Learn how to use the new Mac-like menu bar in iPadOS 26 to access important app commands and controls in one handy place on your iPad.
iPadOS 26 introduces a top menu bar to iPad apps, allowing you to use important commands without digging into the app or opening the sidebar.
For instance, if you’re browsing the web in Safari and want to reopen a website from your recent history, you can simply tap the History button in the top menu bar and click a recent site. You don’t have to open the sidebar, tap History, select a history, and then close the sidebar to return to full-screen browsing.
The menu bar also makes it quick to access an app’s settings without having to manually go to the Settings app > Apps > app name. Simply tap the app name in the top menu bar and select ‘app Settings’ to go right in. You can also use the Window menu to manage their placement without having to touch and hold the new traffic lights icon.
And just like Mac, the iPadOS 26 menu bar also lists a keyboard shortcut next to each option that has one.
1) Open the Settings app on your iPad, tap Multitasking & Gestures, and select Windowed Apps or Stage Manager. The top menu bar isn’t shown in normal ‘Full Screen Apps’ mode.
2) From now on, simply open an iPad app and swipe down from the top of the screen to see the menu bar. If you’re using a mouse or trackpad with your iPad, just take the pointer to the top of the screen to reveal the menu bar.
Similar to macOS, if you have multiple app windows open on the screen, tap one of them to make it active and then swipe down from the top or drag the pointer to the top to reveal its menu bar.
Note: You have to swipe down from the top of the iPad screen to access the menu bar, not from the top of the app window. Secondly, I couldn’t reveal the menu bar using Apple Pencil 2nd generation on my iPad Pro.
In my tests with a few dozen iPad apps, I found that the top menu bar is available in all stock Apple apps, as well as third-party apps, including ones that haven’t been updated in months or that are not optimized to work with iPad.
While a few apps, such as Safari, display important features in the top menu bar, other apps may simply show the stock options with no meaningful in-app controls. However, all apps show these menus: App Name, File, Edit, Format, View, Window, and Help.
- You can tap the app name at the top left to quickly access that app’s settings.
- The Window option lets you control how the application appears on your screen.
- And the File menu allows you to close the app window.
Unlike macOS, where the top menu bar is visible at all times, with the option to show it even in full-screen mode, the new iPadOS 26 menu bar hides automatically if you interact with anything else on the screen. When using a trackpad or mouse, the menu bar disappears after you drag the pointer away from the top of the screen.
However, if you swipe down with your finger to reveal the menu bar and then scroll with the mouse or trackpad, the menu bar stays on the screen until you make a click.
iPadOS 26 takes iPad closer to Mac
iPadOS 26 brings iPad one step closer to Mac by introducing windowed apps, allowing file folders in the Dock, adding a dedicated Phone app to manage iPhone calls, improved Files app with column management to mimic Finder, app Exposé to see all your windows spread out, Background Tasks, and, of course, the top menu bar explained above.
What are your thoughts on iPadOS 26, and how has your experience been so far with it?