Snap is a great productivity feature of Windows 7 which we covered only briefly in previous articles. On a computer with a single monitor, you can use it both with the mouse and the keyboard but on a multi monitor setup, it doesn’t seem to work the same way. At least not to snap windows side by side. How do you do this, if you have two or more monitors? This tutorial will show how.

Using Snap on a Single Monitor

For those who don’t know, Snap (or Aero Snap) is a feature of Windows 7 which allows you to quickly resize and arrange open windows. One of the ways I use it most, is to snap two application windows side by side, each taking half of the monitor, so that I can work on them in parallel.

To do this, you can use the mouse to drag the title bar of the first window to the left or right side of the screen until an outline of the expanded window appears. Then, release the mouse to expand the window. Now, do the same (but change the side) for the second window. A visual demo of how this works can be found in the video below.

Using Snap on Multiple Monitors

If you try to do the same with the mouse on a multi monitor setup, it simply doesn’t work. However, snap is available on multiple monitors. The trick is that you need to use the keyboard instead of the mouse.

The shortcuts for snapping windows side by side are the Windows + Left/Right keys. Let’s see how this works on a dual monitor setup.

I have an Internet Explorer window open on my main monitor which is also the bigger of the two, with higher resolutions.

Once I press Windows+Left it snaps to the left half of my main monitor.

Pressing Windows+Right makes it get back to its original position.

Pressing Windows+Right again, makes it snap to the right half of my main monitor.

Pressing the same combination one more time, takes it to the left half of the second monitor.

Press Windows+Right again and it is shown in its original position, but on the second monitor.

Press Windows+Right one last time and it snaps to the right half of the second monitor.

To revert the process, use Windows+Left.

Pretty cool isn’t it?

Another Cool Trick for a Multi Monitor Setup

Another less known trick for using snap on a multi monitor setup is the Windows+Shift+Left/Right keyboard combination. This makes Windows keep the position of the active window while switching it between monitors.

To exemplify, here is my Internet Explorer window open on my main monitor.

Pressing Windows+Shift+Right takes the window on the second monitor where it has the same position as on the main one.

Pressing Windows+Shift+Left will make it go back to the main monitor.

Conclusion

I hope these tricks proved to be useful. If you want to know more about the ways you can snap windows on your screen, I recommend viewing this video demo from Microsoft: Snap. If you have any questions on this feature, don’t hesitate to leave a comment.

Related articles:

Dual-Monitor Annoyance: Mouse Pointer Drifting to The Other Screen
New Features & Improvements in the Windows 7 Taskbar
Taskbar Productivity Tips & Shortcuts