How to split screen on a Mac, three ways

Two windows side by side is the most common thing people want from a Mac screen. There are three ways to get it, and they suit different days.

1. Split View (full screen, two apps)

1. Hover over the green button at the top left of a window.
2. Choose to tile the window to the left or right of the screen.
3. Click the second window to fill the other half.

Both apps go full screen together in their own Space. Drag the line between them to change the split. Swipe to leave, or hover the green button again.

2. Tiling on the desktop (macOS 15 and later)

Drag a window to the left or right edge of the screen and it fills that half. Hold ⌥ while dragging to see where it will land. The Window menu has the same moves under Move & Resize, and fn ⌃ with an arrow key tiles the front window from the keyboard.

Where both run out

• Split View is two apps only, and it hides everything else.
• Desktop tiling moves one window at a time. Open a third and it lands on top of the other two.
• Neither remembers the pair once you switch away for a while.

3. A layout that splits itself

ClutterFreeMac keeps every window in a row of columns. In the Screens layout, two windows share each screen 50 and 50 (or any split you drag), and the next pair is one swipe away. Open a new app and it joins the row instead of covering anything. Move between screens with ⌃ ⌥ and an arrow, or a three or four finger swipe.

If you only ever need two windows, macOS is enough. If you need two at a time out of eight, a row is calmer. More in three windows side by side.