How to Split Your Screen in Windows 11 with Snap Layouts

If you regularly work with multiple windows open at the same time — a browser, a spreadsheet, a video call, and a document editor, for example — switching back and forth wastes time and breaks your concentration. Windows 11 includes a built-in feature called Snap Layouts that lets you divide your screen into organised zones and snap multiple applications into them simultaneously, without needing a third-party tool.

This guide covers every method for using Snap Layouts, including the hover menu, keyboard shortcuts, and Snap Groups for quickly resuming multi-window sessions.

What Are Snap Layouts?

Snap Layouts is a productivity feature introduced in Windows 11 that provides pre-designed screen-splitting templates. Instead of manually dragging and resizing windows, you choose from a set of layout grids and Windows 11 automatically arranges your applications into the selected zones.

Snap Layouts supports up to six regions on a screen, depending on your display resolution. Common layouts include:

• Two windows side by side (50/50 split)
• One wide window with two stacked on the right
• Three equal columns
• One wide left window with two equal right windows
• A four-quadrant grid

On smaller screens (typically under 24 inches), fewer layouts may be available to keep window sizes practical.

Method 1: Hover Over the Maximise Button

The quickest way to access Snap Layouts is through the maximise button in any open window:

1. Open the application you want to snap.
2. Hover your mouse cursor over the maximise button (the square icon in the top-right corner of the window, between the minimise and close buttons).
3. A small Snap Layout flyout menu appears, showing the available layout options for your current screen resolution.
4. Hover over the layout you want and then click the specific zone where you want this window to go.
5. Windows 11 will snap the current window to that zone and show thumbnails of your other open windows in the remaining zones. Click on a window thumbnail to fill each zone.

Method 2: Keyboard Shortcut (Windows Key + Arrow Keys)

For those who prefer keeping their hands on the keyboard, Windows 11 supports snapping with keyboard shortcuts:

• Win + Left Arrow: Snaps the active window to the left half of the screen.
• Win + Right Arrow: Snaps the active window to the right half of the screen.
• Win + Up Arrow: Maximises the window (or snaps to the top half after using a left/right snap).
• Win + Down Arrow: Minimises or snaps to the bottom half.

After snapping one window to the left, Windows 11 automatically suggests available windows to fill the right half. Press Enter to accept the highlighted suggestion or use the arrow keys to cycle through open windows.

Method 3: Drag to the Top Edge of the Screen

Windows 11 also supports snapping by dragging:

1. Click and hold the title bar of a window.
2. Drag it to the top edge of the screen.
3. A translucent Snap Layout overlay appears, showing the available zones.
4. Drag the window into your preferred zone and release the mouse button.

You can also drag a window to the left or right edge of the screen to snap it to a half-screen layout directly, as in previous Windows versions.

Filling the Snap Layout with Additional Windows

After snapping your first application, Windows 11 displays a thumbnail picker for the remaining zones. Click on any open application to assign it to the next available zone. You do not have to fill all zones — click somewhere else on the desktop to dismiss the picker if you only want to snap one window.

Using Snap Groups to Resume Your Layout

One of the most useful and underused features in Windows 11 is Snap Groups. Once you have arranged multiple windows in a Snap Layout, Windows 11 remembers this arrangement as a group.

When you hover over the taskbar icon for one of the snapped applications, you will see a thumbnail showing the entire Snap Group layout. Click the group thumbnail to instantly restore all windows in their original positions — even if you have since opened other applications or minimised them.

This is especially useful when switching between a full-screen video call and a multi-window work layout, as you can resume the exact arrangement in a single click.

Enabling Snap Layouts (If It Appears Disabled)

If hovering over the maximise button does not show the Snap Layout flyout, the feature may have been turned off:

1. Open Settings (Win + I).
2. Go to System then Multitasking.
3. Under the Snap windows section, toggle it on.
4. Expand the section to confirm that Show snap layouts when I hover over a window’s maximise button is enabled.

Snap Layouts on Multiple Monitors

Snap Layouts works independently on each connected monitor. You can snap a separate set of windows on each display, and Snap Groups will remember the layout per monitor. When you disconnect a secondary monitor, Windows 11 temporarily moves those windows to your primary display and restores them to the correct monitor when it is reconnected.

Practical Workflows Using Snap Layouts

A few layouts that work particularly well for common tasks:

• Writing with research open: Snap your document editor to the left half and your browser to the right.
• Video calls while working: Use the three-column layout to keep your video call app, notes, and browser all visible simultaneously.
• Comparing files or spreadsheets: Use the side-by-side 50/50 split to view two files without any overlap.
• Coding with documentation: Snap your code editor to the wide left zone and your browser documentation to a narrower right column.

Snap Layouts removes the friction from multitasking entirely. Once you build the habit of using it, switching back to manually resizing windows feels unnecessarily slow.