Windows 10: Turn On or Off Aero Snap in Windows 10

How to: Turn On or Off Snap Windows in Windows 10

How to Turn On or Off Snap Windows in Windows 10


Your screen can get cluttered if you have a lot of opened app windows. The Snap windows (aka: Aero Snap) feature includes Snap Assist and 2x2 snapping to help you organize these opened windows on your desktop.

For more details about Snap windows, see: Arrange your Windows in a Snap

Starting with Task View you can now snap apps to left and right, replace a previously snapped app with another (teeter) and swipe down to close an app.
Snap Assist

Drag a window to the left or right edge of your screen until you see a transparent overlay appear, then drop the window to have it snap to that half of the screen.

Snap Assist will then show thumbnails of all other snappable windows in the available space on the other side for you to click/tap on one to choose, and it'll also automatically snap in to place.

2x2 Snap

You can snap up to four windows in a 2x2 grid on your screen.

Drag a window to the top or bottom corner of the left or right edge of your screen until you see a transparent overlay appear, then drop the window to have it snap to that quadrant of the screen.

Modern universal apps will not reduce in vertical height as much as a desktop app, so a they will be larger than a quarter of the screen.

Keyboard shortcuts:

Windows + Left arrow
Press to snap the current active window to the left half of the screen. If you have multiple screens, then you can keep pressing to move and snap the window to the screen to the left.

Windows + Right arrow
Press to snap the current active window to the right half of the screen. If you have multiple screens, then you can keep pressing to move and snap the window to the screen to the right.

Windows + Up arrow
If the window isn't snapped, then it will maximize the window. If the window is snapped to a side, then it will snap the window to the top quarter of that side.

Windows + Down arrow
If the window isn't snapped, then it will minimize the window. If the window is maximized, it will restore down the window. If the window is snapped to a side, then it will snap the window to the bottom quarter of that side.
This tutorial will show you how to turn on or off Snap windows (Aero Snap) for your user account in Windows 10.

*Warning If you turn off Arrange windows automatically by dragging them to the sides or corners of the screen (Aero Snap), you will no longer be able to drag maximized windows.


CONTENTS:

• Option One: To Turn On or Off Snap Windows, Snap Fill, Snap Assist, and Snap Auto Resize in Settings app
• Option Two: To Turn On or Off Snap Windows in Ease of Access Center
• Option Three: To Turn On or Off Snap Windows, Snap Fill, Snap Assist, and Snap Auto Resize using a REG file

EXAMPLE: Snap windows in Windows 10
*note Music in video is "Do the Pump" by Mr Juan licensed under a Attribution 3.0 France License.









OPTION ONE [/i] To Turn On or Off Snap Windows, Snap Fill, Snap Assist, and Snap Auto Resize in Settings app
1. Open Settings, and click/tap on the System icon.

2. Do step 3 (on) or step 4 (off) below for what you would like to do.


3. To Turn On Snap Windows
*note This is the default setting.
A) Click/tap on Multitasking on the left side, and turn on Snap windows under Work with multiple windows on the right side. (see screenshot below)

B) Check (on - default) or uncheck (off) the Snap settings below for what you want, and go to step 5 below.

• When I snap a window, automatically size it to fill available space (Snap Fill)
• When I snap a window, show what I can snap next to it (Snap Assist)
• When I resize a snapped window, simultaneously resize any adjacent snapped window (Snap auto resize)

4. To Turn Off Snap Windows
A) Click/tap on Multitasking on the left side, turn on Snap windows under Work with multiple windows on the right side, and go to step 5 below. (see screenshot below)




5. When finished, you can close Settings if you like.





OPTION TWO [/i] To Turn On or Off Snap Windows in Ease of Access Center
1. Open the Control Panel (icons view), and click/tap on the Ease of Access Center icon.

2. In the Ease of Access Center, click/tap on either the Make the mouse easier to use, Make the Keyboard Easier To Use, or Make it easier to focus on tasks link. (see screenshot below)



3. Do step 4 (on) or step 5 (off) below for what you would like to do.


4. To Turn On Snap Windows
*note This is the default setting.
A) Uncheck the Prevent windows from being automatically arranged when moved to the edged of the screen box, click/tap on Apply, and go to step 6 below. (see screenshot below)

5. To Turn Off Snap Windows
A) Check the Prevent windows from being automatically arranged when moved to the edged of the screen box, click/tap on Apply, and go to step 6 below.
6. When finished, you can close the Ease of Access Center if you like.









OPTION THREE [/i] To Turn On or Off Snap Windows, Snap Fill, Snap Assist, and Snap Auto Resize using a REG file
*note The downloadable .reg files below will change the registry key and value below.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop

WindowArrangementActive DWORD

0 = Off
1 = On

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced

JointResize DWORD
SnapFill DWORD
SnapAssist DWORD

0 = Off
1 = On

1. Do step 2 (Snap), step 3 (Snap Fill), step 4 (Snap Assist), or step 5 (Snap Auto Resize) below for what you would like to do.


2. To Turn On or Off Snap Windows
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 6 below.

Turn_On_Aero_Snap.reg (default)

Download

OR

Turn_Off_Aero_Snap.reg

Download

3. To Turn On or Off Snap Fill
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 6 below.

Turn_On_Snap_Fill.reg (default)
*note This will also turn on Snap windows.

Download

OR

Turn_Off_Snap_Fill.reg

Download

4. To Turn On or Off Snap Assist
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 6 below.

Turn_On_Snap_Assist.reg (default)
*note This will also turn on Snap windows.

Download

OR

Turn_Off_Snap_Assist.reg

Download

5. To Turn On or Off Snap Auto Resize
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 6 below.

Turn_On_Snap_Auto_Resize.reg (default)
*note This will also turn on Snap windows.

Download

OR

Turn_Off_Snap_Auto_Resize.reg

Download
6. Save the .reg file to your desktop.

7. Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.

8. When prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.

9. restart the PC to apply.

10. You could now delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.

That's it,
Shawn


Related Tutorials

• How to Enable or Disable Aero Shake in Windows 10
• How to Turn On or Off Peek at Desktop in Windows 10
• How to Cascade All Open Windows in Windows 10
• How to Show All Open Windows Stacked in Windows 10
• How to Show All Open Windows Side by Side in Windows 10

:)

 

Highlighted Box On Top Left Screen On Windows 10

Looks like some sort of mismatched Aero Snap Settings:

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/4343-turn-o...

You have to fiddle with 4 Settings in Multitasking.

 

Windows 10 Desktop Grids

Please see if this helps:

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/4343-turn-o...

 

Hi Shawn! Is there a way to turn off "When I snap a windows, show what I can snap next to it" in setting/multitasking but, from the registry editor?

Thanks!

 

Hello @rspy24 ,

OPTION THREE has been updated to include a .reg option for Snap Assist. *Smile

 

Amazing @Brink! Thanks! works great!

 

You're most welcome. *Smile

 

Is there any way to just disable the corner snap? I kind of hat hate that part. I love the old snap feature but I can't for the life of me, train myself to stop using the corners for a side snap. Thanks

 

Is there any way to get it like Windows 7? I find myself having lost more features than gained with upgrading to Windows 10. Every time I try to move a window from 1 monitor to the other, it gets "stuck" trying to bloody snap in between my two monitors. Windows 7 didn't do this. If I then turn off snap, I can no longer make a window 'fullscreen' by simply dragging it to the top of my screen (like I could in windows 7) hence I lost a feature. This and many other nuisances really deterers me from keeping Windows 10.

Thanks,
-

 

Hello lindenkron, *Smile

For sticky edges and corners, you might see if the tutorials below to disable them may help with that.

Sticky Edges for Multi-Monitors - Enable or Disable

Sticky Corners for Multi-Monitors - Enable or Disable

 

I don't believe any of that applies. This is the feature in question:
(NSFW background I spose)


It used to NEVER do it in Windows 7 between the two monitors ie: [ | ] at the middle line. Only top / bottom / sides. Now it does it in between in Windows 10 so everytime I wanna move something over with low sensitivity on mouse it gets stuck. And it's quite frankly enough to drive you crazy.

All you can do is completely disable it, so top/sides (usually used top) doesn't work either, meaning I have to double click to make a window full screen. When you do that a few 100 times a day, a minor inconvenience turns into a hassle. As with a ton of things in Windows 10. Not impressed :/

Appreciate the reply,
-

 

Sticky edges would be for when a window gets stuck or delayed before crossing over to the next display. Disabling sticky edges may also stop it from snapping when crossing over.

If yo like, try step 2 below to see if it may help.

Sticky Edges for Multi-Monitors - Enable or Disable

 

Yes I already tried your suggestion prior to posting, otherwise I wouldn't trouble you *Smile
It did nothing, it still latches on to the side of the screen between monitors, not just up/sides.

Thanks,
-

 

I was thinking of 'MouseMonitorEscapeSpeed', but I have no way of testing it at the moment.
Maybe Shawn can shed some light on it.

 

Hey Edwin, *Smile

Yeah, that's what the sticky edges tutorial was for.