It’s always a treat when we find a few new techniques to make our work faster. One such handy trick is splitting the screen. This way, you save time by not having to scour through the tabs and then going back to your document.
So, without further ado, let’s learn the many ways of splitting the screen on Windows.
How to Split Screen on Windows 10?
Along with some keyboard shortcuts, there are many ways to split the screen on Windows 10. So, let’s look at them in detail:
Using Snap Assist
The first and easy way to split your screen in half is by simply using the Snap Assist. Here’s how you can do it:
- Open a window in fullscreen.
- Click on the top of the window and drag it completely to your right or left.
- While doing this, let go of your mouse, and your window will fit right into half of your screen.
- You’ll now view an empty space where you can choose to add any window. Click on one window, and your windows will automatically split in half.
If you want to adjust your window to be a specific size you desire, hover over the outline of your window. You’ll notice a double-sided arrow instead of your normal cursor. Click and drag the window to a size you prefer. You can do the same for the sides of your window.
If you want to have one screen bigger than the other and want the sizes to fit, hover over the partitioning line between the two screens. You’ll now see a black, thick line between the screens. Long-press on this line and drag it right or left, depending on your priority. The sizes will fit automatically.
Using Keyboard Shortcuts
If you want another way to split your screen on Windows, there are easy keyboard shortcuts you can try. You don’t need to close your current window. Simply, hold down the Windows key and the Left/Right arrow key. The current window will automatically take half of your screen perfectly.
If you’d like to move one window to the other side, again hold down the Win key and press the Left/Right arrow key.
When you keep the window on one side and leave the Win key, you’ll get options to add a new window on the other side of your screen.
If you want to make your window full screen, again press and hold down the Win key and press the Up arrow key. Similarly, if you want to minimize the window, hold down the Win key and double-press the Down arrow key.
Split Screen into Quarter sizes
If you have a high-resolution (2560 x 1440) monitor or an ultra-wide monitor, you can split your screen and have up to four or more windows running at once. This is great if you have to research and keep referring to an article or would like to watch a video while you work. To do this, you can use the keyboard shortcuts again.
- Open a window and press and hold down the Windows key.
- Then, press the Up arrow key once.
- Below it, you’ll get options to choose a window. Click on any you prefer. Do the same for the other side, and now you’ll have four windows in the right proportion.
How to Split Screen on Windows 11?
Most methods to split the screen on Windows 11 are similar to Windows 10. However, there are a few additions:
Use Keyboard Shortcuts
You can press and hold down the Windows key and then press the Z key. Doing so will display six styles of boxes where you want to add a new window. So, you can select styles that even offer up to three windows at a time.
Click on any box you prefer, and Windows will ask you to add a window to the new area. Similarly, you can also use the keyboard shortcuts Win + Up/Down arrow keys to split your screen on Windows 11.
Please note that it’s important to turn on Snap Windows for the shortcuts to work. Here’s how you can turn it on.
- Go to Settings.
- Then, click on System.
- Click on Multitasking.
- Slide the toggle to turn on Snap Windows.
Related Questions
How to Split Screen on Two Monitors?
If you have two monitors, you can extend your display and then split your screen using the methods mentioned above. Here’s how you can extend your display.
On Windows 10:
- Right-click on your desktop and click on Display Settings option.
- Under the Multiple displays option, click on Extend these displays.
On Windows 11:
- Right-click on your desktop and click on Display Settings.
- Click on the drop-down menu beside the Identify option.
- Then, click on Extend these displays option. Another way you can do this on Windows 10 or 11 is by pressing the Win + P keys. Then, select Extend.
Why is my split screen not working?
If the Snap Assist is not working and you’re unable to split your screen, chances are the Snap Assist feature is turned off. To check this, please follow these steps:
- Go to your Windows settings.
- Click on System.
- Select Multitasking.
- You’ll now notice the Snap windows setting. If the setting is turned off, slide the toggle to turn it on.
Now, you can try again to split your screen using the above methods.
How to quickly switch between tabs?
If you often have a lot of tabs open in your browser, you can use keyboard shortcuts to quickly switch to the one you want. Simply press and hold down the Ctrl key. Then, press the Tab key. Press the Tab key again to switch between tabs.
How to quickly switch between windows?
Similar to tabs, you can also switch between multiple windows using keyboard shortcuts. Press Alt + Tab and open any window instantly.
Windows has always been a great environment for multitasking, with the ability to run multiple applications at once and to switch between them with relative ease.
In Windows 10, Microsoft tightened up the snapping mechanism and expanded its functionality. Today, the latest version of Windows 10 offers a number of ways to split your screen into multiple windows and get real work done, with better support for higher resolution displays and multiple monitors.
Snap Assist
One of Windows 10’s most important contributions to split-screen multitasking is Snap Assist, which makes it easier to select an open application window when you are choosing which applications to arrange on your screen. Here’s how to use it:
Step 1: Choose the window you want to snap to one half of the screen, then drag it to the edge.
Step 2: A translucent outline of where it will snap to will appear. If you’re happy with it, let go and your window will be snapped into place. Alternatively, press the Windows key and the left or right arrow key to snap the last selected window to one side of the screen.
Step 3: If you have other windows or applications open, when you snap your chosen window you’ll be presented with a number of options for what to fill the other half of the screen with. Click on one, and it will automatically snap into place opposite the other window.
Once you’ve placed your windows, you can easily resize them by dragging the divider. There’s a limit to how thin a window can be, though, to help you avoid creating windows that are so small that they’re useless.
Want a faster way to do this on your keyboard? There is a shortcut to split windows that’s really useful once you get used to the process: Press down the Windows logo key while in an active window, and then press either the left or right arrow key. This should automatically assign a side of the screen and split the window over there. Do the same for a new window, and you have a split-screen set up in no time!
Snapping more than two windows
If you have a large, or high-resolution display, you can take advantage of all of that extra screen real estate by snapping more than two windows. Corner Snap, as it’s known, lets you snap into place as many as four different windows.
Step 1: Drag and drop your first window into the corner you want to snap it to. Alternatively, press the Windows key and left or right arrow, followed by the up or down arrow.
Step 2: Do the same with a second window on the same side and you will have two snapped into place. Corner Snap is then activated, and much like when snapping just one window, you’ll be given the option to fill the empty space with a third.
Step 3: To bring the fourth window into play, drag the third window into the corner, and then select another application from Snap Assist to complete your four-window setup.
Note that a 2020 update to Windows 10 updated this four-window design and made all the snapped windows act as a single window. This may not sound important, but it’s really handy when you have to do something else, like open an additional app or file while working with your snapped windows — they will now stay together, waiting for you to get back.
Turning off Snap Assist and adjusting settings
If Snap Assist is getting in your way, then you can turn it off easily enough.
Step 1: Search for Settings in the Windows search bar. Click the corresponding entry.
Step 2: Select the System icon, then click Multitasking from the left-hand menu.
Step 3: The quickest way to turn off Snap Assist is to just click on the toggle button under Snap windows until it’s in the Off position. If you don’t want to turn Snap Assist completely off but you don’t want some of its features to be enabled, you can keep the Snap windows toggle button in the On position and then un-tick the boxes next to one or more of the following options:
- When I snap a window, automatically size it to fill available space
- When I snap a window, show what I can snap next to it
- When I resize a snapped window, simultaneously resize any adjacent snapped window
Customize grids with a third-party app
Are you looking for something a bit more customizable for complex projects? There are third-party apps that allow for more specific, grid-like changes to your windows so you can get all your favorite tools exactly where you want them, and at the right size. The native Windows 10 option is great, but if you want a bit more we suggest taking a look at AquaSnap.
AquaSnap allows you to create and adjust as many split windows as you need with a snap function that works similarly to the Windows version, but is a bit more flexible and includes a few neat, additional tools like snapping small windows together and other tricks. AquaSnap is generally free to download and use, though there are premium versions of it. The free tier will still offer many of the same features as the premium Professional version including window docking, window snapping, window stretching, and making windows transparent, just to name a few.
Source://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/how-to-split-your-screen-in-windows-10/ Date: 18.09.2020г.