Secret Windows Tip: Improve Productivity by Tiling Windows

If you've ever worked on a computer with multiple monitors, you know what a joy it is to have two full screen documents open at once. It is easy, for example, to look at a Web page on one screen while writing an essay on the other screen. Comparing two photographs is another ideal job for such a setup. But what about times when you only have one monitor -- perhaps a public computer or a laptop, for example? Sure, you can position windows on the screen so you can see two programs at once, but it isn't very convenient. In this Secret Windows Tip I'll show you a way to get Windows to place two or more documents on the screen for you easily and automatically.

When Windows places several applications in such a way that you can see them all at once, it is known as "Tiling." Suppose you have a Microsoft Word Document open and a Web page in Internet Explorer. Tiling these two applications can take two forms: Horizontal tiling will split the screen from left to right, placing one program in the top half and another in the bottom. Vertical tiling, on the other hand, will split the screen up and down, leaving a program on the left and another one on the right.

The secret is simple. Down at the bottom of your screen (unless you've moved it) is a task bar with icons for each program you are running. The currently active program's icon looks as though it is "pressed down". To tile our example programs, you'd first make sure the Word document was selected in the task bar. Next you'll press and hold the Control key while clicking on the Internet Explorer's task bar icon. When you do this, you'll notice that both icons appear pressed down now. You can then release the Control key.

Once both icons have the depressed look, you can right click the mouse on either icon in the task bar. This will bring up a context menu with several choices including "Tile Vertically" and "Tile Horizontally." Pick which layout you prefer and, you'll be able to see both programs at once.