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This New Multitasking Feature Is Now Available on iPadOS 26.4

The windows feature counts and organizes how many windows are hiding, so you don't have to.

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Headshot of Dashia Milden
Dashia Milden Editor
Dashia is the consumer insights editor for CNET. She specializes in data-driven analysis and news at the intersection of tech, personal finance and consumer sentiment. Dashia investigates economic shifts and everyday challenges to help readers make well-informed decisions, and she covers a range of topics, including technology, security, energy and money. Dashia graduated from the University of South Carolina with a bachelor's degree in journalism. She loves baking, teaching spinning and spending time with her family.
Dashia Milden
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iPadOS 26.4 is now available. 

 Apple/CNET

Good news for iPad owners: The latest iPadOS update comes with a major multitasking upgrade. 

Released last September, iPadOS 26 included a few updates to Stage Manager, the iPad's productivity feature. iPadOS 26 initially brought apps you're working with front and center, while others remain in the background but are still open. You could switch between them, as well as move, group and resize them. 

Now, a few iterations later, iPadOS 26.4 has a new feature to help you keep track of the dozens of open windows that may be hiding: the hidden windows feature.

You'll still have all the same window functions from iPadOS 26, but if you have multiple windows open for one app, you can hold down the app icon and select Show All Windows from the pop-up menu. And if you have several windows for the same app open, but they're hidden, you'll see a button at the bottom of the screen that says X Hidden Windows (X would be the number of hidden windows you have), which you can press to display those windows you have open from the app. 

Watch this: iPad Got an Update, but Not the One I Wanted

I tested the Hidden Windows feature, and it's not a game changer

I tried opening several windows of my calendar and messages on my sixth-gen iPad Mini, and this feature works as intended, but there's a trick: The window must be fully hidden for the button to appear. 

I opened the Messages app and displayed it full-screen. Then I saw the button. The same was true when I opened my calendar. I wouldn't say this makes multitasking a game changer when I use my iPad, but it's nice to know that other windows are open in case I forgot to finish a task, like scheduling my son's playdate or responding to a separate message.

Here are the iPads that are compatible with iPadOS 26.4:

  • iPad Mini (5th and 6th gen)
  • iPad Mini (A17 Pro)
  • iPad (8th to 10th gen)
  • iPad (A16)
  • iPad Air (3rd to 5th gen)
  • iPad Air 11-inch (M2 to M4)
  • iPad Air 13-inch (M2 to M4)
  • iPad Pro 11-inch (1st to 4th gen)
  • iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd to 6th gen)
  • iPad Pro 13-inch (M4 to M5)

We're starting to see more features that make the iPad function like a Mac, such as the red, yellow and green controls in the top left corner to manage a window, as well as a menu bar. But the big question is, could we see some similar features for iPhones in the future? 

Apple didn't immediately respond to a request for further comment.

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