How to Split Screen on Chromebook: Shortcuts, Snap Groups and Tablet Mode

The fastest way to split the screen on a Chromebook is a keyboard shortcut: click a window and press Alt + [ to snap it to the left half, or Alt + ] to snap it to the right half. Then click a second window and snap it to the other side.

You can also drag a window to the edge of the screen, pick Split or Partial from the Maximize button, or, in tablet mode, drag apps into place with your finger. Each method is below, with the steps from Google’s Chromebook Help.

Split screen methods at a glance

Method	How	Best for
Keyboard shortcut	Alt + [ (left) or Alt + ] (right)	Fastest; doesn’t create a Snap Group
Drag the title bar	Drag the window to the left or right edge until it highlights	Mouse or touchpad users
Maximize button menu	Hover over Maximize, choose Split or Partial	Uneven layouts (one big, one small window)
Hold Maximize and drag	Press and hold Maximize, drag to the left or right arrow	Quick snapping without the menu
Tablet mode	Open the overview, drag a window to one side	Convertibles and Chromebook tablets
Chrome split view	Ctrl + Alt + N in Chrome	Two websites in one Chrome window

Method 1: Snap windows with Alt + [ and Alt + ]

1. Click the first window you want to snap so it’s active.
2. Press Alt + [ to dock it on the left half of the screen.
3. Click the second window.
4. Press Alt + ] to dock it on the right half.

If your screen is in a vertical (portrait) layout, the same shortcuts snap windows to the top (Alt + [) and bottom (Alt + ]) instead.

Note: Windows snapped with the keyboard shortcuts don’t form a Snap Group and don’t trigger the faster split-screen setup with window suggestions. Use one of the mouse methods below if you want those.

Method 2: Drag a window to the edge of the screen

1. Select and hold the title bar (the top strip) of the window you want to snap.
2. Drag it to the left or right side of the screen until that side highlights.
3. Release it. The window fills half the screen.
4. A list of your other open windows appears on the empty side. Select the one you want next to it.

If you don’t want to pair it with anything, select the empty area, select Skip, or press Esc.

Method 3: Use Split or Partial from the Maximize button

This is the method to use when you want one window bigger than the other.

1. Hover your pointer over the Maximize/Restore button at the top right of the window.
2. In the layout menu that appears, choose:
   • Split to divide the screen evenly, with your window on the left or right.
   • Partial to create one larger and one smaller window, with your window as either one.
3. Pick a second window from the suggestion list to fill the other side.

You can also press and hold Maximize and drag toward the left or right arrow that appears.

Tip: The same layout menu has a Float option, which keeps a smaller window on top that you can move around freely. To undo it, hover over Unfloat and select Float again.

Snap Groups (ChromeOS M128 and later)

On ChromeOS version M128 and up, when you snap a window with the mouse methods above and then pick a second window from the suggestions, the two become a Snap Group. They act as a pair:

• Resize both at once: Drag the divider bar between the two windows.
• Bring the pair back to the front: Select either window, open the overview with the Show windows key or a three-finger swipe up on the touchpad, or press Alt + Tab and stop on the group.
• Replace one window: Drag another window’s title bar to the edge on the side you want to replace, or use the Maximize layout menu on the new window.
• Break the group: Maximize, minimize, make full screen or close one of the windows, or drag it out by its title bar.

Note: You can only pair windows that are on the same desk and the same display. Suggestions also don’t appear if another fully visible window is already snapped to the opposite side.

Split screen in tablet mode

On a convertible Chromebook folded into tablet mode, or a Chromebook tablet, there’s no title bar to grab. Use the overview instead:

1. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen and hold to see all your open windows. (Google’s touchscreen guide also describes swiping down from the top to get the same overview.)
2. Drag one window to the left or right edge of the screen.
3. Tap the other window you want to use. It fills the other half.
4. Drag the line in the center to change the sizes.

To remove split screen, drag that center line all the way to either side.

Split screen inside Chrome

If you only need two websites side by side, Chrome has its own split view inside a single window:

• Press Ctrl + Alt + N on a Chromebook to open split view with the active tab.
• Or right-click a tab and select Add tab to new split view, or right-click a link and select Open link in split view.
• To undo it, right-click a tab in the split view and choose Separate split view.

This splits one Chrome window, not the whole screen, so it doesn’t affect your other apps.

Turn window suggestions on or off

The list of windows that pops up after you snap one is handy, but you can switch it off:

1. Select the time at the bottom right.
2. Select Settings, then System preferences.
3. Search for split screen.
4. Under Window and desks, turn off Show window suggestions when starting split-screen.

Turn the same setting back on if the suggestions have disappeared and you want them back.

How to exit split screen

• Select Maximize on one of the snapped windows to return it to full size.
• Press the Full screen key at the top of the keyboard (or F4) for full screen, which hides tabs and the launcher.
• In tablet mode, drag the center line to one side.

If it still doesn’t work

• The shortcut does nothing: Click inside the window first so it’s the active one, then press Alt + [ or Alt + ] again.
• No suggestion list appears: You need at least 2 windows open on the current desk and display, and the suggestion setting must be on. Also check that a fully visible window isn’t already snapped to the opposite side.
• Snap Groups don’t form: Snap Groups need ChromeOS M128 or later, and the keyboard shortcuts never create them. Check your version in Settings > About ChromeOS, select Check for updates, and use the drag or Maximize methods.
• Windows are on different monitors: Move them to the same display first. Google’s tip is Search + Alt + M (or Launcher + Alt + M) to move a window between screens.
• Tablet mode won’t split: Make sure you’re dragging from the overview, not from a full-screen app.

For more shortcuts like these, see how to split screen on iPad, Windows Snap layouts and other computer tricks, and the rest of Tech Tips.