10 Life Hacks Every IPad User Should Know
In recent years, the lines between the Mac and iPad have blurred, especially with the release of iPadOS 26. Apple’s tablet now boasts a functional windowed multitasking system, an improved file management app, and powerful apps. But the software can still sometimes be limiting. After all, it’s a sandboxed environment, and the touch interface can hide many professional features. But these pro features are still available if you know where to look. Whether you’re a casual or professional iPad user, you can get the most out of your tablet with these 10 tips.
Use this hidden gesture to drag multiple elements at once.
You may already be familiar with all the ways to navigate iPadOS using gestures and swipes . But if you’re still dragging and dropping files and photos one at a time, you should know that you can move multiple items at once.
When you press and hold to select an item, swipe away from the file to “pick it up,” but don’t release it yet. Use another finger to pick up as many files, photos, or links as you want. They will all be collected under the finger you’re holding. Then, with your free hand, go to the Home screen and open the app you want to move all the files to (such as Notes or Mail). Once you release your finger, all the files will follow. This also works in the Files app, making it a great way to move multiple files at once. If you’re using the latest version of iPadOS, you’ll also see a file transfer progress bar at the top of the screen.
Use Windowed Apps to turn your iPad into a computer.
In iPadOS 26, Apple finally introduced true windowed multitasking . You can now open up to 12 apps at once, each with its own floating window. However, this isn’t the default mode, so if you’re still using your iPad normally, you’ll need to switch to Windowed Apps mode. This can be done in Settings > Multitasking & Gestures , but there’s a quicker way anywhere in iPadOS. Open Control Center, tap the new “Multitasking” toggle, and switch to Windowed Apps mode.
Now, every app on the screen, even full-screen ones, will have a small slider in the lower right corner. You can drag it to increase or decrease the window’s size. You can also drag the top toolbar of any app to move it. Apple has also added the Mac’s Traffic Light controls: tap them to close, minimize, or maximize the app. If you press and hold the Traffic Light buttons, you can also move the window or arrange it in a grid, just like on the Mac.
Use this gesture to quickly view apps in Side View.
Coming from an iPhone, you might be familiar with some multitasking gestures. Swiping up to go to the Home screen is easy, while swiping up on the Home bar switches between apps. These gestures are also available on the iPad, but iPadOS adds more capabilities.
One of the best new gestures added in iPadOS 26 is the swipe gesture. Select a window in multi-app mode and simply swipe it left or right across the screen. The window will then automatically resize to take up half the screen. When two apps are docked this way, a new toolbar will appear. You can drag it to resize the window (the 70/30 split is a great ratio for multitasking, as one app is effectively reduced to the size of the iPhone).
There are other gestures worth knowing, too. Swipe four or five fingers left or right across the screen to switch between apps or pairs of apps. Swipe up and hold to enter app switching mode (and see a preview of all open apps). And, of course, you can swipe up with four fingers to return to the home screen. You can also swipe down from the top of the screen to open the menu bar at any time.
Change this setting to make the Files app more like Finder on your Mac.
The Files app on iPad isn’t quite like Finder on Mac, but with iPadOS 26, it’s even more similar. Background processing is finally here, so you can monitor large file transfers from the top toolbar in the Files app or from the Live Activity section.
But to get the most out of the Files app, you should switch to a different view mode. The top toolbar now lets you switch between the standard “Icons” view and “List” or “Columns” view. Columns view is similar to Finder, allowing you to drill down into your folder structure while maintaining easy access to the top folders in the columns on the left. On the other hand, if you work with a large number of files and want to see all the file information, along with sorting options, you should try List view. You can sort by name, creation date, modification date, size, or tags. You can also add or remove columns to fine-tune the content displayed.
Use Sidecar to turn your iPad into a second screen.
If you spend most of your time working on a Mac, you can still use your iPad as a second screen. Apple has a built-in feature called Sidecar that turns your iPad into a second screen—no wires or setup required. Just make sure Handoff is enabled on your iPad (and that you’re using Wi-Fi, not Personal Hotspot). To enable Handoff, go to Settings > General > Airplay and Handoff > Handoff .
Make sure your iPad is unlocked and nearby. Then, go to Control Center > Screen Mirroring and select your iPad from the list. To use it as an external monitor, select Use as Separate Display . If you want to use your iPad as a drawing surface in a Mac app that supports Apple Pencil, select Mirror .
Now you can seamlessly switch between your iPad and Mac screens. To customize the display arrangement, go to System Preferences > Displays . For more tips, check out our detailed guide to using Sidecar .
Use the hidden “iPhone” keyboard on your iPad to type with one hand.
The software keyboard takes up half the screen when you’re taking notes in the Notes app. But it doesn’t have to. If you need to see more of the screen, you can transform the full-size keyboard into an iPhone keyboard with a simple gesture. Simply pinch two fingers together in the middle of the keyboard to switch to the floating mini keyboard. You can drag it anywhere. (Alternatively, tap and hold the keyboard icon in the lower right corner, then select “Floating.”)
Use the Move feature to pin a window to the top of the screen.
With Slide Over, you can pin an app to the top of your screen if you want to quickly switch to another task (without switching to multitasking). To do this, you need to be in Stage Manager or Windowed Mode. Then, open the app, press and hold the Stop Lights button in the upper left corner, and then tap ” Enter Slide Over.” The app will slide to the side and remain there permanently, even when switching between apps. You can resize the Slide Over window as needed. You can hide the current Slide Over window by swiping to the edge of the screen. A small arrow button will appear in its place, which you can use to bring the window back. If you have a keyboard connected, use the keyboard shortcut Globe + Option + Right Arrow to put the app into Slide Over mode.
Edit handwriting with Apple Pencil gestures.
If you’re writing a note with Apple Pencil and make a mistake, you might feel like you need to switch to eraser mode, erase the mistake, and then switch back to pen mode to continue writing. However, there are other options.
To correct a mistake, simply cross out or circle a word or sentence to delete it. To rearrange your handwriting, you can circle a word to highlight it. You can then move the word and place it where you want. If two words are too close together, you can draw a vertical line between them to add some space. Similarly, simply click and hold the pencil between two words to insert text in the middle.
Change default apps for frequently used file types.
For years, when you opened a file on your iPad, it opened in an app selected by Apple. If you wanted to open a file in another app, you had to open that app first and then select the file to open. Fortunately, this is a thing of the past. The Files app now allows you to choose default apps for specific file types, just like on your Mac.
Open the Files app, then find the file type you want to change (for example, to always open PNG files in Pixelmator instead of Preview). Long-press the file, then tap Get Info. Select Always Open With and switch to another app from the list. Apple will display a confirmation window. Select Always Open. The next time you tap a file with a specific extension, it will open in the app you selected.
Add folders to the Dock to access your files from anywhere.
In iPadOS 26, Apple added a Mac-inspired folder system to the Dock, where folders expand to display recently added files right on top of the screen. When multitasking on an iPad, you often need to drag and drop files from the Downloads folder or your working folder. You can add this folder directly to the Dock to quickly access the files inside without even opening the Files app.
In the Files app, long-press any folder you want to add to the Dock and select “Add to Dock.” Alternatively, you can simply drag the folder to the Dock itself. Now, when you click the folder icon in the Dock, you’ll see the recently added files or folders within it. You can then drag any file from this list into any app or open the folder using the “Open Folder” option at the top of the file preview.