How to Split Screen on Mac (Split View and Tiling)

Working with two windows side by side is the quickest way to compare documents, copy from one app into another or keep a video call open while you take notes. A Mac gives you two different ways to do it, and they behave differently, which is where most of the confusion comes from. Split View makes both apps full screen in their own space. Window tiling arranges windows on your normal desktop, with the Dock and menu bar still in place. Here's how to use each, and which to pick.

Split View or tiling: which one?

	Split View	Window tiling
Where it happens	A new full screen space	Your normal desktop
Menu bar and Dock	Hidden until you point at them	Always visible
More than two windows	No	Yes, up to four quarters
Best for	Focused work in two apps	Quick side-by-side and multitasking

How to use Split View

1. Open both apps you want to use.
2. Hold the pointer over the green button in the top-left corner of the first window.
3. Choose Full Screen, then Left of Screen or Right of Screen.
4. On the other half, thumbnails of your open windows appear. Click the one you want.
5. To resize, drag the bar in the middle. Double-click the bar to make both sides equal again.

Apple creates the Split View in a new desktop space, which is why it feels like you've left your desktop. To get back to other apps, press Control-Up Arrow (or swipe up with three or four fingers) for Mission Control and click another space. To swap sides, drag a window by its title bar to the other half.

How to tile windows by dragging

On newer versions of macOS, you don't need full screen at all. Drag a window by its title bar to the left or right edge of the screen and let go when the highlighted area appears; it snaps to that half. Drag it to a corner and it takes a quarter. Drag it to the menu bar and it fills the desktop. Hold the Option key while you drag and the highlighted area appears sooner, which is handy on a big monitor.

Here's a catch Apple mentions: if you drag a window all the way through the top edge of the screen, Mission Control opens instead. If that keeps happening, turn off Drag windows to top of screen to enter Mission Control in System Settings, Desktop & Dock.

Keyboard shortcuts for side by side

Shortcut	What it does
Fn-Control-Left Arrow	Active window to the left half
Fn-Control-Right Arrow	Active window to the right half
Fn-Control-Shift-Left Arrow	Active window left, the next window right
Fn-Control-F	Fill the desktop
Fn-Control-R	Back to the size it was before

The Fn-Control-Shift shortcuts are the fastest way I know to put two windows side by side: click the window you want on the left, press the shortcut, and the window you used before it lands on the right.

Using two screens

If you have an external monitor and Split View only works on one of them, check one setting. Apple says Split View on other displays needs Displays have separate Spaces turned on in Desktop & Dock settings. Changing it asks you to log out and back in.

When the green button doesn't offer Split View

Some apps don't support full screen, so they can't go into Split View. Small utility windows and some older apps are common examples. Tiling by dragging usually still works with them, so use that instead. If nothing tiles at all, check that the window tiling options are switched on in Desktop & Dock settings.

Split screen on a small laptop screen

On a small MacBook Air screen, two apps side by side can feel cramped. A few things help. Most apps let you zoom out with Command-Minus, which fits more on each half. Hiding the Dock (Option-Command-D) gives you back a strip at the bottom. And you don't have to split it evenly: drag the middle bar so the app you're typing in gets two-thirds and the one you're reading gets a third. If you find you're always working this way, an external monitor is the upgrade that makes the biggest difference, because you can keep a full window on each screen and still tile within them.

Leaving split screen

• In Split View, hover over the green button and choose Exit Full Screen, or press Fn-F. The other app stays full screen in its own space.
• For tiled windows, drag a window away from the edge, or press Fn-Control-R to put it back to its old size.

Good uses for split screen

• Writing in one window while reading the source in the other.
• Copying details from an email into a document, with office productivity hacks to speed up the rest.
• Keeping a video or music app on one side while you work, and if that app misbehaves, my fix for Spotify not working on a Mac helps.

It's worth trying both methods for a day each. Most people I've shown this to end up using tiling for everyday work, because it doesn't hide the Dock, and keep Split View for writing sessions where they don't want distractions.

My verdict

For quick side-by-side work, drag windows to the edges or use Fn-Control-Shift-Left Arrow; it keeps your Dock and menu bar where they belong. Use Split View when you want to shut out everything else and focus on two apps. Either way, double-click the middle bar to reset the sizes.

Frequently asked questions

How do I split screen on a Mac?

Hover over the green button, choose Full Screen, then Left of Screen or Right of Screen, and pick a second app.

What is the shortcut for split screen on a Mac?

Fn-Control-Left Arrow or Right Arrow tiles a window to one half. Fn-Control-Shift-Left Arrow tiles two windows at once.

Why does Mission Control open when I drag a window?

You dragged it through the top edge. Turn that off in Desktop and Dock settings.

How do I resize the two sides?

Drag the bar in the middle. Double-click it to make the sides equal again.

Why won't an app go into Split View?

Some apps don't support full screen. Tile them by dragging to the screen edge instead.