Cross-referencing financial spreadsheets against supplier invoices, translating documentation, or comparing competitor product listings routinely forces users to open two separate browser windows and manually arrange them side-by-side using OS window snapping. When you minimize, move, or resize one window, the layout breaks, requiring repetitive manual repositioning. Microsoft Edge provides a seamless solution with native Split Screen. Split Screen embeds two independent, interactive web tabs into a single unified browser window frame, complete with linked navigation and adjustable divider controls.
Enabling the Split Screen Button on the Toolbar
To ensure single-click access to dual-tab workspaces:
- Launch Microsoft Edge on Windows, macOS, or Linux.
- Click the Settings and more button (three horizontal dots) in the upper-right corner and select Settings.
- In the left settings panel, click Appearance.
- Scroll down to the Customize toolbar section.
- Locate the Split screen button toggle and switch it to On.
- A dedicated split-window icon (a square divided vertically into two halves) appears next to your address bar.
Opening and Managing Dual Tabs in Split Screen
To split your active browsing canvas:
- Open a website in your current tab (e.g., your project documentation).
- Click the Split screen icon on the toolbar (or press Ctrl + Shift + 2 on Windows / Cmd + Shift + 2 on Mac).
- Your active tab shifts to the left half of the window, while the right half displays quick-access shortcuts to your frequently visited sites or other open tabs.
- Click on an open tab from the right panel or type a new URL into the right address bar.
- Both web pages now render simultaneously side-by-side inside a single browser tab container.
Resizing and Switching Split Screen Orientations
Customize screen division according to your content needs:
- Adjusting Width: Hover your cursor over the vertical dividing line between the two pages until a two-way horizontal arrow appears. Click and drag left or right to customize column widths (e.g., 70/30 split for wide spreadsheets alongside chat windows).
- Switching Sides: Click the More options (…) menu at the top of either split screen pane and select Switch left and right tabs to swap positions instantly.
- Open in New Tab: Click Open screen in new tab to separate one half into its own standalone browser tab.
Configuring Linked Navigation Across Dual Panes
Split Screen includes intelligent link-handling modes:
- Open Link in Current Tab: Standard browsing where clicking a link navigates within the same half pane.
- Open Link from Left to Right Tab: Perfect for research: click links in a search results list on the left pane, and the destination page loads immediately on the right pane without losing your search place.