# How to split the screen into three windows on a Mac Source: https://ribbonformac.com/split-screen-three-windows-mac Updated: 2026-10-29 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) 1. Bring the three windows you want forward, the main one last so it's in front. 2. 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](https://ribbonformac.com/how-to-tile-windows-on-mac) 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](https://www.raycast.com/)** (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](https://ribbonformac.com/ultrawide-monitor-window-manager-mac). 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](https://ribbonformac.com/), windows sit side by side on a strip that can be wider than the screen: 1. Open your three windows. Each becomes a column. 2. 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). 3. 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](https://ribbonformac.com/#demo); Ribbon is [a one-time $9.99](https://ribbonformac.com/#pricing). ## 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. ## Keep reading - [Tile windows on Mac](https://ribbonformac.com/how-to-tile-windows-on-mac) — Drag, green button, Window menu and every Fn-Control shortcut, plus how to turn it off. - [Resize and center windows by keyboard](https://ribbonformac.com/resize-window-keyboard-mac) — Fn-Control shortcuts, Window → Center, mouse modifiers and width steps. - [Ultrawide window manager](https://ribbonformac.com/ultrawide-monitor-window-manager-mac) — Thirds, centre layouts or a scrolling strip: making a 34" or 49" screen usable. - [Keep a window on top](https://ribbonformac.com/keep-window-on-top-mac) — What macOS can and can't pin, Picture in Picture, Float on Top, and side-by-side instead. - [Scrolling WMs explained](https://ribbonformac.com/what-is-a-scrolling-window-manager) — The strip, the columns, the moves, and every scrolling WM by operating system.