- Although many users are unaware of it, it is possible to use your iPad as a second screen for your Mac
- The secret is in a native, almost secret feature called Sidecar, which makes it easy to sync
- What are the models that support this feature and how to activate it on your iPad and your Mac?
More and more users have the need to use two screens simultaneously, which allows them to be much more productive both when studying and working. AND Although many users are unaware of it, it is possible to use your iPad as a second screen for your Mac. But do you know how to take advantage of this trick?
This is one of the questions you should be asking yourself right now if you have these two Apple computers. It is probably one of the best ways in which you can take advantage of the excellent synchronization that the Californian devices have always shown. And the secret is in a native, almost secret function called Sidecar. The objective of this article is that you learn to activate it and thus enjoy other screens.
What should you remember before activating Sidecar?
Something obvious but worth remembering is that both the iPad and the Mac must be connected to the same Apple ID and the same Wi-Fi network. In turn, they have to have the Bluetooth function enabled and connect them keeping them at a distance of less than ten meters. And your transfers must be enabled.
List of models compatible with the Apple Sidecar system
On the other hand, there are certain requirements or conditions that must be met if you want to be able to opt for this alternative. You must have one of the following Mac and iPad models or else you won’t be able to activate it.
Mac compatible with Apple Sidecar
- MacBook Pro 2016 or later
- MacBook Air 2018 or later
- iMac 2017 or later, or iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2015)
- iMac Pro
- Mac Mini 2018 or later
- Mac Pro in 2019 or later
- Mac Studio 2022 or later
Apple Sidecar Compatible iPads
- iPad Pro (all models)
- iPad (6th generation) or later
- iPad mini (5th generation) or later
- iPad Air (3rd generation) or later
As you can see, with respect to the launch of this function, there are many more compatible models.
How to use the iPad as a second screen with Sidecar?
If indeed your models match those accepted by Apple Sidecar, you’ll want to find out how to activate it.
- Open your Mac’s Display settings from System Preferences
- Click the dropdown menu next to “´+” in the right pane
- Select your iPad from the list of available displays
Incredible as it may seem, synchronization is already activated. Your iPad is already the secondary display of your Mac.
From there, when you do something with the iPad as the second screen of the Mac you can send content from the second directly to the first. That will make your workflow much more dynamic and you won’t waste too much time doing tasks that used to take you long. Let’s see then several of the basic processes after synchronization.
How to move a Mac window to the iPad screen
Same as a conventional extended screen, you can move windows from MacOS to iPadOS quickly thus interacting with both. All you have to do is scroll with your peripherals, trackpad or keyboard.
- Open a window on your Mac and hover over the Full Screen button
- Select the Move to iPad option in the left menu and save the changes
Also, do not rule out holding the top of a window and dragging it from one screen to the other. A sidebar will appear on the left of the screen. By pressing its buttons, you will be able to complete various tasks.
How to arrange the display order of the screens
Once Sidecar is enabled, you can arrange the display order of the screens in a few seconds.
- Open your Mac’s Display settings from System Preferences
- Click on the Arrange button, and select the iPad screen where you like
How to access iPad apps while it’s the second screen
Sidecar doesn’t prevent access to iPad apps while it’s the second screen on Mac. There will only be one problem and that is that the current Sidecar session will be suspended when you use your iPad outside. When you want to return to the suspended Sidecar session you will have to manually reopen it. Nothing difficult.
- Swipe up from the bottom of your iPad screen to suspend your Sidecar session
- Run any iPad app you need or care about just like you do any other time
- Close the app and click the Sidecar icon in the Dock to reopen this feature
Have you been able to use your iPad as a second screen for your Mac with this step-by-step that we just showed you?
