How to view Google Docs side by side (Finally use your ultra-wide monitor)

If you’re writing a novel, revising a long research paper, or reviewing an extensive contract, you’ve probably noticed an annoying problem with Google Docs: it’s stuck in a single-column layout.

If you have a large desktop monitor or an ultra-wide screen, almost 70% of your screen space is likely filled with empty gray background. Meanwhile, you find yourself furiously scrolling up and down just to check what you wrote on the previous page.

Unfortunately, Google Docs does not have a native "two-page spread" or side-by-side editing view. But there are a few ways to solve this.

Method 1: The "Two Windows" Workaround

The most common manual fix is to simply open your Google Doc in two separate browser windows and drag them side-by-side.

• Pros: It requires no extra tools.
• Cons: It's clunky. If you edit one window, the other window sometimes jumps or lags in syncing. Plus, your browser toolbar and menus are duplicated, wasting valuable vertical space.

Method 2: Use DocDocDoc (Recommended)

This is exactly why we built DocDocDoc. It is an entirely free tool that solves the problem at the root.

DocDocDoc is a custom web client that connects securely to your Google account and brings up your actual Google Docs file inside a multi-page, side-by-side workspace.

• You can see two, three, or even four pages side by side depending on your monitor width.
• Structural issues, transitions, and repeated words are immediately obvious.
• It features a native, automatic dark mode for night-time writing.
• Privacy first: It has absolutely no backend server. All syncing happens straight from your browser directly to Google's API.

If you are serious about long-form writing, stop wrestling with endless vertical scrolls and give your document the desktop real estate it deserves.