How to Split Screen on Mac: Side-by-Side Windows Guide

Working on a 13-inch MacBook with one app at a time feels wasteful. You’re constantly Cmd+Tabbing between a browser and a document, losing your place every time. Split View fixes this — two apps, side by side, each taking exactly half the screen. No overlap, no distractions. And it’s built into every Mac since El Capitan.

The Green Button Method (macOS Sequoia and Later)

Hover your cursor over the green full-screen button in the top-left corner of any window. A dropdown menu appears with tiling options:

• Tile Window to Left of Screen
• Tile Window to Right of Screen
• Fill Entire Screen (standard full-screen)

Click “Tile Window to Left” and that app snaps to the left half. macOS immediately shows your other open windows on the right side — click one and it fills the remaining half. You’re now in Split View.

On macOS Sequoia and later, you can also simply drag a window to the left or right edge of the screen. A translucent overlay shows where the window will snap. Release, and it tiles. This drag-to-snap behavior finally matches what Windows has had for years, and it works well.

The Classic Method (Works on All macOS Versions)

On older macOS versions (pre-Sequoia), the green button method is slightly different:

1. Click and hold the green button (don’t just hover)
2. The window shrinks and you can drag it to the left or right half
3. Release on the side you want
4. Pick a second window for the other half

The difference is click-and-hold versus hover. If you’re on Ventura or Sonoma, you need to hold the button down for a moment before the tiling options appear.

Using Mission Control

Swipe up with three or four fingers on the trackpad (depending on your settings) to open Mission Control. You’ll see all your Desktops and full-screen apps at the top.

To create a Split View from Mission Control:

1. Open Mission Control
2. Drag one window onto another window’s thumbnail at the top
3. They merge into a Split View space

This is particularly useful when you already have both apps open but in separate spaces. Instead of setting up Split View from scratch, you’re combining existing windows.

Navigating Split View

Once you’re in Split View:

• Resize the divider: Drag the black divider bar between the two windows left or right. You’re not locked into a 50/50 split — 60/40 or 70/30 works fine depending on which app needs more room.
• Swap sides: You can’t drag windows to swap directly. Instead, drag one window’s title bar to the opposite side. It’s a bit clunky but it works.
• Switch one app: Click a different app in the Dock or use Cmd+Tab. The new app replaces the currently focused side. On some macOS versions, this exits Split View entirely — behavior varies.
• Access the menu bar: Move your cursor to the very top of the screen. The menu bar slides down (it auto-hides in Split View).

Exiting Split View

Three ways:

1. Press Esc. The focused window exits full-screen, and the other window becomes a regular full-screen app.
2. Hover over the green button on either window and select “Exit Full Screen” or a tiling option.
3. Open Mission Control and drag one window out of the Split View space.

After exiting, one app stays full-screen and the other returns to its previous window size. This can be disorienting the first time — just click the green button again on the remaining full-screen app to restore it to a normal window.

Stage Manager: The Alternative

If you’re on macOS Ventura or later, Stage Manager offers a different approach to window management. Enable it in System Settings → Desktop & Dock → Stage Manager.

Stage Manager puts your recent apps in a strip along the left side of the screen. Click any thumbnail to bring that app forward. You can drag multiple windows together to create groups.

The difference from Split View:

• Split View: two apps, full screen, no overlap, no distractions
• Stage Manager: multiple windows visible, more flexible grouping, but apps can overlap

We find Split View better for focused two-app workflows (research + writing, video + notes). Stage Manager works better when you’re juggling four or five apps and need to switch contexts frequently. They can coexist — you don’t have to choose one.

Third-Party: Rectangle (Free)

If Apple’s built-in window management feels limited — and honestly, it is compared to Windows — install Rectangle. It’s free, open-source, and adds keyboard shortcuts for window tiling:

• Ctrl + Option + Left Arrow — snap to left half
• Ctrl + Option + Right Arrow — snap to right half
• Ctrl + Option + Enter — maximize
• Ctrl + Option + D — first third, center third, last third (press repeatedly to cycle)

Rectangle also supports quarter-screen tiling (corners), thirds, and custom sizes. It does everything Split View does, but faster and without entering full-screen mode. Your menu bar and Dock stay visible.

For most Mac users who regularly work with side-by-side windows, Rectangle is the single best free utility you can install. Split View is fine for occasional use, but Rectangle’s keyboard shortcuts make multitasking genuinely effortless.

Quick Tips

Not all apps support Split View. Some older or poorly designed apps don’t have a green full-screen button or refuse to tile. If the green button is grayed out, that app can’t enter Split View.

Use multiple Desktops. Create separate Desktops in Mission Control for different tasks — one for writing (editor + browser in Split View), one for communication (Slack + email), one for design. Swipe between them with three fingers.

On a 13-inch screen, Split View with two text-heavy apps can feel cramped. Consider 60/40 split where the primary app gets more space. On a 15 or 16-inch MacBook, 50/50 is comfortable for almost everything.

Split View is simple, free, and already on your Mac. Start with the green button hover, learn the keyboard shortcuts if you want speed, and install Rectangle if you want power. Side-by-side windows change how you work — once you start, single-window feels like looking through a keyhole.