How to Use Windows 11 Snap Layouts to Work in Two Windows at Once

Snap Layouts in Windows 11 let you organize two or more apps side by side on your screen — perfect for referencing one thing while working in another.

In this guide (5 steps):

1.Access Snap Layouts for any window
2.Choose a layout
3.Select the second app
4.Resize or adjust the split
5.Use keyboard shortcut for quick snapping

Access Snap Layouts for any window

~18s

Hover your mouse cursor over the Maximize button (the square icon at the top right of any window — between the minimize and close buttons). After hovering for a moment, a pop-up appears showing several layout options: side by side, thirds, a large area plus a smaller side column, and more.

Choose a layout

~23s

Click on the area of the layout where you want your current window to go. Windows places your window in that position and shows thumbnails of your other open apps on the remaining portion of the screen.

Quick Tip

Quick Tip: The most useful layout for most people is the simple two-column split — one app on the left, one on the right. Click the left or right half of the split-screen layout option.

Select the second app

~15s

After placing the first window, Windows shows thumbnails of your other open apps for you to choose from. Click the app you want to fill the other half. Both apps snap into place.

Resize or adjust the split

~15s

Hover over the dividing line between the two snapped windows — the cursor changes to a double arrow. Click and drag the divider left or right to give more space to one app or the other.

Use keyboard shortcut for quick snapping

~17s

Press Windows key + left arrow to snap the current window to the left half of the screen. Press Windows key + right arrow to snap it to the right. Then click another window thumbnail to fill the other half. This keyboard method is faster once you remember it.

You Did It!

You've completed: How to Use Windows 11 Snap Layouts to Work in Two Windows at Once

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Snap Layouts is a Windows 11 feature that makes it easy to view two or more apps side by side on your screen. Instead of manually resizing and dragging windows around, Windows does it for you in one step.

The most common use: having a website or document open on the left side while writing an email or filling out a form on the right. It's also useful for watching a video while taking notes, or referring to a recipe in your browser while typing in a notes app.

You don't need a large monitor to benefit — even on a standard laptop screen, having two apps split side by side is much more efficient than constantly switching between them.

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