Switch between apps on iPad

You can use the Dock, the App Switcher, or a gesture to quickly switch from one app to another on your iPad. When you switch back, you can pick up right where you left off.

Open an app from the Dock

From any app, swipe up from the bottom edge of the screen just far enough to reveal the Dock, then tap the app you want to use.

Favorite apps are on the left side of the Dock, and suggested apps—like ones you opened recently and ones open on your iPhone or Mac—appear on the right side of the Dock. The rightmost button in the Dock opens App Library.

The Dock showing seven favorite apps on the left and three suggested apps on the right. The rightmost icon in the Dock opens App Library.

Use the App Switcher

To see all your open apps, Split View workspaces, and Slide Over windows in the App Switcher, do one of the following:
- On all iPad models: Swipe up from the bottom of the screen, then pause in the center of the screen.
- On an iPad with a Home button: Double-click the Home button.
To browse the open apps, swipe right, then tap the app or Split View workspace you want to use.
You can view the Slide Over windows by swiping left, and switch between them by tapping them. See Switch between apps in Slide Over.

Switch between open apps

To switch between open apps, do one of the following:

Swipe left or right with one finger along the bottom edge of the screen. (On an iPad with a Home button, perform this gesture with a slight arc.)
Swipe left or right with four or five fingers.

Helpful?

iPad User Guide

Switch between apps on iPad

Open an app from the Dock

Use the App Switcher

Switch between open apps