We typically only talk about administrative or management features of a new operating system when it comes out. As network and systems administrators one of our primary jobs is to make sure our users are educated on ways they can use their systems to be more productive. That being the case, the new window management features of Windows 7 are worth noting and relaying to your users as they can result in a pretty big productivity gain when used on a regular basis.
The easiest thing to notice is that when you drag a window to either size of your desktop it gets “docked” to that side. Along this same line of thought, dragging a window towards the top of the screen will maximize it. Along with those quick snap options, there are keyboard shortcuts that help manage windows just as easily:
- Windows Key+Left Arrow – Docks the currently active window to the left of the screen
- Windows Key+Right Arrow – Docks the currently active window to the right of the screen
- Windows Key+Up Arrow – Maximizes the currently active window
- Windows Key+Down Arrow – Minimizes the currently active window
