• Stage Manager is a powerful new iPad feature that gives you precise control over how your apps appear.
  • With Stage Manager on, you can resize windows, quickly swap apps, and multitask.
  • Stage Manager is available on the iPad Pro 11-inch, most iPad Pro 12.9-inch models, and the iPad Air (5th generation).

Of all the features that Apple added in iPadOS 16, by far the biggest is Stage Manager.

Stage Manager is a new way of displaying and using apps on your iPad. With it, you can have multiple apps open at the same time, hovering over one another at different sizes. You can also quickly switch between apps with just a tap.

Here's how to turn on Stage Manager and start using it.

How to enable Stage Manager on your iPad

Stage Manager isn't available on all iPads. To use it, you'll need to have:

  • An iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation and newer)
  • An iPad Pro 11-inch (any generation)
  • An iPad Air (5th generation)

And you'll need to have updated it to iPadOS 16. If you're not sure what kind of iPad you own, check out our guide on how to identify your device.

Once that's ready, swipe down from the top-left corner of your iPad's screen to open the Control Center. You should see a new icon at the bottom that looks like a large square with three smaller squares lined up next to it — tap this to turn on Stage Manager.

The Stage Manager icon in an iPad's Control Center.
This icon should appear once you update to iPadOS 16.
Apple; William Antonelli/Insider

If you don't see this icon, open the Settings app and tap Control Center, then drag the Stage Manager option so it's in the Included Controls section of the page.

You can turn off Stage Manager by tapping its icon again.

How to use Stage Manager

Once you've tapped that icon, you can open any app to start the Stage Manager experience.

Whatever app you first opened will appear in a window, hovering over your home screen. Other apps you've used recently should appear in smaller windows along the left side of your screen.

You've now got a few different ways to control how your apps look.

If you look at the bottom corners of whatever app is open, you should see a curved line — tap and drag this line to resize the app. Just be aware that not all apps can change sizes.

Tap and drag apps from the left side of your screen or the dock to the center, and they'll open in new windows. Depending on how big the windows are, you can have three or four windows open at one time.

An animated GIF of two apps opening side-by-side on an iPad using Stage Manager.
You can arrange your apps in different sizes, on top of each other or side-by-side.
Apple

If the small windows on the left ever disappear, just swipe your finger to the right from the left side to bring them back.

If you want to add an app that's not appearing in one of those smaller windows, you can return to your regular home screen and pick another one — just swipe up from the bottom of the screen, the same way you'd close any app.

You can also tap the three dots at the top of any window, and then select Add Another Window. This will open a list of every app on your device that can use Stage Manager, and give you a preview of what they'll look like.

To just move a window without resizing it, tap and drag those three dots around. And if you want to close an app, tap those same three dots, then select Close.

An iPad app open in Stage Manager, with its "Close" and "Add Another Window" options visible.
Tap the three dots to find some more options.
Apple; William Antonelli/Insider
William Antonelli
Tech Reporter for Insider Reviews
William Antonelli (he/she/they) is a writer, editor, and organizer based in New York City. As a founding member of the Reference team, he helped grow Tech Reference (now part of Insider Reviews) from humble beginnings into a juggernaut that attracts over 20 million visits a month. Outside of Insider, his writing has appeared in publications like Polygon, The Outline, Kotaku, and more. He's also a go-to source for tech analysis on channels like Newsy, Cheddar, and NewsNation. You can find him on Twitter @DubsRewatcher, or reach him by email at wantonelli@insider.com.