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Multi-screen video on a Mac or MacBook: several videos, one screen

“Multi-screen video” on a Mac means one of three things: more monitors, recording several displays at once, or several videos playing on the screen you already have. This page is about the third — and it works on a MacBook’s built-in display alone. Plush Media Player is a multi-screen video player for Mac: up to eight videos side by side in one window (free on the Mac App Store, with Plush Pro as a one-time $2.99 upgrade and no subscription; macOS 14.0 or later).

What “multi-screen video” means on a Mac (three meanings, one page)

1. Extra monitors

Connecting a second or third display so macOS spans more desktop. That is a hardware question — a cable or dock plus System Settings › Displays — and it has nothing to do with which app plays your videos.

2. Recording several displays at once

Capturing two or more screens into one recording. That is a screen-recorder job, and the tools that rank for “multi screen recorder” are built for it. Plush does not record anything.

3. Several videos on one screen

Playing multiple videos side by side on the single display you already have — a multi screen video player, sometimes called multiscreen, multiview, or split-screen playback. This is what Plush does: it splits one window into up to eight tiles, so a MacBook screen becomes a small video wall without extra hardware.

Meaning What you need Where to look
Extra monitors A display cable or dock; System Settings › Displays Apple’s display support pages, your monitor’s maker
Recording several displays A screen recorder that captures multiple displays Screen-recording apps
Several videos on one screen A multi-video player that tiles videos in one window Plush Media Player (this page)

Several videos on one Mac screen: how Plush does it

Plush puts up to eight tiles in one window. Each tile independently plays content from the web (a supported streaming site or one you add; web tiles are WebKit views that load sites the way Safari does), a local video file, or Apple Music. Choose an even grid or a hero layout with one featured tile, and resize tiles by dragging the seams between them. Focus audio plays sound only from the tile you choose — adaptive and chaos modes are there when you want more than one voice — and Pin on Top (Shift-Cmd-P) keeps the whole window above your other apps.

Restore Last Session brings the last arrangement back in one click (saved named sessions are part of Plush Pro), and, with Plush Pro, shuffle mode plays a random video from the site you’re on or from a local folder, with continuous playback.

Up to three tiles, the grid layout and Focus sound are free. The eight-tile wall, hero layout, Adaptive and Chaos sound, time sync, folder shuffle and saved sessions mentioned on this page are part of Plush Pro, a one-time $2.99 upgrade. For the step-by-step setup, see the guide to watching multiple videos at once on a Mac or MacBook — the five steps live there, not here.

Plush Media Player on macOS playing one video in an eight-tile grid, the remaining tiles ready for more content.

One window, up to eight tiles: multi-screen video on a single Mac display.

Split screen on a Mac: Split View vs. a split-screen video player

macOS Split View pins two app windows side by side in full screen. You get exactly two panes, each video plays its own audio, and nothing is saved when you leave full screen. Safari picture-in-picture floats one video above your other work — useful, but still one video (see Plush vs. Safari picture-in-picture). A split-screen video player like Plush splits one window into up to eight tiles with independent controls and one place to manage sound. A split-screen video maker is an editor that renders clips into a single file — Plush is for watching, not editing.

Built-in MacBook display or external monitor — the layout is a window

Because Plush’s grid lives inside one window, it works on a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro screen with no external display at all. If you do have a second monitor, the window can sit there instead, or you can run Plush in full screen on either display. The only requirement is macOS 14.0 or later; Plush is built for Apple Silicon and sold on the Mac App Store.

Multiview, video wall, multi-screen, split-screen: same idea, different names

“Multiview” comes from sports and streaming, “video wall” from control rooms and lobbies, “split screen” from putting two things next to each other, and “multi-screen” is the catch-all. On a Mac they all point at one feature: several videos playing side by side in one window. The use-case section of the how-to guide covers live streams, sports multiview, side-by-side comparisons, a long video with music playing, and continuous shuffle playback.

Frequently asked questions

Does “multi-screen video” on a Mac mean I need more than one monitor?

Not with Plush. Plush arranges up to eight videos inside a single window, so the whole layout fits on a MacBook’s built-in display — an external monitor is optional, not required. If you were actually looking for how to connect extra displays or record several screens, that is a hardware or screen-recording question, and a multi-video player is not the tool for it.

Is Plush a multi-screen video player or a screen recorder?

A player. Everything Plush does is about playing content: up to eight tiles from the web, local files, and Apple Music in one window, with grid, split and hero layouts, focus audio, synchronized playback across tiles, shuffle mode, saved layouts (up to three tiles free; the rest with Plush Pro), an aurora visualizer display mode, and GIF export from local video. If you need to record several displays, look for a screen recorder instead.

Do all the videos have to be the same size on screen?

No. The grid layout gives you even tiles; the free Split layout puts one big tile on the left and the rest in a grid beside it; the hero layout (Plush Pro) features one tile large with the others small around it; and tiles are resizable (drag the seams between tiles, double-click to reset). A split screen with one big video and several small ones is a normal Plush setup.

What is the difference between multi-screen, split-screen, multiview, and a video wall on a Mac?

In practice they describe the same thing: several videos playing side by side on one screen. “Multiview” comes from sports and streaming, “video wall” from control rooms and lobbies, “split screen” from putting two things next to each other, and “multi-screen” is the catch-all. Plush covers all of them in one window — up to eight tiles from the web, local files, and Apple Music — on Macs running macOS 14.0 or later.

Is there a free way to get multi-screen video on a Mac?

For one or two videos, yes: Safari’s picture-in-picture floats a single video over your work, and macOS Split View pins two app windows side by side — both free and built in. Their limits are that PiP stops at one video, Split View stops at two windows with each video playing its own audio, and neither saves the arrangement. Plush (free for up to three tiles; Plush Pro is a one-time $2.99 upgrade for up to eight, no subscription) is for three to eight videos, one place to control sound, and a layout that comes back when you reopen the app.

Does the multi-screen layout come back after I quit Plush?

Yes, in one click. Plush opens with a fresh window, then Restore Last Session (free) or any named session you saved (a Plush Pro feature) brings the same arrangement back, so a video wall you set up once does not need to be rebuilt.

Can every video on the screen play sound at once, or only one?

Your choice. Focus mode (free) plays sound only from the tile you pick, adaptive mode (Plush Pro) follows what you are focused on, and chaos mode (Plush Pro) plays everything at once. Switch modes as you go — useful when several streams share one screen.

Guides from the blog

Several videos. One screen.

Plush Media Player — up to eight tiles in one window. Free on the Mac App Store; Plush Pro is a one-time $2.99 upgrade (no subscription).

Download on the Mac App Store

Built for Apple Silicon · macOS 14.0 or later

See all features of Plush, the multi-screen video player for Mac · How to watch multiple videos at once on a Mac or MacBook · Plush vs. Safari picture-in-picture

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