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how to split screen on ipad

You can use Split View and Slide Over on most modern iPads to put two apps on screen at once.

What split screen does on iPad

  • Split View : Two apps side‑by‑side, with a movable divider so one can be wider than the other.
  • Slide Over : A tall, floating app that sits on top of another app on one side of the screen.
  • On newer iPads, Stage Manager can also let you have multiple, resizable overlapping windows if your model supports it.

Method 1: Using the three-dot multitasking button

This is the most “official” way on iPadOS 15 and later.

  1. Open the first app you want to use.
  2. At the top of the screen, tap the three dots (the multitasking button).
  3. Tap the Split View icon (two equal rectangles side‑by‑side). The current app slides aside and your Home Screen appears.
  1. Tap the second app you want; it opens on the other side of the screen in Split View.
  1. Drag the divider between the two apps left or right to give one app more space.

To instead use Slide Over:

  • In step 3, tap the Slide Over icon (a rectangle with a narrower panel in front). Your first app will move aside, and when you choose a second app, that second one goes full screen with the first in a floating window.

Method 2: Using the Dock (drag and drop)

This feels more “draggy” and is great once you get used to it.

  1. Open the first app.
  2. Slowly swipe up from the bottom of the screen until the Dock appears, then let go.
  1. Touch and hold the second app’s icon in the Dock.
  2. Drag it:
    • To the left or right edge of the screen and then release → it opens next to the first app in Split View.
 * To the **middle** of the screen and release → it opens in a **Slide Over** floating window on top of the first app.

If you don’t see the app in the Dock:

  • Tap the App Library icon on the right side of the Dock, find the app, then drag it out to the edge (for Split View) or center (for Slide Over).

Method 3: Using Spotlight with a keyboard (fast power‑user move)

If you use a hardware keyboard (like Magic Keyboard or any Bluetooth keyboard), this is a nice shortcut.

  1. With your first app open, press Command (⌘) + Space to open Spotlight.
  1. Start typing the name of the second app.
  2. When it appears, press and hold its icon in the results and drag it toward the side or middle of the screen:
    • Drag to the edge → Split View.
 * Drag to the **center** → Slide Over.

Adjusting and closing split screen

Once you’ve got two apps up, you can tweak the layout easily.

  • Resize apps in Split View : Drag the vertical divider left or right to make one app larger or smaller.
  • Make them equal size : Put the divider right in the middle.
  • Close Split View :
    • Drag the divider all the way over the app you want to close, or
    • Tap the three dots on the app you want to keep and choose full screen.

For Slide Over:

  • Move the floating window : Drag the gray bar at the top of the Slide Over window to the left or right side.
  • Hide/show it : Swipe it off the edge of the screen to hide, then swipe in from that edge to bring it back.
  • Switch between Slide Over apps : Swipe halfway up on the floating window, pause, and you’ll see all Slide Over apps; tap one to bring it forward.

A quick word on Stage Manager

On some iPads (M‑series iPad Air and iPad Pro), you can use Stage Manager to freely arrange multiple overlapping windows and even use an external display.

  • You turn it on from Control Center , using the icon that looks like a rectangle with three dots on the side.
  • You can then resize windows, stack them, and run several apps at once beyond classic Split View.

Forum and real‑world tips

People on iPad and iPadOS forums often say the 3‑dot menu is simple once you know it, but the number of steps can feel like overkill when you just want “two apps side by side now.” Some power users recommend:

  • Keeping your most-used apps in the Dock so you can drag them into Split View faster.
  • Using landscape orientation to make split screen more comfortable; more vertical room means less scrolling.
  • Trying Stage Manager (if supported) when you want more “desktop‑like” flexibility instead of strict 50/50 or 70/30 splits.

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TL;DR: Open your first app, tap the three dots at the top and choose Split View , then pick a second app—or drag a second app from the Dock to the side of the screen—for instant split screen multitasking.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.