Alright so today I finally decided to tackle that annoying split screen issue on my PC. You know the one – where you try to drag a window to the side and it just… doesn’t snap? Makes using multiple apps a real pain. Here’s exactly what I did step-by-step.
Starting Point: Pure Frustration
Honestly, I just snapped. Literally grabbed my browser window, dragged it hard left expecting it to fill half the screen like usual. Nothin’. Just sat there like a lump. Tried it again. Still nothing. Weirdly, dragging to the top worked for maximizing, but sides? Dead.
First thought: Maybe I fat-fingered some setting? Dove into Windows Settings.
- Went to System > Multitasking.
- Checked “Snap windows”. Yep, enabled.
- Scrolled down. “Allow windows to be grouped” – enabled? Yes.
Scratched my head. Felt basic, but worth checking. Settings looked fine. Annoying.
Step 1: The Classic Turn It Off And On
Yeah, I know. But hey, it fixes stuff sometimes, right? Closed every single app. Literally everything. Rebooted the whole machine. Held the power button like it owed me money. Waited. Booted back up… Tried snapping again. Nope. Still just mocking me. Dead end.
Step 2: Digging Deeper – That One Weird Setting
Remembered seeing something about “virtual displays” or something once. Opened Settings again, went to System > Display. Clicked “Graphics settings” at the bottom. Weird menu pops up. There was this toggle for “Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling” buried there. It was OFF. Flipped it ON just to see what would happen. Restarted (again! Ugh.).
Booted up… dragged a window… HESITATED for a second… then snapped perfectly! Felt a flicker of hope! Tried another window. Dragged right. Snapped! YES!
Thought it was fixed? Too soon. Closed the apps. Opened them again later… boom. Back to broken. Just ghosted me. Hardware acceleration wasn’t the magic bullet.
Step 3: The Suspicious Update Culprit
This felt like classic “something updated and broke it” behavior. Went hunting for recent updates.
- Opened Settings > Update & Security > View update history.
- Scanned down… bingo. Saw a graphics driver update installed just yesterday. That tracks! Grabbed the driver name: “Intel something something Graphics.”
Hopped over to the Intel website (ugh, downloading drivers). Got the absolute latest version. Uninstalled the current driver completely through Device Manager. Wiped its slate clean. Installed the shiny new one. Crossed fingers.
Restarted… drumroll… tried snapping… IT WORKED! Solid left and right snaps. Repeatedly opened, closed, snapped. Held breath… stayed working! YES!
Step 4: Giving Windows Updates the Side-Eye
Still paranoid Windows Update might screw it up again. Decided to play defense.
- Went back to Update & Security > Windows Update > Advanced Options.
- Clicked “Optional updates”.
- Found that specific graphics driver update listed there. CHECKED IT OFF.
Goal: Stop Windows from automatically reinstalling the potentially buggy driver version.
Step 5: The Real Test – Using It All Day
Put it through its paces. Chrome vs Edge on the sides? Solid. File Explorer snapped beside Notepad? Perfect. Threw Excel and a browser at it? Smooth sailing. Works like it should now. Seems stable. Finally!
So that’s it. Driver borked it. New driver fixed it. Hopefully blocking that update keeps things smooth. Anyone else fighting this ghost?