Guest Author - Chris Curtis

When you are working on a lengthy document, you may find it helpful to be able to view two different areas of your document at the same time. The split bar displays two separate horizontal windows in your document and allows you to scroll independently through your document in each window. For example, suppose you are preparing a complex bid proposal and you want to be sure the stated terms and conditions are consistent through out the document. You would set the top window to display the accurate terms, then in the lower window you could scroll to each section of the document where the terms are referenced to make a comparison.

There are two ways to activate the split bar:
1. Using the Window menu
2. Using the Split Bar tool

Using the Window Menu
• Select Window | Split
• Bring your mouse pointer down into the body of your document. You will see a horizontal bar across your document with a double pointed arrow in the center. This helps you to position the split where it is most convenient for you.
• Click in the document where you want the document to be split. Most often the center of the document is the best position.

Using the Split Bar Tool
• The Split Bar tool is a small bar located in the upper right hand corner of the Word document screen directly above the scroll bar upper arrow.
• Hover your mouse pointer directly over the Split Bar tool until you see a double pointed arrow.
• Click and hold your left mouse key down, then drag the split bar tool to the position in your document that is convenient for you.

An alternative technique:
• Position your mouse pointer over the split bar until you see the double pointed arrows.
• Double click on the split bar
• The window will split in the center

There are three techniques to close the split window.
• Select Window | Remove split from the menu; or
• Double click on the split bar positioned in your document; or
• Drag the split bar back to the top of the document