Microsoft Testing iPadOS Multi-Window Support in Word and PowerPoint

Since iPadOS 13 was released last year, Apple has included native suppport for opening two or more windows in the same application to view them side by side.

Since then, more and more third-party apps have been building in multi-window support, and now Microsoft is beta testing its own versions for Word and PowerPoint on iPad.

microsoft multi window support word powerpoint
The ability to display two documents next to each other is particularly useful for comparing two versions of the same document or keeping an eye on your reference notes while working. Similarly, PowerPoint support would let users cross-reference presentation slides on the same screen.

In a blog post, Microsoft details three ways to access multi-window support in Word and PowerPoint for ‌iPad‌:

  • 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.

Microsoft hasn't said when the multi-window support will be available to all users, but it surely can't be long now, given that the same feature was demoed at WWDC 2019 for Microsoft Word.

Anyone interested in trying out the new feature will need to join the Office Insider program and download beta versions of Word and PowerPoint through Testflight.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
macbook pro blue green

When Will Apple Release the M5 MacBook Pro?

Wednesday March 26, 2025 4:53 pm PDT by
Apple regularly refreshes the MacBook Pro models, and a new version that uses M5 series chips is in the works. Apple just finished refreshing most of the Mac lineup with M4 chips, and now it's time for the M5. Rumors suggest that we could see the first M5 MacBook Pro models this fall. Design There have been no rumors of a design update for the M5 MacBook Pro models that are coming this...
Apple Lumon Terminal Pro

Apple's Mac Site Features Fictional 'Lumon Terminal Pro'

Wednesday March 26, 2025 12:19 pm PDT by
Apple is going all out with promotions for the popular Severance Apple TV+ show today, and as of right now, you'll find a new "Lumon Terminal Pro" listed on Apple's Mac site. The Lumon Terminal Pro is designed to look similar to the machines that Severance employees like Mark S. and Helly R. use for macrodata refinement. The Terminal features a blue keyboard, a small display with wide...
Facebook Feature

Facebook's New iPhone App Feature Turns the Clock Back to 2007

Thursday March 27, 2025 1:59 pm PDT by
In the mid-to-late 2000s, Facebook was all about staying connected with friends and family. However, as the social media platform added new features and grew over time, that core experience began to get drowned out. That changes starting now, according to Meta, which today introduced a new feature that will "bring back the joy" of classic Facebook. Specifically, Meta has redesigned the...
Generic iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Coming Soon With These New Features for Your iPhone

Tuesday March 25, 2025 6:45 am PDT by
Apple is expected to release iOS 18.4 to the general public as soon as next week, following more than a month of beta testing. Apple's website says some iOS 18.4 features will be released in "early April," so the update should be out as early as Tuesday, April 1. Apple this week seeded the iOS 18.4 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, barring the discovery of any...
iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Supports 8K Video Recording, Suggests Leaker [Updated]

Wednesday March 26, 2025 4:06 am PDT by
Update 7:25 pm: Based on comments from our forums, it appears the original Weibo post may have been mistranslated and "8K" actually refers to the high price of the device rather than 8K video recording capabilities. The iPhone 16 Pro currently starts at 7,999 yuan in China. Our original article follows below. Apple's forthcoming iPhone 17 Pro models are capable of shooting 8K video, up...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

'iPhone Fold' to Feature Metallic Glass Hinge That Resists Deformation

Thursday March 27, 2025 4:21 am PDT by
Last week, we covered a report claiming that Apple's book-style foldable iPhone (or "iPhone Fold," as we are provisionally calling it here) will use liquid metal hinges to improve durability and help minimize screen creasing. Today, a Chinese leaker provided more details on the properties of this hinge material that help to clarify why Apple chose it for its first foldable device. According...
Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock

Gurman: Jon Prosser's iOS 19 Mockups 'Aren't Representative' of Redesign

Tuesday March 25, 2025 4:47 pm PDT by
The iOS 19 mockup images that leaker Jon Prosser shared today are not representative of the actual iOS 19 design, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on social media. According to Gurman, the images that are "floating around" are based on "very old builds" or "vague descriptions," and are lacking key features. Gurman says that we can "expect more from Apple in June." Gurman made the same comment ...
iCloud General Feature Redux

iPhone Users Who Pay for iCloud Storage Receive a New Perk

Thursday March 20, 2025 12:01 am PDT by
If you pay for iCloud storage on your iPhone, Apple has a new perk for you, at no additional cost. The new perk is the ability to create invitations in the Apple Invites app for the iPhone, which launched in the App Store last month. In the Apple Invites app, iCloud+ subscribers can create invitations for any occasion, such as birthday parties, graduations, baby showers, and more. Anyone ...

Top Rated Comments

MakeAppleAwesomeAgain Avatar
64 months ago
As I'm writing this I have windows opened of Safari, Slack, Telegram, VSCode, Firefox, Terminal and Finder. I can't see how I'm ever gonna migrate my workflow to iPadOS. This week I tried watching a tutorial and making notes at the same time on an iPad Air. It took me 3 minutes to understand multitasking and it was totally unworkable. It has absolutely nothing to do with screen size, they can make a 17" iPad and it would still suck because iOS was never built for multitasking.

It's unbelievable how some features in their software are pure genius (both in macOS and iOS) but how they can't get multitasking right outside of macOS. I truly hope macOS stays around for a long time and gets the love it deserves, it by far the finest OS ever created.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Unami Avatar
64 months ago
unfortunately, multitasking on the ipad sucks pretty hard.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iDento Avatar
64 months ago

As I'm writing this I have windows opened of Safari, Slack, Telegram, VSCode, Firefox, Terminal and Finder. I can't see how I'm ever gonna migrate my workflow to iPadOS. This week I tried watching a tutorial and making notes at the same time on an iPad Air. It took me 3 minutes to understand multitasking and it was totally unworkable. It has absolutely nothing to do with screen size, they can make a 17" iPad and it would still suck because iOS was never built for multitasking.

It's unbelievable how some features in their software are pure genius (both in macOS and iOS) but how they can't get multitasking right outside of macOS. I truly hope macOS stays around for a long time and gets the love it deserves, it by far the finest OS ever created.
You had Terminal window opened, iPadOS isn’t for you.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Ubuntu Avatar
64 months ago

This. "I have a very specific workflow that works well on macOS but doesn't on iPadOS; therefore, iPadOS multitasking is bad" is a weird leap. iPadOS multitasking has problems, but it not being exactly the same thing as macOS ain't one of them.
I don’t think the two are connected. iPadOS multitasking is not intuitive imo, even if you don’t approach it as a macOS user. I don’t think iPadOS should just ape macOS but I do think it’s a mess when it comes to multitasking, mainly as it’s heavily gesture based with very little feedback as to what’s possible and what isn’t.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JackieTreehorn Avatar
64 months ago
Took them long enough...
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dockedFile Avatar
64 months ago
FFS, please make a full-fledged excel. The iPad is a very capable device to have a full excel experience and with the new mouse support, it's a no-brainer at this point.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)