Where is split screen on iPad ios26

iPadOS multitasking has received a significant makeover from that to which you may be accustomed in iPadOS 18.x and earlier - and may take a little time to learn and adjust your workflows. You would be well advised to review the official iPadOS User Guide and the many available online tutorials (such as YouTube) to become better acquainted with the new multitasking interface and associated gestures and controls.

Work with multiple windows at once on iPad - Apple Support

OS - iPadOS 26 - Apple

While the previous Slide Over view has been retired, Split View remains - although it is accessed differently. You can have two or three App windows side-by-side - or a spit the screen into four quadrants.

To access, ensure that the current App window is not maximised; touch-and-hold the traffic-light icon at top-left of the App window to expose the Fill & Arrange options:

The current App window will move aside, allowing you to open another App; the selected view will open the selected Apps in their own windows - which can be resized laterally, as before, by dragging the divider to left or right.

sullivant1 wrote:

1 . I don't resist change

2 . I make it a point to get plenty of practice

3 . I've taken more than a little bit of time to familiarize myself with the process

The traffic light is too small poorly placed and creates an extra step which wasn’t previously required

The traffic-light button is a trigger - just like the three-dot button that preceded it in earlier versions.

Simply tapping the traffic-light button expands the control to show three individual buttons - one each to close, minimise or maximise the active App window.

By contrast, touch-and-hold of the traffic-light button exposes additional windowing options for Split Screen and Slide Over views. NB: Slide Over view is available in iPadOS 26.1 (this version released 3/11/25).

iPadOS 26.x windowing has changed the mechanism to access multitasking - and, arguably, the increased flexibility now requires an additional tap in some circumstances.

Contributors here are all end-users, just like you. We have no direct influence over Apple's design decisions. You should note that other than the site Moderators, Apple neither monitors nor participates within this Community. As such, comments mace here will not necessarily be seen or acted upon by Apple.

That said, Apple does invite submission of constructive comments and feedback via its Product Feedback portal. If you have something to offer, or would like to see changes in a future version of iPadOS, this would be the most appropriate channel through which to direct your comments. For iPad and iPadOS:

Feedback - iPad - Apple

Nathan Jones2 wrote:

This isn’t actually split view though? The end result is two windows side by side (with less screen real estate than split view) - and they resize independently, not together as split view does. Or, have I missed something? It’s very difficult to understand and use in practice. The traffic light press/hold action just puts the window on the left of the screen. There is no option to choose the right side, so manual and inaccurate positioning has to happen. Is there a way to get a more genuine split view result? (Ie two windows filling the entire screen real estate and the divider resizing both windows together).

I suggest that you read my initial reply to this thread of 19th September - and pay particular attention to the screenshot that shows the available Split View windowing options. Touch-and-hold the traffic-light button to expose available windowing options.

As of iPadOS 16.1, released 3rd November, Slide Over View has also returned - this also being available from the traffic-light button.

Use this:

Feedback - iPad - Apple

Posting here for other end users to see does not advance change.

The new process to open several apps in a split screen arrange arrangement is terrible. The loss of the three buttons in the center of the screen is monumental. But used to take one click or stroke now requires several. Equally disappointing is the slide over.

Making is wors is that I just called Apple support and two representatives knew nothing about the subject. They knew nothing of the ios26 change and here I see that the Community information was posted September 19 almost a month ago. This does not speak well for Apple customer support.

Im shocked

sullivant1 wrote:

The new process to open several apps in a split screen arrange arrangement is terrible. The loss of the three buttons in the center of the screen is monumental. But used to take one click or stroke now requires several. Equally disappointing is the slide over.

Making is wors is that I just called Apple support and two representatives knew nothing about the subject. They knew nothing of the ios26 change and here I see that the Community information was posted September 19 almost a month ago. This does not speak well for Apple customer support.

Im shocked

To reiterate - Apple invites constructive feedback, comments and feature requests via their product feedback pages. For iPad and iPadOS:

Feedback - iPad - Apple

Established habits die hard - and we humans are pre-programmed to resist change. Like you, I initially found the new controls to appear over complex - but with just a little practice, have now become second nature. If you take just a little time to familiarise yourself and practice with the new UI, it really does become intuitive.

This isn’t actually split view though? The end result is two windows side by side (with less screen real estate than split view) - and they resize independently, not together as split view does. Or, have I missed something? It’s very difficult to understand and use in practice. The traffic light press/hold action just puts the window on the left of the screen. There is no option to choose the right side, so manual and inaccurate positioning has to happen. Is there a way to get a more genuine split view result? (Ie two windows filling the entire screen real estate and the divider resizing both windows together).

1. I don’t resist change
2. I make it a point to get plenty of practice
3. I’ve taken more than a little bit of time to familiarize myself with the process

The traffic light is too small poorly placed and creates an extra step which wasn’t previously required

You assume too much. Bring on >Constructive< change

sullivant1 wrote:

You assume too much. Bring on >Constructive< change

In what way do "I" assume too much?

Just like all contributors here, I am an end-user - just like you.