How to Split Screen in Chrome on Windows, Mac and Chromebook

What does split screen in Chrome actually mean?

"Split screen" usually means putting two windows side by side, and that's handled by your operating system, not by Chrome itself. Chrome has no built-in split-screen button in the toolbar.

Windows calls this Snap, macOS calls it window tiling, and ChromeOS calls it Split or Partial. If you want two tabs tiled inside a single Chrome window instead of two separate windows, that's a job for an extension — see the full split-screen extensions hub for a side-by-side comparison.

How do I split screen in Chrome on Windows?

Drag the Chrome window's title bar to the left or right edge of the screen until the Snap layout box appears, then release and pick a second window to fill the other half. This is Microsoft's Snap feature, and it treats Chrome the same as any other app.

1. Open two Chrome windows (press Ctrl+N for a new one).
2. Select and drag the title bar of the first window to the left or right edge of your screen.
3. Release when the Snap layout box appears; the window fills half the screen.
4. Choose the second window from the Snap Assist thumbnails to fill the other half.
5. Drag the separator bar between the two windows to resize them without leaving gaps.

Prefer the keyboard? Hold Win and press the Left or Right Arrow to snap the active window to that side, then use the arrows again to cycle positions before releasing Win.

If dragging doesn't trigger Snap at all, it may be turned off. Open Settings, go to System > Multitasking, and switch the Snap windows toggle back on.

How do I split screen in Chrome on Mac?

Drag the Chrome window to the left or right edge of the screen until it snaps into half the display, then click a second open window to fill the other side. This works the same way for Chrome as for any other Mac app.

Some macOS versions also let you press and hold the green button in the top-left corner of the window to open a tiling menu, where you can choose to tile that window to the left or right side of the screen and then pick a second window to fill the rest.

How do I split screen on a Chromebook?

Drag a window's title bar to a screen edge until it highlights, then release to snap it into half the screen — or hover over Maximize/Restore on a window and pick Split or Partial from the layout menu. Both methods are documented in Google's Chromebook multitasking guide.

Snap

Dragging a window to a screen edge so it fills half the screen.

Split

A layout that divides the screen evenly between two windows.

Partial

A layout that creates one larger window and one smaller window.

Float

Keeps a window open on top of others so you can move it freely instead of snapping it.

• Drag the title bar: select and hold the title bar, drag to a screen edge until it highlights, then release to snap it into place.
• Use the Maximize menu: hover over Maximize/Restore on the window, then choose Split (even halves) or Partial (large + small) and select a second window to pair with it.
• Use the keyboard: hold Maximize and drag left or right, or use Alt+[ and Alt+] to snap — though these shortcuts skip the faster split-screen pairing setup.

To adjust sizing, move your cursor to the edge of a split window and drag once the resize cursor appears. To restore a split or partial window to full size, select Maximize on it again. If you'd rather not see snap suggestions at all, select the time, open Settings > System preferences, search "Split screen," and turn off Show window suggestions when starting split-screen under Window and desks.

When does a split-screen extension work better than OS snap?

OS snap only arranges separate windows. If you want two tabs tiled inside one window, need to save a layout so you can reopen it later, or want to line up more than two panes on one monitor, an extension does what the operating system can't.

If Chrome starts behaving oddly after adding one of these, check how to remove a Chrome extension for the exact steps.

What if I just need one small floating window, not a full split screen?

If the goal is watching a video while you work in another tab, a full split screen is often more than you need. Picture-in-picture pops the video into a small floating window that stays on top while you use the rest of Chrome normally.

This pairs well with reopening closed tabs in Chrome if you accidentally close the tab a video was floating from, and with restarting Chrome without losing tabs if you need to reload the browser mid-task.

What to do when split screen doesn't work as expected

Most split-screen problems come down to one of three things: Snap being turned off in your OS settings, the two windows sitting on different desks or displays, or an extension needing a permission you haven't granted.

• Snap won't trigger on Windows: open Settings > System > Multitasking and confirm the Snap windows toggle is on.
• Chromebook suggestion list is missing: it only appears when both windows are on the same desk and display, and won't show if another window is already snapped opposite it.
• An extension tiles the wrong tab or won't load: reload the tab first, and if that doesn't fix it, remove and reinstall it following how to remove a Chrome extension.
• A Chromebook keeps suggesting layouts you don't want: turn off Show window suggestions when starting split-screen under System preferences > search "Split screen."

Chromebook users setting up a device for split-screen-heavy workflows may also want to check best Chromebook extensions for other productivity add-ons worth pairing with a tiled layout.