Windows expand to full screen -- how to turn off?

Anonymous
2010-05-06T20:11:51+00:00

In Win 7, when I move a window near the edge of the screen, the window expands to full screen.  How do I turn off this feature?

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Accessibility

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments
Answer accepted by question author
Anonymous
2010-05-06T23:34:34+00:00

In Win 7, when I move a window near the edge of the screen, the window expands to full screen.  How do I turn off this feature?

Hi

When you move a window near the edge of the screen, the action that initiates the Aero Snap feature is when the mouse pointer contacts the edge of the screen. You can disable this feature.

Open Control Panel / Ease of Access Center / Make the Mouse easier to use.

Place a check mark in the Prevent Windows from being automatically arranged when moved to the edge of the screen option.

Apply/OK.

Hope this helps.

Thank You for using Windows 7

Ronnie Vernon MVP

Was this answer helpful?

200+ people found this answer helpful.
0 comments

66 additional answers

Sort by: Newest
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2013-07-26T01:04:26+00:00

    In the same vein, there is yet another annoying "feature" in Word.  I know this isn't exactly the correct thread but y'all know this stuff.  How do I turn off that "format" box that often pops up when I do a copy and paste. It's always well after I do the paste and then suddenly it pops up and I'm typing into it instead of my document.  I never have and never will use that stupid box to apply formatting.  Word Help is so awful I can't even find a name that that useless box.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  2. Anonymous
    2013-07-23T21:03:20+00:00

    Thank you, Ronnie, but I agree with CecilWestervelt. For Windoze Explorer windows I like the half-screen arrangement for copying from one window to another, but hate the expand full-screen one.

    By the way, the Windows key + left arrow makes a Winders Exploder window occupy the left half of a screen, and Windows key + right arrow makes it occupy the right half of the screen. (Real simple to "Windows+e+<-". I'll have to see if that works if the mouse operation is turned off.

    Lemon Scented said in a earlier post in this thread there were two places where the setting can be manipulated. I was hoping they were independent so one might work by mouse and the other by keyboard, but nooooohhhh. They're linked.

    It would be nice if mouse and keyboard could be decoupled, and left, right and top were independently enabled.

    I guess I have to turn it off ("prevent" the operation) and do it the way I've done it for years.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  3. Anonymous
    2013-05-11T11:06:52+00:00

    Bless you.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  4. Anonymous
    2013-05-03T02:53:58+00:00

    It is almost unbelievable but there appear to be TWO different places where this annoying "feature" needs to be turned off.   One is under "Make the mouse easier to use."  The other is under "Make it easier to focus on tasks."  Both have the option "Prevent windows from being automatically arranged when moved to the edge of the screen" and both are in the Ease of Access Center.

    I only happened to accidentally find the second location and hope that this saves other people from months of frustration.    Once again, the default should be that the annoying option if off, not on.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments