Browse Your Photos Library with iPadOS 26

Introduction

The Photos app provides two main ways to browse your media: Library and Collections. In this tutorial, we’re focusing specifically on the Library view and the tools available there.

The Library view gives you direct access to all of your photos and videos, allowing you to browse them by date, month, or year.

Switching Between Library and Collections

When you open the Photos app, you’ll notice a sidebar that allows you to switch between Library and Collections.

If the sidebar is visible, simply tap either option to change views. If you don’t see the sidebar, tap the sidebar button to reveal it.

Since we’re focusing on the Library in this tutorial, you can hide the sidebar again to maximize your viewing space and keep your attention on your photos.

Browsing the Library

The Library view organizes your photos and videos by date. As you scroll through your library, the date range displayed at the top changes automatically so you always know what time period you’re viewing.

This makes it easy to quickly locate photos from a particular event, trip, or season without having to search manually.

Pinch and Zoom

One of the easiest ways to customize your view is by using pinch gestures.

Pinching inward makes the thumbnails smaller, allowing you to see more photos at once. Pinching outward enlarges the thumbnails so you can view individual images more clearly.

This flexibility lets you quickly switch between an overview of your library and a more detailed view of specific photos.

Select a Photo

When you want to view a photo in full screen, simply tap it.

The image opens so you can see it in greater detail. When you’re finished, tap the back arrow to return to the Library view.

This is the fastest way to move between browsing and viewing individual photos.

All Photos, Months, & Years

The Library offers multiple levels of organization.

By default, you’ll see All Photos, which includes both photos and videos.

You can also switch to:

Months View

Months groups your content by month, making it easier to browse larger libraries and revisit specific time periods.

Years View

Years provides an even broader overview by grouping your media by year.

When you tap a year, you can drill down into the months within that year and then continue into the individual photos and videos from that time period.

These views are especially useful when you’re trying to locate older memories without scrolling endlessly through your entire library.

Show Aspect Ratio

By default, photo thumbnails appear as squares.

However, you can choose to display photos using their actual aspect ratios. This allows you to see whether a photo was captured in portrait orientation, landscape orientation, or another format.

If you prefer a cleaner, more uniform look, you can switch back to square thumbnails at any time.

Sort & Filter

The Photos app includes sorting and filtering tools that help narrow down what you’re viewing.

You can sort your library by:

• Recently Added
• Date Captured

Sorting options allow you to reorganize your library depending on how you prefer to browse your content.

Filtering Up Close

Filters allow you to display only certain types of media.

For example, you can choose to view:

• Videos only
• Favorites only
• Edited photos only

If you select Videos, the library temporarily hides all photos and displays only video content.

When you’re finished, simply remove the filter to return to viewing everything in your library.

These filters are extremely helpful when you’re looking for a specific type of content and want to eliminate distractions.

View Options

Additional View Options provide even more control over what appears in your Library.

You can hide:

• Screenshots
• Content shared with you

These options help keep your library focused on the photos and videos that matter most to you.

The View Options menu also includes controls for zooming and displaying aspect ratios, although many users find pinch gestures to be the fastest way to zoom.

Select Photos & Videos

If you need to work with multiple items at once, tap Select.

Once in selection mode, tap the photos or videos you want to choose. Selected items become highlighted so you can easily see what’s included.

After selecting your items, you can:

• Share them
• Delete them

This feature is perfect for cleaning up your library or sending multiple photos to friends and family.

Search the Library

One of the most powerful features of the Photos app is Search.

The search tool can identify objects, locations, and subjects in your photos even if you never added tags or descriptions.

For example, you can search for:

• Cats
• Beaches
• Sunsets
• Locations

The Photos app analyzes your images and helps surface matching results automatically.

This makes it incredibly easy to find photos from years ago without remembering exactly when they were taken.

Wrap Up

The iPad Photos Library provides several ways to browse and manage your pictures and videos. You can view your media by year, month, or all photos, adjust thumbnail sizes with pinch gestures, display aspect ratios, sort and filter content, select multiple items for sharing or deletion, and use powerful search tools to quickly locate specific photos.

Once you become familiar with these tools, navigating even a large photo library becomes much faster and more enjoyable.