How to Split Screen on a Chromebook

What's the easiest way to split screen on a Chromebook?

For a basic two-way split, you don't need anything extra. ChromeOS has a native split view built into the operating system: drag any window to the left or right edge of the screen, or use a keyboard shortcut, and it snaps into half the display. See Find Extensions' full split-screen extension picks if you want to go beyond the basics.

The native feature covers two windows at a time, with no saved layouts and limited multi-monitor control. That's exactly where extensions add value: more than two panes, presets you can reuse, dedicated multi-monitor grids, and the ability to split individual browser tabs — not just whole app windows — into their own tiled arrangement.

How do I use ChromeOS's built-in split screen?

This works with any window — a Chrome browser window, an Android app, or a Linux app — since it's a feature of ChromeOS itself, not of Chrome.

1. Click the title bar of the window you want to snap to select it.
2. Drag the title bar to the left or right edge of the screen until an outline appears, then release.
3. Click a second window in the remaining half of the screen to fill the other side.
4. Or, select a window and press Alt+[ to snap it to the left half, or Alt+] to snap it to the right half.
5. To exit split view, drag a window's title bar away from the edge, or click its maximize button again.

How is a split-screen extension different from ChromeOS's native split view?

Native split view handles the simple case well; extensions exist for everything past two windows.

If you only ever need two windows side by side, stick with the built-in gesture — it's faster and there's nothing to maintain. Once you want three or four panes, a saved arrangement you reuse daily, or a layout that spans two monitors, an extension earns its place.

How do I install and use the Split Screen extension?

Split Screen organizes your Chrome windows into grid layouts with a redesigned popup, a visual layout editor, and dedicated multi-monitor handling.

1. Install Split Screen from the Chrome Web Store and pin it to your toolbar.
2. Click the icon and switch between One screen and Two screen layouts.
3. Pick a ready-made preset such as Half & Half, Big & Small, or The Four for a single display.
4. For a custom arrangement, open the visual layout editor: drag panes to move them, drag a corner to resize, and everything snaps to a grid automatically.
5. Your saved layout appears alongside the built-in presets the next time you open the popup.
6. On multiple monitors, use Identify Screens to flash a number on each display if you're not sure which is which.

How do I split individual browser tabs with Tab Resize?

Tab Resize takes a different approach from Split Screen: instead of arranging whole windows, it takes your current tab and the tabs to its right and resizes each one into its own separate window, tiled into a grid.

Ctrl+Shift+1

Arranges the current tab alone in a 1x1 layout — useful for undoing a split back to one full window.

Ctrl+Shift+2

Splits the current tab and the tab to its right into a 1x2 side-by-side layout.

Ctrl+Shift+4

Splits the current tab and three tabs to its right into a 2x2 grid.

Ctrl+Shift+Z

Undoes the last resize and restores your previous window arrangement.

To split specific tabs rather than whatever happens to sit to the right, highlight them first: Ctrl-click (or Cmd-click on Mac) each tab you want, or Shift-click to select a range, then trigger the shortcut — only the highlighted tabs get resized. Because Tab Resize splits tabs into real, separate windows instead of fake panes crammed into one tab, it avoids the security restrictions that stop some split-view tools from opening sites like Gmail properly.

Which split-screen extensions should I actually install?

For most Chromebook users, one extension for whole-window layouts and one for tab-level resizing covers everything the built-in split view doesn't.

What else helps once your screen is split?

Long side-by-side sessions create their own small problems that have nothing to do with the layout itself — a laptop dimming mid-reference, or losing track of how long you've spent comparing two tabs instead of finishing the task.

If you keep a Chromebook plugged in for long split-screen sessions, our guide on how to keep a Chromebook awake covers the power settings that stop it from sleeping mid-task.

Does split screen work the same in Chromebook tablet mode?

Not quite. In tablet mode, ChromeOS switches to touch gestures: you drag an app from the shelf or the overview view to the side of the screen to snap it, rather than dragging a hidden title bar, since maximized windows in tablet mode don't show one.

Split-screen extensions built around a mouse pointer — dragging pane corners in a visual layout editor, for example — are harder to use with touch alone. They still function, but they're noticeably easier with an attached keyboard and trackpad, or a stylus, than with a finger on a tablet-mode Chromebook.

Why does my split screen keep resetting or not snapping properly?

A few specific issues cause most split-screen problems on a Chromebook, and they're usually quick to identify once you know what to look for.

If you expected a single tab to show two sites in one window, note that Tab Resize deliberately opens real, separate windows rather than fake panes inside one tab — that's a design choice for security, not a bug. And if a saved layout resets after restarting Chrome, check that the extension still has permission to run and hasn't been disabled by a recent Chrome or extension update; our best Chromebook extensions guide has more on keeping extensions running reliably after updates.