Snap Views of Apps - How to Use

How to Use Snap View to Display up to Four Apps Opened on each Display in Windows 8.1​

   Information

You have more ways to see multiple apps side by side on the screen at once. When displaying multiple apps at once, you can easily resize the width of the app window to suit your needs. Depending on screen size and resolution, you can even share the screen with three, or four apps on each monitor.

This tutorial will show you how to use Snap View to display up to four modern apps (including desktop app) on each screen at once in Windows 8.1 and Windows RT 8.1.

   Warning

To snap apps, you need a screen resolution of at least 1024 x 768.

Here's How:

- Open a modern app. Move the pointer to the top of display until it changes to a hand icon:

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- Press and hold left mouse button, drag application window to left or right of the display until you can see a divider:

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- Release the mouse button. Click Start to get back to Metro screen:

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- Open another modern app or click Desktop. The second application or desktop opens now beside your first modern app, screen being divided to two (1/4th and 3/4th):

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- To swap, change app from smaller window to bigger and vice versa, drag the divider:

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- To close other application drag the divider all the way to other side of the display to give your selected application full screen:

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Kari

Related Tutorials

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• How to Open Tab in New Modern IE11 Window Side by Side in Windows 8.1
• How to Use "Switcher" to Switch Between Opened Apps in Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Open Windows Store Apps from Desktop in Windows 8 and 8.1
• Pin or Unpin a App, Folder, Library, or Drive on Start Screen in Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Open Apps Screen in Windows 8 and 8.1

 

[kado897]

Very good spot Kari.

 

[bagavan]

Nice.

 

[Dave76]

Nice tutorial Kari.

 

[nunn4860]

I cant seem to get this to work on my computer. I'm running windows 8 on a dell laptop. I can drag my app to the left and right however no divider appears. No matter where my cursor is on the screen, the app merely reopens upon letting go of the left click. The only function I have when I drag the app is when the cursor is at the bottom of the screen in which case it closes. Can anyone help with this?

 

[whs]

Great - there is something new every day. Thanks Kari.

 

[NiFu]

I cant seem to get this to work on my computer. I'm running windows 8 on a dell laptop.

"Laptop" ? What screen resolution do you have ?
This feature ("Snap apps") only works with a minimum screen resolution of 1366 (e.g. 1366x768)

 

[BobLenx]

Just read this trick. Inability to have two or more Metro apps visible on the screen at the same time was my biggest complaint.

Doesn't work on my laptop due to screen lower screen resolution, 1280 by 800 max. Disappointing. Kinda makes upgrading from stable Windows 7 to Windows 8 uninteresting. If it comes down to eventually buying a new laptop capable of fully utilizing Metro apps properly, I would be giving a MacPro a good look first. I love my iPad2 but was really hoping to stay with the Windows family for my laptop.

Other than the inability to snap multiple Metro apps on my screen, I am fairly impressed with the consumer preview.

 

[SIW2]

Thanks Kari.

That is a lot of clicking and dragging about actions. This os is not exactly very ergonomic as far as I can tell.

 

[Kari]

No, it's not. cathing name, though, the one they've come up in Seattle: App Snap.

 

[jsudduth]

That is not flexible enough for power users. They are going to want to run 2 apps with a 50/50 screen split, or even 3 apps with a 33/33/34 screen split. If you don't add that capability, many users will avoid Windows 8 like they avoided Vista. The desktop legacy mode will allow flexible multitasking, but many of the new apps will only support Metro mode.

 

[Brink]

Hello Jsudduth, and welcome to Eight Forums.

Just to note that his is only with Metro apps. Normal programs will behave and can be used just as they always have been.

 

[muiacir]

is there a way to disable this option?

 

[dirtyvu]

note that there are 2 options for changing priority of the metro apps (which app is the bigger pane and which app is the smaller pane):

1) you can drag the bar to just past the halfway mark of the screen

OR

2) you can double-click on the bar that divides the 2 apps.