Snapping Windows on Surface 3 in Windows 10

[NehemiahAdon86]

I installed Windows 10 on my Surface 3 and I have been using it since Thursday. I have to say, after some getting used to, I actually enjoy more than Windows 8.1 overall, despite tablet mode's unfinished feel (this took a couple days since I loved the fluidity with which I could use the Surface as a tablet on 8.1).

That being said, one thing that I can't seem to figure out is how to snap windows side-by-side on the desktop so I can take full advantage of "virtual desktops" on the Surface 3 screen. When I drag a window up to the top of the screen I can see the little snap indicator, but it only snaps the window full screen, and I have no option to snap another open window to the side of the other.

Am I missing something, or is the Surface 3 screen just too small for snapping, even in landscape? If so, that would be very disappointing, since it appears to be plenty wide to at least snap two windows side-by-side, not to mention the fact that I could do this much on Windows 8.1 (i.e. snap apps side-by-side, albeit, not on the desktop).

Any ideas?

Thanks

 

[agt499]

I know the theory is that you drag to the left or right side of the screen.
For me it is very flaky - I can only get it to work about 20% of the time in tablet /touch mode . It always works with the keyboard shortcut of win+leftarrow though.
It also seems to behave differently with desktop vs modern apps. Not better or worse, but different.
I'm hoping an update will make it more reliable.

 

[hughlle]

I installed Windows 10 on my Surface 3 and I have been using it since Thursday. I have to say, after some getting used to, I actually enjoy more than Windows 8.1 overall, despite tablet mode's unfinished feel (this took a couple days since I loved the fluidity with which I could use the Surface as a tablet on 8.1).

That being said, one thing that I can't seem to figure out is how to snap windows side-by-side on the desktop so I can take full advantage of "virtual desktops" on the Surface 3 screen. When I drag a window up to the top of the screen I can see the little snap indicator, but it only snaps the window full screen, and I have no option to snap another open window to the side of the other.

Am I missing something, or is the Surface 3 screen just too small for snapping, even in landscape? If so, that would be very disappointing, since it appears to be plenty wide to at least snap two windows side-by-side, not to mention the fact that I could do this much on Windows 8.1 (i.e. snap apps side-by-side, albeit, not on the desktop).

Any ideas?

Thanks

I have no problem a all. I just drag down as if closing an app as you would in 8.1, and then drag it to the side

 

[agt499]

I have no problem a all. I just drag down as if closing an app as you would in 8.1, and then drag it to the side

Yes, it used to work very reliably for me in 8.1, but now in 10 I can only do it sometimes. I haven't found a pattern.
Does it work for you the same with desktop and modern apps?
I have found that if I fullscreen a modern app like kindle, which hides the taskbar (which works very nicely as you can still get task view with the swipe from left), it will definitely never snap until you 'unfullscreen' it.

 

[NehemiahAdon86]

That's funny. Now when I try snapping by dragging a window to the left or right of the screen (landscape only), the snap feature works. I'm pretty positive it didn't work a few days ago; which is why I thought dragging to the top must be how it worked. Now this seems to work fine whenever I want, (desktop or modern apps), landscape and portrait. Though it would be nice to have portrait mode snap in a top-to-bottom layout. In any case, I wonder if there was an update which fixed this problem, or if I was just imagining things.

 

[hughlle]

I assume you guys are aware that unlike in 8.1, there I no real difference between a desktop application and a MUI application. In windows 10 the difference is between desktop, and tablet mode. The apps being run have little to do with the way you interact.

If in desktop mode, it doesn't matter if it a MUI app or a desktop app, you snap it through keyboard shortcuts, or by dragging it via it's title bar, as you have always done (drag to top will make it take up whole screen, drag to right will take up right hand part of screen etc etc)

In tablet mode, it also doesn't matter what kind of app it is. Everything opens full screen, and you simply swipe down (as if to close an app like you did in 8.1) but then drag the floating window to the side and you'll see it start to activate split screen.

It is really very simple once you understand the difference between desktop and tablet mode.

 

[GreyFox7]

I assume you guys are aware that unlike in 8.1, there I no real difference between a desktop application and a MUI application. In windows 10 the difference is between desktop, and tablet mode. The apps being run have little to do with the way you interact.

If in desktop mode, it doesn't matter if it a MUI app or a desktop app, you snap it through keyboard shortcuts, or by dragging it via it's title bar, as you have always done (drag to top will make it take up whole screen, drag to right will take up right hand part of screen etc etc)

In tablet mode, it also doesn't matter what kind of app it is. Everything opens full screen, and you simply swipe down (as if to close an app like you did in 8.1) but then drag the floating window to the side and you'll see it start to activate split screen.

It is really very simple once you understand the difference between desktop and tablet mode.

I think there is a difference in that a traditional desktop app used the Win32 etc. API set and W8 MUI aps used a different API set and W10 Uni Apps ... I assume uses still another variant.

W10 just changes the mode of presentation, like going to the fancy restaurant, the food is the same but the plating up is different.

 

[NehemiahAdon86]

Hughlle,
You're right. There doesn't seem to be any difference that I could tell between the typical desktop applications and the MUI applications, not that I can tell anyway. Perhaps GreyFox7 is correct, but at least I could not find any "practical" differences in regards to window snapping between the two types of apps.

The main differences I think I need to keep in mind is more between the new "tablet" and "desktop" modes especially in combination with portrait and landscape orientations of the screen. I can snap side-to-side in portrait orientation only in "desktop" mode, but not in "tablet" mode. This seems odd. You would think it would be opposite since the "full screen" experience of tablet mode gives you more real estate to see the content of each app.

 

[hughlle]

Yeah. By no difference I was simply talking about the manner in which they snap. Not their API's and that lot, that's double dutch to me.

I have also found that you cannot snap in portrait mode, let alone stack them vertically. Very odd decision.

 

[NehemiahAdon86]

Yeah. By no difference I was simply talking about the manner in which they snap. Not their API's and that lot, that's double dutch to me.

I have also found that you cannot snap in portrait mode, let alone stack them vertically. Very odd decision.

You can't snap in portrait even in "desktop" mode? I am able to. And yes, this is the Surface 3, not the pro.