Split views

ComponentsLayout

Source: Apple Inc. Canonical content at https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/split-views. This file is a structured index of that content, snapshot 2025-02-02. Apple HIG text and imagery are © Apple Inc.; this repository provides organization and cross-referencing for AI agent consumption only.

Split views

Best practices

To support navigation, persistently highlight the current selection in each pane that leads to the detail view.

Consider letting people drag and drop content between panes.

Platform considerations

iOS

Prefer using a split view in a regular — not a compact — environment.

iPadOS

Account for narrow, compact, and intermediate window widths.

macOS

  • Vertical
  • Horizontal
  • Multiple

Set reasonable defaults for minimum and maximum pane sizes.

Consider letting people hide a pane when it makes sense.

Provide multiple ways to reveal hidden panes.

Prefer the thin divider style.

tvOS

Choose a split view layout that keeps the panes looking balanced.

Display a single title above a split view, helping people understand the content as a whole.

Choose the title’s alignment based on the type of content the secondary pane contains.

visionOS

To display supplementary information, prefer a split view instead of a new window.

watchOS

Automatically display the most relevant detail view.

If your app displays multiple detail pages, place the detail views in a verticaltab view.

Resources

Developer documentation

Videos

Change log


For the complete guidance, including worked examples and illustrations, see the canonical page: https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/split-views

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