The Mac operating system includes a powerful multitasking feature called “Split View,” allowing you to perfectly divide your physical screen exactly in half. You can pin a Safari browser window to the left side of your screen while pinning a Microsoft Word document to the right, letting you research and write simultaneously without constantly clicking back and forth between overlapping windows.
Unlike Windows 11, where you forcefully drag a window to the edge of the screen to snap it, macOS requires a more precise, button-based approach to activate Split View.
How to Activate Split View
Before you begin, ensure that you are not running either application in “Full Screen” mode yet. Both applications must be floating normally on your desktop.
- Open the two applications you want to use (for example, Safari and Notes).
- Move your mouse cursor to the top-left corner of the Safari window. You will see three small circular buttons: Red (Close), Yellow (Minimize), and Green (Full Screen).
- Hover your mouse cursor directly over the green button for one second. (Do not click it immediately, just hold the mouse over it).
- A small drop-down menu will appear. Click on Tile Window to Left of Screen (or Right of Screen).
Safari will immediately snap to the left side, filling exactly half the display.
The right side of your screen will transform into a dark grey grid, displaying smaller thumbnails of all your other open applications (like Mission Control). Simply click on the thumbnail for the Notes app.
Notes will instantly snap into place on the right side, giving you a perfect, side-by-side workspace.
How to Adjust the Split Screen Size
You are not strictly bound to a 50/50 split. If you are watching a video tutorial on one side and writing code on the other, you might need more space for the text editor.
Look at the very centre of the screen where the two applications meet. You will see a thick black divider line running vertically down the monitor. Click and hold that black line, and drag it to the left or right to resize the windows. Both applications will dynamically adjust their layouts to fit the new proportions.
How to Exit Split View
When you are finished multitasking, escaping Split View is incredibly simple.
- Move your mouse cursor to the absolute top edge of the screen. The Mac Menu Bar and the window controls will slide down into view.
- Click the Green button on either of the two applications.
That specific application will instantly shrink back down into a normal floating window on your desktop. The other application will expand to fill the entire monitor in Full Screen mode, and you can exit it normally.