Snap layouts: put two windows side by side

Steps

1. 01

   The keyboard way, which is the fast way

   • Hold the Windows logo key and press an arrow
   • Left or Right arrow puts the current window on that half of the screen; Up or Down moves it to the upper or lower part
   • Press a second arrow straight after and the window goes to a quarter instead of a half

   ✓You should see: The window you were using resizes and locks to one side of the screen.

   Why?

   This is muscle memory worth building: it is the same three keys on every Windows PC, and it never needs the mouse.

2. 02

   Pick a ready-made layout instead

   • Press Windows logo key + Z, or hover the pointer over a window's maximize button
   • A set of layouts appears — click the zone you want this window to take
   • Microsoft notes the layouts you are offered depend on the size of your display, so a large monitor shows arrangements a laptop does not

   ✓You should see: A small grid of layout choices over the window's maximize button.

3. 03

   Let Windows fill the rest for you

   • After you place the first window, Snap Assist offers your other open windows for the empty zones
   • Click one for each remaining space and the screen fills in a couple of clicks
   • Dragging a window to the very top of the screen opens the same chooser as a bar

   ✓You should see: Thumbnails of your other windows offered for the empty parts of the layout.

4. 04

   Turn the behaviour you dislike off

   Snap can be switched off entirely, which is the first thing to check if nothing snaps

   • Settings›System›Multitasking›Snap windows— make sure it is on
   • If snapping fires when you did not want it, this is where to stop it rather than living with it

   ✓You should see: The Snap windows toggle, with its options listed underneath.

5. 05

   Get the pair back later

   On Windows 11, windows you snapped together are remembered as a group: hover over one of those apps on the taskbar to bring the whole arrangement back

   • Useful when a full-screen app has buried a carefully arranged pair

   Why?

   If snap groups are not available on your PC, re-snapping takes two keystrokes anyway — hold the Windows logo key and press an arrow for each window.