If you’ve tried to run two apps side by side on your iPad recently and gave up because you couldn’t find the option you swear used to be there, you’re not losing it. Apple has rearranged iPad multitasking twice in the past year, and if you’re going off memory (or an old YouTube tutorial), none of the menus will match what’s actually on your screen. This guide covers exactly how Split View, Slide Over, and the newer Windowed Apps mode work today, on iPadOS 26.2, so you can get two apps on screen, or a floating window, without digging through settings that don’t exist anymore.
By the end, you’ll know where each toggle lives, which apps actually support this stuff, and how to bounce between modes without fighting the interface.
What Is iPad Multitasking?
iPad multitasking is Apple’s umbrella term for running more than one app at a time instead of being stuck full-screen. It’s built into iPadOS, and you just need to switch it on. There are three pieces to it:
- Split View places two apps side by side with a draggable divider between them.
- Slide Over floats a single app in a small, movable panel on top of whatever else you’re doing.
- Windowed Apps is the newer, more desktop-like mode that lets you freely resize app windows and layer more than two of them, complete with macOS-style close, minimize, and maximize buttons.
Here’s what actually happened, and why your old habits stopped working: iPadOS 26.0 pulled back the classic Split View and Slide Over behavior in favor of the new windowing system. A lot of longtime iPad users were annoyed, and fairly so, since quick side-by-side multitasking is why some people bought an iPad in the first place. Apple listened. iPadOS 26.1 and 26.2 brought Split View and single-app Slide Over back, rebuilt on top of Windowed Apps, with a few genuinely useful additions, like a Slide Over window that can stay on top of other windows and be swiped off-screen and recalled later. If you’re following an older tutorial, or someone’s memory of iPadOS 15 or 17, some menu locations and gestures won’t match what you see now. This guide reflects iPadOS 26.2.
Before You Begin
Make sure you have:
- An iPad running iPadOS 26.2 or later (this guide’s steps and screenshots reflect 26.2 behavior)
- A supported iPad model: newer, more capable iPads (recent iPad Pro, iPad Air, and iPad mini generations) reliably run the full multitasking system. This is a representative list, not Apple’s complete compatibility table — support has expanded to additional models over time, so check Settings > General > About, or Apple’s official supported-device page, if your iPad isn’t mentioned here.
- Apps that individually support Split View, Slide Over, or windowing: not every app does (the Settings app, for example, does not)
- A few minutes to check two toggles before you start multitasking
Version note: tested on iPadOS 26.2; the window controls button and multitasking mechanics described here remain current through iPadOS 26.6.2 (the latest release as of publication) — later 26.x updates were security/performance patches, not multitasking-UI changes.
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Device | iPad Pro, iPad Air, or iPad mini (recent models; see Apple’s supported-device list) |
| OS version | iPadOS 26.2 or later (check in Settings > General > About) |
| Account | No Apple ID required; this is a free, built-in system feature |
| App support | Varies per app; look for the window controls button (tap and hold) at the top of the window |
Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1: Update to iPadOS 26.2
Since the multitasking system changed meaningfully between iPadOS 26.0 and 26.2, check your software version first. Skipping this step is the single most common reason people can’t find features from this guide.
Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install any available update. If you’re already on 26.2 or later, you’re set.
Tip: You can confirm your exact version anytime under Settings > General > About > Software Version.
Step 2: Turn on Split View & Slide Over
Split View and Slide Over live in their own settings pane, separate from Windowed Apps. That separation trips a lot of people up, so keep it in mind as you go.
Go to Settings > Multitasking & Gestures, then under the Multitasking heading, turn on Split View & Slide Over.
Expected result: The toggle turns green, and Split View and Slide Over options now appear in supported apps.
Step 3: Turn on Windowed Apps
Windowed Apps is a separate mode that gives you freely resizable windows with traffic-light controls. You can turn it on from Control Center or from the same Settings pane.
On your iPad, swipe down from the top-right corner to open Control Center, then tap the multitasking control and turn on Windowed Apps. Or go to Settings > Multitasking & Gestures and turn it on there instead.
Tip: You don’t have to choose one mode permanently. Split View & Slide Over and Windowed Apps can both stay on at the same time; which one you get depends on how you open an app (more on that in Step 6).
Step 4: Confirm an app supports multitasking
Not every app plays along with Split View, Slide Over, or windowing, and there’s no master list to check ahead of time. Open an app you plan to multitask with (Safari, Notes, and Photos are reliable examples) and look for the window controls button (it looks like macOS-style traffic-light dots) at the top of the app window.
If you see that button, the app supports multitasking. If you don’t, it likely doesn’t support these modes (behavior can vary slightly by app). Try a different app.
Step 5: Open Split View with two apps side by side
With Split View & Slide Over turned on, tap and hold the window control (the traffic-light-style button) at the top of your first app (say, Safari), then choose Split View from the menu that appears.
Safari shrinks to one side of the screen, and you’ll see the Home Screen or Dock on the other side. Tap a second app (Notes, for example) to fill the other half. Now you’ve got two apps side by side with a vertical divider between them.
Resizing: Drag the divider left or right to give one app more screen space. Drag it to center for an even 50/50 split, or drag it toward one edge to make that app nearly full-screen while the other becomes a thin sliver.
Expected result: Both apps stay active and touch-responsive at the same time; you can scroll a webpage in Safari while typing in Notes without switching back and forth.
Tip: If you’re taking handwritten notes with Apple Pencil while referencing a webpage, Split View keeps Scribble input and your source material both visible. It’s a good pairing for Notes and Safari specifically.
Step 6: Open a Slide Over floating window
Slide Over gives you one floating app window on top of your main app, rather than two apps sharing the screen. Tap and hold the window controls button on a supported app, then tap Slide Over instead of Split View.
The app shrinks into a small card-like panel that floats over whatever you were doing. You can only have one Slide Over window at a time; opening a second app in Slide Over replaces the first, it doesn’t stack them.
Moving it: Drag the handle at the top of the Slide Over panel to reposition it anywhere on screen, or drag it to the left or right edge to dock it there.
Stay-on-top behavior (in current iPadOS 26): The Slide Over window can stay visible on top of other windows, including Windowed Apps, instead of disappearing behind them. That’s genuinely handy for keeping a Messages or Calculator window around while you work on something else.
Step 7: Hide and recall a Slide Over window
You can swipe a Slide Over window off the edge of the screen to get it out of the way without closing it. This confused me the first time I did it by accident; the window wasn’t gone, just parked.
Drag the Slide Over panel toward the right or left edge until it slides off-screen. A small arrow stays visible at that edge as a reminder that it’s still there.
To bring it back, swipe inward from that edge arrow. The Slide Over panel slides right back into view, exactly where you left it.
Step 8: Use Windowed Apps for more flexible arranging
Reach for Windowed Apps when Split View’s two-app limit feels too rigid. Maybe you want three or four reference windows open at once, or you want to resize a window to some odd shape instead of a fixed half-screen.
With Windowed Apps turned on (Step 3), open any supported app. You’ll see macOS-style traffic-light buttons, red, yellow, green, in the top-left corner of the window.
- Tap the green button to maximize the window to full screen.
- Drag the bottom-right corner of the window to resize it freely.
- Drag the top of the window by its title bar to move it anywhere on the Home Screen background.
You can open additional apps from the Dock or Home Screen, and each one opens as its own independent window you can layer, resize, and rearrange, much like windows on a Mac.
Step 9: Switch between Split View, Slide Over, and docking with traffic-light controls
Long-press (not tap) one of the traffic-light buttons on a windowed app to reveal a menu with Dock Left, Dock Right, and Enter Slide Over options.
- Dock Left or Dock Right snaps that window into a Split View arrangement on that side of the screen.
- Enter Slide Over converts the window into a floating Slide Over panel.
This is the fastest way to move an app between modes without dragging anything by hand.
Step 10: Close or exit any multitasking mode
To back out of multitasking and return to one app full-screen:
- From Split View: Drag the divider all the way to one edge of the screen until the other app disappears, or tap and hold the window controls button on the app you want to keep and choose Full Screen.
- From Slide Over: Tap and hold the window controls button on the Slide Over panel and choose Full Screen, or drag it to the Dock area briefly and release; it closes.
- From Windowed Apps: Tap the red traffic-light button in the top-left corner of the window to close it entirely, or tap the green button to return it to full screen.
Expected result: You’re back to a single, full-screen app with no floating panels or split divider visible.
Configuration
Here’s a quick reference for where each multitasking control lives and what it affects:
| Setting | Location | What it controls |
|---|---|---|
| Split View & Slide Over | Settings > Multitasking & Gestures | Enables the two-app Split View and single-app Slide Over system |
| Windowed Apps | Control Center multitasking control, or Settings > Multitasking & Gestures | Enables freely resizable windows with traffic-light controls |
| Stage Manager | Settings > Multitasking & Gestures | A separate, related multitasking mode, worth turning off if Split View behaves unexpectedly |
Tip: You don’t have to pick just one system. Plenty of people keep Split View & Slide Over on for quick two-app pairing (Safari + Notes) and switch to Windowed Apps only when a project genuinely needs three or more windows open, like comparing reference documents while drafting.
Tips and Troubleshooting
The window controls button doesn’t appear
Why it happens: Not every app supports Split View or Slide Over, Apple’s own Settings app is one example that doesn’t. It can also mean multitasking is turned off at the system level.
Fix: Try a known-supported app like Safari, Notes, or Photos first to confirm the feature works at all. Then double-check Settings > Multitasking & Gestures to make sure Split View & Slide Over is turned on, and confirm Windowed Apps is enabled via Control Center or Settings.
Split View or Slide Over options seem to have moved or disappeared after an update
Why it happens: iPadOS 26.0 reorganized multitasking around the new Windowed Apps system, and 26.1/26.2 layered Split View and Slide Over back on top of it, in new locations.
Fix: Look for the window controls button (it looks like macOS-style traffic-light buttons) in the top-left corner of app windows. Tap and hold it to reveal Dock Left, Dock Right, and Enter Slide Over. If Split View still misbehaves, check whether Stage Manager is turned on in Settings > Multitasking & Gestures; turning it off often clears up the conflict.
Swiping up from the bottom takes you Home instead of revealing the Dock
Why it happens: The swipe was too fast to register as a Dock-reveal gesture.
Fix: Swipe up slowly from the very bottom edge of the screen and pause briefly before dragging an app icon out of the Dock. If gestures stay unreliable, skip dragging altogether and tap and hold the window controls button instead.
A Slide Over window seems to have vanished
Why it happens: In current iPadOS 26, Slide Over windows can be swiped off the edge of the screen, leaving only a small arrow behind as an indicator. It’s not gone, just tucked out of sight.
Fix: Look for that small arrow at the left or right edge of the screen and swipe inward from the edge to bring the window back into view.
Can’t resize a window or convert between modes
Why it happens: Pinch-to-zoom doesn’t work for resizing iPad windows, so people sometimes assume resizing isn’t possible at all.
Fix: In Split View, drag the vertical divider between the two apps to resize them. In Windowed Apps, drag the bottom-right corner of the window. To convert a Split View app into Slide Over (or back), tap and hold the window controls button and choose Enter Slide Over, Dock Left, or Dock Right.
Tips and Hidden Features
- Pair Slide Over with Scribble: Keep a floating Notes window in Slide Over while browsing a webpage full-screen. It’s a solid setup for jotting handwritten notes with Apple Pencil without leaving your source material.
- Use an external display for more room: If you’re doing serious multitasking, connecting your iPad to a monitor via a USB-C to HDMI adapter or a Thunderbolt dock gives you extra screen real estate for Windowed Apps.
- Charge while you multitask: Running Split View and Windowed Apps side by side can drain the battery fast on longer sessions, so keep a MagSafe charger or USB-C hub with pass-through power nearby if you’re working away from a wall outlet.
- Back up before big workflow changes: If you’re reorganizing your workflow around Windowed Apps, it’s a good time to make sure your files are backed up to an external SSD or iCloud, especially if you’re juggling several document-heavy apps at once.
Wrapping Up
You should now be able to run two apps side by side in Split View, float a single app in Slide Over (and recall it after swiping it off-screen), and switch to Windowed Apps when you need more room than a simple two-app split gives you. The back-and-forth across iPadOS 26.0 through 26.2 was genuinely annoying if you relied on quick side-by-side multitasking every day. But the current setup is worth the wait: fast two-app pairing when you want it, desktop-style windowing when you don’t.
| Step | Action | Applies To |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | Update iPadOS, enable Split View & Slide Over, enable Windowed Apps | All supported iPads |
| 4 | Confirm app support via the window controls button | Safari, Notes, Photos, and similar apps |
| 5–7 | Open, resize, hide, and recall Split View/Slide Over | Two-app or floating-window workflows |
| 8–9 | Use Windowed Apps and traffic-light controls | Multi-window, desktop-style workflows |
| 10 | Close or exit any mode | Returning to single full-screen app |