Windows 11 split screen

How to use split screen with Snap assist on Windows 11

Here are the different ways you can quickly snap apps side-by-side or in each quadrant on Windows 11.

On Windows 11, Snap assist is a feature that allows you to quickly organize your apps on the screen for a better multitasking experience. The feature has been available since Windows 7, but it’s been evolving over the years, and now, on Windows 11, it provides many more ways to snap apps on the screen.

Using this feature, you can split the screen with two apps side-by-side, and you can snap three, four, and even more apps, depending on the size of the screen. And you can use Snap assist with the mouse by dragging and dropping the windows in the zone you want to snap them. You can use keyboard shortcuts, and you can even use the Snap layouts flyout from the maximize button.

This guide will teach you the steps to use the Snap assist feature to split screen with two or more apps on Windows 11.

Split screen with two apps on Windows 11

The first method to snap two apps on the screen includes dragging and dropping a window to the right edge and choosing the second window to split the screen from the preview.

Split screen drag apps
Split screen drag apps

The second method is to use the Snap layouts menu. Simply hover over the maximize button and select the layout and quadrant to snap the window, and then choose the second window to snap in the layout.

Split screen with Snap layouts
Split screen with Snap layouts

The third method involves using the Windows key + right arrow keyboard shortcut to snap the window in focus to the right side. Then select the second window and use the Windows key + left arrow keyboard shortcut to snap it to the left side.

You can also resize the apps by positioning the mouse cursor between the two apps until you see the gripper and then drag the gripper left or right to change the size of the snapping.

Split screen with three or more apps on Windows 11

The Snap assist feature on Windows 11 also lets you snap three, four, and even more apps, depending on the size of the screen.

The first method to snap three or more apps is to drag and drop an app to the top-right corner of the screen and then use the Snap assist previews to fill the rest of the quadrants with an app for a total of up to four apps.

Snap four apps by dragging
Snap four apps by dragging

The second method is to use the Snap layouts menu. You only need to hover over the maximize button and select the layout with the number of windows you want to snap, select the zone for the app, and then use the Snap assist to complete filling out the rest of the quadrants with an app for a total of up to four apps.

Snap four apps with Snap layouts
Snap four apps with Snap layouts

The third method involves using the Windows key + right arrow + up arrow keyboard shortcuts to snap the window in focus to the top-right corner and continue with Snap assist.

Or select the second app and use the Windows key + right arrow +  down arrow keyboard shortcuts to snap it to the bottom-right corner. Select the third app and use the Windows key + left arrow shortcut to snap it to the left side, or use the Windows key + left arrow + up arrow shortcut to snap the window to the top-left corner. Finally, select the fourth app and use the Windows key + left arrow + down arrow shortcut to snap the app in the bottom-left corner.

About the author

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 21 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].