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Split View in TCP Viewer

Split View shows two packet views side by side in one tab. Use it to compare traffic from two apps, keep DNS beside TLS, or inspect two packets without losing either selection.

Split View requires TCP Viewer 1.18.0 or later and TCP Viewer PRO. Each tab supports up to two panes.

1. Open Split View​

  1. Start a live capture or open a capture file.
  2. Click the Split View toolbar button or choose View → Toggle Split View.
  3. Click inside a pane to focus it, then choose its source and filters.
  4. Drag the divider to adjust the space given to each pane.

Both panes use the selected tab's capture. They do not start separate captures or duplicate the captured packets.

2. Open a sidebar source in the second pane​

Right-click a source such as an app or domain in the sidebar and choose Open in Split View. TCP Viewer opens the second pane and selects that source there while preserving the first pane's source selection.

If Split View is already open, this action reuses the second pane. It does not add a third pane.

For example, select an app in the first pane, then right-click a different app and choose Open in Split View. You can now inspect both apps' traffic at the same time.

3. Work with independent pane settings​

Each pane keeps its own:

  • Sidebar source selection, such as an app, domain, or imported file.
  • Text, protocol, structured, and Wireshark display filters.
  • Selected packet and inspector state.
  • Packets or Overview view.

The window has one shared sidebar and toolbar. Click the pane you want to work with before changing its source or using toolbar actions. The focused pane controls which selection the sidebar shows.

Capture controls still act on the shared capture. Pausing or clearing a live capture affects both panes and any other live tabs in that window. A display filter only changes the packets shown in its own pane.

4. Compare DNS and TLS traffic​

  1. Open Split View on a capture containing DNS and TLS packets.
  2. Click the first pane and select the DNS quick filter.
  3. Click the second pane and select the TLS quick filter.
  4. Select a packet in each pane to compare its decoded fields and bytes.

You can also keep Overview in one pane while reviewing packets in the other. Use tab mode to switch between separate imported captures.

5. Close Split View​

Click the Split View toolbar button again or choose View → Toggle Split View. TCP Viewer removes the second pane and returns focus to the first. The first pane keeps its filters and selection, and the capture stays open.

6. Automate pane selection and filters​

With TCP Viewer MCP, use set_split_view with enabled: true or enabled: false. Discover pane IDs with list_tabs, then use get_pane and update_pane to inspect or change a specific pane. focus_pane explicitly changes focus.

The command line provides the same controls through split set, pane get, pane update, and pane focus.