This handy little window management trick is coming to Chrome OS 84

Part of the brilliance of Chrome OS is the regular updates we all get to enjoy every six weeks or so. With each update comes a slew of bug fixes and new features to find and begin enjoying. Whether it’s a fix for an annoying Wi-Fi bug that’s been plaguing you or it’s a new feature arrival that you never even though you needed, these scheduled updates always bring a nice medley of surprise and relief each time they come around.

Another benefit of Chrome OS is the ability to freely move between channels as you see fit. For many, the Stable Channel is where you should be and it is the most well-oiled, manicured version of the OS available. For the more adventurous, the Beta Channel allows you to get a sneak peek at upcoming features without risking too much in the way of chaos or bug-ridden experiences. For those more on the edge, the Developer Channel gives a glimpse of upcoming changes in the works that may or may not even function. This channel is for those that don’t mind a few crashes as long as they get a look at features still a couple months out from actually being included with Chromebooks out of the box.

Today, we’re looking at a feature that is currently working and available out of the box in the Beta Channel: full-screen window snapping. This feature is already working so well in Chrome OS 84 Beta at this point that I have no doubt it will be included in the Stable Channel of Chrome OS 84 when it ships in July. No flags are necessary and there are no changes to your settings needed: just update to the Beta Channel and you can try this out for yourself.

The feature is pretty simple and has been a regular staple on Windows for years. We’ve had left and right window snapping for quite some time in Chrome OS and you can grab the window you are reading this in right now and try it if you like. Drag the window to the left edge of the screen and it will automatically resize to full height and 50% width. Drag to the right and it will do the same. This new feature we’re seeing in Chrome OS 84 allows for dragging your window to the top edge of the screen in order to fully maximize it. It also works in reverse to revert your window to the last size it was before you maximized it as you drag down from the top. It’s pretty slick!

This is a simple, small change that will save users tons of time over months and years of using Chromebooks. We are constantly moving, resizing, reorganizing, and shuffling open windows around our desktops. Any change that makes a difference and can cut seconds off of a task that we may repeat multiple times a day can, over time, make users far more productive. I know for me that the simplicity of being able to drag my full-screen windows down to minimize them and not have to hunt for and click the small minimize button will save me tons of time over the next year. Little refinements like this sometimes fall through the cracks, but they are important, and I’m very glad to see attention to little details like this in Chrome OS.

SOURCE: Chrome OS Reddit – Kent Duke

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