How to split screen on a Chromebook for better multitasking

Chromebooks are very popular among students and professionals looking for an affordable device to get PC-like experience. It’s a clean and user-friendly OS developed and managed by Google. The OS receives improvement updates at regular intervals to ensure that all up-to-date features are included.

Chromebooks have had a split-screen feature for years, and it’s been improved since then. However, many users are still unaware of this feature and its potential. Therefore, in this article, we’ll see how to split screen on a Chromebook, along with its advantages and how it compares to Windows’ split screen.

What is Split Screen and What are Its Advantages?

A split screen is a highly useful feature that allows users to split or divide the screen of their device into two separate sections. Users can assign different actions to both sections, which means you can use two different apps or pages simultaneously on one single screen.

Coming down to its advantages, one of the best advantages of it is enhanced multitasking. The feature allows the user to work on two tasks simultaneously which indeed boosts multitasking and also increases productivity. The feature can also be used to do real-time collaboration wherein the user can chat with colleagues on one side of the screen while editing or watching presentation on the other. These are just a few advantages, but there are many more.

How to Split Screen on Chromebook

There are several different ways to use the Split Screen feature on the Chromebook. Let’s look at them one by one.

Split Screen using Maximize Button (for Browser/Web Pages)

Step 1: Open the browser or window you want to use.

Step 2: Now hover the cursor over the maximize button (the square icon in the top-right corner).

Step 3: Choose between half split or partial split depending upon your usage and then tap on the right or left edge until it snaps into place.

Step 4: Once the first window is snapped, you will be able to choose the second window or app on the other side of the split screen.

Split Screen using Maximize Button (for Apps and Progressive Web Apps)

Step 1: Open the app you want to use.

Step 2: Drag the cursor to the Maximize button and tap and hold until arrows appear next to it.

Step 3: Now choose the location where you want to keep the current app (left or right screen).

Step 4: You will be now prompted to select or open the app on the other side of the screen or leave it as it is.

Split Screen using Keyboard Shortcut

Step 1: Open the window you want to use.

Step 2: Press “Shift+[” to open the window on the right side of the split screen or press “Shift+]” to open it on the left.

Split Screen Using Touchpad Gestures

Step 1: Just like Windows, ChromeOS also supports touchpad gestures and you can use it to trigger split screen functionality. Simply do a three-finger swipe up before anything else.

Step 2: Now click and hold on the window you want to use on the split screen and drag it to the left or right side.

Step 3: Select the app or window you want to use on the other side of the split screen.

Split Screen using Touchscreen Gesture (only for Touchscreen supported devices)

Step 1: Open the app and do a one-finger swipe up and hold. This will open the overview menu.

Step 2: Now from the overview menu, tap and hold the window of your choice and then drag it to either side of the screen.

Step 3: Once done, you will be able to select the app on the other side of the screen.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is the Split Screen feature limited to certain devices?

Split screen is a software-based feature and hence, it is available for almost all modern Chromebooks. But, older models may not have the feature if are running on an outdated version of ChromeOS. Updating the Chromebook to the latest version can add the feature if it’s not there out of the box.

2. How does it compare with the Windows Split Screen?

Even though the Split Screen feature is very similar to both operating systems, there are some key differences. The usability of Chromebook is very straightforward, whereas Windows offers both simple and advanced layouts. Windows also allows more customization options than ChromeOS. So in a nutshell, there’s no clear winner. You can choose one per your preferences. Windows will get you more advanced control whereas ChromeOS will get you better usability and integration with Android apps.

3. Are all apps supported by the Split Screen feature?

Given that it’s a software-based feature, almost all the major apps and windows support the feature. However, certain apps such as Netflix might not fit well with the Split Screen because of the design limitations.

Final Verdict

These were the top methods using which you can trigger the split screen functionality on the Chromebook. It is a powerful feature that can enhance your multitasking capabilities and overall productiveness. Given that there are multiple methods to use the feature, you can use any easy method at your convenience.

Images: Google

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