other zones right now, press Esc or click an empty spot to dismiss Snap Assist. The first window stays snapped.

Fill the Remaining Screen Sections

Snap Assist shows thumbnails of your other open apps in the empty space. Click one to fill that section and finish the layout.

1. Click one of the thumbnails shown in the empty part of the display. That app snaps into the zone.
2. If your layout has more than two zones, repeat the click for each remaining zone.
3. Check that your apps sit side by side, or in your chosen grid, without overlapping.
4. Drag the dividing border between two snapped windows if you want to change their relative sizes. Windows resizes the neighboring snapped window along with it, if that option is turned on in Settings.

To undo a snap, drag the window away from its position by the title bar. It returns to its previous size. Pressing the Windows logo key + Down Arrow also restores a snapped window.

Keyboard Shortcuts for Quick Window Snapping

If you prefer the keyboard, a few key combinations move and snap the active window without the mouse.

Snap Windows Using the Windows Logo Key

Use the Windows logo key with the arrow keys to snap the active app to an edge or corner of the monitor. This is the fastest way to build a split screen layout once you know the combinations.

1. Click the title bar of the window you want to move, so it is the active window.
2. Press the Windows logo key + Left Arrow or the Windows logo key + Right Arrow to snap the window to the left or right half of the screen.
3. With the window on a half, press the Windows logo key + Up Arrow or the Windows logo key + Down Arrow to move it into the top or bottom corner of that half.

On a window that isn't snapped yet, the Up Arrow maximizes it and the Down Arrow restores or minimizes it. To move a snapped window to the other half, press the opposite Left or Right Arrow.

Customizing Snap Behavior in Settings

You can change how Snap Layouts behave when you drag windows or resize them, including across multiple monitors. All the options live in Settings.

Open Multitasking Settings

Open Settings, the central configuration app for Windows 11, to reach the window management controls.

1. Press the Windows logo key + I on your keyboard to open Settings.
2. Click System in the left sidebar.
3. Scroll down the main panel and click Multitasking. The snap controls appear on this page.

Adjust Snap Options

The Multitasking page controls how snapping works on your computer. The main Snap windows switch turns snapping on or off as a whole. Below it are separate options for layout suggestions and for how windows resize when snapped.

1. Click the dropdown arrow next to Snap windows to expand the sub-options. If the switch is off, turn it on first, or the sub-options stay unavailable.
2. Check or uncheck the options you want. Two examples are Show snap layouts when I hover over a window's maximize button and When I snap a window, automatically size it to fill available space. The exact wording and the list of options vary a little between Windows 11 versions, so you may see slightly different labels.
3. Close the Settings window once your preferences are set. The changes apply immediately and no restart is needed.

If the layout pop-up never shows when you hover over the maximize button, this is the first place to check. To go back to the defaults, switch the options back on.

What to do next

Now that your apps are organized into split screen layouts, you can set up virtual desktops to separate work and personal tasks. You can also customize your taskbar and pin the apps you most often use together.