Ipados Word Split ScreenSource: Microsoft

What you need to know

  • Microsoft is now testing Split View support for iPadOS.
  • Specifically, for Word and PowerPoint.
  • You'll need to be on the Office Insider program to get access.

Microsoft has announced in a blog that it has begun testing the use of multiple documents in split-screen on iPadOS.

In a blog post yesterday:

Hi Office Insiders! I'm Sammy Chiu from the Office team. I'm excited to share that you can now open multiple documents in Word and PowerPoint on iOS.

Apple announced the new feature as part of iPadOS 13 last year, which allows you to open split-screen windows of the same application on your iPad. At the keynote, Craig Federighi quipped:

Two Microsoft Word documents side-by-side, I mean that's enterprising right there!

The new feature will let Microsoft Word and PowerPoint users (who are on the Insider program) to take advantage of this, using the apps to see and work on two documents or presentations side-by-side.

You can access this feature a few ways:

  • Touch, hold, and drag a file from the Recent, Shared, and Open file list in the app to the iPad screen edge to open it side-by-side.
  • In Word or PowerPoint, swipe up from the bottom of the screen and open the dock. Then touch and hold the same app's icon and drag it off the dock to the left or right edge of the screen. Then tap the document to open it.
  • In Word or PowerPoint, access the Recent, Shared, and Open views in the app start screen, tap the "…" menu for a file in the list, then tap Open in New Window.

The only requirement from an Apple standpoint is an iPad running iOS 13.

A recent YouTube video from Fjordstrøm Travel & Tech has revealed the feature running in practice, check it out!

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