Office for iPad apps gain mouse and trackpad, Split View support

Office Logo
Office Logo (Image credit: Microsoft)

What you need to know

  • Microsoft has updated its Office apps with new features for the iPad.
  • Word now supports mice and trackpads and Excel now supports Split View.

Microsoft has released some notable updates for its suite of Office apps for the iPad. The new versions of the apps bring some new features that some may have been waiting for for some time now.

The Word app has been updated with mouse or trackpad support for the iPad. Now, you can hook up a wireless or wired mouse or trackpad to your iPad and use it for precision pointing within the Word app.

The Excel app now supports working with multiple spreadsheets at the same time with Split View. Powerpoint has released a new feature called Presenter Coach with lets you get feedback on your presentation.

See all of the release notes below:

Microsoft Word

  • Support UI Text Interaction: Use the trackpad from the all new magic keyboard to interact with your document.
  • Use a Pointing Device: Connect a trackpad or mouse to your iPad for another way to interact with Word.

Microsoft Excel

Work with Multiple Spreadsheets at the Same Time: Excel can open two or more spreadsheets side by side for you to view and edit. This feature is available for users who are on iOS13 and higher.

Microsoft Powerpoint

Rehearse your Presentation with Presenter Coach: Get feedback on the things that help keep an audience engaged — like pacing, pitch, filler words, sensitive phrases, and more.

All of the updates are available now. You can update each app for free on the App Store.

Joe Wituschek
Contributor

Joe Wituschek is a Contributor at iMore. With over ten years in the technology industry, one of them being at Apple, Joe now covers the company for the website. In addition to covering breaking news, Joe also writes editorials and reviews for a range of products. He fell in love with Apple products when he got an iPod nano for Christmas almost twenty years ago. Despite being considered a "heavy" user, he has always preferred the consumer-focused products like the MacBook Air, iPad mini, and iPhone 13 mini. He will fight to the death to keep a mini iPhone in the lineup. In his free time, Joe enjoys video games, movies, photography, running, and basically everything outdoors.