Working in full screen becomes easier in macOS Monterey

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Split View Improvements in macOS Monterey

You have been able to use apps in full screen on your Mac for a long time. The app you're using then gets all the space on your screen, without distraction from your Dock or menu bar. In addition, you can also use Split View on the Mac. This is the principle where you put two apps next to each other. These apps then fill the screen together. Starting with macOS Monterey, Apple has planned some improvements in this area. We love these improvements for macOS Monterey!

  1. Replace Split View app
  2. From Split View to fullscreen
  3. Always show menu bar
  4. Quickly Activate with a Command

#1 Replace Split View app

A disadvantage of the current way Split View works on the Mac is that it is not very customizable. Once you have two apps side by side, but you want to replace one, you'll have to take the wrong app out of fullscreen and set it up again. In short: hassle.

As of macOS Monterey, you can replace this app with the touch of a button. To do this, simply hold your cursor over the green ball at the top left of the app that needs to be replaced. An option called ‘Replace Tiled Window’ will then appear, which will of course be translated. Click on it and select which app to replace. The app being replaced will jump back to normal view.

#2 Switch from split view to fullscreen

It happens to us at iCulture with some regularity that we want to go back from Split View to full screen for both apps. That too is finally possible in macOS Monterey. The moment you are in Split View you can hold your cursor over the green dot in one of the apps. Choose the option to make your app full screen and voilà.

Once you use this option, both windows of the split view will become full screen. So you can still use both apps without distraction from other buttons, but separately from each other. If you don't want one of the apps to be fullscreen anymore, you can also click ‘Turn off fullscreen view‘ click, but that is already possible in macOS Big Sur.

The third improvement may be small, but certainly no less welcome. From macOS Monterey you have the choice to always show the menu bar when you work in full screen. A special setting has been made for this in the System Preferences. This setting ensures that you never again have to hover your cursor to the top of your screen and wait for the menu bar to appear.

By showing your menu bar permanently, you can work much faster if you regularly use this toolbar. Unfortunately, there is no option (yet) to set per app whether or not you always want to see the menu bar. When you use Split View, you only see the menu bar of the active app.

#4 Activate faster with a Command

In macOS Monterey Siri Shortcuts also comes to the Mac. This also makes it possible to create a command that opens apps that you often use with one click in Split View. If you always use Safari and the Notes app side by side in Split View, you don't have to set that up every time you close one or both apps. You then create an assignment, after which the two go back to the Split View view in one click.

These improvements for Split View are small, but that doesn't mean macOS Monterey doesn't have anything bigger to offer. In fact, we have a whole article covering the best features of macOS Monterey. Do you already know them all?