(Pocket-lint) – Windows has plenty of ways to boost your productivity and simple tricks you can use to make your life easier. One is split-screen so you can keep Windows side-by-side and easily switch between apps, browsers.
There’s more to these tools than you might think, including multi-desktop options, instant layouts, and app bundles.
So stick with us as we walk you through the different split screen options and how to use them.
How to Crack Apps in Windows
Windows 10 and Windows 11 both offer the ability to “click” apps, which makes them stick to one part of the screen and automatically adjust to a certain size so you can then snap other apps into different positions and create a side by side. split-screen layout.
It’s remarkably easy to do and really intuitive once you get the hang of it:
- Hover your cursor over the top border of the first app you want to capture
- Left-click on the border and hold it down
- Drag the app to the side of your screen i.e. towards the edge of the monitor
- You should then see an opaque outline that fills the screen behind the app
- Release your mouse button
This action should then have snapped the app to one side of your screen. You can then drag another app to the other side of the screen in the same way and it will align it to the other side so that both apps are side by side in a split screen view.
If, while doing this, you find that the app you moved has shrunk to a quarter of its normal size, then congratulations, you’ve discovered another way to share the screen. If you want four apps, one in each corner, follow these steps:
- Hover your cursor over the top border of the first app you want to capture
- Left click on it and drag it to the top right corner of your screen
- Release it and as you do, a view of your other open apps will appear
- Click on the other you want to appear below
- Look how it appears
- Repeat this process with other apps on the left side of the screen
If you want to avoid this, be sure to drag the app to the environment on the side of your screen.
How to resize windows in split screen
When you have placed windows in a split-screen view, it is still possible to resize them. You may want one window to be larger than the other. It’s easy to do too.
With apps, place your cursor side by side in the middle and you will see the resize icon appear. Click on it and drag it back and forth. This will minimize one window and maximize the other. Do this until you are happy with the size of each window.
Quick capture with shortcuts
With Windows keyboard shortcuts, it’s even easier to quickly grab apps and create a split-screen view.
Follow these steps to quickly create Instant Apps:
- Make an application “active” by clicking on it
- Next, hold down the Windows key on your keyboard and the left or right arrows to move it left or right
- Click on a second app and repeat the process with the opposite arrow to snap it the other way.
There are other useful shortcuts here for:
- Windows key + D will minimize all applications currently in view
- Windows key + up arrow maximizes the current active application
- Windows key + down arrow minimizes the current active application
If you have a dual or triple monitor setup, you can keep pressing Win + left/right arrow to move an app to each screen until it’s in the right position.
How to Use Snap Layouts in Windows 11
With Windows 11, Microsoft has made it even easier to multitask and split screen with different windows easily.
Snap Layouts is a special feature that makes the process even easier:
- Press Windows key + Z on your keyboard
- A window will appear with different layout options
- Click on the one you like the look of and select the point where you want the current app to appear on your screen
- Then click on the next application to place it in the next position
- Repeat until all apps are shared where you want them
This gives you various options on the size and position of your apps. Whether it’s two apps side by side or one big with two smaller ones.
Optimized Snap Groups
With Windows 11 there is also the advantage of the so-called Snap groups. This is where Windows recognizes that you’ve used two (or more) apps side-by-side and intelligently groups them together.
When you’ve done this, if you hover over the relevant app in the taskbar (e.g. Edge in the screenshot above), you’ll see icons appear with the separate app as an option to maximize it (the bring to front) on alone or to bring it to the fore as a group.
It’s handy because if you’re working on a few apps in a split-screen layout, you have to click on another app for some reason for a few minutes, but then you want to get back into the group, you can do that easily. This means that you don’t have to click on two apps individually again, but you can simply bring the group of apps back to the front.
Written by Adrian Willings.