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How to exit Split View on a Mac

Leave Split View by bringing back the title bar and clicking the green button, or with a shortcut. What happens to each window, and how to swap them instead.

Guide · Updated 13 October 2026

Move the pointer to the top of the screen so the title bar appears, then click the green button of either window. Or press ⌃ ⌘ F. That window leaves Split View; the other one stays full screen on its own.

What happens next

  • The window you exit goes back to a normal window on your desktop.
  • The other one is now a full screen app in its own space. Exit it the same way.
  • Swipe between spaces with three or four fingers to find it.

Swap or replace a window instead

  • Drag one window's title bar onto the other side to swap them.
  • Hover over the green button and choose Replace Tiled Window to pick another window for that side.
  • Drag the divider in the middle to change the split.

Split View is all or nothing: two apps in their own space. ClutterFreeMac keeps every window on one strip on your normal desktop, so two windows side by side is just how the strip looks, and leaving it is a swipe. See split screen on Mac.

Questions

How do I get out of split screen on a Mac?

Show the title bar by moving the pointer to the top, then click the green button, or press ⌃ ⌘ F.