Open your PDF and your notes in separate windows, then put them next to each other. For one paper and one note, the Mac's built-in window controls are usually enough. The harder part comes when you need a second paper or a browser reference without losing your place.
This guide starts with that simple pair, then shows a Glidro layout for a reading session with more sources.
Try it right here — this is a working model of Glidro, not a video.
A working model of Glidro, not a video. Drag a title bar to reorder, click a Dock icon to open an app, close a window with its red button. In the real app every key here is ⌥ plus the key.
Open the PDF in Preview or your usual reader. Open a note or document in the app you already use. A plain document is fine; you don't need to change your note-taking system to arrange its window.
Give the PDF enough room to read a paragraph without constant horizontal scrolling. A two-column academic paper may need more width than a letter or a short report. Your note can often be narrower because it contains a few lines at a time.
Try this with one page before arranging the rest of your desktop. If the PDF is already too small, adding more visible windows will make the problem worse.
On macOS Sequoia 15 or later, drag the PDF window to the left edge and release when the tile appears. Place the notes window at the right edge. You can also choose a layout by hovering over the green window button. Apple explains these controls in its window tiling guide.
For a pair that fills its own Space, use Split View: hover over the green button, choose the left or right full-screen tile, then select the second window. Menu wording varies with macOS. Drag the divider to give the PDF more room. Split View also offers a two-app option on older macOS versions.
Or simply resize both windows by dragging their edges. That gives you a quick uneven split without installing anything. Close unrelated windows while you read, and keep the source beside the note you are writing.
Imagine you are comparing two papers about the same research question. Start a note with the question and the first paper's title. For each point you keep, record the page number and a short explanation in your own words. Mark direct quotations clearly.
When a second paper disagrees, add its title and page beside that point. This keeps the comparison in one place instead of leaving you with several notes that say roughly the same thing. Window placement helps you check the source; it doesn't replace a citation manager or your own judgment.
With Glidro, the windows sit in a horizontal strip. You can keep the PDF at a comfortable width, put your notes next to it and move to a browser window farther along the strip. Some windows will be outside the current view; the purpose is to reach them while preserving usable widths.
After following the Glidro setup guide, open the PDF, notes and browser as ordinary desktop windows. Use Option + Shift + Left or Right to reorder them into PDF, notes, browser. Use Option + Left or Right to focus the neighboring window. These are the default bindings; saved custom shortcuts may differ.
Focus the PDF and press Option + R to cycle its width. Start with the 65% preset if it makes the page readable, then adjust the notes separately. Don't expect a 65% PDF and a 35% note to fit perfectly together: gaps, display scaling and each app's minimum size affect the result.
If two PDF windows need their own vertical space, arrange them in neighboring columns, focus the right one and press Option + ] to stack it into the left column. A vertical stack lets you see parts of both documents, but each has less height.
For long pages you read one at a time, press Option + D after creating that stack to turn it into a tabbed column. The documents share the column while one is visible. Use Option + Up or Down to move between its members. Keep the notes in a separate neighboring column.
On a small MacBook, switch between sources rather than forcing every page onto the screen. Our MacBook window guide covers width choices. If this layout is new to you, the scrolling window manager guide explains how the strip works.
This guide is published by Glidro, a paid scrolling window manager for Apple silicon Macs running macOS 13 or later. Start with the free built-in arrangement above; consider Glidro when your reading session needs more windows.