Multitaskers, this is for you. If you work with multiple apps and windows at once, you might find it frustrating to constantly switch back and forth between those windows. Or maybe, depending on what you’re working on, you need to look at two windows at the same time. If you’re copying info from one document into a spreadsheet, for instance, it can help to see those two windows side-by-side.

If you’re lucky enough to have the space for a dual monitor setup, that’s one option. Otherwise, there may be a relatively straightforward way to fix this problem. Apple launched its macOS Catalina operating system with a split screen view function. That means you can fill your screen with two apps without having to resize and drag your windows. If you’re using Catalina or a later version, you should be able to access this feature. Here’s how.

Source: Apple Support

Enter Split View

From the top left of your window, find the red, yellow, and green buttons. Hover over the green button or click and hold it – you’ll see a series of options for viewing your screen.

Click on either “Tile Window to Left of Screen” or “Tile Window to Right of Screen” and your current window will display on the left or right of your screen, accordingly.  

All of the other windows you have open on your Mac will display on the opposite side of your split screen. Click the window you want to display. Now you’re in split screen mode. 

Accessing Mission Control in split screen view

You can now easily toggle between both windows in split screen mode. If you want to open other apps while in split view, open Mission Control using the Mission Control key, F3 on keyboards or the button with the three rectangles on the Touch Bar once the function keys are displayed, or by:

• Pressing Control and the up arrow
• Swiping up with three or four fingers on your trackpad
• Double tap with two fingers on your Magic Mouse

All the other windows you have open will appear. Simply click on them to toggle back and forth between those windows and your split-screen view.

Note: 

• Not all apps support split-screen on Mac.
• Some apps will always take half or more screen space in Split View. They may not allow you to decrease their window size to less than 50%.
• You can even open two windows of the same app. For example, two Chrome windows or two Notes app windows.
• If you cannot enter split view, click the Apple Logo → System Preferences → Mission Control → Check the box for ‘Displays have separate Spaces.’

Work in Split View

In Split View, you can use both apps side by side, without the distraction of other apps.

• Choose a window to work in by clicking anywhere in that window. 
• Show the menu bar by moving the pointer to the top of the screen.
• Swap window positions by dragging a window to the other side.
• Adjust window width by dragging the vertical line between the windows.
• Switch to other apps or your desktop with Mission Control, or use a Multi-Touch gesture such as swiping left or right with four fingers on your trackpad.

 How to adjust Split Screen View on Mac

You can move the windows around and change their size based on your preference. Here’s how:

To resize windows: Click the border between the two windows. If you want to change to its original size, double-tap the border.

Display the menu bar: Move your cursor to the window’s top to use the window’s menu bar in the split-screen view.

Swap window positions: Click anywhere on the app’s menu bar and hold and drag the window to the screen’s left or right.

View the dock: Move your cursor to the window’s bottom to view the dock while using split view.

How to exit Split Screen View on Mac

There are two ways of exiting Split View:

1. Method 1: Simply place the mouse pointer or click the green circle button, and select:
   • Replace Tiled Window: To switch one app window with another.
   • Move Window to Desktop: To exit Split View mode and move the app to the original Desktop.
   • Make Window Full Screen: To exit Split View but access the window in the full-screen view.
2. Method 2: Launch Mission Control and drag and drop the Split View screen to the Desktop.

NOTE: Open more than two windows in Split View on Mac

You would have noticed that macOS allows you to use two apps side by side in the split-screen view. However, you can use third-party applications such as Magnet to access more windows simultaneously.

I hope you’re able to use Split View on Mac and multitask smoothly.