To snap a window left or right in Windows 11, press Windows key + Left Arrow or Windows key + Right Arrow. Press Windows key + Z to open Snap layouts, or use Windows key + Alt + Up Arrow and Windows key + Alt + Down Arrow to snap the active window to the top or bottom half. The arrow-key shortcuts can behave differently depending on the window’s current state.
Windows 11 window-snapping shortcut reference
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Windows key + Left Arrow | Snaps the active window to the left side of the screen. Microsoft describes this as snapping to the left half. |
| Windows key + Right Arrow | Snaps the active window to the right side of the screen, or right half. |
| Windows key + Up Arrow | Microsoft’s shortcut list describes this as maximizing the active window. In Snap positioning, arrow keys can also be used with the Windows key to continue positioning a window, so the result depends on context and current state. |
| Windows key + Down Arrow | Microsoft’s shortcut list describes this as minimizing the active window. In a Snap-positioning sequence, the down arrow can also be used to move the window. The result depends on context and current state. |
| Windows key + Alt + Up Arrow | Snaps the active window to the top half of the screen. |
| Windows key + Alt + Down Arrow | Snaps the active window to the bottom half of the screen. |
| Windows key + Z | Opens the Snap layouts flyout so you can choose an arrangement. |
Microsoft documents these commands in its Windows keyboard-shortcut reference and Snap Your Windows guide.
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How to snap a window left or right
- Make the window you want to arrange the active window by selecting it.
- Press Windows key + Left Arrow to snap it to the left side, or Windows key + Right Arrow to snap it to the right side.
- If Windows offers other open windows for the remaining space, select one to fill that space. This is Snap Assist; it can show thumbnails of other open windows after the first window is snapped.
Microsoft confirms the side-snapping shortcuts and Snap Assist behavior in its Windows multitasking guide.
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Press Windows key + Z while a window is active to open the Snap layouts flyout, then choose a layout. You can also open the flyout by hovering over a window’s maximize or restore button. After you choose an arrangement, Snap Assist can help place other open windows in the remaining spaces.
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The predefined layouts available can vary with display size. For Microsoft’s instructions, see Snap Your Windows.
How to position a window at the top or bottom
For a direct top- or bottom-half command, Microsoft lists Windows key + Alt + Up Arrow and Windows key + Alt + Down Arrow. The plain Windows-key-plus-arrow commands have state-dependent behavior: Microsoft’s shortcut list says Up maximizes and Down minimizes, while its Snap guide also describes using the arrow keys to position a window. Treat those plain-arrow shortcuts as part of the positioning sequence rather than assuming each press always maps to one fixed half-screen result.
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Related shortcuts for restoring or stretching a window
These commands are useful for window management but are not the basic left/right or top/bottom snapping shortcuts:
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- Windows key + Shift + Down Arrow: restores a snapped or maximized window.
- Windows key + Shift + Up Arrow: stretches a desktop window to the top and bottom of the screen.
Both are listed in Microsoft’s Windows keyboard-shortcut reference.
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Where to change Snap settings
Open Settings > System > Multitasking to find the Snap controls. Microsoft lists options for the overall Snap windows setting, the Snap layouts flyout, Snap Assist, the Snap bar, and Snap Groups. The available controls let you adjust how Windows presents and uses snapping.
Quick Recap
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