- Windows 11 will get a new version of Snap Layouts with AI features.
- These features may include remembering layouts, OCR search, and dynamic adjustments.
- It’s unclear when these features for the Snap system will be available.
Microsoft is reportedly working on adding AI features to the Snap system on Windows 11. According to Windows Central, the software giant plans to enhance the snapping feature with new functionalities powered by AI.
Some of these features include the ability for the system to remember Snap Layouts and a new search feature in Task View to find running apps quickly. Furthermore, Microsoft is working on dynamically adjusting the apps depending on the app in focus.
Although these may seem like subtle changes, they are functional. For example, the ability for the system to remember Snap Layouts will help users restore a group of apps quickly with only one click, saving time when the user has to multitask with the same group of apps frequently.
In the Task View interface, the company plans to add a search element that uses OCR technology, allowing users to find opened apps more quickly using keywords from anything on that window, such as app name, picture, phrase, basically anything you remember from the application.
Furthermore, Microsoft is also experimenting internally with a new feature that dynamically adjusts the size of the snapping depending on the app in focus. According to the report, the feature will work by looking at the current layout. If the user has two apps in a Snap Group using a 70-30 split, then when clicking the app that is taking the remaining 30 percent of the screen, the system will expand the layout so that the app now takes 70 percent of the screen.
Although it’s not definitive whether the company will ship these changes for the Snap feature, recent previews of the operating system already show hidden crumbs about these changes. In addition, a recent preview build already ships with some improvements to Snap Layouts, including a title to make it easier for the user to understand the feature, a reduced time when hovering over the maximize button to improve discoverability, and a new icon view for the active app when choosing a snapping zone in the flyout.
In future releases of Windows 11 or even Windows 12, it’s only expected that the company will continue to grow the integration of AI. Microsoft is already betting big on AI in its Bing search engine with the hope of disrupting search and taking away some of the market share from Google. Also, the company has also announced that it plans to ship more AI-powered features to many of its products, including Office apps.
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 14 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 20 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].