Windows 11 may not exactly be revolutionary, but there are some features that are just useful, and additional layouts are one of them. Additional layouts replace Windows 10’s drag-and-drop feature, allowing you to quickly and neatly organize your apps on your desktop, making it much simpler to see and use them all at once. (Definitely better than the constant Alt-Tab switching between apps that most of us are used to.)
Here’s how to set it up:
- Hover your cursor over the maximize icon in the upper-right corner of an app or press Win-Z. You’ll see four (or six if you have a large monitor) different grid layouts to choose from. Each layout will have several zones in a different configuration.
- Select a layout and hover over the region you want your active app to be in. This region turns blue; click on it. Your app will then sit in this location.
- If you have other apps open, they may appear as thumbnails in other regions. Alt-Tab each open app and choose which region you want that app to be in. Also, just click the app if it’s in the region you want it to be.
(Note: Sometimes, one app can conflict with another when rearranging. If things get confusing, use Alt-Tab to see where each app is or find them on the taskbar.)
And you are ready to go!
Your Snap layout will also be reflected in the taskbar. If you go to the taskbar and hover over the icon for one of the apps in your layout, you’ll see a thumbnail for both the app and the layout group it’s part of; You can click any of them.
Need to maximize an app? Just click the zoom icon. Click on it again and the app will revert to its old configuration.
Edit the layout settings
You can adjust additional layouts by going to “Settings” > “System” > “Multitasking”. You have several options that you can enable or disable. For example, you can choose not to display the extra layout feature when you hover over the maximize icon or hover over your application icon on the taskbar. You can set other windows to resize automatically when you resize one manually. And of course, you can disable the feature entirely.
Learn how to use
When you first start using Snap layouts, it can take some getting used to, especially when it comes to deciding which app goes where. However, once set up, you may find that it makes it much easier to follow your Twitter or Slack account while working on a document or watching a video. Admittedly, having more than two apps open at the same time can get things a little crowded if you have a smaller screen, but it’s worth a little experimentation to see what works for you.
