Arranging windows automatically

Now that you know how to move and resize windows, you can arrange them however you like on your desktop. You can also have Windows automatically arrange them in one of three ways: cascading, vertically stacked, or side by side.

 

To choose one of these options, open some windows on your desktop, then right-click an empty area of the taskbar and click Cascade windows, Show windows stacked, or Show windows side by side.

Arranging windows using Snap

Snap will automatically resize your windows when you move, or snap, them to the edge of the screen. You can use Snap to arrange windows side by side, expand windows vertically, or maximize a window.

To arrange windows side by side

1. Drag the title bar of a window to the left or right side of the screen until an outline of the expanded window appears.
2. Release the mouse to expand the window.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 with another window to arrange the windows side by side.
   
   
   

 

Find more things faster with improved search

Thanks to an improved search, you can find more things in more places—and do it faster—than in previous versions of Windows. Just type a few letters into the search box to see a list of relevant items, such as documents, pictures, music, and e‑mail. Search results are grouped by category and contain highlighted keywords to make them easy to scan.

Few people store all their files in one place anymore. Windows 7 is designed to search external hard drives, PCs on a network, and other locations. It also speeds up your search by displaying recommendations based on previous queries. Overwhelmed by the results? New dynamic filters can instantly narrow results by categories such as date or file type.

Share music and videos

After your pictures, videos, and music are all on your computer, it's natural to want to share them with other computers in your home. Windows 7 introduces new media sharing and streaming features that make your PC a great home entertainment hub. HomeGroup makes it easy to share music, pictures, and video with other computers running Windows 7.

With another new feature called "Play to," you can play your digital media on other devices in your home.

To expand a window vertically

1. Point to the top or bottom edge of an open window until the pointer changes into a double-headed arrow .
2. Drag the edge of the window to the top or bottom of the screen to expand the window to the entire height of the desktop. The width of the window doesn't change.