How to split the screen on Windows 10

Knowing how to split the screen on Windows 10 opens up a wide range of options, starting with making a detail tab to have upwardly a specific portion of your screen. Perhaps y'all're inbound data into a spreadsheet and demand two tabs equally visible at once. Maybe you simply desire to watch a YouTube video while working (no judgement, we've all done it).

Any y'all need it for, splitting your screen is extremely intuitive on Windows 10. Microsoft first introduced the power to fix tabs and programs to make full specific portions of your screen back in Windows 7 and has been iterating on the function ever since.

How to use Windows 10 like a pro
The best laptops, ranked
5 easy ways to upgrade your gaming PC

You lot're not limited to just ii windows taking up exactly half of your screen either, yous can go as far as to have iv windows each taking up a quarter if you demand to perform some farthermost multitasking.

This function is incredibly useful if y'all don't have a dual monitor setup, but information technology can however be used if we're using more than ane brandish. When y'all cistron in a second screen the number of windows you can accept visible at in one case becomes frankly rather ridiculous, but if you lot take the need to view a lot of information at once so it'due south a vital feature.

Thankfully the process itself is pretty straightforward, and with this handy guide on how to split your screen on Windows 10, you'll be carving up your screen in no time.

1. Select a window yous want to split your screen with

how to split the screen on Windows 10 - select window to split — (Image credit: Microsoft)

The split-screen function in Windows ten volition work with near applications and tabs, including third-political party programs as well as browsers and even file manager. But select whatever window you want to take up a portion of the screen first. For this tutorial, we're going to fill half the screen with a Google Chrome tab, the other half with File Explorer.

two. Press Windows + Left (or Right)

how to split the screen on Windows 10 - press windows + arrow key — (Image credit: Microsoft)

Pressing the Windows key plus the Left or Right Arrow key will brand whatever window y'all have open accept up exactly half of your screen. Obviously pressing the left arrow fundamental will arrive accept upward the left side of the screen, whereas the correct arrow central will make information technology take upward the right side.

Or you can drag the window to the edge of your screen, and a sparse blackness outline will appear showing you which portion of the screen information technology volition now take upward - but using the keyboard shortcut is much simpler and less finicky in our experience.

3. Select a 2nd window

how to split the screen on Windows 10 - select second window — (Image credit: Microsoft)

If yous have more one window open when you lot consummate pace 2, they should appear every bit thumbnails on the other one-half of the screen. Just select whichever 1 you want to take up the remaining half of the screen and information technology will automatically fill the space.

Alternatively, you can repeat the process outlined higher up past selecting whichever window you desire to fill the second one-half of the screen then printing Windows + Left/Correct Arrow. Which Arrow key you lot press should be the opposite i you pressed during the previous step, so if you pressed the Left Arrow fundamental before this time press the Correct Arrow central.

4. Elevate the divider to your preference

how to split the screen on Windows 10 - tweak to your liking — (Epitome credit: Microsoft)

If yous don't want the ii windows that are each taking up half the screen to accept the same share of the screen, as you lot need one to be bigger than the other. Only click on the thin dividing line between the ii windows and elevate it either left or right to lucifer your needs.

5. Dissever your screen into quarters (optional)

how to split the screen on Windows 10 - split into quarters — (Image credit: Microsoft)

If you demand to have more than than two windows open at once you can become as far as splitting your screen into quarters, but do note this part is only really useful on a sizable Hd screen. On a smaller screen, the tab will exist too pocket-sized to be useable.

To go a window to have up a quarter of your display, first press Windows + Left/Right Arrow key, this volition brand the window take up half of your screen. Next press Windows + Up/Down Arrow primal and it volition automatically snap to fill just a quarter.

Once more the alternative option to perform this task is to drag the window to the height or bottom corner of your screen instead of using your keyboard, but this method can exist imprecise so nosotros'd recommend simply using the shortcut as information technology'south much more straightforward.

Subsequently you set your first window to have upwards a quarter of the screen, any other tabs you have open should once more appear as thumbnails. Just select the ones yous want to make full the remaining screen space. Or you can echo the steps outlined higher up if the selection grid disappears.

Y'all can as well have one window taking up one-half the screen, while two tabs separate the remaining half if that'south more convenient.