iPadOS 26 Compatible Device List: Does My iPad Support iPadOS 26?
iPadOS 26 has been announced, and it offers some of the most significant changes to iPadOS in a while. With a huge emphasis on improving multitasking capabilities, iPadOS 26 introduces a windowing system, a menu bar, window tiling, Expose, and you can now place files and folders in the Dock too. But that’s not all, iPadOS 26 also gains the new Liquid Glass interface look with more transparency and shinier icons, an updated Files app, folder icon colors, background tasks, the Preview app, Live Translation, and more.
With such major improvements to iPadOS coming with iPadOS 26, it’s no wonder that users are deeply curious about the new features and new look, and are therefore asking the obvious question, can my iPad run iPadOS 26? Let’s dive in and answer that question.
iPadOS 26 Compatible iPad Models & Supported iPad List
iPadOS 26 has more strict compatibility than prior iPadOS releases, and while basically any M-series iPad Pro or iPad Air is compatible, so are other models. The full list, directly from Apple, is below:
- iPad Pro 11″ 1st gen and newer
- iPad Pro 12.9″ 3rd gen and newer
- iPad Air 3rd generation and newer
- iPad 8th generation and newer, including iPad A16
- iPad Mini 5th gen and newer, including iPad Mini A17 Pro
Apple displays the same list on their website for iPadOS 26:
You will also need to have internet access, and at least 30GB of free storage available on your iPad to be able to install iPadOS 26 using the Software Update mechanism. The amount of storage needed is necessary to be able to download and install the update on the device locally.
Some features will be limited to newer model iPads, like all Apple Intelligence related features, which require an M-chip or better (or A17 Pro or better). Also, some features of iPadOS 26 will work best on larger screen iPad devices, like the windowing features and window tiling features.
iPadOS 26 looks great and works with my iPad, but what about iOS 26 for iPhone?
We’re focusing on iPad and iPadOS 26 here, even though iPadOS is basically the same as iOS just with a few additional iPad-specific features. In fact, the two operating systems were one and the same, until fairly recently. Nonetheless since tons of iPad users also have iPhone’s, it’s no wonder they’d also be interested in learning what iPhone models are compatible with iOS 26, which you can see a list here. Basically iOS 26 supports all iPhone 16 models, all iPhone 15 models, all iPhone 14 models, all iPhone 13 models, all iPhone 12 models, all iPhone 11 models, and iPhone SE 2nd generation. Newer model iPhones, like the upcoming iPhone 17, will also support iOS 26.
iPadOS 26 looks a lot like MacOS, what about MacOS Tahoe? Does iPad Run MacOS Tahoe?
iPad will not run MacOS, iPad only runs iPadOS. However, iPadOS 26 is including more and more features from the Mac, and is becoming increasingly Mac-like. If you have a Mac, you might be interested in a list of Macs compatible with MacOS Tahoe, which, much like iOS 26, iPadOS 26, is increasingly strict with it’s system requirements, requiring modern Mac hardware to be able to run.
