When Apple released iPadOS 26 back in September, the new windowing system brought a lot of improvements to how we work on the iPad. But it also took something away that I use constantly: Slideover. Apple just released iPadOS 26.1 this week, and I’m happy to report that Slideover is back. Well, mostly.

Slideover was that handy floating window you could swipe in from the side of the screen. I use it nearly exclusively with Drafts and dictation. It was perfect for quick tasks without rearranging your entire workspace. When iPadOS 26 launched with its new Mac-like windowing system, Apple removed both Slideover and Split View entirely. The new windowing could handle Split View’s job well enough, but there was no good replacement for Slideover’s quick-access convenience.

Apple clearly heard the feedback. With iPadOS 26.1, Slideover is back and it works alongside the new windowing system. You access it by tapping the green traffic light button at the top of any app window, then selecting “Enter Slide Over.” Once activated, the window behaves much like it used to. You can swipe it off the edge to hide it, then swipe back to reveal it again.

What’s Better

The new Slideover has one significant improvement: you can resize the window however you want. In the old implementation, you were stuck with Apple’s predetermined size. Now you can make it as narrow or wide as your workflow demands, and it remembers your preference.

The Limitations

Here’s where things get less exciting. The new Slideover only supports one app at a time. In iPadOS 18, you could stack multiple apps in Slideover and swipe between them. That’s gone now. You get one app, period. If you want to switch apps in Slideover, you have to manually change which app is assigned to it. It also takes more taps to invoke compared to the old system. Before, you could just swipe in from the side. Now you need to open an app, find the green button, and select the Slideover option. It’s not terrible, but it’s not as fluid as it used to be.

My Take

I’m genuinely glad Apple brought Slideover back. Even with its limitations, having quick access to a floating window is essential to how I work on the iPad. I constantly reference notes, check messages, or pull up Safari for quick lookups. The new windowing system is great for serious multitasking, but sometimes you need that one app that lives at the edge of your screen. For now, if you’re on iPadOS 26.1, take some time to set up your Slideover workflow again.