Apple’s Files app on iPad has long been a point of contention for users seeking robust document management. While functional, it often felt clunky compared to the macOS Finder, hindering productivity workflows. However, the Files app in iPadOS 26 represents a significant transformation, bringing refinements and crucial speed improvements that analysts and users agree collectively make the application genuinely usable for serious work, marking a “massive improvement” over its iPadOS 18 predecessor.
This evolution of Files is a key part of Apple’s broader strategy with iPadOS 26, positioning the platform more definitively as a powerful “computer alternative” and a productivity powerhouse, rather than merely an oversized iPhone or a simplified Mac. The changes in Files reflect this ambition, incorporating Mac-like elements while enhancing the touch-first experience.
Files in iPadOS 26 vs. iPadOS 18: What’s Changed?
Comparing the two versions side-by-side reveals that while the core structure of the Files app – a sidebar for locations and a main view for contents – remains consistent, almost every aspect has been refined to improve efficiency and user experience.
Refreshed Appearance & UI: iPadOS 26 adopts Apple’s “Liquid Glass” design philosophy seen throughout the operating system, giving Files a cleaner, more refined look. The former gray/blue tones are replaced by a minimalist aesthetic with subtle visual layers. UI tweaks make the app feel less cluttered, partly achieved by moving less frequent actions into submenus and removing the app name from the sidebar to save space. A notable addition is the swipe-down menubar, providing quick access to features in a manner familiar to Mac users, smoothing the transition for those using both platforms.
Smarter Folder Navigation: Navigating nested folders was a particular pain point in iPadOS 18, often requiring constant use of the ‘back’ button, especially in Icon and List Views. iPadOS 26 tackles this head-on with a major productivity update, specifically for List View. A small arrow now appears next to folders, allowing users to view the folder’s contents as a drop-down list without actually leaving the current directory. This seemingly small change is massive for frequent users, enabling quicker browsing and access to files within subfolders, fundamentally altering navigation flow for the better.
Enhanced List View Flexibility: The List View in iPadOS 18 was restrictive, limiting users to viewing only the file name plus one additional detail like date or size, with no control over column width or order. iPadOS 26 dramatically improves this, offering significantly more flexibility. Users can now add multiple columns simultaneously, choosing from options like Date created, last modified, last opened, Kind, Size, Tags, and iCloud Status. Columns can be resized, reordered via drag-and-drop, and even scrolled horizontally if they exceed the screen width. This level of customization finally gives users control over how they view file details, much closer to a desktop experience.
Richer Folder Customization: iPadOS 18’s tag system for folders was basic, adding just a colored dot. iPadOS 26 introduces “Customize Folder & Tags,” allowing for much richer personalization. Beyond the colored dot, users can change the entire folder icon’s color and add a distinct icon (from a library or using emoji) to the folder’s front for immediate visual identification. These customizations sync across devices, maintaining consistency with macOS Finder. Folders can also now be added directly to the Dock for quick access from anywhere, streamlining workflows.
Improved File Transfer Handling: While the method for connecting to servers and cloud storage remains largely consistent, iPadOS 26 improves visibility for transfers. In addition to the per-file progress indicators, large transfers over the local network now trigger a secondary, prominent indicator at the top of the screen, providing clearer status updates for significant operations.
Real-World Performance Boosts
Beyond interface refinements, iPadOS 26 delivers tangible speed improvements for file transfers, crucial for productivity users like content creators handling large media files. Timed tests comparing an M2 iPad Pro running iPadOS 26 against an M2 iPad Pro on iPadOS 18 demonstrated notable gains:
Local to External Storage: Transferring a 4.13GB file from internal storage to a fast external SSD (10Gbps) took iPadOS 18 10.1 seconds. The same transfer on iPadOS 26 completed in just 6.4 seconds – a 37% reduction in time. This difference is attributed to underlying improvements in the operating system or the Files app itself.
- Wi-Fi Network Transfer: Transferring the same 4.13GB file over Wi-Fi to a server also showed significant improvement. Despite the iPadOS 26 test being conducted on a slightly slower Wi-Fi network (450Mbps vs 600Mbps for iPadOS 18), iPadOS 26 completed the transfer in 1 minute 58 seconds, while iPadOS 18 took over three minutes.
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These speed increases, combined with the usability enhancements, make handling large files on iPadOS 26 dramatically more efficient and less frustrating.
Conclusion
The Files app has evolved from a minimally functional utility to a genuinely capable tool in iPadOS 26. The collective impact of the design refinements, intuitive navigation features, flexible List View options, and crucial speed improvements transforms the app. It sheds many of its previous shortcomings, moving much closer to the intuitive power of macOS Finder. This upgrade makes iPad file management significantly better and solidifies the iPad’s position as a viable and capable platform for serious productivity workflows.
