iPadOS 26 is going to change the way that you use your iPad, and it turns working on the iPad into a much more Mac-like experience. Apple introduced a whole new multitasking system, which you can get a first look at in our video.
Windows on the iPad now work like Windows on the Mac. You can have multiple app windows open at once, and arrange them in any way that's convenient for you. Split View and Slide Over are gone, but the new window options work with Stage Manager.
iPad apps have menu bars where you can access settings for each app, and there are also the iconic "traffic light" buttons that you can use for adjusting and resizing open windows. Apple added multiple convenient tiling options for showing two, three, or four apps on your display in an organized way. You can view all of your open apps with an Exposé interface.
The windowing system extends to connected displays, giving you even more space for viewing your iPad apps. Note that on some older iPads, you'll be limited to four app windows, but this is a feature that is compatible with every iPad that runs iPadOS 26. Newer iPads can have far more app windows open.
To further the Mac-like experience, folders are now customizable with colors and emoji, and in the Files app, there's a new list view that's like working with the Mac files app. Apple even added collapsible folders, so you don't need to tap into a folder on iPad to see what's inside in a tiled view.
Files can be set to open with a default app of your choosing, and you can store your folders in the Dock for quicker access. Finally, the iPad supports background tasks, so if you're doing a large file transfer, you'll see a Live Activity to keep an eye on progress while you do other things on your iPad.
Keep in mind that we're only on the first beta of iPadOS 26, and there's more testing and refining to go before launch. Right now, iPadOS 26 is only available for developers, but Apple is going to make a public beta available in July. iPadOS 26 will launch in September.
