Stage Manager is one of the most controversial new features of iPadOS 16. Folks seem to either love it or hate it.
I can’t say I LOVE it, but I do like it. For me it makes my 12.9-inch iPad Pro a viable laptop alternative (not replacement) for doing limited work while on the go. (Stage Manager is also part of macOS Ventura, but I find it much less useful on a Mac.)
What is Stage Manager?
Stage Manager is an entirely new multitasking experience that automatically organizes apps and windows. For the first time on an iPad, users can create overlapping windows of different sizes in a single view, drag and drop windows from the side, or open apps from the Dock to create groups of apps.
The window of the app users are working on is displayed prominently in the center, and other open apps and windows are arranged on the left-hand side in order of recency. On M1 iPad Pros, Stage Manager also unlocks full external display support with resolutions of up to 6K, so you can work with up to four apps on iPad and four apps on the external display.
Stage Manager works best with M1 or M2-equipped iPads. It will also work with tablets equipped with an A12X or A12Z processor, though it won’t have external display support as Stage Manager does on M.x-based iPads.
To turn on Stage Manager:
° Click on the Settings app on your iPad.
° Choose Home Screen & Multitasking.
° Tap Stage Manager at the bottom of the Home Screen & Multitasking screen.
° Toggle on Use Stage Manager on iPad.
Or you can swipe down from the top right of the screen to launch Control Center. Then click on the Stage Manager icon (a square with three buttons on the right) to enable it. Click on the icon again to disable Stage Manager.
Stage Manager arranges your open apps into a strip on the left side of your iPad’s screen. If you hide Recent Apps or the Dock, your apps appear larger on the tablet’s display. You can turn these settings on/off.
To do so, hard-press the Stage Manager icon in Control Panel. Check or uncheck Recent Apple and check or uncheck Dock.
How to resize windows
Stage Manager allows you to resize open windows. On an open app, press and hold the indicator button (a small curved line) on the bottom right of the window. Now you can use your finger or a paired mouse to resize the window. By the way, I definitely recommend using a mouse with your iPad if you’re heavily using Stage Manager. You can have up to four floating app windows on the screen at the same time.
How to group and ungroup apps with Stage Manager
You can “group” apps with Stage Manager. This is handy for apps that you frequently use in tandem. To group apps:
° Open the first app you want in the group.
° Drag and drop the icon of the second app from the Recent Apps list or from the Dock into the main screen.
° They’re now grouped. Repeat the process to add more apps to the group.
When you add more apps, all their windows will resize to split the screen space evenly. However, as mentioned, you can resize the windows, overlapping and stacking them atop one another.
To ungroup apps:
° Tap the app you wish to ungroup.
° Choose the three horizontal dots at the top middle of the app.
° Tap Minimize to remove the app from the group.
