Starting with Windows 7, Microsoft added Aero Snap, a piece of Aero Desktop capabilities not found in Aero Desktop in Windows Vista. With Aero Snap, users can drag any window to the top, left, or right of the screen to expand the window in a special way.
Dragging a window up expands the window to full screen, and dragging to the left or right maximizes the window to half the screen depending on which direction you drag it. While this is useful when you want to see two windows at the same time, some users find the Aero Snap feature too aggressive and enlarges windows when the user doesn’t intend to.
Fortunately, Microsoft allows you to stop the Aero Snap feature without having to completely disable Aero Desktop or make any complex registry entry.
Disable Aero Snap feature in Windows 7/8/10
To disable the Aero Snap feature, first click the Start button and then type Ease of Access Center in the Search Programs and Files search box. Hit Enter.
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Unsurprisingly, you should now take a look at the Ease of Access Center, which is the central place for all the accessibility options available in Windows 7/8/10. At the bottom of the list is an option called “Make it easier to focus on tasks.” Click on this option and you will see the “Make it easier to focus on tasks” window.
At the bottom of the window, you will see the “Make Windows easier to manage” option. In this section, check the box next to Prevent windows from automatically positioning when moving to the edge of the screen.
Ironically, Microsoft didn’t just call this option Disable Aero Snap as it probably should have been. This would make finding and disabling this feature a lot easier.
Why is Windows 7/8/10 Aero Snap disabled?
Despite the seemingly useful feature, some users find the Aero Snap implementation more annoying than helpful. Users of previous versions of Windows could have two windows side by side by right-clicking on the taskbar and choosing a menu item. Unfortunately, this method frustrated users when more than two windows were minimized in the taskbar.
If you often have multiple applications open, such as Word and Excel, while you work, you probably spend a lot of time moving windows around to see what is happening. This often involves moving the window partially off the desktop to see what is underneath.
This is usually faster than minimizing the window to the taskbar in just a few seconds before having to restore the window again. With Aero Snap enabled, many users find that this feature actually slows them down when they accidentally move a window too far to the top, left, or right edge of the screen. Enjoy!
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