What’s a split screen?

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The term “split screen” refers to dividing a computer screen into two or more parts so that different applications can be displayed on the screen at the same time. This can be useful when you need to use information provided by two programs at the same time, or when you want to focus on two significantly different applications, such as a spreadsheet and a video, at the same time. Usually, the term “split screen” refers to splitting a single computer monitor, but it can also refer to a multiple-monitor computer setup in which one computer is connected to two or more displays. Such a setup can be useful for jobs that require a lot of screen real estate, and can also be used to enhance some computer games.

A computer monitor should, ideally, be relatively large to support a split-screen setup. Small screens, such as those on smartphones, netbooks, and other small portable electronic devices tend not to have the screen real estate needed to support a split-screen setup. Also, splitting the screen requires that the computer be able to run two or more applications at the same time. Small or low-performance devices may not have the necessary technical specifications to use such display configurations. This is especially true for split-screen setups that use two or more separate monitors, especially when used for computer games, as maintaining such screen setups requires significant graphics processing power.

There are several ways to set up a split-screen computer setup to suit your particular needs and the type of computer you use. In some cases, simply resizing application windows may be enough to set up such a configuration. Some third-party applications in addition to the systems included in the operating system can also be used to configure multiple displays on one monitor. The same goes for setting up multiple monitors. The correct physical configuration of the monitors themselves, the computer and all the cables involved is another important and often problematic aspect of setting up multiple monitors.

Some individual computer applications, especially various types of computer games, have built-in split screen capabilities. In computer games, this split-screen feature allows two or more people to play the game at the same time, assuming they have the appropriate control devices. Other programs that need to display a variety of different forms of information or that display both information and editing tools may also have their own screen split functionality within the program.

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