How to Use Slide Over for Advanced Multitasking on Your iPad

The iPad offers easy multitasking features and one such option is the ability to use an app as a floating window on top of another app. It’s called Slide Over and it works on every iPad released in the last decade.

Apart from Slide Over, another useful multitasking tool is Split View, which we have already covered in a separate guide. Therefore, in this article, we will focus exclusively on Slide Over and show you how to use it to its full potential.

The steps described here apply to all iPads – iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad mini and other models with an updated version of iPadOS.

What is Slide Over on iPad?

Slide Over is a multitasking feature on the iPad that allows you to use a second app as a thin sliding window on top of an already open app, essentially allowing you to see and use two apps at the same time.

How is Slide Over different from Split View?

In split view, you open two apps side by side, each taking up half the screen (or 25% and 75% of the screen). However, in Slide Over, the first app already takes up the whole screen of the iPad, and the second app is superimposed on top of the first as a small floating window.

Pro tip: Using a combination of Split View and Slide Over, you can have 2 + 1 = 3 apps open at the same time on your iPad. More on this later.

How to use Slide Over on iPad

1. Make sure the app is already open on the screen.
2. Swipe up slightly and slowly from the bottom of the iPad screen to open the Dock.
3. Touch and hold an app icon in the Dock and drag it to an already open app. This application will now appear as a thin window on top of the current full screen application. If the app doesn’t appear in the Dock, tap the App Library button, which is the far right icon in the Dock, and drag the app from here.

Note. Don’t drag the app to the far left or far right of the screen, as it will go into split view rather than slider mode.

Here’s what it looks like when the app is open in Slide Over:

Use your mouse and keyboard to open the app in Slide Over

1. Make sure the app is already open on the screen.
2. Press Command + Spacebar together on an iPad-connected keyboard to open Spotlight search.
3. Enter the name of the application you want to use as the floating window.
4. Drag an app icon with a connected mouse or finger onto an existing open app.

Tip: How to use your Mac’s keyboard, mouse, and trackpad seamlessly and wirelessly with your iPad

Use two or more apps in Slide Over

You are not limited to opening just one app in Slide Over. Follow the same steps to have multiple apps in Slide Over thin windows. However, only one application will appear on the screen as a floating window at any given time. All other open Slide Over apps will remain hidden, and you can switch between them just like you switch between open apps on an iPhone with Face ID, i.e. by swiping left or right on the Home indicator bar.

Move slide window

From one side to the other

While running, the Slide Over window may obstruct the content of the application below it. To solve this problem, you can either hide the floating window (explained below) or tap the multitasking button (three-dot icon) at the top of the Slide Over window and move it to the other side of the screen.

Hide Slide Over Floating Window

You can temporarily hide the floating Slide Over window from the iPad screen so you can fully focus on the app in full screen mode. Here are two ways to do it:

• Swipe up from the Home indicator in the slider window.
• Tap the multitasking button in the Slide Over app window and drag it to the edge of the iPad screen until it disappears.

The app will disappear from the screen but remain open.

Bring the window back to the screen

To bring it back to the screen, tap the raised arrow tab or swipe it.

Turn a thin Slide Over window into a full screen app

Click the multitasking button at the top of the Slide Over window and select Full Screen. This application will now take over the input screen of the iPad.

Convert an open full screen application to a floating window

1. Click the multitasking button at the top of the app and click “Slide Over”.
2. Select another app that will open in full screen and the app from step 1 will appear as a Slide Over popup.

View all open Slide Over windows in one place

Method 1: Swipe up from the Slide Over home indicator and pause to view all Slide Over windows. It’s like viewing all open apps in the iPhone’s app switcher.

Method 2: Swipe up from the bottom of the iPad screen and hold to enter the app switcher. Now swipe left on the app switcher screen to see all your active Slide Over apps.

Close the slide window

You can end Slide Over by tapping on the three dots icon and selecting Close. This will close the application in the Slide Over window.

Alternatively, you can also go to the Slide Over app switcher or the main iPadOS app switcher and swipe up on the Slide Over app tile to close it.

Use three apps at the same time on your iPad screen

1. Open two apps in split view.
2. Gently swipe up from the bottom of the screen to open the iPad dock.
3. Press and hold an app icon and drag it to the center of the screen. This application will now open as a floating Slide Over window on top of the Split View screen. As a result, you have two applications open at the same time on the screen in Split View mode and one in Slide Over mode. Here’s what it looks like:

Can I use any apps in Slide Over?

Non-iPadOS apps support Slide Over and Split View. This is true for both Apple and third party apps. For example, the Settings app cannot be opened in Slide Over mode. If an app doesn’t support the Slide Over feature, you won’t see the multitasking button (three-dot icon) when it’s open in full screen mode.