If there’s one thing that’s better than the Retina display on your MacBook or iMac, it’s plugging in a second screen. That’s all very well if you have a spare screen, or the cash for an additional display, but what if you don’t? Can you use your iPad as a second monitor? The answer is, yes you can.
It’s actually been something you can do for some time. First via third-party software and then after the launch of macOS Catalina in 2019 when Apple introduced the Sidecar feature, which meant that the screen of a compatible iPad could be selected as a display for a compatible Macs. In macOS Monterey that ability is about to get even better with Universal Control – which although delayed from the initial launch of Monterey in 2021, will, when Universal Control arrives – enable users to simply move between the iPad and Mac (and second Mac) screen using the same mouse and keyboard. We expect this feature to arrive in or before April 2022.
In this article, we’ll look at what you’ll need to use your iPad as a second screen for your Mac, and also how you can use your iPad as a second screen if you’re iPad or Mac do not support the feature.
We will describe how to use Universal Control and how to use Sidecar and explain the difference between Universal Control and Sidecar – the two methods of using an iPad with a Mac.
Note that if you want to display your iPad screen on your Mac or share your iPad screen to your Mac, you need to read a different tutorial. See: How to AirPlay from iPhone/iPad to Mac.
Option 1: Connect an iPad to a Mac using Universal Control
Universal Control lets you to use an iPad as an external display for a Mac. That sounds a lot like Sidecar (which we discuss in the next section), but it goes a lot further than Sidecar does.
Where Sidecar allowed you to extend the screen of your Mac to your iPad screen – either mirroring macOS to your iPad, or using the iPad as you would a second monitor to view the macOS interface – Universal Control actually maintains iPadOS on the iPad, so you can interface between the two devices, rather than use the iPad as an extension of the Mac.
So in a nutshell:
Sidecar vs Universal Control
- Sidecar turns your iPad display into a secondary Mac display
- Universal Control allows you to interface with the iPad in iPadOS and the Mac in macOS using the same mouse and keyboard.
- Universal Control can also be used to link two Macs.
What this means is that you can easily copy content between devices using drag-and-drop (you can already copy and paste between your various devices that are linked by Apple ID).
Universal Control requirements:
- macOS 12.3 (currently in beta)
- iPadOS 15.4 (currently in beta)
- It is necessary to be logged into the same Apple ID on the Mac and iPad.
- You’ll need to be within 10m of your Mac if you’re connecting wirelessly.
- You’ll also need to have Bluetooth, WiFi and Handoff turned on.
iPads that work with Universal Control include:
- iPad Pro (all models)
- iPad (6th generation or later)
- iPad mini (5th generation or later)
- iPad Air (3rd generation or later)
Macs that work with Universal Control include:
- MacBook Pro (2016 or later)
- MacBook (2016 or later)
- MacBook Air (2018 or later)
- iMac (2017 or later, as well as 27in iMac 5K, late 2015)
- iMac Pro
- Mac mini (2018 or later)
- Mac Pro (2019)
This means that various Macs that can run macOS Monterey cannot take advantage of the Universal Control feature, including: 2015 – 2017 MacBook Air, 2015 MacBook Pro, 2014 – 2017 Mac mini, 2015 – 2017 21.5in iMac, 2013 – 2019 Mac Pro.
How to use Universal Control to connect a Mac and iPad
To use Universal Control to link up your Mac and iPad you need to follow these steps:
- Open System Preferences.
- Choose the Display pane.
- Choose Add Display and select your iPad.
- There is also a ‘Automatically reconnect to any nearby Mac or iPad’ setting that we recommend you select if you don’t want to have to set this up every time.
- Now your iPad is connected to your Mac you should see a dot on the screen of your iPad that represents the mouse or trackpad cursor from your Mac. Once you are in control of the iPad screen you will be able to use the mouse and keyboard with that device.
Other features of Universal Control
- You can drag and drop files from the Mac to the iPad and vice versa.
- You can cut and paste between the connected devices – although this isn’t a new feature, it’s something that’s been possible with the Continuity feature Universal Clipboard since it was introduced in macOS Sierra and iOS 10. Read about how to cut and paste between different Apple devices here: How to copy and paste between Mac and iPhone.
Option 2: Turn your iPad into a Mac display with Sidecar
In 2019 Apple introduced Sidecar, a feature of macOS Catalina that made it possible to use an iPad as an additional display for your Mac. The feature meant that you could extend your Mac’s desktop to the iPad screen – so you couldn’t use iPadOS on your iPad at the same time, but it did sort of bring macOS to the iPad.
Sidecar requirements:
- macOS Catalina or later (most Macs since 2012 can run Catalina, but not all Macs work with Sidecar – see below for a full list).
- An iPad running iPadOS 13 or later (see below for a full list).
- It is necessary to be logged into the same Apple ID on the Mac and iPad.
- You’ll need to be within 10m of your Mac if you’re connecting wirelessly.
iPads that work with Sidecar include:
- iPad Pro (all models)
- iPad (6th generation or later)
- iPad mini (5th generation or later)
- iPad Air (3rd generation or later)
Macs that work with Sidecar include:
- MacBook Pro (2016 or later)
- MacBook (2016 or later)
- MacBook Air (2018 or later)
- iMac (2017 or later, as well as 27in iMac 5K, late 2015)
- iMac Pro
- Mac mini (2018 or later)
- Mac Pro (2019)
How to use Sidecar to connect a Mac and iPad
Assuming you have the right equipment (as per the list above) you will be able to use your iPad as a second screen for your Mac, either mirroring it or extending your display so that you can fit in even more windows. You can choose to plug the iPad directly into the Mac or connect it wirelessly using Bluetooth and Continuity (within a range of 10m).
Setting up the iPad as a second display is, in typical Apple style, fairly straightforward:
- You can connect your iPad using a charging cable (if you have the required ports on your Mac), alternatively, you can connect via Bluetooth as long as you are within 10 meters of the Mac. There’s not much of a difference in terms of delay, but you might find your iPad battery lasts a little longer if plugged in.
- To connect you need to click on the Control Centre icon in the menu at the top of your screen and click on Display. (In older versions of macOS there was an AirPlay icon in the menu at the top right of your screen.)
- Beside the Display section you should see a screen icon, click on it. (Alternatively, if you are in an older version of macOS you should see your iPad listed in the AirPlay menu options.) Choose your iPad from the options offered.
- An extension of your Mac’s screen will appear on the iPad display.
- If you would prefer to mirror your Mac’s screen on the iPad, rather than use the iPad as an extension of your workspace, return to the Display menu and choose Mirror. (On older versions of macOS click on the new screen icon that has appeared in the status bar – it should have replaced the AirPlay icon).
Other features of Sidecar
There’s much more to Sidecar than simply extending your workspace. Other features include:
- A virtual Touch Bar displayed on the iPad, bringing many of the Touch Bar features that are currently exclusive to the MacBook Pro to other Macs.
- While it doesn’t accept touch input, you can use an Apple Pencil and turn your iPad into a graphics tablet. (See below to see which iPads will work with the feature).
The following iPads can be used as graphics tablets (with Apple Pencil 2):
- 12.9in iPad Pro
- 11in iPad Pro
- 10.5in iPad Pro
- 9.7in iPad Pro
Option 3: How to use an iPad as a second display on older Macs
But what if you have a Mac that doesn’t support Sidecar or Universal Control? There are some third-party tools that allow you to use your iPad as a monitor for your Mac, but unlike Apple’s built-in option, these are paid-for apps.
What you’ll need
- A Lightning to USB cable
- An iPad
- Software such as Duet Display (£12.99/$14.99), iDisplay (£12.99/$14.99) and Air Display (£12.99/$14.99)
- A Mac running macOS 10.13.3 or earlier –
Note that macOS 10.13.4 (High Sierra) broke some of the DisplayLink functionality that these apps rely on, but that issue was resolved with the release of macOS Mojave 10.14.2, so it shouldn’t be a problem now – as long as you aren’t running that version of High Sierra.
How to use Duet Display to connect a Mac and iPad
In this example, we’re using Duet Display, which was developed by a team of ex-Apple engineers. Duet Display allows you to use the tablet as a second display not just on your Mac, but a PC too.
Duet Display also provides limited touchscreen support, allowing you to tap and swipe your way around macOS. It means you don’t have to spend your time moving your mouse between the two screens, which becomes especially laborious when using a trackpad and again, enables users to be more productive.
We’ll show you how to set up Duet display to use your iPad (or any other iPad or iPhone) as a second display for your Mac or PC.
Here’s an overview of how to use your iPad Pro as a second display using Duet Display:
- On your iPad, open the App Store and install Duet Display– at the time of writing. It’s a universal app, so it’ll also be available for use with your iPhone.
- On your Mac or PC, head over to the Duet Display website and download the Duet for Mac/Windows app.
- Install the Duet companion app for Mac or PC. This is an important step, as the companion app allows your iPad and Mac to ‘talk’ to each other. Follow the installation instructions, and restart your Mac to complete the installation.
- On your iPad, open the Duet Display app and plug it into your Mac or PC using a Lightning cable.
- The iPad should be recognised by the Duet companion app, and your desktop should now extend across the two displays. You’re then ready to go! Quality settings can be tweaked via the Duet companion app on your Mac or PC to provide higher graphics, smoother refresh rates, etc. and to disconnect the display, simply close the app on your iPad.