How to put three windows side by side on a Mac
macOS tiles halves and quarters, not thirds. How to get three columns on one screen, which screens suit it, and how to keep a fourth window handy.
Editor, browser, notes. Three columns is the layout many people want on a big screen, and the one macOS does not offer.
By hand
Tile one window to the left half, then drag the right half window's edge to make room and resize the others to match. It works, but you will redo it every time a window moves.
Which screens suit thirds
- 27 inch and larger: comfortable.
- Ultrawide: ideal, each third is close to a normal screen. See ultrawide monitors.
- 14 to 16 inch laptop: tight. Two at a time is usually better.
Three columns that stay
In ClutterFreeMac's Screens layout, choose three windows on one screen in Settings, Layout. Each screen then fills with three columns exactly, and a fourth window starts the next screen, one swipe away. Or in any layout, press ⌃ ⌥ R on a window to make it a third.
Questions
Can macOS split the screen into three?
Not with its own tiling. A window manager like ClutterFreeMac can lay out three columns per screen.
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