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Microsoft Testing iPadOS Multi-Window Support in Word and PowerPoint

MakeAppleAwesomeAgain said:
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.
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The trick is to adapt the way you work. Even on macOS I spend a HEAP of time with many apps all full screen and swipe left and right between them. It's how I prefer to work on a laptop. Same thing works on an iPad. More than say 2 windows side by side is usually a waste of time in my opinion, its just clutter. I spent a long time doing the two monitor thing with windows everywhere and then just realised for the most part I just had a heap of junk open I never looked at. I find it easier to focus if I have 1 monitor and less windows on screen.

YMMV, and this seems to be more of a mobile workflow than a desktop based workflow, and if you use a mouse its a LOT more awkward. But it works for me.

My major beefs with iPadOS are no multiple windows per app (being fixed gradually) and the resource limits meaning apps get killed in the background. But that's just a resource problem that can likely be easily fixed by just adding more RAM to it...
 
Geardo_Ranger said:
Can they also add the REFERENCES tab in Word too? I mean it’s 2020 and I can’t even build citations in word on the iPad. They are way behind on features.
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Great point - many basic word processing features (that were around on desktop word processors 25 years ago) are STILL missing from Word on iPadOS. It's almost shockingly limited relative to the desktop version, and it never gets any better despite the constant "updates."
 
MacRumors said:


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.jpg

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.

Article Link: Microsoft Testing iPadOS Multi-Window Support in Word and PowerPoint
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Uhm....Excel?
 
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throAU said:
My major beefs with iPadOS are no multiple windows per app (being fixed gradually) and the resource limits meaning apps get killed in the background. But that's just a resource problem that can likely be easily fixed by just adding more RAM to it...
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THIS.

I'm not sure this is so much a RAM thing, though. There should be plenty of RAM available for these apps to run. Multiple, resizable windows or frames are a must for this to be a functioning system. It's not about making it into a laptop or desktop, it's about functionality to enable people's workflows.
 
I hope this can be enabled for Outlook iOS. Right now you can only have 1 instance of Outlook running (Mail Cal). It would be nice to have calendar open next to mail, or allow quick switching.
 
I’ve been waiting for this feature for a long time. Outlook for iPadOS got this a while ago and it’s nice to be able to compose emails which viewing a reference email or calendar.

While the iPad will never replace a complex, multi-windowed approach, I do use it 95% of my day in the corporate world. If the iPad version of Office will never be as powerful as a desktop version, it doesn’t need to be. This will require rethinking of the iPad as a mere companion device and more of a primary device.
 
julesme said:
Great point - many basic word processing features (that were around on desktop word processors 25 years ago) are STILL missing from Word on iPadOS. It's almost shockingly limited relative to the desktop version, and it never gets any better despite the constant "updates."
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While I totally agree, I see it as a chicken-and-egg problem.

The majority of users who are using the iPad for MS Word use and such likely (I'm guessing per their focus group research or whatever) don't need those features, so they won't add them until people need them...

Meanwhile, people who need those features won't use the iPad until those features are present...


Unfortunately, there's a lot of iPad apps in the same boat. It's kind of too bad because I think we're at a point now that if they were to include those features (Microsoft and others), that the iPad could gain a new segment of users.
 
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