How to Fix: Snap-in 'Pop up' Appears while Dragging Window (Dell, MSI)

Infopackets Reader 'Paolo' writes:

" Dear Dennis,

I have a very strange problem. Whenever I drag my browser window on my Dell laptop, I see 2 blue rectangles popping up near the top of the screen (pic). At first I thought this was a Windows 10 feature but I have searched Google for the 'dell 2 blue rectangles popup' problem but I cannot seem to find a solution. I have no idea how to shut this feature off but it is very, very annoying. Can you please help? "

My response:

I have never had this problem before, so I asked Paolo if he would like me to connect to his system to have a closer look using my remote desktop support service. Sure enough, two blue rectangles appeared whenever a window was dragged on the screen - whether it was his web browser, or a Windows Explorer window. Since I knew this wasn't a Windows 10 feature, I assumed it must have been an add-on Dell feature of some kind.

Note: a similar popup rectangle appears with MSI computers and video cards (pic) - I'll describe how to fix that a bit further down.

How to Fix: Snap-in 'Pop up' Appears while Dragging Window (Dell, MSI)

After looking through Paolo's system extensively, I managed to find a utility in his tray bar called "Dell PremierColor". Right-clicking on the Dell PremierColor tray bar icon had an option to "Disable Display Splitter" (pic). Once I did that, the 2 blue rectangles were no longer present when I dragged a window.

What is a "Display Splitter" / "Desktop Partition" Snap-in?

From what I understand, the Dell "Display Splitter" snap-in (which is similar to the MSI "Desktop Partition" snap-in described further down) is a program that assists users in "snapping" windows in a pre-configured manner. For example: it places two windows side by side, in thirds, or places 4 windows tiled proportionately on the screen, and similar.

A "snap-in" is simply a program that is attached to another Microsoft Windows object, which then augments its function. In this case, the "Display Splitter" and "Desktop Partition" snap-ins allow the user to choose from pre-defined 'window patterns' while the window is being dragged.

The fact is, most people likely won't want to use this feature each and every time they drag a window. Also, Windows 10 already includes windows 'snap' behavior. For example, if you drag a window, then move the mouse to the absolute outer edge of the screen, the window being dragged will automatically resize depending on which part of the screen the mouse pointer touches. If you touch your mouse pointer to the top of the screen (while still dragging the window), it will maximize the window. If you touch your mouse pointer to the far left (while still dragging the window), it will size the window in half and allow you to preview some of your work on the right.

At any rate, the Dell PremierColor (and the MSI "Desktop Partition" snap-in - described next) are likely to confuse a lot of people and aggravate others, so turning it off is likely want you'll want to do.

Rectangle Popup Also Appears with MSI True Color "Desktop Partition"

While compiling this article, I came across other users complaining of a similar problem.

It appears that some MSI computers (including MSI video cards) come pre-bundled with a program called "True Color", which has an option for "Desktop Partition", similar to the Dell PremierColor "Display Splitter".

To prevent the rectangles from appearing (pic) when you drag a window on an MSI computer / MSI video card, you need to disable the "Desktop Partition" feature. To do so: open the True Color app, go to the tools tab, then disable the "Desktop Partition on" option.

I hope this helps anyone else with this problem.

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About the author: Dennis Faas is the owner and operator of Infopackets.com. With over 30 years of computing experience, Dennis' areas of expertise are a broad range and include PC hardware, Microsoft Windows, Linux, network administration, and virtualization. Dennis holds a Bachelors degree in Computer Science (1999) and has authored 6 books on the topics of MS Windows and PC Security. If you like the advice you received on this page, please up-vote / Like this page and share it with friends. For technical support inquiries, Dennis can be reached via Live chat online this site using the Zopim Chat service (currently located at the bottom left of the screen); optionally, you can contact Dennis through the website contact form.