There are 3 main methods to resizing applications in Windows 11, but I recommend the second as it’s the easiest to use.
Method 1: Drag to edges (Classic snap)
- Click and hold a window’s title bar (the top of the window)
- Drag it to the left or right edge of your screen
- When you see a transparent outline appear, release the mouse
- The window will snap to fill half the screen
- Windows will show thumbnails of your other open windows on the opposite side – click one to fill the other half
Method 2: Snap Layouts (Windows 11 feature)
- Hover your mouse over the maximize button (the square icon in the top-right corner of any window, between minimize and close)
- A small grid of layout options will pop up showing 4-6 different arrangements
- Click on one of the zones in the layout you want
- Your window will snap to that position
- Repeat with other windows to fill the remaining zones
Method 3: Keyboard shortcuts
- Windows + Left Arrow – snap to left half
- Windows + Right Arrow – snap to right half
- Windows + Up Arrow – maximize window
- Windows + Down Arrow – restore/minimize window
- You can also press Windows + Left/Right repeatedly to move a window between different snap positions
Tips:
- You can snap windows into quarters (corners) by dragging to a corner or using arrow keys twice
- Once snapped, you can adjust the divider between windows by dragging the line between them
- This works great for multitasking – like having a browser on one side and a document on the other