Here’s how to set it up and begin snapping windows in OS X. Unfortunately, OS X El Capitan won’t be available until later this year in the fall, but the good news is that you can use the new window snap feature in OS X right now in OS X Yosemite, thanks to a third-party application called BetterSnapTool. It works a bit differently in OS X El Capitan, but the main point is there. This is similar to Windows’ Aero Snap feature, where you can drag a window off to the side to activate the snap and the let go of the mouse or trackpad to have the operating system automatically resize the window to fit on half of the screen. However, some of the new features may prove useful to many Mac users, including new swipe gestures, Spotlight Search improvements, and a new multi-tasking feature that allows users to quickly and easily snap windows and create a side-by-side view using two windows.
In fact, OS X El Capitan can be considered a rather minor update from OS X Yosemite, and Apple only needed about 10 minutes tops to show off the new features during its presentation. There are even clip-on USB monitors for laptops that make dual- and triple- monitor setups possible in mobile setups.If you’re a fan of OS X El Capitan’s new window snap feature, here’s how to get it right now without waiting.Īpple announced and revealed OS X El Capitan yesterday during the company’s WWDC keynote, arriving with a handful of new features, but keeping the same overall design and look as OS X Yosemite.
It’s a great trick if you don’t permanently need dual monitors, or want to benefit from that setup on the road. Either by using a dedicated USB display or using a tablet like the Apple iPad and an app like DuetDisplay. But if you find the dual-monitor life is the one for you, then these dual monitor programs are essential to keep all that real-estate under control.ĭon’t forget that you can also easily add an extra screen via USB. We still recommend getting an ultrawide screen for the productivity gains and lack of mid-screen bezel, if you’re starting from a blank slate. Third-party developers did a lot of free research and development work for Microsoft, who simply had to copy the features that worked for their own operating system. The truth is that, for most users, the best dual-monitor management features are already built into Windows 10.
Windows 10 also has a snazzy virtual desktop feature, shortcut keys to quickly switch multi-monitor modes and easy shortcuts to snap or maximize windows. Windows 10 natively supports having different wallpapers on each screen. There are now a wealth of multi-monitor customization options built into windows, with support for just about any arrangement and mix or resolutions and orientations. Which means that, if you are already running Windows 10, there are a bunch of features baked into the system that you’d have needed a third-party solution for in the past.
Microsoft has been paying attention to the world of third-party multi-monitor utilities. MultiMon is quite a stable piece of software as well, so if you have a multi-monitor system of the right vintage, it’s worth checking out. This free tool is only designed to work up to Windows 7, but there are still plenty of computers out there running this older operating system. That includes not showing apps on the primary monitor taskbar that aren’t that monitor.
Each monitor’s taskbar only shows the apps on that monitor. It can do this for up to three monitor setups. The free version of the dual monitor software adds taskbars to extended monitors in Windows.