iPad · Apps

Use Split View, Slide Over, and Stage Manager

iPadOS offers layered multitasking: Split View and Slide Over work on most models, while Stage Manager — a resizable, overlapping-windows mode with external display support — is limited to iPad models with an M1 chip or later.

How to open Multitasking & Stage Manager

  1. Open Control Center and tap the Stage Manager icon (or Settings → Home Screen & Multitasking → Stage Manager).
  2. Connect the iPad to an external display or dock using a USB-C cable.
  3. Drag windows independently on each screen — the external display becomes its own workspace, not a mirror.

What you should know

  • Open Settings → Home Screen & Multitasking → Multitasking & Gestures to check that "Allow Multiple Apps" is on for Split View and Slide Over.
  • Turn on Stage Manager from Control Center (tap the Stage Manager icon) or Settings → Home Screen & Multitasking → Stage Manager, on supported M1-and-later iPad Pro and iPad Air models.
  • In Stage Manager, drag an app to the side to group it with the current window into a resizable cluster, and use the strip of recent app groups on the left edge to switch between sets.
  • Connect a supported iPad to an external display over USB-C with Stage Manager on to extend it as a separate, independently arranged workspace rather than a mirrored one.
  • Without Stage Manager, connecting an external display mirrors the iPad's screen instead of extending it.

Why it matters

Stage Manager changes how windows behave enough that it can feel broken if you don't know it's model-gated — expecting overlapping resizable windows on a base iPad or an iPad without an M-series chip leads to confusion, since those models simply don't show the option.

Best practices

  • Use Split View or Slide Over for quick side-by-side tasks on any supported iPad; reserve Stage Manager for more complex, multi-window workflows on capable hardware.
  • When using an external display with Stage Manager, arrange your most-used app group on the iPad screen and reference material on the external display to reduce window-shuffling.
  • Swipe up and pause from the bottom of the screen to reveal the Dock from inside any app — it works the same whether or not Stage Manager is on.

Common problems and fixes

Stage Manager option is missing from Control Center
Confirm the iPad has an M1 chip or later (iPad Pro 11-inch 3rd gen+, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 5th gen+, iPad Air 5th gen+); older models only support Split View and Slide Over, not Stage Manager.
External display only mirrors instead of extending
Turn on Stage Manager before connecting the display — without it, iPad treats any external display as a mirror of the built-in screen.

Tips and tricks

  • Drag an app icon from the Dock directly onto an open Stage Manager window to add it to that group instead of opening it as a separate window.

Frequently asked questions

Does Stage Manager work on the base iPad or iPad mini?

No — Stage Manager requires an M1 chip or later, which rules out the base iPad and iPad mini; those models still get Split View and Slide Over.