iPadOS 26 Update: How To Use Your iPad Like A Mac

Tom's Guide

In this video, you’ll learn the ins and outs of the new iPad features in iPadOS 26. Paul takes you through how to download iPadOS 26 and the best multitasking setup for the latest software update. From all the different ways to use Windowing to the new menu bar to the Preview app on iPad, consider this your ultimate guide to making your iPad work more like a Mac.

Transcript

00:00Hey! In this video I'll be showing you how to set up the new multitasking

00:03features in iPadOS 26, including windowing, the new mini bar, and flick

00:07gestures, so your iPad starts to feel a lot more like a Mac. Quick welcome back

00:12to the channel, but if you're new here, hey I'm Paul and this is Setup Essentials,

00:16a recurring series where we help you get the most out of your favorite tech.

00:19Today's all about iPadOS 26, so let's get started. First we got to go over some

00:25housekeeping. Is your iPad even compatible with iPadOS 26? And if so, how do you

00:29download it? I'm gonna throw a list of the compatible iPad models up on screen,

00:33but generally, as long as your iPad currently supports iPadOS 18, you should

00:38be able to install OS 26. And yes, Apple has changed the naming system to reflect

00:43years, giving us that jump from iOS 18 to 26. But yeah, the only device that lost

00:50support is the iPad 7th gen from 2019, but otherwise you should be good to go.

00:56Now if you're watching this down the road and it's already September 2025 or later, you can skip this

01:02section because it means you should just be able to download iPadOS 26 by following

01:06the regular update steps found in general settings. But at the time that we're

01:10publishing this video, iPadOS 26 is still in public beta, which means you'll need to

01:14install the public beta profile on your device first. And it's a lot easier than you

01:19might think. First, head to beta.apple.com and sign up for the beta software program. You can do this

01:25directly on your iPad using your own Apple ID and password. Now the iPadOS 26 public beta

01:31should be waiting for you. Just head to settings, general, software update, then tap beta updates.

01:39From there, choose iPadOS 26 public beta from the list. Now depending on how excited you are for this,

01:46you have two options. You can either update now if you're ready to go ahead and you want to start

01:50downloading right away or you can click update tonight if you'd rather let the install happen

01:54while you're asleep so it's ready the next morning. Whichever you pick, your iPad will ask you for your

01:59passcode. And if you want with update now, the download will begin immediately. But just a quick

02:04heads up, these betas are pretty large and downloads can take a while to install. So make sure your iPad

02:08has enough battery or better yet, just keep it plugged in during the whole process. Once it's all downloaded,

02:13your iPad will prompt you again to install now or wait until later. Once installation is done,

02:19your iPad is going to restart. And just like that, you're on iPadOS 26 and ready to test out all its

02:25new updates and features. So the first thing you'll probably notice with iPadOS 26 is this new look

02:34called Liquid Glass, which introduces translucent icons and buttons. It might take a bit of getting

02:39used to, but hey, that's what we're here for. So if you like these kind of walkthroughs, give this

02:44video a thumbs up and subscribe for more setup essentials. I started this video off by saying

02:48iPadOS 26 features will make your iPad feel more like a Mac. And that's largely thanks

02:53to the new windowing and multitasking features, which are extremely useful for turning your iPad

02:58into a MacBook replacement, or even your main device for work, like I've been doing for the

03:03past couple of weeks. So here's how you can start using some of these new features. From the bottom

03:08right corner of a full screen app, you're going to tap and drag or use a mouse to resize your apps

03:13freely. Some apps may also change their layout depending on how small you size them so that they're still

03:18usable. To move the window around, just tap and hold it from the top. You can also open a second

03:24app and do the same thing. And now we've got our windows. If you turn on stage manager from settings,

03:29you can group and organize your windows into multiple stages. To go back to your apps or your

03:37home screen, use the flick gesture to push the windows to the side. When you're ready to jump back

03:42in, just tap on the app window or the middle of your screen. I mentioned the flick gesture. There's

03:48actually a few more things that you can do with it that I'll point out. So if you have your windows

03:53open here, you can also flick your windows to the top edge to quickly make them full screen. Or you can

03:58flick them down to instantly minimize them into their app icon. You can also easily split your screen

04:05between two different windows by flicking them to the left or right edges. This is called window

04:10tiling if we're being formal. And now you can also resize them just by clicking and dragging the gap

04:15between them. Something also really cool is that you can now control windows with the new menu bar.

04:21The iPad finally introduces a menu bar that's very similar to what you get with Mac. It's definitely

04:28most practical for apps like Notes, Files, and of course Safari, and it should look pretty familiar if

04:33you've used a MacBook before. If you don't see it right away, just swipe down lightly from the top,

04:37and there you go. It's right there. I was very excited to see this finally baked into iPad's UI.

04:42It unlocks some powerful settings while still being very intuitive to use with a touch screen.

04:47You can also switch to windowed apps and resize them and use multiple apps in a single space like

04:54you would on a desktop. You even get the familiar three button layout for closing, minimizing,

04:59and full screening like you do in Mac OS. I personally love using this feature and I've

05:03been using it so much, especially with a wireless mouse connected, but I'm curious to hear what you

05:08guys think and how you've been using it. I already touched on some iPad apps, but there's one new

05:15app making its way to your iPad. Well, it's not new exactly, but it's definitely new to iPad and it

05:20comes directly from Mac OS. I'm talking about Preview. Preview lets you view, edit, and markup PDFs and images

05:26on your iPad using an Apple Pencil or by touch. You can access all your PDFs and images from the

05:31Files app using Preview, and that lets you create an empty page or use the Apple Pencil to draw and

05:36write on it. You can also use powerful tools like Autofill to fill in PDF forms and easily add your

05:41signature. It's pretty shocking that the iPad didn't have this before, but I think I speak for a lot of

05:46people when I say, I'm just glad it's here now. But back to the Files app for just a sec.

05:51iPad has had it for a few years now, but it's now significantly updated. There's a new list view

05:56and finally customizable folder icons where you can add custom icons and emojis and even choose

06:02from specific colors to make them easier to identify. And what's great is these customizations

06:07will sync across both iOS and macOS, which is great for anyone using multi-devices. One last thing on

06:13folders, you can drag any folder into your dock from the Files app and it stays there for quick access

06:19no matter where you are. It's such a smooth way to organize your work files, especially if you're

06:25juggling multiple projects. Besides all the iPadOS 26 features I've already gone over, if you really

06:32want your iPad to feel like a Mac, here are a couple accessories you want to pick up. Let's start with the

06:36most obvious, a keyboard case. Whether you go with Apple's Magic Keyboard or something third-party in

06:42about half the price like the ESR Rebound case, which I'll link below, having a physical keyboard

06:46instantly levels up how you can use your iPad. And I really like this case because you can quickly

06:51rotate your iPad between landscape and portrait depending on what you're watching or working on.

06:57Next up, the Apple Pencil. It's not just for drawing, it's also great for marking up PDFs,

07:01especially in the new Preview app, writing journal entries by hand or even navigating the UI with more

07:06precision. If you really want the full desktop setup, don't forget external displays. iPadOS 26 now supports

07:14them better than ever. Just plug in via USB-C and you'll get that second screen experience with

07:19proper window management. And it's not just mirroring anymore, it's a big upgrade that

07:23I've been waiting for for years.

07:27And yeah, that's iPadOS 26. Multitasking, windowing, accessories, all of it. Honestly,

07:33this might be the biggest leap forward we've seen in iPad in years, and it's starting to finally feel

07:38like the Mac alternative a lot of us, myself included, have always wanted. If this video has

07:44helped you out, give it a thumbs up and hit subscribe for more setup essentials just like

07:47this one. Let me know in the comments what you're testing out in iPadOS 26, or if there's a hidden

07:52feature you think I should cover in a part two. You can find us everywhere at Tom's Guide and you can

07:56follow me to see what other cool tech I'm reviewing. Until the next one, I'll catch you later.

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