Windows 7 new desktop enhancements and features

When Windows 7 Release Candidate came out I was amazed by the new things you can do with program windows. Since Windows 3.1 up to Vista, the only operations you can easily do to a window was maximize, minimize and close. Sure you can move the windows around the screen, but that was it.

In Windows 7 there are added functionalities to make tasks even easier for users. One of the new features is the ability to display two windows side by side in perfect 50-50 split view.

To have two windows displayed side by side, pick one of the windows and drag (or Snap as Microsoft calls it) it to one side of the screen. You will see a quick ripple effect near the mouse cursor and an outline will appear to indicate that it will occupy that part of the screen. In the example below I dragged IE to the right side.

The window will automatically snap in place so users won’t have to manually resize and align the window.

Apply the same step to another window at the other side of the screen. On the example below I dragged Windows Live Writer at the left side of the screen. Now I have two screens perfectly split 50-50:

That feature is not easy to do in older versions of Windows. Previously, users will need to manually align and split windows side by side.

Another new feature is the ability to quickly minimize other open windows except a chosen window. To do that hold the left mouse button on the header window that you want to retain then shake it left and right for one or two seconds. In the example below I have a cluttered desktop with many opened windows.

After shaking the title bar, release the mouse button and the other windows are minimized. See the difference between the picture of the two desktops above and below.

This new feature will allow users to quickly clean up cluttered desktops. Unfortunately there are no other ways to do this – there are no right click shortcuts or control/function keys to do this. Hopefully the developers will put it on future Windows 7 release.