Ubuntu Windows Snap to Corners Instead of Sides? Fix It

Learn how to fix Ubuntu window snapping when windows move to screen corners instead of the left or right half. Simple GNOME solution.

If you’re using Ubuntu and trying to compare two documents, PDFs, or spreadsheets side by side, you may have run into an annoying issue: whenever you drag a window to the left or right edge of the screen, it snaps to the top corner instead of occupying half the screen.

I recently faced this problem on Ubuntu 26.04 while trying to compare two PDF documents. No matter how carefully I dragged the window, it kept moving to the top-left or top-right corner rather than snapping to the left or right half of the display.

The Cause

The culprit was Ubuntu’s Tiling Assistant extension.

You can check whether it is enabled by running:

gnome-extensions list --enabled

If you see:

tiling-assistant@ubuntu.com

then the extension is active.

The Solution

Disable the Tiling Assistant extension:

gnome-extensions disable tiling-assistant@ubuntu.com

After disabling it, log out and log back in (or restart your session).

Once disabled, window snapping returns to the traditional GNOME behavior:

• Drag to the left edge → Window snaps to the left half.
• Drag to the right edge → Window snaps to the right half.
• Comparing documents side by side becomes effortless.

Keyboard Shortcuts

You can also use keyboard shortcuts:

• Super + Left Arrow → Snap window to the left half.
• Super + Right Arrow → Snap window to the right half.

(The Super key is usually the Windows key.)

Re-enabling the Extension

If you later decide you want advanced tiling features back, re-enable the extension:

gnome-extensions enable tiling-assistant@ubuntu.com

Why This Matters

For developers, analysts, researchers, and anyone reviewing documents, side-by-side comparison is essential. Whether you’re comparing:

• PDF documents
• Contracts
• Reports
• Source code
• Spreadsheets

having reliable half-screen snapping significantly improves productivity.

A single GNOME extension was preventing that workflow, and disabling it restored the expected behavior immediately.

If your windows keep snapping to the corners instead of the sides, check the Tiling Assistant extension first — it may save you a lot of frustration.