How to Use Windows Snap and Shake for Window Management

Windows Snap and Shake are productivity features that allow users to easily manage and organize windows on their desktop. Snap lets you arrange windows side by side, while Shake minimizes windows except for the active one. In this tutorial, you'll learn how to effectively use these features to improve your window management workflow on Windows.

Prerequisites

• A computer running Windows 7, 8, or 10.

Table of Contents

• Enabling Snap and Shake
• Using Windows Snap
  • Snapping a Window to the Side
  • Snapping a Window to a Corner
  • Adjusting the Snap Assist settings
• Using Windows Shake
• Conclusion

Enabling Snap and Shake

Before diving into the features, you'll need to ensure that Snap and Shake are enabled on your Windows computer. By default, these options should be enabled, but in case they are not, here's how to enable them:

1. Right-click on the taskbar and select "Taskbar Settings."
2. In the "Taskbar" settings window, scroll down to find the "Snap" section.
3. Enable the toggle switch for "Snap windows" to turn on Snap.
4. Optionally, enable the toggle switch for "Shake window minimize" to enable Shake.

Using Windows Snap

Snapping a Window to the Side

Snapping windows allows you to view and work with multiple applications side by side. Follow these steps to snap a window to the side:

1. Click on the title bar of the window you want to snap.
2. Drag the window to the left or right edge of your screen until the outline of the window aligns with the edge.
3. Release the mouse button to snap the window to that side.
4. Snap Assist will appear, showing thumbnails of other open windows.
   • Click on any thumbnail to snap it to the opposite side of the screen.

Snapping a Window to a Corner

Snapping windows to the corners of your screen creates a quadrant view for up to four applications. Here's how to snap a window to a corner:

1. Click on the title bar of the window you want to snap.
2. Drag the window to any corner of your screen until the outline of the window fits within the quarter.
3. Release the mouse button to snap the window to that corner.
4. Snap Assist will display thumbnails of other open windows.
   • Click on any thumbnail to snap it to the corresponding corner.

Adjusting the Snap Assist Settings

Snap Assist provides suggestions for other windows to snap alongside your active window. If you'd like to customize Snap Assist, follow these steps:

1. Open the Start menu and click on the "Settings" gear icon.
2. In the Settings window, choose "System."
3. Select "Multitasking" from the left sidebar.
4. Under the "Snap" section, you can toggle the following options:
   • Turn off "When I snap a window, show what I can snap next to it" to disable Snap Assist.
   • Enable or disable "Arrange windows automatically by dragging them to the sides or corners of the screen" to refine your window management preference.

Using Windows Shake

Windows Shake is a feature that allows you to quickly minimize all windows except the active one. To use Shake, follow these steps:

1. Click and hold on the title bar of the window you want to keep active.
2. Gently shake the window back and forth (left and right) quickly.
3. All other windows on your desktop will minimize, leaving only the active window visible.

Conclusion

Learning to leverage the power of Windows Snap and Shake can greatly enhance your productivity and streamline your window management tasks. With the ability to snap windows side by side or to the corners, as well as easily minimize inactive windows using Shake, you'll be able to multitask efficiently and keep your desktop organized.