Supposedly it's pretty easy to put Metro-style apps side-by-side using touch gestures in Windows 8. I can't seem to figure out how to do it using just the mouse and keyboard though. My screen is definitely larger than the minimum required resolution. How can I arrange apps side-by-side in the Windows 8 Developer Preview without a touchscreen monitor?
2 Answers
Move your mouse toward the left edge of the monitor that is displaying a metro style app full screen. Be careful not to cross to another monitor to the left. Wait for a moment until a window thumbnail comes up, then drag the thumbnail until the metro window moves to the right, then release your mouse. You need to position the mouse just barely on the edge of the monitor in order for this to work.
It appears that side-by-side apps will only work if your screen is widescreen (16:10 or 16:9). You can switch windows using this method on 4:3 screens, but you can't use apps side-by-side.
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In addition to a widescreen display also a minimum resolution of at least 1366 x 768 (compare windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/system-requirements). So it wouldn't work on e.g. a MacBook Pro 13" (not the Retina one) either though it's widescreen (1280x800 resolution).– floooooNov 7, 2012 at 16:26
Yes, just perform the same gestures you would with touch, just using your mouse instead.
Note that multiple monitors can make this problematic, since your mouse will not stop at the edge of the screen.
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2Ah, this might be the issue then. I have 3 displays set up. I can't seem to get any touch gestures to work with the mouse though. Any ideas on how I could get that to work? Or perhaps I'm just doing the gesture wrong... what exactly should I do with the mouse?– nhinkleSep 15, 2011 at 20:31