SOVLED! Show Windows Side By Side Doesn’t Work

If Show windows side by side doesn’t work on your PC, it must have bugged out and you should restart your computer. If the issue persists, it’s a good idea to consider arranging the windows manually, killing Application Frame Host, applying changes to settings and so on. You don’t know your way around Windows and could use some help? Then you have come to the right place. 

A List Of Suspects

All in all, bugs could mess up aspects of Windows and Show windows side by side is not an exception. Hence, in the case that you have a hard time using Show windows side by side, you have to take bugs into account. Besides that, since Application Frame Host is responsible for displaying framed apps (windows), you need to give it some thought too. Last but not least, it won’t hurt to check out the settings. 

What Must Be Done

Restart 

Despite its simplicity, restart could address a lot of bugs that plague Windows computers nowadays. If Show windows side by side doesn’t work as expected, it’s strongly recommended that you restart your computer. 

Arrange The Windows Manually

Once it comes to manual window arrangement, you have two choices: Windows + Left/Right Arrow and Snap Left/Right. Feel free to use whatever suits you. 

Windows + Left/Right Arrow

• Step 1: Open the first window then press Windows + Left Arrow to move it to the left half of the screen.
• Step 2: Open the second window then press Windows + Right Arrow to move it to the right half of the screen. 

Snap Left/Right

• Step 1: Hit Task View, right-click the first windows and pick Snap left.
• Step 2: Hit Task View, right-click the second window and pick Snap right.

Kill Application Frame Host

• Step 1: Right-click an empty space on the taskbar and pick Task Manager.
• Step 2: In Processes, locate Application Frame Host, click it and pick End Task.
• Step 3: See how things turn out. 

Change Settings

• Step 1: Press Windows + I to open Settings, select System and choose Multitasking.
• Step 2: Make sure that the Snap Windows switch is toggled on. 
• Step 3: Proceed to check the checkboxes of:
  • When I snap a window, automatically resize it to fill available space.
  • When I snap a window, show what I can snap next to it.
  • When I resize a snapped window, simultaneously resize any adjacent snapped window. 
• Step 4: Close Settings, restart your computer and witness the result. 

Related Inquiries

What exactly is Application Frame Host?

In layman’s terms, Application Frame Host is a process responsible for displaying apps in frames. Usually, the process runs in the background and only uses a small amount of resources (memory, CPU, …). Don’t hesitate to kill Application Frame Host if you believe that it’s causing troubles. 

How should I use Windows virtual desktops?

Windows virtual desktops is an integrated feature in Task View that allows you to group related activities together. By taking advantage of virtual desktops, you could create different environments for different apps. Needless to say, virtual desktops prove handy whenever you want to multitask but don’t have a multi-monitor setup. To start using virtual desktops, check out these tips and tricks:

• To create a new desktop, hit Task View and click New Desktop (Shortcut: Windows + Ctrl +D). 
• To close an existing desktop, hit Task View, right-click the desktop you want to close and pick Close.
• To switch between virtual environments, hit Task View and click the thumbnail of the desktop you want to switch to (Shortcut: Windows + Ctrl + Left/Right Arrow)
• To move an app to another virtual environment, right-click the app, click Move to and hit the environment you want to move the app to. Of course, you could drag the app to the virtual environment you want to move it to as well.