Windows can already put two windows side by side — until you maximize one and the split collapses. Always On Dock reserves a strip of your desktop through Windows itself, so the space stays yours no matter what you open next.
The phrase gets used for several different features, which is why it's worth being precise about what you're getting.
| What it is | What it does | Survives maximizing? |
|---|---|---|
| Snap Layouts | Arranges two or more windows side by side, once | No — maximize one and it takes the screen |
| Edge split screen | Divides a single browser window between two web pages | Browser only — doesn't apply to other apps |
| Always on top | Floats a window above the others | Stays visible, but covers your work instead |
| Always On Dock | Reserves desktop space that Windows marks unavailable | Yes — maximized windows stop at the edge |
The mechanism is the same one the taskbar uses. Windows genuinely shrinks the usable desktop area, so nothing overlaps and nothing gets buried — you're not balancing windows, you're claiming space.
Almost every desk job involves looking at two things at once. The difference is what belongs in the half that must never disappear.
Compare redlines against the executed version without either one sliding behind the other mid-review.
Reconcile line by line with the source document and a calculator permanently in view.
Keep ChatGPT, Claude, docs, or a video walkthrough in the reserved strip while your IDE takes the rest.
Copilot gets a built-in sidebar. Everything else is an ordinary window that gets buried — until you reserve it space.
Dock an asset browser, shot list, or reference clip while your editing timeline uses the full remaining screen.
Outline, brief, research, or the piece you're rewriting stays open while you write in the main window.
A to-do list you have to alt-tab to is a to-do list you forget. Docked, it stays in front of you all day.
Keep a show running in the reserved strip for a child beside you, while your work takes the rest of the screen.
The one workflow where the split collapsing costs you your place in the document.
Watch what's coming in while working the case in front of you.
Read from one, type into the other, without either window fighting for the screen.
Keep a live feed or dashboard visible while you work in a spreadsheet or place orders elsewhere.
Up to three windows share the reserved strip on each monitor, split vertically and reorderable by dragging. Turn a dock on for any combination of screens — each remembers its own width and comes back that way after sign-in. Drag a window in by its title bar to dock it; drag it out and it returns exactly where it was.
Snap puts windows side by side, but the arrangement collapses as soon as you maximize one. Always On Dock reserves the space through Windows itself, so it holds regardless of what you maximize.
No. Snap arranges separate windows temporarily; Edge divides one browser window between two pages. This reserves genuine desktop space that any app can occupy and other windows can't cover.
Yes — up to three windows can share the reserved strip on each monitor.
Yes. Enable a dock on any combination of screens; each keeps its own width independently.
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