System Enable or Disable Snap Layouts for Maximize Button in Windows 11


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Snap_banner.png

This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable showing snap layouts when hovering over a maximize button for your account in Windows 11.

The Snap windows feature in Windows allows you to automatically resize and arrange windows on your screen.

Windows 11 includes a Snap Layouts feature that allows you to select how to snap the current window.

Just hover your mouse over a window’s maximize button to see available snap layouts, then click on a zone to snap the window. You’ll then be guided to snap windows to the rest of the zones within the layout with guided snap assist. For smaller screens, you’ll be offered a set of 4 snap layouts. You can also invoke the snap layouts flyout with the Win + Z keyboard shortcut.

Starting with Windows 11 build 22000.65, available snap layouts when using smaller PCs in portrait orientation have been optimized for that posture. You can now choose to snap three apps on top of each other, instead of four quadrants.

Starting with Windows 11 build 22557, Microsoft added a new way to snap windows into snap layouts that works wonderfully with both touch and mouse! To try it out, just drag a window to the top of the screen to reveal the snap layouts, drop the window on top of a zone to snap it, and use snap assist to finish building your layout.

Starting with Windows 11 build 22593, if you press Win+Z to open snap layouts, all the layouts will now show associated numbers, so you can quickly use the number keys to select the desired layout.

Starting with Windows 11 build 22631.3374, Microsoft is trying out suggestions in Snap Layouts that help you instantly snap multiple app windows together. When hovering over the Minimize or Maximize button on an app (or WIN + Z) to launch the layout box, you will see app icons displayed in various layout options to help recommend the best layout option that works best.

Suggestions in Snap Layouts.



Contents

  • Option One: Enable or Disable Snap Layouts for Maximize Button in Settings
  • Option Two: Enable or Disable Snap Layouts for Maximize Button using REG file


EXAMPLE: Snap layouts when hovering over a maximize button

snap_layouts_when_hover_over_maximize_button.jpg





Option One

Enable or Disable Snap Layouts for Maximize Button in Settings


1 Open Settings (Win+I).

2 Click/tap on System on the left side, and click/tap on Multitasking on the right side. (see screenshot below)

Open Multitasking settings

Show_snap_layouts_when_hover_over_maximize_button_Settings-1.png

3 Click/tap on Snap windows on the right side to expand it open. (see screenshot below step 4)

4 Check (enable - default) or Uncheck (disable) Show snap layouts when I hover over a window’s maximize button for what you want on the right side.

The Show snap layouts when I hover over a window’s maximize button setting will be disabled and grayed out if Snap windows is not turned on.


Show_snap_layouts_when_hover_over_maximize_button_Settings-2.png

5 You can now close Settings if you like.




Option Two

Enable or Disable Snap Layouts for Maximize Button using REG file


1 Do step 2 (enable) or step 3 (disable) below for what you would like to do.

2 To Enable Snap Layouts for Maximize Button

This is the default setting.


A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.​

Enable_show_snap_layouts_when_hover_over_maximize_button_in_Windows_11.reg


(Contents of REG file for reference)
Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
"WindowArrangementActive"="1"

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced]
"EnableSnapAssistFlyout"=dword:00000001

3 To Disable Snap Layouts for Maximize Button

A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.​

Disable_show_snap_layouts_when_hover_over_maximize_button_in_Windows_11.reg


(Contents of REG file for reference)
Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced]
"EnableSnapAssistFlyout"=dword:00000000

4 Save the .reg file to your desktop.

5 Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.

6 When prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.

7 Either sign out and sign in or restart the computer to apply.

8 You can now delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.


That's it,
Shawn Brink


 

Attachments

  • Disable_show_snap_layouts_when_hover_over_maximize_button_in_Windows_11.reg
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  • Enable_show_snap_layouts_when_hover_over_maximize_button_in_Windows_11.reg
    826 bytes · Views: 413
  • Snap.png
    Snap.png
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Last edited:
I really like this!!!
 

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    doofenshmirtz evil incorporated
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I just tested it and I liked!
Is it there another way out of it beside maximizing or closing?
 

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Hi

I have checked all these settings and everything is enabled, yet I do not see the Snap Layout panel. Also the key combination WIN+Z does nothing

Any ideas?

Update: I just made a clean install of Windows 11 and now Snap Layouts works fine
 
Last edited:

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    i9-9900K
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    Corsair Vengeance LPC 2x16GB, DDR4-3000
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This is so cool, thank you for sharing.
 

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I find this a really useful new feature, but I have found one (and just the one) app where it doesn't appear. Hover over the Maximise button in Firefox 92 and the only thing that pops up is the word 'Maximise'.

1631564816104.png


It can't be that an app needs to be 'Windows 11 aware' as it works in other apps that pre-date W11, such as VLC.

1631564884777.png
 

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    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update.

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    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 8GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
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    Laptop
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    Dell Lattitude E4310
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    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
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    0T6M8G
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    8GB
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    (integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
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    1366x768
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    500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
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    Firefox, Edge
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    Defender
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    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround. In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround. Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package. Also running Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 8GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
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