N
Fame Burst

How to use sets in windows 10 to organize apps into tabs

Author

David Edwards

Updated on March 29, 2026

Chris Hoffman is Editor-in-Chief of How-To Geek. He’s written about technology for over a decade and was a PCWorld columnist for two years. Chris has written for The New York Times, been interviewed as a technology expert on TV stations like Miami’s NBC 6, and had his work covered by news outlets like the BBC. Since 2011, Chris has written over 2,000 articles that have been read nearly one billion times—and that’s just here at How-To Geek. Read more.

Sets was going to bring tabs to File Explorer and other Windows applications. An early version of Sets once appeared in Windows Insider builds, but Microsoft pulled it. Now, according to Microsoft’s Rich Turner on Twitter, Sets is “no more.”

Update: ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley confirms the Sets feature is gone. That’s according to her internal sources at Microsoft.

We were really looking forward to Sets, as we’ve always wanted tabs in the File Explorer as well as console windows like the Command Prompt, PowerShell, and even Linux Bash shells on Windows. Tabs in other applications like Notepad would be really cool, too. Sets offered native tabs any application could use. Here’s how Sets worked when it was available in Windows Insider builds for a short time a year ago.

Back in June 2018, Microsoft removed Sets tabs from the Windows Insider build and thanked users for their “valuable feedback… as we develop this feature helping to ensure we deliver the best possible experience once it’s ready for release.”

Microsoft has been pretty quiet about Sets ever since. In December 2018, Windows Central’s Zac Bowden claimed Sets wasn’t “cancelled” according to his sources at Microsoft.

But, five months later, Sets is looking pretty canceled. In response to a question about when a tabbed console environment would arrive, Microsoft’s Rich Turner said “the Shell-provided tab experience is no more”—he’s referring to Sets here.

Turner also said “adding tabs [to the console] is high on our to do list.” Surely Microsoft wouldn’t be working on adding tabs to the console if those native operating system tabs were still their way any time soon.

The Shell-provided tab experience is no more, but adding tabs is high on our to do list.

It’s a bit crazy that we have to parse Microsoft’s plans from errant tweets, but that’s how it goes. It appears Microsoft has quietly canceled Sets without actually telling anyone outside of Microsoft. We’d like a more official statement, of course, but Microsoft may never release one and may let the memory of Sets quietly fade away.

It makes sense, really. Microsoft made Sets very complicated—it was more than just tabs; each tab could embed Edge’s browser engine. With the old version of Edge on the way out and a new Chromium-based version of Edge on the way in, Sets is now more complicated to implement. Zac Bowden said Microsoft was still “working on how best to implement it,” but that was back in 2018 and it appears plans have changed.

Of course, while many people wanted File Explorer and console tabs—features other operating systems have had for decades—no one really asked Microsoft to make Sets so complicated in the first place.

Users: “We want a tabbed file manager and command prompt.”
MS: “Okay, also we put them in every single app and built in a web browser”
U: “Great, we didn’t need all that but-“
MS: “Oops, it’s too buggy, we’re removing it.”
U: “Hey, what happened to our tabbed file manager? Hello?

Oh well, at least there are ways to get tabs in File Explorer today. But it’s 2019 and Windows really should offer this basic feature.

If we’ve misinterpreted Rich Turner’s tweet and Sets is still on the way, we would be happy to update this article with an official Microsoft statement about what’s going on with Sets.

One of the most significant changes that Microsoft will bring to the Windows desktop interface is unarguably a functionality feature called Sets. With it, you will be able to have various tabs from different applications in a single window.

If you joined the Microsoft Insider Program, you would be able to test the feature in the Redstone 5 Preview. Needless to say, you would have an earlier pass to learning how to organize apps into tabs on Windows 10. On the other hand, the general public would only be able to fully use this feature sometime in the last quarter of 2018. Microsoft announced that Sets would only be released to consumers when it is absolutely ready for use. So, it is safe to say that the latest date we can expect it is early next year.

What are Sets in Windows 10?

Windows users have to open several windows if they are working with multiple applications. With Sets, they can now get tabs in the title bar of almost every kind of Windows application. With this feature, you can now get tabs in Command Prompt, File Explorer, Notepad, and other applications that didn’t offer them before.

For instance, if you’re typing something on Microsoft Word, you can open an Edge browser tab to search for information on the Internet. In this way, you will be able to conveniently switch from one tab to another without using another window.

One of the great things about this feature is it allows you to mix and match the tabs. This means that you can have a Notepad tab, a File Explorer tab, and other web browser tabs in one window. In a way, the feature allows you to create ‘sets’ or groups of applications that you would otherwise open in different windows.

Since Microsoft knew that people love using tabs, the company has integrated the feature in applications in its system. Once Redstone 5 gets released to the public, tabs will become a significant part of the Windows desktop interface. In the preview, the shortcut Alt+Tab allows users to switch between tabs and windows.

Where can you use Sets?

You can use Sets on any traditional Windows desktop application. To put it another way, any Win32 application with a standard Windows title bar supports Sets. You can also use Sets in Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps you can get from the Store. If you’re using Microsoft Office programs, you can also use the feature there.

On the other hand, if you have desktop applications that don’t have the normal Windows title bar, you wouldn’t be able to use Sets on them. These programs include Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, iTunes, and Steam. So, if you’re going to work on a document in Microsoft Word, you would have to use Microsoft Edge as your web browser to be able to put them in tabs on a single window. That said, software developers would have to modify their applications to accommodate Sets.

How to organize apps into tabs on Windows 10?

It is easy to find Sets and use it on your applications. With the Redstone 5 Preview, you can now see tabs in the title bars of Windows applications. To open a new bar, all you have to do is click the + button on the bar.

It is worth noting that in the Redstone 5 Preview, when you click the + button, it will open a new Microsoft Edge tab. However, in future versions, there will be an option to use this new tab page to open applications. Users who have tested the feature mentioned that there are still some functionality hiccups in Sets. For instance, when you try opening multiple application windows, you will see that each of them has a tab bar. If you want to combine them into one window, you would have to drag the tab from one window to another. If you want to add more application tabs, you would have to repeat the process.

In File Explorer, it is relatively easier to open an application in a new tab. Here are the steps:

  1. On your keyboard, press Windows Key+E. This should launch File Explorer.
  2. Press Ctrl+T to open a new tab.
  3. You can also right-click a folder in File Explorer. Make sure you choose Open in New Tab.

By right-clicking the tabs, you will be able to discover options for managing them. There are selections like Close Tab, Close Other Tabs, Close Tabs to the Right, and Move to New Window, among others. It is also worth noting that you can rearrange the tabs by dragging and dropping them. If you want to open a tab in a separate window, you can simply drag it away from the window. You will see a speaker icon on an Edge browser tab if it is playing audio. You can turn on or off the sound for that tab by clicking the speaker icon.

Sets also allows you to open previous tabs associated with an application. Let’s say you were typing something on Microsoft Word and you had another tab with an Edge browser. Even after closing that window, you can still go to the upper left corner of the window and click Previous Tab to reopen the browser you’ve closed. You can also use a list of application tabs you have previously used with the current application. Such feature allows you to conveniently reopen sets of applications. Moreover, using Sets can help you to speed up your PC in general. We also recommend installing Auslogics BoostSpeed to get the best result.

Keyboard shortcuts you can use for Sets

It is more convenient and easy to manage Sets tabs by using the following shortcuts:

  1. Ctrl+Windows Key+Tab – Switching to the next tab
  2. Ctrl+Windows Key+Shift+Tab – Switching to the previous tab
  3. Ctrl+Windows Key+T – Opening a new tab
  4. Ctrl+Windows Key+W – Closing the current tab
  5. Ctrl+Windows Key+Shift+T – Reopening a previously closed tab
  6. Ctrl+Windows Key+1 to 9 – Switching to a particular tab on your tab bar. For instance, if you’re on the fourth tab and you want to go back to the first tab, you will press Ctrl+Windows Key+1.

What are you looking forward to in Sets?

Let us know in the comments below!

One of the most significant changes that Microsoft will bring to the Windows desktop interface is unarguably a functionality feature called Sets. With it, you will be able to have various tabs from different applications in a single window.

If you joined the Microsoft Insider Program, you would be able to test the feature in the Redstone 5 Preview. Needless to say, you would have an earlier pass to learning how to organize apps into tabs on Windows 10. On the other hand, the general public would only be able to fully use this feature sometime in the last quarter of 2018. Microsoft announced that Sets would only be released to consumers when it is absolutely ready for use. So, it is safe to say that the latest date we can expect it is early next year.

What are Sets in Windows 10?

Windows users have to open several windows if they are working with multiple applications. With Sets, they can now get tabs in the title bar of almost every kind of Windows application. With this feature, you can now get tabs in Command Prompt, File Explorer, Notepad, and other applications that didn’t offer them before.

For instance, if you’re typing something on Microsoft Word, you can open an Edge browser tab to search for information on the Internet. In this way, you will be able to conveniently switch from one tab to another without using another window.

One of the great things about this feature is it allows you to mix and match the tabs. This means that you can have a Notepad tab, a File Explorer tab, and other web browser tabs in one window. In a way, the feature allows you to create ‘sets’ or groups of applications that you would otherwise open in different windows.

Since Microsoft knew that people love using tabs, the company has integrated the feature in applications in its system. Once Redstone 5 gets released to the public, tabs will become a significant part of the Windows desktop interface. In the preview, the shortcut Alt+Tab allows users to switch between tabs and windows.

Where can you use Sets?

You can use Sets on any traditional Windows desktop application. To put it another way, any Win32 application with a standard Windows title bar supports Sets. You can also use Sets in Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps you can get from the Store. If you’re using Microsoft Office programs, you can also use the feature there.

On the other hand, if you have desktop applications that don’t have the normal Windows title bar, you wouldn’t be able to use Sets on them. These programs include Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, iTunes, and Steam. So, if you’re going to work on a document in Microsoft Word, you would have to use Microsoft Edge as your web browser to be able to put them in tabs on a single window. That said, software developers would have to modify their applications to accommodate Sets.

How to organize apps into tabs on Windows 10?

It is easy to find Sets and use it on your applications. With the Redstone 5 Preview, you can now see tabs in the title bars of Windows applications. To open a new bar, all you have to do is click the + button on the bar.

It is worth noting that in the Redstone 5 Preview, when you click the + button, it will open a new Microsoft Edge tab. However, in future versions, there will be an option to use this new tab page to open applications. Users who have tested the feature mentioned that there are still some functionality hiccups in Sets. For instance, when you try opening multiple application windows, you will see that each of them has a tab bar. If you want to combine them into one window, you would have to drag the tab from one window to another. If you want to add more application tabs, you would have to repeat the process.

In File Explorer, it is relatively easier to open an application in a new tab. Here are the steps:

  1. On your keyboard, press Windows Key+E. This should launch File Explorer.
  2. Press Ctrl+T to open a new tab.
  3. You can also right-click a folder in File Explorer. Make sure you choose Open in New Tab.

By right-clicking the tabs, you will be able to discover options for managing them. There are selections like Close Tab, Close Other Tabs, Close Tabs to the Right, and Move to New Window, among others. It is also worth noting that you can rearrange the tabs by dragging and dropping them. If you want to open a tab in a separate window, you can simply drag it away from the window. You will see a speaker icon on an Edge browser tab if it is playing audio. You can turn on or off the sound for that tab by clicking the speaker icon.

Sets also allows you to open previous tabs associated with an application. Let’s say you were typing something on Microsoft Word and you had another tab with an Edge browser. Even after closing that window, you can still go to the upper left corner of the window and click Previous Tab to reopen the browser you’ve closed. You can also use a list of application tabs you have previously used with the current application. Such feature allows you to conveniently reopen sets of applications. Moreover, using Sets can help you to speed up your PC in general. We also recommend installing Auslogics BoostSpeed to get the best result.

Keyboard shortcuts you can use for Sets

It is more convenient and easy to manage Sets tabs by using the following shortcuts:

  1. Ctrl+Windows Key+Tab – Switching to the next tab
  2. Ctrl+Windows Key+Shift+Tab – Switching to the previous tab
  3. Ctrl+Windows Key+T – Opening a new tab
  4. Ctrl+Windows Key+W – Closing the current tab
  5. Ctrl+Windows Key+Shift+T – Reopening a previously closed tab
  6. Ctrl+Windows Key+1 to 9 – Switching to a particular tab on your tab bar. For instance, if you’re on the fourth tab and you want to go back to the first tab, you will press Ctrl+Windows Key+1.

What are you looking forward to in Sets?

Let us know in the comments below!

Way back in 2018, Microsoft announced a new Windows 10 feature called ‘Sets’ to blur the line between desktop apps and web pages. Sets are essentially tabs for File Explorer, Office, and every other app in Windows 10, so you could quickly open multiple apps in the same window.

The idea behind Sets was incredibly simple—organizing your work. With Sets, Windows 10 could provide users with the ability to organize their apps, documents, web browsing session, and tasks into one tabbed window.

In any version of Windows, you can only open one app within a window (the container), but Sets was set to add tabs into such window containers.

Sets would have allowed users to group apps, websites, and other information in tabs. For example, Sets would have allowed users to open multiple tabs of File Explorer in the same window, so you could quickly find and compare a file. You could also add Notepad to the File Explorer tab and jot down the information.

How to use sets in windows 10 to organize apps into tabs

Windows 10 Sets feature was supposed to debut in 2018, but Microsoft reportedly stopped developing the feature as it was generally not well understood by testers.

If you thought tabs could now only be found in browsers, Windows Terminal, and third-party applications, think again. In Windows 10 v19577 SDK, the references to tabs are back and it looks like Microsoft is still working on Sets, or on a similar feature for some apps on Windows where it would make more sense.

The SDK includes references to WindowTab, WindowTabIcon, WindowTabManager, and WindowTabGroup, which suggests Windows 10 tab-based interface is still a thing and it could debut in preview builds soon.

When Microsoft first unveiled Sets, executives said the feature will support both UWP and Win32 apps. The feature also supports continuity, which means Microsoft will allow you to restore tab groups that you previously opened.

How to use sets in windows 10 to organize apps into tabs

The ambitious Windows 10 tabs interface was also supposed to sync and restore your app groups across desktop devices. In 2018, Microsoft said it would use the integration of Microsoft’s Timelines tool for Sets, so users could restore app groups across numerous platforms.

Windows Insiders have had access to Sets in 2018, so it’s likely that feature will first arrive for the Insiders if it ever gets finalized again.

Chris Hoffman is Editor-in-Chief of How-To Geek. He’s written about technology for over a decade and was a PCWorld columnist for two years. Chris has written for The New York Times, been interviewed as a technology expert on TV stations like Miami’s NBC 6, and had his work covered by news outlets like the BBC. Since 2011, Chris has written over 2,000 articles that have been read nearly one billion times—and that’s just here at How-To Geek. Read more.

How to use sets in windows 10 to organize apps into tabs

Windows 10’s Redstone 5 update adds tabs to nearly every application on your system. You can remove these tabs from any application you like, giving those applications a traditional windows title bar once again.

This new tab feature is named “Sets,” and you can’t completely disable it for every application on your system at the moment. Microsoft only lets you disable it for specific applications—but you can disable it for as many applications as you lie.

The Redstone 5 update is currently available in Insider Preview form. It will be released sometime in Fall 2018 and will be named something else—probably the “October 2018 Update” or “November 2018 Update.”

To configure the tabs, head to Settings > System > Multitasking.

How to use sets in windows 10 to organize apps into tabs

Scroll down to the “Sets” section, and then click the “Add an app” button.

You’ll find other options for configuring Sets here, including controlling whether tabs appear alongside windows when you press Alt+Tab.

How to use sets in windows 10 to organize apps into tabs

Scroll through the list for the name of the application from which you want to remove tabs, select it, and then click the “OK” button.

This list shows universal applications like Mail, built-in Windows applications like File Explorer, and any desktop applications you’ve installed yourself.

How to use sets in windows 10 to organize apps into tabs

Repeat this process to remove tabs from as many applications as you like. There’s nothing stopping you from removing Sets tabs from every application you use, if you don’t like it.

To remove an app from this list and restore tabs to that app, click the app in the list, and then click the “Remove” button.

How to use sets in windows 10 to organize apps into tabs

Any applications you add to this list will now have a classic title bar instead of the new tabbed title bar.

How to use sets in windows 10 to organize apps into tabs

If this change doesn’t occur immediately, minimize the application’s window and restore it. If that doesn’t work, you’ll need to restart the application.

Sponsored Links

Microsoft took some major cues from browsers to create Sets, which lets you group together Windows apps in tabs. Now, the tech giant is rolling out experimental features to testers that give Sets tabs evenmore browser-like behavior. If you’re a Windows Insider who has opted to Skip Ahead, you can now drag and drop tabs within Sets and combine several tabbed app windows into one. Those make it easier to organize open apps, so long as it’s not an Edge tab — you can’t drag and drop Microsoft’s browser tabs into Sets yet and doing so could crash your system.

Microsoft has also made it easier to switch between all those tabs you combined by using the Alt + Tab shortcut. You can tweak the shortcut’s behavior under the new Sets section in Multitasking, as you can see in the image below:

In addition, you’ll find the new “close other tabs,” “move to new window” and “close tabs to the right” options when you right click on a tab in a Set. If you want to bring up tabs you mistakenly closed, you can now choose which Previous Tabs to restore instead of simply reviving them all. Microsoft has also added a quick way to group two File Explorer windows together, introduced a feature in Settings that shows you how much battery your Bluetooth device has left, made sure the Calculator can compute for the accurate square roots of perfect squares and fixed a bunch of bugs and issues. It’ll take some time for all those to be available on the stable version of Windows 10, though, so you might have to wait a while if you’re not an Insider.

Windows 10 allows you to arrange multiple windows, i.e. Apps, Programs, Files, and Folders, in many ways. You can have them stacked or arranged in a way that you can view them all together. So you can play a movie on one side while working on the other, while the third part is just displaying live stats from the stock market. Let’s learn to Snap & Arrange Multiple Windows in Windows 10

How to use sets in windows 10 to organize apps into tabs

How to Snap & Arrange multiple windows in Windows 10

There are three ways to snap and arrange multiple windows in Windows 10. When you have a big screen, it makes sense to snap those windows and keep them open so you can work simultaneously with them. It gets even better when you have multiple monitors.

  • Using Win + Arrow keys
  • Cascade, Stack or Side by Side
  • Powertoys Flexizone

You can use any of them, but Powertoys offers extra flexibility.

1] Using Win + Arrow keys

In Windows 10, the screen is divided into four quadrants. In each, you can have one window arrange or windows can expand up to two quadrants.

  1. To use this feature, Open a couple of apps and programs. Next, resize them instead of the full screen.
  2. Now you have two choices here. Use Keyboard or Mouse.
  3. Using Mouse or Touch, drag an open Window it extreme left, and you will see it getting snapped there, and on left thumbnails of all the windows will appear. Select any of them, and it will occupy the right half. Now you can resize and add one more.
  4. Using the keyboard is probably the best.
    • Fist, make one Windows go full screen.
    • Now press WIN + LEFT Arrow, and it will snap to the left and will show you snap assist.
    • Select the one you want.
    • To resize, press WIN + Down, and it will occupy less space and give you the option to add more windows.

2] Cascade, Stack or Side by Side

How to use sets in windows 10 to organize apps into tabs

These are from the old school, and you mostly know it. For newcomers, this is less complicated than snap.

  • Have Lot of open Windows.
  • Right-click on the taskbar and look for options which say
    • “Cascade Windows”
    • “Show windows stacked.”
    • and “show windows side by side.”

3] PowerToys FancyZones

How to use sets in windows 10 to organize apps into tabs

It is an open-source tool that can create a virtual grid for your windows. For example, if you regularly work with three open windows every day, you can split the screen into three panes. All you need to do next is drag a window in that area, and it will settle on it. Some of the monitors offer software that can help you do that, but if yours doesn’t support, then you should install this.

  • Download PowerToys from GitHub, and install it.
  • Once installed, it will be available in the System tray. During installation, make sure to set it to start with Windows.
  • Launch the application, and switch to Fancy Zones > Edit Zones
  • Next, you can choose between the offered layout to create your own. For example, I usually have one area which is occupied with my editor, and two smaller areas where I research or read articles or watch a video and so on.How to use sets in windows 10 to organize apps into tabs
  • Switch to Custom Zone, and create your layout. Click on Add Zone, and you can resize, arrange it exactly where you want them to be.
  • To place the windows into these zones, use shift while dragging, and the zones will turn blue as you move the window on top of them.

The software also works with multiple displays and offers a setting for that; You can choose to keep windows pinned to multiple desktops in the same zone when the active desktop changes.

If you like to use Windows Snap hotkeys in Powertoys, you can override it bu turning on a setting. The default shortcut is Win +

PowerToys also offers PowerRename, Shortcut guide, which I would highly recommend you to take a look at.

Honestly, Snap is what you should be using. Period.

Organize multiple applications into grouped tabs on your Windows desktop.

  • Group apps under a common tabbed interface
  • Save groups of applications together for future usage
  • Mouseover tabs to preview the window contents
  • Automatically group instances of the same app together

Features

Keep your workspace organized

Groupy is a powerful organizational tool for Windows that will keep information tabbed and organized. You can drag and drop multiple applications and documents together to group them into a tabbed interface for easy access and reference.

How to use sets in windows 10 to organize apps into tabs

How to use sets in windows 10 to organize apps into tabs

Optimize your workflow

Straightforward and easy to use, Groupy lets you manage tabs in quick and natural ways within the browser-like interface. Tabbing between apps keeps the desktop clear of additional distractions and eliminates the need to constantly look around for and open or close multiple programs.

Saved Groups

Save groups of applications together for future usage. Optionally add a New Tab button to quickly launch a new instance of the currently highlighted application.

Saved groups for Office files combine all your working documents in one convenient link.

How to use sets in windows 10 to organize apps into tabs

How to use sets in windows 10 to organize apps into tabs

Access information quickly and easily

Web browsers existed for over a decade before the capability for multiple tabbed pages was available. Groupy brings this option to the Windows desktop by letting you keep reference data in multiple locations contained in a single group that’s only a tab-click away.

How to use sets in windows 10 to organize apps into tabs

Microsoft is pulling the tabbed-windows experience called ‘Sets’ from its latest Windows 10 preview build and we might not see it in Redstone 5.

Microsoft today released a new preview build of Windows 10 Redstone 5 to Insiders and it includes a ton of new features. However, the much-anticipated Sets feature has been pulled from this build and we’re not sure when it will return. This is the second time Sets has been removed from a preview release of Windows 10. The Sets feature was originally introduced in A-B testing with Insider builds of Redstone 4 this past year but was quickly abandoned as it wasn’t ready for Windows 10 1803.

The Sets feature is a tabbed-windows experience that lets you group together different apps on your desktop. Think of it like having different tabs open in your browser, but for apps and File Explorer. It’s a nice way to organize and access a set of apps and makes it much easier to navigate between them and improve your workflow.

How to use sets in windows 10 to organize apps into tabs

Details on why it was removed and when it will come back have been vague. Microsoft made the announcement about Sets in today’s blog post about preview build 17704:

Thank you for your continued support of testing Sets. We continue to receive valuable feedback from you as we develop this feature helping to ensure we deliver the best possible experience once it’s ready for release. Starting with this build, we’re taking Sets offline to continue making it great. Based on your feedback, some of the things we’re focusing on include improvements to the visual design and continuing to better integrate Office and Microsoft Edge into Sets to enhance workflow. If you have been testing Sets, you will no longer see it as of today’s build, however, Sets will return in a future WIP flight. Thanks again for your feedback.

I’ll have to admit, in my testing, the Sets feature had its share of issues – especially with Office 365 apps. Also, it wasn’t working with a lot of third-party apps, and even some Microsoft UWP apps. It has come a long way, though, and it was looking promising. But I have to applaud Microsoft for wanting to get it right before officially releasing it to the public. Unlike Windows Timeline, Sets is a big change for the overall Windows experience and will require a bit of a learning curve.

If you want a tabbed-windows experience on Windows 10 now, you can get Groupy from Stardock. While Groupy does a good job of offering a similar experience, it isn’t as sophisticated as where Microsoft is going with Sets.

If you would like to learn more about what Sets will be and see it in action, check out the following video from Microsoft:

Here’s how to use Snap Assist to cleanly display multiple windows in a single bunch.

How to use sets in windows 10 to organize apps into tabs

Since Windows 7, Microsoft has offered a handy feature for re-sizing windows: snap and resize to the left or right side and top or bottom side of the screen or maximize by dragging and dropping. Windows 10 continues that tradition but improves the feature by letting you arrange up to four windows at the same time as well as display and open or close any window from a thumbnail view.

Let’s say you have two windows on the screen, one in the foreground and one in the background, and you want to view them both fully at the same time.

Drag one window by the title bar to the left or right side of the screen until you see a transparent outline or boundary. Release the window, and it snaps to the side you chose, taking up exactly half the screen (below, left). The other window shrinks into a large thumbnail (right).

Snap the second window to the other side by clicking anywhere on it; it will take up the other half of the screen, and the two windows will appear side by side.

If you want to temporarily maximize the window on the left to see it full screen, grab it by the title bar and drag it to the top of the screen until it fills up all of your available screen real estate.

To arrange the same window so both windows are again side by side, drag the window by the title bar and move it back to the left side of the screen until you see the transparent outline. Release the window, and both windows again appear side by side.

Arrange 4 Windows

This maneuver is easier using keyboard shortcuts than using your mouse. Click on the window on the left side and press Win Key + Up Arrow Key. The window appears in the upper-left corner.

Click on the window on the right side and press Win Key + Down Arrow Key. The new window appears in the lower-right corner.

Open a third app window and press Win Key + Right Arrow Key. Make sure the window is still selected and then press Win Key + Up Arrow Key. The new window appears in the upper-right corner.

Open a fourth window. Press Win Key + Left Arrow Key and then Win Key + Down Arrow Key. All four windows now appear at the same time in their own corner.

Play With the Size and Position

Click on the window in the upper-right corner. Press Win Key + Down Arrow Key so the window takes up the full right side of the screen. Press Win Key + Down Arrow Key again so the window takes up the lower right portion of the screen.

Press Win Key + Down Arrow Key so the window is minimized and no longer appears on the screen.

Drag and drop the window in the top left corner to the right side until it takes up half of the screen. You’ll see the minimized window appear as a large thumbnail. Click on the X button to close it.

Select the window in the lower-left corner and press the Win Key + Up Arrow Key to display it side by side with the window on the right.

Let’s say you have two windows on the screen, one in the foreground and one in the background, and you want to view them both fully at the same time. \r\n\r\n

Drag one window by the title bar to the left or right side of the screen until you see a transparent outline or boundary. Release the window, and it snaps to the side you chose, taking up exactly half the screen (below, left). The other window shrinks into a large thumbnail (right). \r\n\r\n

Snap the second window to the other side by clicking anywhere on it; it will take up the other half of the screen, and the two windows will appear side by side. \r\n\r\n

If you want to temporarily maximize the window on the left to see it full screen, grab it by the title bar and drag it to the top of the screen until it fills up all of your available screen real estate. \r\n\r\n

To arrange the same window so both windows are again side by side, drag the window by the title bar and move it back to the left side of the screen until you see the transparent outline. Release the window, and both windows again appear side by side. \r\n\r\n

Arrange 4 Windows \r\n\r\n

This maneuver is easier using keyboard shortcuts than using your mouse. Click on the window on the left side and press Win Key + Up Arrow Key. The window appears in the upper-left corner. \r\n\r\n

Click on the window on the right side and press Win Key + Down Arrow Key. The new window appears in the lower-right corner. \r\n\r\n

Open a third app window and press Win Key + Right Arrow Key. Make sure the window is still selected and then press Win Key + Up Arrow Key. The new window appears in the upper-right corner. \r\n\r\n

Open a fourth window. Press Win Key + Left Arrow Key and then Win Key + Down Arrow Key. All four windows now appear at the same time in their own corner. \r\n\r\n

Play With the Size and Position \r\n\r\n

Click on the window in the upper-right corner. Press Win Key + Down Arrow Key so the window takes up the full right side of the screen. Press Win Key + Down Arrow Key again so the window takes up the lower right portion of the screen. \r\n\r\n

Press Win Key + Down Arrow Key so the window is minimized and no longer appears on the screen. \r\n\r\n

Drag and drop the window in the top left corner to the right side until it takes up half of the screen. You’ll see the minimized window appear as a large thumbnail. Click on the X button to close it. \r\n\r\n

Select the window in the lower-left corner and press the Win Key + Up Arrow Key to display it side by side with the window on the right. \r\n\r\n

This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.

Your subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox!