Split Screen on Mac: Integrate Editing Tools to Enhance Productivity

Become familiar with the split screen on Mac for easier multitasking. Learn about Macs' built-in Split View feature and how to split video scenes using CapCut.

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split screen mac
CapCut
CapCut2024-04-21
0 min(s)

As a Mac user, you're likely no stranger to multitasking. With a split screen on Mac, it is easy to handle two projects simultaneously without disrupting workflow or losing precious time switching between windows. But how to do that? Read on to get acquainted with split-screen on Mac.

Table of content

What is the split Mac screen

A split screen on Mac means resizing the share an app takes on your Macbook screen to allow the opening of separate windows side by side. The Mac split display can help you:

  • Work on one window while you chat, video play, or watch a movie on another window.
  • Conveniently drafting an article while at the same time conducting research, verifying facts, and organizing sources is ideal for writers.
  • Have an easy time studying for an exam by comparing notes, viewing lecture slides, and solving practice problems, perfect for students.
  • Create a website layout while keeping an eye on design inspiration and brand guidelines, making it especially useful for designers.
  • Transcribe an audio file into a Word document while the audio player controls remain on the screen at all times.
  • Efficiently use the drag and drop feature to move files from one folder to another, such as a picture from the Photos app, into a new message in Mail.
  • Quickly copy and paste text between two running programs, like the Safari browser and Pages.

How to split screen Mac with its built-in features

The easiest way to multitask on an iMac or Macbook is through the Split View mode. However, you must have an updated Mac with the right macOS version. Split View works on at least OS X El Capitan or a macOS whose version number starts with 10.11 or higher. Using it requires a few steps.

1. How to enter Split View mode on Mac

The Split View feature is preinstalled to help divide screen on Mac for easier multitasking as follows:

  1. First, open the two windows you wish to pair on the split-screen layout: documents, browser windows, apps, or whatever else you are working on. On one window, look for the three red, yellow, and green colored dots in the upper left corner, which control the window.
  2. 
    Enter Split View mode on Mac - Step1
  3. Hover your mouse cursor over the Green dot with two expand arrows and hold it down until a list of options appears. These are Enter Full Screen, Tile Window to Left of Screen, and Tile Window to Right of Screen. Select the second or third option to have your first window fill that screen area, either left or right.
  4. 
    Enter Split View mode on Mac - Step2
  5. Already, you are halfway done, as one side of the Split View is set. The first window will be displayed on one half of your Mac screen, while the other opened windows will display as thumbnails on the other half. Click on the second window to expand to fill in the void section, and enjoy the split screen for Macbook.
  6. 
    Enter Split View mode on Mac - Step3

2. How to adjust the Split View and switch between windows on Mac

If unsatisfied with the split screen MacOS arrangement, you can bring the left to be on the right or the opposite. If you want to move the left window to the right side of your screen, click and hold its menu bar and drag it to the right side to interchange the two windows, and you can do the vice versa as many times as required.


Adjust the Split View and switch between windows on Mac - Step1

Apart from rearranging the two opened windows, you can also resize them by making one side wider or narrower. To resize the Macbook split-screen windows, click on the black border line separating the two side-by-side windows and drag the cursor to the left or right or vice versa to make one window smaller or larger per your needs.


Adjust the Split View and switch between windows on Mac - Step2

If you want to switch back and forth between the two opened split-view windows or open another app, swipe up the touchpad using four fingers. This will enter Mission Control, and then you can click on the dual-screen pair. Or, you can swipe the trackpad to the left or right with three fingers to switch from one to the other window.


Adjust the Split View and switch between windows on Mac - Step3

3. How to exit the Split View mode on Mac

After you've finished multitasking on the dual window display, returning your Mac screen to fullscreen mode is easy. You can quit the split screen by pressing the Esc key on your keyboard, clicking the red dot to close the window, or using the green dot at the top to exit the Split View.

  1. On the window you intend to minimize, move the pointer to the top until the green button has reappeared.
  2. Click the green dot to reduce the window size and exit the dual-screen.
  3. The minimized window will revert to its initial screen shape before splitting, and the other window will go into fullscreen.

4. What to do if Split View doesn't work

If you experience challenges entering the Split View mode on Mac, you could be currently in fullscreen mode, or your macOS is outdated. Try these steps if your Mac runs on macOS Mojave, El Capitan, High Sierra, or Sierra to split screen.

  1. Click-hold the green dot until the window shrinks.
  2. Drag the shrunk window to the left or right.
  3. Release the green circle button and click on the new window. They will appear side-by-side.

But if your Mac runs on macOS Catalina or newer, then you can check if the split view display is enabled in settings.

  1. Click the Apple Menu followed by System Preferences.
  2. Open Mission Control and then tick the box beside Displays have separated Spaces.

Tick the box beside Displays have separated Spaces

Note: Not all apps are compatible with split screen. So, after trying the above steps and the split view doesn't work, it is probably because the app doesn't support split Mac screen mode.

How to split the Mac screen with third-party apps

You can also use other tools to split the view Mac. Check them out now.

1. How to split Mac screen with Magnet

Another feature-filled split-screen tool for Mac is Magnet. It provides tools for snapping that can be used to snap to the right, top, left, or bottom halves of your screen for easier multitasking. It lets you resize an opened window into half screen and also sort windows into sixths when using an ultra-wide monitor. Moreover, it also allows customizable keyboard shortcuts to switch between and use apps on split screen mode easily.

Steps

  1. Download, install, and run the Magnet app on your Mac.
  2. 
    Split Mac screen with Magnet - Step1
  3. In the top toolbar, click the Magnet icon to reveal the drop-down menu. Here, you have options for half-screen windows, quarter windows, one or two-thirds, and the option to move a window between multiple monitors. You can also drag-drop windows to the edge of the screen and wait for the grey outline to appear, then release it to snap into place.
  4. 
    Split Mac screen with Magnet - Step2
  5. When done, click the options to Maximize, Center, or Restore, depending on what you want to do next.
  6. 
    Split Mac screen with Magnet - Step3

2. How to divide a Mac screen with Moom

Moom is also a considerate app offering a comprehensive split view window manager for Mac. It has five preset locations/size options to zoom and move opened windows with flexibility. Users can also customize controls with the option for chained custom controls when working with many apps simultaneously.

Simply download and install the Moom app on your Mac, then hover your mouse over the green dot on any opened window for the Moom's popup pallet to appear. You'll see the different icons for splitting the screen and resizing windows. Click on the option you want, and your Mac screen display will be split.


Divide a Mac screen with Moom

We all agree that using the built-in Split View feature for Mac is straightforward for multi-tasking. However, sometimes your needs may go well beyond a split view, especially if you are a filmmaker, an educator, a marketer, etc.

For example, if you are engaged in complex video projects like film production or commercial ad shooting, you may need easy-to-use and advanced video editing tools to simplify your workflow. This is where a professional multimedia editor like CapCut comes in handy. Dive in and immediately discover how to split scenes with this video editor!

How to split screen on Mac with CapCut video editor

Popular for its multimedia editing capacity, the CapCut video editor is versatile, with numerous basic and advanced editing tools and special AI-powered features. You may not use the video editor to split the Mac screen into two or more segments, but you can split a video into different clips on your Mac.

The split scene element allows you to eliminate unwanted parts if you are making videos with sensitive information, such as for commercial use, or rearrange the event sequence to give flow to a movie. Also, CapCut will soon launch a replace clip feature to make it easier to insert a new clip to form a complete video for your presentation, research, compilations, etc.

Using it is effortless, as shown below:

Steps to split scenes with CapCut:

  1. Upload
  2. Uploading videos to the CapCut video editor is quick and straightforward. Either upload media from your Mac's local storage by dragging and dropping or use the Click to upload button to select from folders. You can also import videos from Dropbox or Google Drive, or scan a QR code with mobile or browse projects from your CapCut cloud storage space.
  3. *No credit card need
  4. 
    Uploading videos to the CapCut online video editor
  5. Edit and split scenes
  6. With your video already on the CapCut editing interface, you can play around with the different editing tools to enhance the video. Some doable edits include reversing, cropping, mirroring, transcript-based editing, speed curves, animated transitions, etc.
  7. 
    Play around with the different editing tools to enhance the video
  8. To split scenes in your video, move the timeline pointer to where you want to split and click the split scene icon. The process will commence with a percentage bar showing its progress. Wait for it to finish, and your video will be split into two, then you can repeat the same if you want to split it into more scenes.
  9. 
    Split scenes in your video
  10. Export
  11. After you have finished splitting the scenes in your video, the CapCut video editor allows you to share it with other people for feedback, share it as a presentation, download it to Mac local storage, or post it to your TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, or Facebook social media pages.
  12. 
    Share the video with other people for feedback

Benefits of split screen Mac with CapCut

Using the CapCut video editor comes with numerous benefits, including the following:

  • Free to use: using the CapCut video editor is free of charge with access to premium video editing tools.
  • Cloud storage: all projects on CapCut are stored in your CapCut cloud space for on-the-go access and quick sharing for collaborations.
  • Additional editing tools: not only can you split scenes, but you can also add keyframes, use chroma keys, transitions, background remover, etc.

Summary

To all Mac users, whether seasoned or new, a split-screen view is valuable if you want to succeed when multitasking. It helps you unlock a new level of efficiency so you can achieve remarkable results without too much struggle. The article above clearly highlights how to split screen on Mac and discusses the benefits of splitting scenes with the split scene feature in the CapCut video editor. It is well-equipped with an easily accessible split scene button that works like magic to split videos into two or more segments. Try it today and look no further!

FAQs

  1. What is the shortcut for split screen on Mac?
  2. When using a Mac, you can enter split screen mode with keyboard shortcuts. Start by pressing Control > Command > F to enter full screen, then press F3 to launch Mission Control. This will allow you to drag the second window onto the currently opened app, then click back on the newly tiled windows to enter Split View.
  3. How can I switch between Mac split displays?
  4. You can easily switch between split screen displays on Mac using the trackpad. Either use your four fingers to swipe up to enter Mission Control or use three fingers to swipe to the left or right from one to another window. The same is easy when switching between split scenes on CapCut, where you can drag and drop different split portions of your videos to shuffle them as desired. But you must know what you are doing because splitting scenes is permanent, so be careful with your projects.
  5. What's the best way to split the Mac screen into two?
  6. The most reliable method to split screen with Mac is the built-in Split View feature. It comes preinstalled, so you don't need additional apps. However, if you want to split and edit videos for professional results, the CapCut video editor is ideal. It has a split scene tool that you can use to split videos into two or more scenes permanently. This is especially useful for movie makers, music video producers, wedding videos, personal videos, etc., and you can also improve the video with basic and advanced editing for free.
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