Remember when the iPad was just a really nice screen for watching movies and checking email? Those days are long gone. Today, the iPad is a powerhouse capable of replacing a laptop for many people, but there is one hurdle that often stops users from making the switch: multitasking.
If you are used to a Mac or PC, you are accustomed to having windows everywhere, dragging files between folders, and keeping an eye on your email while you browse the web. The good news is that your iPad can do all of this and more. Apple has significantly overhauled how iPadOS handles multiple apps, transforming it from a "one thing at a time" device into a productivity machine.
Whether you are a student taking notes while watching a lecture, a creative looking for inspiration while sketching, or just someone who wants to text friends while shopping online, mastering these features will change how you use your tablet. Let’s dive into the ultimate guide to iPad multitasking.
The Multitasking Menu: Your New Best Friend
For years, multitasking on an iPad required a secret language of swipes and gestures that felt a bit like performing a magic trick. While gestures still exist, Apple introduced a visual aid that makes everything infinitely easier: the Multitasking Menu.
Look at the very top center of your screen when you have an app open. Do you see those three small dots? That is your command center. Tapping those three dots reveals three distinct options:
- Full Screen: The standard view you are used to (one app fills the whole screen).
- Split View: Two apps sit side-by-side, dividing the screen.
- Slide Over: One main app takes up the screen, while a second app floats in a smaller window on top, like a smartphone screen hovering over your work.
Pro Tip: You don’t always need to tap the dots! You can simply drag the three dots downward to "grab" the app and move it to the side, instantly triggering Split View.
Mastering Split View and Slide Over
Split View is the bread and butter of iPad productivity. It allows you to browse Safari on the left while taking notes in Apple Notes on the right. Here is the easiest way to set it up without fumbling around:
- Open your first app (e.g., Safari).
- Tap the three dots at the top of the screen.
- Select the middle icon (Split View). The current app will slide away to reveal your Home Screen.
- Tap the second app you want to open (e.g., Notes).
Voila! You now have two active apps. You will notice a small black handle in the vertical line dividing the apps. You can drag this left or right to adjust the ratio from 50/50 to a 70/30 split, giving more room to the app that needs it.
But what about Slide Over? Think of Slide Over as your "quick reference" drawer. This is perfect for apps like Music, Messages, or a Calculator—things you need for a few seconds but don't want permanently taking up screen real estate.
When you put an app in Slide Over, it floats on the right side. You can swipe it away off the screen to hide it, and swipe left from the right edge of the screen to bring it back. It’s there when you need it and gone when you don’t.
Stage Manager: The Desktop Experience
If you have a newer iPad (specifically iPad Air 5th Gen or later, or iPad Pros from 2018 onwards), you have access to the heavy hitter of multitasking: Stage Manager.
Stage Manager breaks the grid. Instead of locking apps side-by-side, it allows windows to overlap, resize, and group together, much like they do on a Mac or PC. It also introduces a "strip" on the left side of the screen showing your recently used apps, allowing you to switch between tasks with a single tap.
To enable this, open your Control Center (swipe down from the top right corner) and tap the Stage Manager icon (it looks like a rectangle with three dots on the left). Once active, here is what you can do:
- Resize Windows: Look for a small curved handle in the bottom corner of an app window. Drag it to make the window smaller or larger.
- Group Apps: Drag an app from the side strip or the dock onto your current workspace. You can have up to four apps running on the screen at once.
- Full External Display Support: If you have an M-series iPad, Stage Manager allows you to plug into a monitor and treat it as a separate desktop, rather than just mirroring your iPad screen.
Note: Stage Manager can feel a bit cramped on the 11-inch iPad, but it shines on the 12.9-inch or 13-inch models. If you feel the screen is too cluttered, you can stick to Split View!
Drag and Drop: The Magic Glue
Having two apps open is great, but the real magic happens when they start talking to each other. iPadOS supports system-wide drag and drop, which eliminates the need for tedious copy-pasting.
Imagine you are planning a vacation. You have Safari open with a hotel website on the left, and an email to your spouse open on the right. Instead of copying the link, switching apps, and pasting, you can simply tap and hold the image of the hotel in Safari, and drag it physically across the screen into the email body. You can do the same with text selections, files, and web links.
This feature works beautifully with the Files app. If you are working on a presentation in Keynote, open the Files app in Slide Over. You can then drag images, PDFs, or spreadsheets directly onto your slides.
Practical Workflows to Try Today
Understanding the features is one thing, but knowing how to apply them to your daily life is another. Here are three real-world setups to help you get started:
1. The "Kitchen Commander"
Open your recipe app or a website in the main view. Then, put the Timer app in Slide Over. Now you can cook, check the ingredients, and keep an eye on your baking time without losing your place in the recipe. If you want to change the song playing, just swipe the bottom of the Slide Over window to switch to Spotify or Apple Music.
2. The "Deep Researcher"
Open Safari on the left (taking up 70% of the screen) and Apple Notes on the right (30%). Use the Quick Note feature (swipe diagonally up from the bottom right corner with an Apple Pencil or finger) to jot down fleeting thoughts while keeping your main project notes structured in the split view.
3. The "Email Power Hour"
Launch your Mail app. Then, open your Calendar in Split View. Now, when someone asks if you are free for a meeting next Tuesday, you don't have to close your email to check. You can see your schedule right next to the request and even drag the event details from the email directly onto your calendar to create an appointment.
Conclusion
Multitasking on the iPad can feel different at first, especially if you are used to the "point and click" nature of a traditional computer. However, once you build the muscle memory for the "Three Dots" menu and get comfortable with dragging content between apps, you will find a fluidity that computers struggle to match.
Start small. Try using Split View for your morning news reading or Slide Over for your music control. Before long, you’ll be swiping, dragging, and dropping like a pro, unlocking the full potential of that powerful sheet of glass in your hands.