# how do I do splitscreen with two documents in word xp? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 13, 2005, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-do-splitscreen-with-two-documents-in-word-xp/299101 "2005-04-13T06:12:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Harmonix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Harmonix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonix)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2005, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-do-splitscreen-with-two-documents-in-word-xp/299101/1 "2005-04-13T06:12:02Z")
How do I do splitscreen with two documents in word xp? Heres what I do. Goto windows goto split. It creates a split but I can’t for the life of me figure out how to put a second document into the split screen. I Don’t want to just half two windows cause the tool bars take up too much space. Anyone know how? ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2005, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-do-splitscreen-with-two-documents-in-word-xp/299101/2 "2005-04-13T09:40:21Z")
It seems as though “split” is designed to look at two sections of the same document. As far as I can tell you need to “compare side by side” to get two seperate docs split. However, that is just having two windows which you say you don’t want–though if you have a wide screen they fit in fine side by side. ---
**Author:** ![Magret](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b782af/32.png) [@Magret](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magret)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2005, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-do-splitscreen-with-two-documents-in-word-xp/299101/3 "2005-04-13T10:06:33Z")
If you have two docs open, it’s “Arrange All” that shows them both (usually tiled horizontally), but it does it in two windows, there’s no way round that. (I liked it better the way Word used to be, where you could have multiple docs open all using the same toolbar, I wasn’t too happy when that changed.) Split does indeed show you two parts of the same document. ---
**Author:** ![BurnMeUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@BurnMeUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BurnMeUp)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2005, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-do-splitscreen-with-two-documents-in-word-xp/299101/4 "2005-04-13T14:47:43Z")
This may only work in 2003. 1. Open 2 word documents 2. In one of them select “window” on the menu bar and choose “Compare side by side with…” 3. Select the second document in the window that pops up 4. You can now freely scroll through them If this doesn;t work in XP then use the suggestions of the other folks here. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Harmonix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonix)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2005, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-do-splitscreen-with-two-documents-in-word-xp/299101/5 "2005-04-13T22:24:57Z")
Yargh. office XP doesn’t support this apparently.(for god sakes why? This feature should have been there for a long freaking time.) Thanks though. ---
**Author:** ![TJdude825](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@TJdude825](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJdude825)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-do-splitscreen-with-two-documents-in-word-xp/299101/6 "2005-04-14T00:03:17Z")
Well, I think you need to have two windows; no way around it. But you can get rid of some toolbars. I think you’re looking for the View menu. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-do-splitscreen-with-two-documents-in-word-xp/299101/7 "2005-04-14T00:32:47Z")
> [@TJdude825](#): > > Well, I think you need to have two windows; no way around it. 😃 Open both documents. Create a third, empty document. Copy and paste documents 1 and 2 into document 3. Split view the new document. I’d slap a hard to miss spacer between the two texts. Like this: ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••