Why Edge Splits Screen and How to Disable Split View on Windows 11

Quick fix: Edge splits into Split Screen view from a sidebar button or accidental gesture. To exit: click the X on either pane. To disable permanently: open Edge Settings → Appearance → Customize toolbar, toggle off Split screen button. Or toggle off in edge://flags if available.

You click somewhere in Edge and suddenly the browser splits into two side-by-side panes. You can’t figure out how to get back to a single view. Or a teammate sent a link that opens Edge in Split Screen mode. Split Screen view is a deliberate Edge feature, but the trigger is easy to hit accidentally and easy to disable.

What causes this

Microsoft Edge has a Split Screen feature that lets you view two web pages side-by-side in one window. The trigger is a toolbar button, or a keyboard shortcut, or a special Edge://-prefix link. If you didn’t mean to engage it, exiting is one click; disabling it permanently is two clicks.

Method 1: Exit Split Screen view

The immediate fix.

1. In the split Edge window, look for an X button at the top of each pane (where the address bar typically is).
2. Click X on the pane you want to close. Edge collapses back to a single-pane window with the remaining pane’s URL.
3. If the X isn’t visible: right-click the tab and look for Close split tab or similar.
4. Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + Shift + N toggles split screen on/off (the actual key combo varies by Edge version — try this if available).
5. If the split persists after clicking X: close the Edge window entirely and reopen Edge. Tabs are restored without split view.

Within 30 seconds, you’re back to a normal Edge window.

Method 2: Hide the Split Screen button to prevent re-triggering

For users who never want to use Split Screen.

1. Open Edge. Click the three-dot menu (top right) → Settings.
2. In the left sidebar, click Appearance.
3. Scroll to Customize toolbar.
4. Find Split screen button. Toggle Off.
5. The Split Screen button disappears from the toolbar. Accidental clicks are no longer possible.
6. Also consider toggling off other buttons you don’t use: Collections, Browser essentials, Workspaces. The toolbar gets cleaner.
7. To force-disable Split Screen completely via flag: navigate to edge://flags. Search for “split screen.” If a flag appears: set to Disabled. Click Restart.

This is the right path for users who want Split Screen permanently off.

Method 3: Use traditional tab management for side-by-side viewing

If you actually want side-by-side viewing of two pages, but find Edge’s Split Screen frustrating.

1. Open the first URL in Edge. Open a second Edge window with the second URL.
2. Drag one window to one side of the screen until Windows Snap shows the snap zones. Drop in left half.
3. Drag the other window to the right half.
4. Both occupy half the screen. Independent navigation, independent tabs, independent profile selection.
5. For more precise window layout: install PowerToys (free from Microsoft Store). Enable FancyZones. Configure custom zone layouts (rows, columns, grids). Hold Shift while dragging windows to snap to your custom zones.
6. For Chrome/Firefox users who envy Edge Split Screen: extension Side-by-Side or Tile Tabs WE provides similar functionality.

This handles the actual use case (two pages side-by-side) without Edge’s built-in Split Screen.

How to verify the fix worked

• Open Edge. The window shows a single browsing area, not split.
• If you hid the Split Screen button: the toolbar no longer has the split-screen icon.
• Click various toolbar buttons and tabs — no accidental split-screen trigger.

If none of these work

If Edge keeps opening in Split Screen on launch, the start page configuration may include a split-view URL. Reset Edge startup pages: Edge Settings → Start, home, and new tabs → When Edge starts → pick Open the new tab page. Remove any split-view URLs from the start page list. For Edge that opens links with split prefix: third-party apps or shortcuts may use edge://splitview/?url=.... Update those shortcuts to use normal URLs. For Workspaces that always start in split view: Edge Workspaces remember their last layout. Open Workspace settings, recreate without split view. If Split Screen toggle in Settings is missing: your Edge version is older. Update to latest Edge via Settings → About Microsoft Edge. For Edge that splits on F11 fullscreen: this isn’t Split Screen but a window resize issue. Press F11 again to exit fullscreen, then drag the window to single screen.

Bottom line: Click the X on either pane to exit Split Screen. To prevent it permanently: Edge Settings → Appearance → Customize toolbar → toggle off Split screen button.