iPadOS 26: Your iPad Just Took a Big Leap Towards Feeling Like a Mac

At WWDC 2025, Apple pulled back the curtain on iPadOS 26, calling it the most significant software update yet for the iPad. This new version finally brings highly requested Mac-like multitasking and productivity features, making your tablet a much more capable machine for getting serious work done. Get ready for dynamic windows, a proper menu bar, major file management upgrades, and a sleek new look.

Serious Multitasking Gets Real

For years, iPad users have asked for more flexible ways to manage multiple apps at once. With iPadOS 26, those requests are largely answered. The rumors about a major multitasking overhaul have definitely come to fruition, offering a much more fluid experience than previous versions like Stage Manager.

Dynamic Window Resizing: Freedom to Arrange

The new windowing system is a game-changer. You can finally resize app windows dynamically, dragging from the corner to make them any size you like – no more fixed layouts or limited options. You can easily close, minimize, or quickly tile windows to the screen edges. A long press offers even more tiling arrangements. Plus, when you reopen an app, its windows will remember their last size and position, saving you time and effort.

iPadOS 26 multitasking view showing dynamically resized app windows like Safari and Notes on a tablet screen.

Exposé Arrives for Quick Switching

Another handy feature borrowed from the Mac is Exposé. With a simple gesture, it shows you all your open windows for a given app in a tiled view. This makes it incredibly fast and easy to see everything you’re working on and jump to the window you need, streamlining your workflow.

Keep Tasks Running in the Background

Got a big export or a lengthy process running in an app? You can switch away without worry. iPadOS 26 keeps long-running tasks active in the background, and they’ll even show up as Live Activities, giving you updates at a glance without needing to keep the app front-and-center.

Borrowing the Best from the Mac

Beyond just multitasking, iPadOS 26 brings over several core features that have long been mainstays on macOS, significantly enhancing the iPad’s capability as a productivity device.

The Familiar Menu Bar is Here

A true menu bar, a feature Mac users have relied on forever, now appears on the iPad. Similar to the Mac, it shows standard options like File, Edit, View, etc., relevant to the app you’re currently using. This provides a consistent and organized way to access app functions. You can interact with it by swiping down from the top of the screen using touch or by clicking with a connected trackpad or mouse.

Screenshot of iPadOS 26 interface featuring the new Mac-style menu bar at the top of an app window.

Preview App: PDF Power on Your iPad

The beloved Preview app from macOS also makes its way to the iPad. This means you can now view and edit PDFs directly within a native Apple app. Use your Apple Pencil or touch to easily mark up documents, sign forms, and fill out PDF fields automatically with the new AutoFill feature, reducing the need for third-party PDF editors for many tasks.

Files App Gets a Major Boost

To keep up with the iPad’s newfound productivity prowess, the Files app receives a significant update. The List view is much more informative, displaying more details about your files with resizable columns. You can collapse folders for better organization and even set default apps for specific file types – want Photoshop to open JPEGs or Pixelmator for PNGs? You can do that. Plus, you can now drag folders directly to the dock, just like on macOS, for quick access.

A Fresh Look and Other Useful Updates

It’s not just about productivity; iPadOS 26 also brings visual refinements and other handy features to the tablet experience.

The New Liquid Glass Design

iPadOS 26 adopts Apple’s new Liquid Glass redesign, which is rolling out across all of Apple’s software announced at WWDC 2025. This look features softer, more translucent effects and rounder icons that complement the physical design of Apple’s devices. It’s inspired by the interface of Apple’s mixed reality headset, creating a cohesive visual experience across platforms.

Simplifying Software Names (Goodbye Confusing Numbers!)

Apple is unifying its software naming scheme. Instead of having platforms on different version numbers (like iOS 19, macOS 15, watchOS 11), all major OS updates announced at WWDC 2025 will share the “26” number. This simplifies things and makes it clearer which versions are current and compatible, as these updates are primarily for the year 2026.

And a Few More Handy Additions

On top of the big changes, iPadOS 26 includes a host of smaller, but still useful, features:

• A dedicated Games app for discovering and managing your iPad gaming library.
• The Phone app finally comes to iPad, allowing you to make and receive calls directly from your tablet (previously handled within FaceTime).
• An audio input selector lets you choose different microphones for different apps.
• Apple’s new Apple Intelligence features, including AI-powered tools and live translation capabilities, are also integrated, bringing smart assistance to your iPad.

Wide Compatibility and Release Timeline

These significant productivity updates aren’t limited to just the latest iPad Pro and Air models. The new features are coming to the entry-level iPad and iPad mini as well, meaning a much wider range of users will benefit from these enhancements.

The first developer beta for iPadOS 26 is available now. A public beta is expected to follow in July. The final, official version is slated for release this fall, likely alongside other major Apple software updates around September.

Overall, iPadOS 26 represents a major step forward, finally delivering the kind of flexible multitasking and core productivity features that many users have been asking for. It makes the iPad a much more compelling device for both casual use and serious work.