How to Use Chrome's New Split Tabs Feature for Better Multitasking

Ever find it annoying to switch between tabs? Chrome's Split Tabs feature is here to help. It lets you split your screen and view two tabs in one window without any extra tools or extensions. The feature is still rudimentary and only available in the experimental version of Chrome (Canary). Let's check it out!

How to enable Split Tabs on Chrome

To get started, you'll need to download Chrome Canary – it's a different app, so your regular Chrome is still safe. Right-click the Chrome Canary shortcut on your desktop and click Properties .

In the Target box, add a space and paste the following: --enable-features=SideBySide. Then click Apply > OK.

Restart the Canary shortcut, open multiple tabs, right-click on a tab and select Show side-by-side . Your screen will split in half.

When you're done, right-click again and select Exit side-by-side to return to single tab view.

Note : You may encounter issues as this feature is still in beta, so don't ditch your regular Chrome just yet.

How to use Split Tabs feature

When Chrome's Split Tabs feature is running, you'll see a Split Screen button on the left side of the toolbar. This feature is especially useful for grouped tabs.

You can also drag the divider bar in the middle to resize the tabs – making one tab larger if you want. This feature is a game changer for multitasking. It may seem clunky, but it gets the job done. Try it for research, document comparison, multitasking, and make it your own.

If you want more split screen tips, check out how to split screen on Chromebook or Windows 10.

When will this feature be available to everyone?

As mentioned earlier, Split Tabs is still in Canary, so there's no official release date yet. However, if testing goes well, the feature could be available on regular Chrome by 2025.

Competitors like Edge and Vivaldi took their time perfecting Split Screen before release, so this is just an early access perk for curious people like us.

Chrome Split Tabs is still rudimentary and an improvement on multitasking. It's Chrome's flexibility to keep up with Edge and other browsers' split-screen functionality without an extension. It's a small tweak that has the potential to make your browser twice as capable of multitasking.

David Pac

Update 26 May 2025