Microsoft Excel for iPad Now Supports Split View, Word Gains Full Trackpad Support, and PowerPoint Offers Presenter Coaching

Microsoft today released updates to its suite of Office apps for iPad, including Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. Notably, Excel for ‌‌iPad‌‌ now supports Split View, which allows you to open two spreadsheets simultaneously side-by-side to view and edit. Word and PowerPoint received support for Split View in May 2020.

word excel powerpoint ipad
Split View can be accessed by touching and holding on a spreadsheet document in any file view and then dragging it to the left or right side of the screen. To exit Split View, grab the slider in the middle of the screen and drag it to either the left or right to close one of the spreadsheet documents and take the remaining one full-screen.

Meanwhile in PowerPoint, users can now rehearse their presentations with the new Presenter Coach feature, which offers feedback on the things that keep an audience engaged, such as pacing, pitch, filler words, sensitive phrases, and more.

ipadpromagickeyboardtrackpad
Microsoft has also been working to implement full support for the iPadOS trackpad controls that were introduced in iPadOS 13.4, and the latest version of Word (2.45) does just that. Following the update, users can connect a trackpad and mouse to their ‌iPad‌ to interact with documents. Keyboards with trackpads include Apple's Magic Keyboard and Brydge's Pro+ for the iPad Pro and Logitech's Combo for the 10.2-inch ‌iPad‌ and the 10.5-inch iPad Air.

Popular Stories

iPhone Pocket Short

iPhone Pocket is Now Completely Sold Out Worldwide

Tuesday November 25, 2025 7:16 am PST by
Apple recently teamed up with Japanese fashion brand ISSEY MIYAKE to create the iPhone Pocket, a limited-edition knitted accessory designed to carry an iPhone. However, it is now completely sold out in all countries where it was released. iPhone Pocket became available to order on Apple's online store starting Friday, November 14, in the United States, France, China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, ...
New Intel Logo

Apple and Intel Rumored to Partner on Mac Chips Again in a New Way

Friday November 28, 2025 7:33 am PST by
While all Macs are now powered by Apple's custom-designed chips, a new rumor claims that Apple may rekindle its partnership with Intel, albeit in a new and limited way. Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today said Intel is expected to begin shipping Apple's lowest-end M-series chip as early as mid-2027. Kuo said Apple plans to utilize Intel's 18A process, which is the "earliest...
iphone black friday gold

The Best Black Friday iPhone Deals Still Available

Friday November 28, 2025 6:24 am PST by
Cellular carriers have always offered big savings on the newest iPhone models during the holidays, and Black Friday 2025 sales have kicked off at AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and more. Right now we're tracking notable offers on the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air. For even more savings, keep an eye on older models during the holiday shopping season. Note: MacRumors is...
apple store down feature

Here's Why the Apple Store is Going Down

Thursday November 27, 2025 1:01 pm PST by
Apple's online store is going down for a few hours on a rolling country-by-country basis right now, but do not get your hopes up for new products. Apple takes its online store down for a few hours ahead of Black Friday every year to tease/prepare for its annual gift card offer with the purchase of select products. The store already went down and came back online in Australia and New Zealand, ...
streaming black friday 2025

Best Black Friday Streaming Deals - Save Big on Apple TV, Disney+, Hulu, and More

Thursday November 27, 2025 1:14 pm PST by
We've been focusing on deals on physical products over the past few weeks, but Black Friday is also a great time of year to purchase a streaming membership. Some of the biggest services have great discounts for new and select returning members this week, including Apple TV, Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When...
Cyber Monday Deals 2025

Best Cyber Monday Apple Deals Include Big Discounts on AirPods, Apple Watch, and More

Sunday November 30, 2025 7:33 am PST by
Cyber Monday is here, and you can find popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more at all-time low prices. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running....
iphone air camera

iPhone Air Flop Sparks Industry Retreat From Ultra-Thin Phones

Thursday November 27, 2025 3:14 am PST by
Apple's disappointing iPhone Air sales are causing major Chinese mobile vendors to scrap or freeze their own ultra-thin phone projects, according to reports coming out of Asia. Since the ‌iPhone Air‌ launched in September, there have been reports of poor sales and manufacturing cuts, while Apple's supply chain has scaled back shipments and production. Apple supplier Foxconn has...
Netflix Smaller 4

Netflix Kills Casting From Its Mobile App to Most Modern TVs

Monday December 1, 2025 4:36 am PST by
Netflix has quietly removed the ability to cast content from its mobile apps to most modern TVs and streaming devices, including newer Chromecast models and the Google TV Streamer. The change was first spotted by users on Reddit and confirmed in an updated Netflix support page (via Android Authority), which now states that the streaming service no longer supports casting from mobile devices...
studio display purple february

M5 iPad Pro Could Hint at New Studio Display Feature

Sunday November 30, 2025 10:30 am PST by
The updated specs of the M5 iPad Pro may point toward a major new feature for Apple's next-generation Studio Display expected in early 2026. Apple's latest iPad Pro debuted last month and contains one display-related change that stands out: it can now drive external monitors at up to 120Hz with Adaptive Sync. The feature should deliver lower latency, smoother motion, and fewer visual...

Top Rated Comments

7149041 Avatar
64 months ago

trackpad on the ipad is so stupid. doesn't belong on a touch first device.
Then don't buy it... I have a MK and am loving it.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GDF Avatar
64 months ago

trackpad on the ipad is so stupid. doesn't belong on a touch first device.

i knew arm MacBooks were coming out (redesigned ones are coming soon that will be far lighter and thinner than an iPad Pro with magic keyboard attached) and have said it before it even came out: you don't need a cursor on an iPad.
Totally disagree. I use my iPad 12.9 Pro with Magic Keyboard for almost everything for work and home. Barely use my work laptop. Have trackpad and touch is awesome. I am sure you are in the minority here, but that is why we have choices. :)
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jlc1978 Avatar
64 months ago

Totally disagree. I use my iPad 12.9 Pro with Magic Keyboard for almost everything for work and home. Barely use my work laptop. Have trackpad and touch is awesome. I am sure you are in the minority here, but that is why we have choices. :)
I agree - a touchscreen is fine for many applications, and probably better for some; but a mouse/trackpad and cursor make using the iPad much more viable as a laptop replacement for many use cases.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jlc1978 Avatar
64 months ago

excel still cannot handle date before 1900? shame on microsoft!

Is this a joke?
No. if you are doing analysis or work that includes dates prior to 1900 you cannot easily calculate durations, sort, etc. Granted it is a bit of an edge case but still highlights how decisions made in development (computers are a new phenomena so if develop a date code structure that starts in 1900 we'll be fine) impact software usability.

The problem is edge cases are often written off as low probability events and thus not worth addressing; I has a situation where emergency parameter logging software was not programmed to allow for daylight savings time switches, so when we has an emergency and the computer automatically adjusted for DST, the logging software went haywire. When we asked the developers about this, they said we figured the chance a serious event would occur at that exact time was too small to worry about; well guess what?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kave Avatar
64 months ago
This was announced many months ago and shipped the 17th of december as per: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/microsoft-updates-office-apps-for-ipad-with-mouse-and-trackpad-support.2263715/post-29405848
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bradman83 Avatar
64 months ago

Regarding Word and trackpad: anyone notice a difference in capabilities or handling compared to 2.44? I don't see any at first glance, trackpad integration was already offered with 2.44 ....
I don’t think this is a new feature to 2.45. I think MS just repeats the same recently added major features for a few updates for those who don’t update as often.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)