How to Use Snap Layouts in Windows 11

What Are Snap Layouts?

Snap Layouts is Windows 11's built-in window manager. It lets you tile two, three, or four windows into predefined grid zones so you can multitask without manually resizing and dragging every window. Once you build a layout, Windows remembers it as a Snap Group you can restore from the taskbar.

Method 1 — Keyboard Shortcut

The fastest way to snap a window:

• Win + Left Arrow — snap to left half
• Win + Right Arrow — snap to right half
• Win + Up Arrow — maximize
• Win + Down Arrow — minimize or restore

After snapping a window to one side, Windows automatically asks which of your other open windows you want to fill the remaining space — click one to complete the layout.

For quadrant snapping, combine arrows: Win + Left then Win + Up places a window in the top-left corner.

Method 2 — Snap Layout Picker (Hover the Maximize Button)

1. Hover your mouse over the Maximize button (the square icon) in any window's title bar
2. A grid of layout options appears — choose from halves, thirds, quadrants, or priority layouts
3. Click the zone where you want this window to go
4. Repeat for other windows to fill the remaining zones

This method gives you the most layout choices including a large primary pane with a smaller sidebar — great for a browser + reference panel combo.

Method 3 — Drag to Screen Edge

Drag any window to the left or right edge of the screen until you see a semi-transparent snap zone appear, then release. Drag to the top-left or top-right corner for a quadrant snap.

Using Snap Groups

After arranging windows into a Snap Layout, Windows saves the group. Hover over any app in the taskbar and you will see a thumbnail of the entire group. Click it to restore all windows to their snapped positions at once — even if you minimized them or switched tasks.

Turn Snap On or Off

If snapping gets in the way, go to Settings → System → Multitasking and toggle Snap windows off. You can also fine-tune individual snap behaviors here, such as whether Windows shows other apps to fill the remaining space after a snap.

Best Use Cases

• Browser + notes — 50/50 split, research on one side, writing on the other
• Video call + slides — Zoom or Teams on one side, your presentation on the other
• Code + terminal — editor taking 70% of the screen with a narrow terminal panel
• Four-pane layout — dashboard monitoring with four windows on a large monitor