windows 7-like snap window maximize and vertical feature [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate:
How to emulate winkey+arrow Windows 7's maximise shortcut keys?

Is there anything that provides functionality in gnome/compiz/ubuntu similar to Window 7's new snapping features? This includes the following abilities:

  • Dragging a window by its title bar to the top edge of the screen maximizes the window-
  • Dragging the window away from the top restores the window to its original size
  • Dragging a window by its title bar to either edge of the screen fills that half of the monitor - fully vertically maximized and half horizontally maximized.
  • Dragging the same window away from the edge restores the window to its original size
  • Double-clicking on the vertical resize edges of any window maximizes the window vertically with its current horizontal size

I've come to really enjoy this feature of windows 7 and would love to have something identical in ubuntu.


If you don't mind using keyboard shortcuts instead of the mouse, there is a very simple solution built into compiz.

Enable the compiz plugin called 'grid'. It's under window management in compizconfig-settings-manager (which is in the repos if you don't have it installed).

Then press ctrl-alt-num6 say, to place a window on the right half of the screen. ctrl-alt-num4 for the left, 5 for maximise, and the other numpad keys all put the window somewhere. Tap the same shortcut repeatedly to change what fraction of the screen the window takes up.

You can of course choose other keybindings if you don't like the defaults!


Great tutorial to accomplish the things you want, or at least most of them here.