How to Use Two Apps Side by Side on iPad

To use two apps side by side on an iPad running iPadOS 26 or later, go to Settings > Multitasking & Gestures, select Windowed Apps, open the first app full screen, then drag the second app from the Dock to the left or right edge of the screen. On iPadOS 18, tap the three dots at the top of the first app and choose Split View instead.

This covers iPadOS 27 and iPadOS 26, plus iPadOS 18 for iPads that have not updated. The two systems use different controls, so the steps are separated by version. They follow Apple’s Multitask on iPad article and the iPad User Guide.

Before You Start: Check Your iPadOS Version

Apple replaced the older Split View feature with resizable app windows in iPadOS 26. That is why a tutorial written for one version can describe buttons that do not exist on your iPad. Check which version you have first.

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap General.
3. Tap About and read the iPadOS Version line.

Then use the section that matches:

• iPadOS 26 or 27: use Windowed Apps (or Stage Manager). There is no three-dot Split View button.
• iPadOS 18: use Split View from the three-dot menu.

Some terms used below: the Dock is the row of app icons at the bottom of the screen. The App Library is the screen that lists every installed app. Spotlight is the iPad’s search. Window controls are the small buttons at the top left of an app window that close, minimize, or enlarge it.

How to Put Two Apps Side by Side on iPadOS 26 or 27

This is the shortest route Apple documents. It tiles two apps so each one takes part of the screen with a divider between them.

1. Open Settings and tap Multitasking & Gestures.
2. Select Windowed Apps. Multiple windows only work when either Windowed Apps or Stage Manager is selected here.
3. Go to the Home Screen and open the first app, for example Safari. Leave it full screen.
4. Swipe up slightly from the bottom edge to show the Dock.
5. Touch and hold the second app’s icon, for example Notes, and drag it to the left or right edge of the screen, on top of the full-screen app.
6. Lift your finger. The two apps appear next to each other.
7. Drag the bar in the middle to give one app more room. Both windows resize at the same time.

To keep the apps you pair most often within reach, you can change the apps in the iPad Dock. If the second app is not in the Dock, you can also drag its icon from the Home Screen, the App Library, or Spotlight.

Where you drop the icon matters. Apple’s window layout guide lists three different results:

• Left or right side of a full-screen app: the two apps tile side by side.
• Center of the screen: the app opens as a separate window instead of tiling.
• On top of the arrow at the left or right edge: the app becomes a Slide Over window, which is a single window that floats above the others (iPadOS 26.2 or later).

Arrange Two Windows That Are Already Open

If both apps are already open as windows, you do not need to start over. There are two ways to line them up.

Use the swipe gesture

1. Drag the first window from its top edge and hold it briefly.
2. Swipe it quickly toward one side of the screen.
3. Drag the second window from its top edge, hold briefly, then swipe it quickly toward the other side.

Use the layout menu

1. Tap the window you want to arrange so it comes to the front.
2. Touch and hold the window controls in the top-left corner of that window.
3. Choose one of the preset layouts in the menu. The windows arrange themselves to match.

For more choices, tap Window in the menu bar, then tap Move & Resize. The menu bar appears when you swipe down from the middle of the top of the screen, or when you move a pointer to the top of the screen.

Once two apps share the screen, you can drag text, photos, links, and files from one app into the other, for example a photo from Photos into a note, or a document from Files into a Mail message.

Open Two Windows of the Same App

You can also put two windows from one app next to each other, such as two Safari pages or two notes. This only works in apps that support multiple windows. Apple names Mail, Notes, Safari, and Files as examples.

1. Touch and hold the app’s icon until a menu appears.
2. Tap New Window.
3. Arrange the two windows with the swipe gesture or the layout menu described above.

Apple’s guide to multiple windows of an app adds that you can drag the app’s icon from the Dock on top of another window from the same app to open a new one. If you hold an icon on the Home Screen too long and the apps start to jiggle, tap Done and try again.

How to Use Split View on iPadOS 18

On iPadOS 18, side-by-side apps are called Split View. The control is the three-dot button at the top center of each app.

1. Open Settings and tap Multitasking & Gestures.
2. Below Multitasking, turn on Split View & Slide Over.
3. Open the first app.
4. Tap the three dots at the top of the app, then tap the Split View button.
5. Choose whether the current app goes on the left or the right. The app moves aside and shows your Home Screen and Dock.
6. Tap the second app on the Home Screen or in the Dock. Both apps now appear in Split View.

To swap in a different app, Apple’s iPadOS 18 Split View guide says to swipe down from the three dots at the top of the app you want to replace, then tap the replacement app on the Home Screen or in the Dock.

The same guide mentions a setting that helps when two apps feel cramped. On supported models, go to Settings > Display & Brightness, tap Display Zoom, and select More Space. Not every iPad model offers this option.

On iPadOS 18, an app that does not support Split View has no three-dot button at the top, and it cannot be placed beside another app.

Optional: Open Your Favorite Pair With One Tap

If you open the same two apps together every day, the Shortcuts app can open them as a pair. Its iPad-only split-screen action takes two apps and a split ratio. Apple does not document this action in its multitasking guides, and the action name has varied between versions, so search for it instead of looking for an exact label.

1. Open Shortcuts and tap the + button to start a new shortcut.
2. In the actions search field, type Split and add the split-screen action that appears.
3. Choose the app for each side and, if offered, the ratio.
4. Tap the play button to test it. Both apps should open next to each other.
5. Tap the shortcut name, then tap Add to Home Screen if you want a one-tap icon.

If the shortcut opens only one app, check that Windowed Apps or Stage Manager is selected in Settings > Multitasking & Gestures (iPadOS 26 or later), then run it again.

How to Confirm It Worked and Resize the Apps

You are in a side-by-side layout when both apps are visible at once, neither one overlaps the other, and a divider sits between them. Tapping either app makes it the active one; the other stays on screen.

To change the split, drag the divider left or right. Do not drag it all the way to the edge unless you want to leave the layout, because that makes one app full screen.

In iPadOS 26 or later, a window that is not tiled can also be resized by dragging its corner or the handle in its bottom-right corner, and moved by dragging its top edge.

How to Go Back to One App

Leaving the layout does not delete anything. Here is how it works on each version.

Version	What to do
iPadOS 26 or 27	Drag the divider all the way to one edge. The app on the other side becomes full screen.
iPadOS 26 or 27	Double-tap the top of the window you want to keep, or tap its window controls and tap the full-screen button.
iPadOS 26 or 27	Tap the window controls on the app you do not need and tap Close or Minimize.
iPadOS 18	Drag the center divider to the left or right edge of the screen.
iPadOS 18	Tap the three dots at the top of the app you want to keep, then tap the full-screen button.

For more detail, including Slide Over windows, read about getting rid of split screen on iPad. Making an app full screen does not quit the other one. If you want to quit it, follow our steps to close apps on iPad.

If you never want windows, open Settings > Multitasking & Gestures and choose the full-screen option instead of Windowed Apps or Stage Manager. You can switch back at any time from the same screen.

Troubleshooting: Side by Side Is Not Working

Dragging an app only opens it full screen

On iPadOS 26 or later, open Settings > Multitasking & Gestures and confirm that Windowed Apps or Stage Manager is selected. On iPadOS 18, confirm that Split View & Slide Over is turned on in the same place.

There is no three-dot button

That button belongs to iPadOS 18 and earlier. iPadOS 26 and later use window controls at the top left of each window. Follow the Windowed Apps steps instead.

The window controls are missing

When an app is full screen and you do not see the controls, swipe down from the top of the screen to show them in the menu bar.

The second app floats on top instead of sitting beside the first

It has probably become a Slide Over window. Touch and hold its window controls and tap Exit Slide Over, or drag it to the middle of the screen and let go. Then drag it to a side again, taking care not to drop it on the arrow at the edge.

The Dock does not appear

Swipe up only a short distance from the bottom edge. A long swipe goes to the Home Screen or the app switcher instead. In iPadOS 26 or later you can also open the second app from the Home Screen and then arrange the two windows with the swipe gesture.

One app will not tile or open a second window

Not every app supports multiple windows, and Apple’s steps for a second window apply only to apps that do. If one app refuses, try the pairing with a different app to see whether the problem is that app. Updating the app from the App Store can also add support.

The settings named here do not match your iPad

Check for an update in Settings > General > Software Update. Apple’s instructions assume the latest version of iPadOS for your model. Older iPads that cannot install iPadOS 26 keep the Split View system, and a particular app may not support being tiled or opened in a second window.

Windowed Apps vs. Stage Manager

Both options in Multitasking & Gestures allow more than one app on screen in iPadOS 26 or later. With Windowed Apps, your windows share the screen. With Stage Manager, the apps you are using move to the front and your other open apps form a list of recent apps along the left side, so you can group windows for a task and switch between groups.

If your only goal is two apps next to each other, Windowed Apps is the simpler choice. The drag-to-edge and tiling methods are for working with windowed apps, and a Slide Over window is available in either mode.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does iPadOS 26 still have split screen?

Yes, in practice. The feature is no longer called Split View, but dragging a second app to the left or right edge of a full-screen app tiles the two apps side by side with a divider you can drag. You need Windowed Apps or Stage Manager selected in Settings > Multitasking & Gestures.

Can I use more than two apps at once?

Yes. In iPadOS 26 or later you can open additional windows and arrange them with the preset layouts in the window controls menu. In iPadOS 26.2 or later you can also keep one extra app in a Slide Over window on top of the others. On iPadOS 18, supported models can show a third app in Slide Over in front of Split View.

Can I have two Safari windows side by side?

Yes. Touch and hold the Safari icon, tap New Window, then arrange the two windows side by side. The same method works for other apps that support multiple windows, such as Notes, Mail, and Files.

How do I switch which app is on the left?

In iPadOS 26 or later, bring a window to the front, touch and hold its window controls, and choose the layout that places it on the side you want. You can also drag a different app icon on top of a window that touches the left or right edge to replace what is shown there.

How do I switch to a different app without losing my layout?

Swipe up from the bottom of the screen, pause in the center, and lift your finger. Your open windows appear, and you can tap the one you want. With an external keyboard, you can press the Exposé key, or hold the Globe key and press the Up Arrow key, depending on the keyboard.

Does this work on an iPhone?

No. These steps are for iPad. The settings described here are in the iPad version of Multitasking & Gestures.

Is this the same as a split keyboard?

No. Side-by-side apps split the screen between two apps. A split keyboard divides the onscreen keyboard into two halves for thumb typing. If your keyboard separated by accident, you can learn how to split, merge, or move the iPad keyboard.

Next Step

Pick the two apps you use together most often and set them up once using the steps for your iPadOS version. If the layout is not what you wanted, drag the divider to an edge to return to one app and try again. Apple’s guide to working with multiple windows covers the remaining window controls.