The iPad Just Got a Lot More Like a Mac Thanks to These 20+ New Features
With iPadOS 26, Apple is moving the iPad closer to the Mac than ever before with a host of productivity and multitasking improvements.
Here's everything Apple today announced for the iPad that's set to make the device more Mac-like:
- App windows on iPad can now be freely resized.
- Multiple windows can be open at once, including multiple instances of the same app.
- Windows can be snapped into halves, thirds, or quarters using new tiling gestures.
- Each window has red, yellow, and green traffic-light controls for closing, minimizing, and maximizing.
- Apps remember their window size and position when reopened.
- On external displays, app windows remember their layout.
- A swipe-up Exposé gesture reveals all open windows, similar to Mission Control on Mac.
- A new menu bar appears on swipe or cursor hover, giving access to app commands like on Mac.
- Third-party apps can implement their own menu bar options.
- Users can search for commands in the menu bar.
- The cursor is now a true pointer, rather than a morphing circle.
- Cursor interactions on iPad now match the behavior and precision found on macOS.
- The Files app now features resizable columns and collapsible folders.
- Folders in the Files app can be customized with colors, icons, and emoji.
- Users can assign a default app for opening each file type.
- Folders can be dragged into the Dock for quick access, like Finder stacks in the macOS Dock.
- The Preview app, long a macOS staple, is now available on iPad for PDF and image editing.
- Background Tasks allow long-running operations to continue while using other apps.
- Users can choose different microphones for each app or website, reflecting macOS input/output controls.
- Audio and video from video calls can be captured locally in high quality.
- Notes can now be exported as Markdown files.
The line between the iPad and the Mac is now more blurred than ever. Do you think these new features are enough to enhance the iPad? Let us know in the comments.
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