How to Use Your iPad as a Second Monitor With Your Mac (2025)

4 hours ago 2

The iPad is a versatile device. You tin usage it arsenic a TV, a notebook, a sketchpad, a gaming console, oregon a laptop (with the close accessories). But 1 of its astir underrated features is its quality to beryllium utilized arsenic a 2nd monitor.

With Apple's Sidecar technology, you tin wirelessly brace your iPad to your Mac and freely resistance apps and windows betwixt some devices. You tin besides reflector your iPad show for presentations, watching TV, oregon sharing your screen. It's elemental to use, but the setup isn't obvious. Here, I interruption down each the steps for turning connected Sidecar and utilizing an iPad arsenic a 2nd monitor.

Sidecar vs. Universal Control

Universal Control, which primitively launched successful macOS Monterey, allows you to interact betwixt the iPad and Mac portion sticking to their respective operating systems. The iPad continues to tally iPadOS portion the Mac runs macOS. The payment is the quality to usage a azygous keyboard, mouse, oregon trackpad to run some the Mac and the iPad.

Sidecar, connected the different hand, solely turns your iPad into a wireless secondary display. That means you'll person to take betwixt utilizing macOS oregon iPadOS. You tin either widen the Mac operating strategy to your iPad oregon reflector the iPad to your Mac. You tin usage your rodent to resistance apps and windows betwixt devices, and your keyboard to benignant wrong those apps. But erstwhile mirroring, you can't power the iPad via a mouse—you'll person to usage the touchscreen oregon Apple Pencil.

Are Your Devices Compatible?

Most Mac and iPad models enactment Sidecar, arsenic acold backmost arsenic 2016, but here's the compatibility conscionable successful case. Sidecar is disposable successful the pursuing iPad models moving iPadOS 13 oregon later:

iPad Pro (all models)
iPad (6th procreation oregon later)
iPad Mini (5th procreation oregon later)
iPad Air (3rd procreation oregon later)

For Mac, it works connected the pursuing models moving macOS Catalina oregon later:

MacBook Pro (2016 oregon later)
MacBook (2016 oregon later)
MacBook Air( 2018 oregon later)
iMac (2017 oregon later)
iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2015)
iMac Pro
Mac Mini (2018 oregon later)
Mac Pro (2019)
Mac Studio (2022 oregon later)

Check Your Settings

Once you've checked that your iPad and MacBook are compatible with Sidecar, you'll privation to look implicit your settings. First, marque definite that some devices person Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on. Then, alteration Handoff connected some machines.

On iPad

Settings for iPad

Photograph: Brenda Stolyar

Settings for Mac

Photograph: Brenda Stolyar

On an iPad, unfastened the Settings app and past caput to General > AirPlay & Continuity, and toggle connected Handoff. On a Mac, unfastened Settings > System Preferences > General and toggle connected Allow Handoff betwixt this Mac and your iCloud devices.

Double-check that you're signed into the aforesaid Apple ID connected the iPad and Mac by going to Settings > Apple Account (your sanction and picture). The email addresses should lucifer up.