14 DAY TRIAL // Just like the Start menu (and initially the Start button too), the Windows 7 Aero suite of effects was removed in Windows 8, and after so many years of criticism, Microsoft is now working to bring some of its features back in Windows 10.
Window snapping has been improved in Windows 10 with options borrowed from Aero Snap, and Microsoft details all these enhancements in a blog post today, explaining that ever since it started work on the new operating system, one of the main priorities has been to “blend the best of both Windows 7 and Windows 8 for this new release.”
As a result, Windows 10 comes with three different window snapping modes, namely Snap Assist, Corner Snap, and Snap Fill, all of which are based on the original Aero Snap implemented in Windows 7.
Snapping made easier
Snap Assist is supposed to make snapping faster because now, when you attempt to snap two windows side by side, you are provided with thumbnails for the recently used apps to quickly choose which one to snap.
“Instead of making you hunt for the second window to snap, why not present a list of recently used windows up front? This is the fundamental idea behind Snap Assist in Windows 10,” Microsoft explains.
Corner Snap, on the other hand, is specifically designed for 4K and large monitors, making it possible to snap a window to a quarter size of a monitor and run multiple windows on the same screen. You can have a maximum of four windows on the screen at once, and all you need to do is simply drag a window to a corner and let it go.
And last but not least, Snap Fill makes it possible to use two windows side by side and resize the second based on the dimensions of the other.
“When you snap a window and resize it, the system takes note of your action. When you then snap a second window, the system will optimize its size to automatically fill up the available space. It’s a subtle feature, but comes in handy when you snap a lot of windows or have complex layouts involving a mix of half and quarter snapped windows,” Redmond further adds.
All these features are already available in the existing Windows 10 builds, so anyone can try them right now, and expect them to be part of the RTM version of the OS too.
Snap Assist in action in Windows 10