The Snap Trap
Windows 11 features a highly developed window management system called “Snap Layouts” and “Snap Assist.” While these features are designed to help you quickly organize multiple windows side-by-side, they can be overly aggressive. If you are simply trying to move a window near the top edge of your screen to get it out of the way, Windows will often automatically maximize it to fill the entire monitor. Similarly, dragging a window to a corner might snap it into a tiny quadrant. If you prefer to manually resize and place your windows with precision, this automatic snapping behavior is constantly fighting against your intentions.
Disabling Snap Assist
To retain full manual control over your desktop layout and stop Windows 11 from automatically maximizing or resizing windows when you drag them to the edges of the screen, you must disable the Snap features in the system settings.
Press the Windows key, type Settings, and hit Enter to open the Settings app. Ensure you are on the System tab on the left-hand navigation pane. In the right-hand panel, click on Multitasking. At the very top of the Multitasking menu, you will see a master toggle switch for Snap windows. To completely disable all automatic resizing and edge-snapping behaviors, simply click this toggle switch so it turns Off. If you still want some snapping but find the automatic maximizing annoying, you can leave the master switch “On,” click the downward arrow next to it, and uncheck specific behaviors like “When I drag a window, let me snap it without dragging all the way to the edge.”