Landing as a headlining – and controversial – new feature for compatible iPads and Macs in iPadOS 16.1 and macOS Ventura, here’s Apple’s description of how Stage Manager works:
“Stage Manager automatically organizes open apps and windows so users can concentrate on their work and still see everything in a single glance. The current window users are working in is displayed prominently in the center, and other open windows appear on the left-hand side so they can quickly and easily switch between tasks. Users can also group windows together when working on specific tasks or projects that require different apps.”
It’s been a polarizing feature from a few angles including how it works (and doesn’t), bugs and quirks, and what iPads are supported. Apple did eventually expand the feature to older iPad Pro models, but removed full-screen external display support from all iPads for now. But nonetheless, here’s how to try it.
Stage Manager on iPad: How it works in iPadOS 16
Turn on Stage Manager on iPad
Running iPadOS 16.1 on an M1, A12Z, or A12X iPad, open Control Center (pull down from the top right corner of your screen or click in the top right corner) Tap the Stage Manager button (3 little and 1 big square icon near the bottom right corner) The first time you enable Stage Manager you should see a splash screen with a brief explanation and a button to Turn on Stage Manager After the first time you turn on Stage Manager, you can quickly toggle it on and off with one tap in Control Center Stage Manager is automatically added to Control Center on compatible iPads with iPadOS 16.1 but you can also reorder where the button sits by heading to Settings > Control CenterHere’s how the process looks on iPad: