iPadOS 26 brings these Mac features to the iPad
The lines between iPad and Mac have never been so blurred—and with iPadOS 26, currently in beta and expected later this month, Apple is moving even further into this overlap than ever before. The update brings a host of powerful new features that enhance the iPad’s usability and bridge the gap between touchscreen tablet and full-fledged desktop computer.
From multitasking to advanced file management, iPadOS 26 brings Apple’s tablet closer to the Mac without sacrificing the iPad’s unique strengths that make it so versatile. Here are just a few examples of how iPadOS 26 makes the iPad feel even more like a Mac—coming soon to a device near you.
iPadOS 26 Menu Bar
In an active app, swipe down from the top of the screen to reveal a new, fully functional macOS-style menu bar. The topmost dropdown menu is the app name (where you normally access app settings). Other standard menus include File, Edit, Format, View, Window, and Help. As you’d expect, the menu bar is dynamic, displaying application-specific menus. In Safari, for example, you’ll find bookmarks and history.
App Window
Under Settings > Multitasking & Gestures, there’s a new mode for Windowed Apps, which essentially lets you arrange and resize multiple windows into a single pane, just like on a Mac. The new mode can also be accessed from Control Center, thanks to a new button that lets you long-press and switch between Windowed Apps and Stage Manager.
You can move and stack multiple app windows by dragging each one from the top. You can resize them individually by dragging the bottom right corner. If you quickly drag an app window to a corner of the screen, it will automatically expand to fill that half of the screen. Tapping anywhere on the Home screen will move all open windows to the edge of the screen, giving you space to open other apps.
Traffic lights
In the top left corner of every window, you’ll now see three familiar traffic lights, straight from macOS. Tapping the icon expands into red, yellow, and green buttons for closing, minimizing, and expanding the window to full screen.
Long-pressing the buttons also reveals Mac-like Move & Resize and Fill & Arrange options, as well as an option to park the app off-screen to add a new window (if the app supports it).
App Exposé
In the new Windowed App mode, iPadOS 26 also offers an App Exposé view, similar to the app switcher. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to access the view, which shows all open apps in the current space. Scroll in the new interface to see your other open apps, whether they’re sharing Spaces or open in full screen mode.
Preview
The iPad finally includes the Mac’s trusted Preview app, now with Apple Pencil support. This lets you easily open, edit, and markup numerous images, documents, and file types. The Preview app’s browser menu is very similar to the Files interface. Here, you can browse your files and view recently used and shared items. You can also scan documents directly in the app.
Trackpad Pointer
If you have a Magic Keyboard trackpad or Bluetooth mouse connected to your iPad, the cursor is now a Mac-like pointer instead of a circle. And when you shake it, the pointer becomes larger, making it easy to find on the screen.
Advanced File Management
In iPadOS 26, the iPad’s Files app has been enhanced with a new list view with scalable columns and collapsible folders, as well as new filters, so users can see more document details at a glance and organize their files. To help you identify folders more easily, the app now supports folder customization with custom colors, icons, and emojis, all synced across devices.
In Files, iPadOS 26 also lets you set a default app to open specific files or file types thanks to the new “Open With…” option in the contextual dropdown menu. You can also change the default app in the new notification area.
Folders in the Dock
When you long-press a folder in the Files app, a new “Add to Dock” option appears in the contextual dropdown menu. So you can now park any folder in your Dock. A long press on the icon displays Mac-style display options for viewing the contents as a grid or compartments, as well as the typical sorting settings.
In iPadOS 26, you can now place up to 23 icons in the Dock, allowing you to easily add multiple folders. Under Settings > Multitasking & Gestures also include a new option to automatically show and hide the Dock, just like in macOS.
