This year, the iPad is getting back to the Mac. Most notably, its windowing system will become more flexible, echoing a desktop experience. The iPad will also gain a Mac-like menu bar and a Files app that’s closer to the Mac’s Finder than ever before. What we won’t get is the revamped Spotlight that’s coming to macOS 26. And that’s a shame, because it’s genuinely fantastic.
Even if you’ve never touched a Mac, you’ll have used Spotlight. On iPhone or iPad, a quick swipe down on a Home Screen lets you use Spotlight to search your device. And the system tries to save you time by smartly predicting what you want as you type, whether that’s an app to launch, an action to trigger, or a document you’ve recently worked on.
Until now, the Mac version has been much the same. But in macOS 26, it’s getting a major upgrade. The familiar Command + Space shortcut still summons Spotlight, but you can subsequently use Command and a number (1–4) to drill down into apps, documents, actions, or your Mac’s clipboard history. With apps, you get suggestions, as on iPhone, and other apps are then grouped. If you type, the layout dynamically shifts to match your search term, making for a fast, fluid way to launch just about anything.
More impressively, using the main Spotlight search, you can search within results. Type ‘Photos’ or ‘Documents’, press the Tab key, and Spotlight narrows your search to that specific app or folder. You can also create simple action flows, such as composing a message or setting a timer, which can be kicked off with custom keyboard shortcuts like ‘sm’ or ‘st’.
Even in the earliest developer beta, this new Spotlight feels fast, focused, and powerful. So why isn’t it on iPad? Perhaps Apple wanted to keep some daylight between macOS and iPadOS, or maybe there wasn’t time to reimagine its keyboard-heavy interactions for the touchscreen.
Still, there’s surely hope for next year. Apple is increasingly shifting towards unifying its platforms, and this level of system-wide search power belongs on a tablet that’s capable of being a true laptop alternative. The last thing Apple needs is to shine yet another spotlight on why the iPad is in some ways still playing second fiddle to the Mac.