Enter Split View
Follow the appropriate steps, depending on which version of macOS you're using.
macOS Catalina or later
- Hold your pointer over the full-screen button
in the upper-left corner of a window. Or click and hold the button.
- Choose ”Tile Window to Left of Screen” or ”Tile Window to Right of Screen” from the menu. The window then fills that side of the screen.
- Then click a window on the other side of the screen to begin using both windows side by side.
macOS Mojave, High Sierra, Sierra, or El Capitan
- Click and hold the full-screen button
in the upper-left corner of a window. - As you hold the button, the window shrinks and you can drag it to the left or right side of the screen.
- Release the button, then click a window on the other side of the screen to begin using both windows side by side.
If you can’t enter Split View
- In macOS Ventura or later, choose Apple menu > System Settings, click Desktop & Dock in the sidebar, then scroll down on the right and make sure that “Displays have separate Spaces” is turned on.
- In earlier versions of macOS, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Mission Control, then make sure that “Displays have separate Spaces” is selected.
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.
Exit Split View
- Move the pointer to the top of the screen to reveal the window buttons.
- Click the full-screen button
in either window. That window exits Split View. - The other window switches to full-screen view. You can switch to the full-screen window with Mission Control, or use a Multi-Touch gesture such as swiping left or right with four fingers on your trackpad.