RibbonHow to split the screen into three windows on a Mac
Split View stops at two apps. On macOS 15 Sequoia and later, Fn⌃⌥⇧ and an arrow key arranges three windows as one half plus two quarters. For three equal columns you need an app: Rectangle and Raycast add thirds, and a scrolling window manager lets you set each column's width and keep going past three.
Built in: one half and two quarters (macOS 15 and later)
- Bring the three windows you want forward, the main one last so it's in front.
- Press Fn⌃⌥⇧ and an arrow key. The front window takes half the screen on that side; the next two share the other half, one above the other.
You can also hover over the green button and choose an arrangement from Fill & Arrange, or use Window → Move & Resize → Arrange. The arrangements on offer depend on how many windows are open on the screen.
This is good for an editor plus a browser plus a terminal on a large monitor. On a laptop, the two quarters are small.
Why not Split View?
Split View (hover over the green button, choose a full-screen tile) is strictly two windows in their own full-screen Space. There's no three-way version. The tiling guide covers it.
Three equal columns
macOS has no thirds. Your options:
- Rectangle (free) has shortcuts for first, center and last third, plus two-thirds.
- Raycast (free for personal use) has window commands for thirds; give them hotkeys in its settings.
- Drag by hand. Three windows of roughly a third each work until you open a fourth.
Thirds make the most sense on a wide screen: a 27-inch or larger monitor, or an ultrawide. On a 13- or 14-inch MacBook, a third is too narrow for most apps, and some refuse to shrink that far.
The fourth window problem
Any fixed layout breaks when you need one more window. Open a fourth app and it lands on top of your three columns; tile it and one of the three gets covered or squeezed. Then you rearrange.
A scrolling window manager doesn't have a fixed number of slots. In Ribbon, windows sit side by side on a strip that can be wider than the screen:
- Open your three windows. Each becomes a column.
- Press ⌃⌥R on each to cycle its width through the presets (a quarter, a third, a half, two thirds, three quarters and full width by default).
- Open a fourth and it becomes a fourth column. The first three keep their widths; the strip scrolls so you can see the new one.
⌃⌥← / → or a three-finger swipe moves along the strip. If you'd rather have two windows share one column, top and bottom, stack them with ⌃⌥]. Try three columns in the live demo; Ribbon is a one-time $9.99.
FAQ
Can you split screen 3 ways on a Mac?
Yes, on macOS 15 Sequoia and later: Fn⌃⌥⇧ plus an arrow gives one half and two quarters. For equal thirds, use Rectangle, Raycast or a window manager.
Can Split View show three apps?
No. Split View is always two windows.
What's the best way to split a 13-inch MacBook screen?
Halves at most. Three windows at once are too narrow on a small screen; a scrolling window manager lets you keep two visible and scroll to the rest.