How to Use Safari's Split Screen

Use Split View Mode to open two Safari windows side-by-side on iPad

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by Scott Orgera
Scott Orgera is a former writer who covering tech since 2007. He has 25+ years experience as a programmer and QA leader, and holds several Microsoft certifications.
Updated July 26, 2019

The Split View feature on certain iPad models provides the ability to display two Safari browser windows side-by-side, allowing you to multitask or compare web page content without having to switch back and forth between windows or tabs. There are multiple ways to initiate a Safari split screen session on your iPad, depending on your specific needs.

Split View functionality is only available on the following models, running the latest version of iOS: iPad Pro, iPad (5th generation and later), iPad Air 2 and later, iPad mini 4 and later.

How to Open a Link in Safari Split Screen

  1. Open your Safari browser.

    Your iPad must be positioned in landscape mode.

  2. Locate the link you wish to open in Split View.

  3. Tap and hold the link until a pop-up menu appears.

    a screenshot of the Safari link menu on iPad

  4. Tap Open in Split View.

  5. You should now see two Safari windows side-by-side, one containing the original page and the other the destination page for the link in question.

    a screenshot of Safari in Split View mode on iPad

How to Open a Blank Page in Safari Split Screen

  1. Open your Safari browser. 

  2. Tap and hold the Tabs icon, represented by two cascading squares and located in the upper right-hand corner of your browser window, until a pop-up menu appears.

  3. Tap Open Split View.

    a screenshot of the Safari Tabs menu on iPad

  4. You should now see two Safari windows side-by-side, one containing the original page and the other a blank page which may contain shortcuts to your saved Favorites.

    a screenshot of Safari Split View mode on iPad

How to Exit Safari Split Screen Mode

To exit Split View, first tap and hold the Tabs icon in the bottom right-hand corner of the window you wish to close. 

When the pop-up menu appears, tap either Merge All Tabs or Close All Tabs. The first option will maintain all of your open tabs, combining them into one Safari window, while the latter will close any that are present in the window selected.

a screenshot of the Tabs menu in Safari Split View mode on iPad

You can also close each tab individually. Just tap the gray and white X to the left of the tab until Split View is no longer active.

How to Add a Third App Window to Safari Split Screen

If side-by-side Safari windows aren’t enough, you can add a third app to the mix by utilizing the iPad’s Slide Over feature. In fact, this additional window can be from any open app, not just the Safari browser.

Slide Over functionality is only available in iOS 11 or above.

  1. Open two Safari windows in Split View using the instructions above.

    screenshot of Safari Split Screen on iPad

  2. Slowly swipe up from the bottom of the screen so the Dock appears, overlaying the bottom portion of your Safari windows.

    screenshot of Safari Split Screen on iPad with Dock visible

  3. Tap and drag the icon for the app you’d like to open, letting go when it’s in the middle of your screen.

  4. A third app window should now be visible, partially overlaying one of the Safari windows. 

    screenshot of Safari Split Screen with iTunes in Slide Over mode

  5. To reposition this window on the left or right side of your screen, simply tap and hold the horizontal gray bar at the top of it and slide the window to the desired location.