Apple added Universal Control inmacOS 12.3andiPadOS 15.4 , the much - anticipated feature was revealed at WWDC 2021 but took a while to get in .
For the uninitiated , Universal Control allows you to apply an iPad as a companion display for a Mac that can be control with the same keyboard and mouse . During the demo in the WWDC keynote , Apple VP Craig Federighi but locate the iPad next to his Mac , and it worked . No cables to get in touch , no restarting , no need to tick anything or say “ please . ” After some abbreviated setup , it really does forge like magic .
Watch Universal Control in action
Connecting the iPad and Mac
Before you’re able to get to the magic , there ’s a little act of apparatus involved on the Mac . Universal Control is turned on by default on the Mac and the iPad , but you ’ll demand to head up over to theDisplaypane in System Preferences / System configurations and selectAdd Displayto select your iPad . You do n’t have to do anything else on the iPad , but Bluetooth , Wi - Fi , and Handoff need to all be work on . There are a few options as well that you ’ll find by clicking theUniversal Controlbutton .
The whole procedure is highly easy — you do n’t really need to pay attending to the iPad at all .
Once it ’s all specify up , you simply bring the iPad close to the Mac ; Apple says they need to be at least 30 feet of each other , essentially Bluetooth range . Then you move your Mac ’s cursor past the sharpness of the display and a bar appear on the iPad ’s screen edge to permit you know that magic is about to happen . Move the cursor a little more , and voilà ! You ’re using the iPad via your Mac ’s mouse or trackpad .
A sidebar appears when you’re making an initial connection between the Mac and iPad.
A sidebar seem when you ’re making an initial connection between the Mac and iPad .
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Once you do the initial interaction between the Mac and iPad , you could move between the two effortlessly — the sidebar that seem at the initial connection does n’t even appear anymore . And that ’s it , you ’re good to go . I did n’t run into any problems whatsoever in the first couple of hours I used Universal Control .
A sidebar appears when you’re making an initial connection between the Mac and iPad.
Disconnect, reconnect
you could use your iPad as you usually do without a Mac . Then , when you want to reconnect to the Mac , just knock the Universal Control icon in the iPad ’s Dock and your iPad will instantly reconnect to your Mac , no muss , no bother .
During my testing , I was able to easily reconnect if I moved the iPad beyond 30 substructure of the MacBook Pro , or if I put the iPad to sleep by pressing the mightiness push quickly . However , when I turned off the iPad and turn it back on , I could n’t associate by simply placing the iPad next to the MacBook Pro . I had to go into the Display preference pane and add the iPad as a video display . It was there where I found the setting I had missed and call for to turn on : “ mechanically reconnect to any nearby Mac or iPad . ”
Controlling the iPad using Mac input devices
When you ’re using the iPad via Universal Control , a dot map the pointer you are control with the Mac ’s trackpad . The shade of the dot changes colour reckon on what it is moving over — the dot becomes bloodless if it moves over dark colors or icons , and it becomes darker when it ’s over lighter colors . you’re able to habituate the iPad just as you on a regular basis would with the trace user interface . It ’s basically the same experience as if you were using aMagic Keyboardwith an iPad Pro .
A file being cart from a Mac has to be dropped into an iPad app .
I was able-bodied to tangle a single file from the iPad ’s Photos app to the Mac Desktop . However , when I dragged an image from the Mac to the iPad ’s dwelling concealment , the icon disappeared and I could n’t incur the file anywhere . Here ’s why : what you have to do is hale the single file from the Mac to an open app on the iPad — so for an image , you must drag it to Photos , Files , or any other app you want .
A file being dragged from a Mac has to be dropped into an iPad app.
Universal Control vs. Sidecar
configure the iPad as an additional Mac show is also done through the Displays penchant . you could take to either mirror your Mac or expand your desktop . This feature is actually calledSidecarand is separate from Universal Control . As you may see below , they ’re quite unlike .
Apple supply a touching UI bar on the side of the iPad ’s screen that you could use if you want to perform touch stimulant . For deterrent example , with the iPad set up to mirror the Mac , I set in motion Pages , and then I was capable to typecast in the papers using the touch keyboard provide by the sidebar . It has buttons for Shift , Control , Option , and Command , and buttons to make the menu legal profession and Dock hide or come out . There ’s also a push to unplug the iPad from the Mac .
When using the iPad as an outside Mac display , a UI sidebar look .
When using the iPad as an external Mac display, a UI sidebar appears.
In all , my initial experience with Universal Control was expectant . During my examination over a couple of hours , the connection never dropped unexpectedly , there was n’t any lag , and I did n’t run into any rum behavior . This is a genus Beta , so Apple is still work on it , but so far , so estimable .
For more help with Universal Control read : Universal Control and Sidecar : Do they run on your Mac and iPad?andHow to share a mouse and keyboard between Macs and iPads .
How to use Universal Control and Sidecar at the same time
If you connect two devices at the same time , you may actually control one with Universal Control and use the other as a display via Sidecar . For example , in the setup in the instructions below , we have a desktop Mac as the main computer , a laptop as a secondary video display via Sidecar , and an iPad Pro being used through Universal Control . you’re able to also do this with two iPads and a Mac . Here ’s how to correct it up .
1 . Set up Universal Control between your devices .
2 . Now that Universal Control is set up , you ’ll assign roles to the devices . open up theDisplayssystem preference .
3 . ClickAdd Display . The drop - down menu that appear lists the displays available and their roles . TheLink Keyboard and Mousesection are devices that you want to utilize with Universal Control . Select which equipment you desire .
5 . ClickAdd Displayagain . In the drop - down menu , look at the “ Mirror or extend to ” department . This has the devices that you require to use as an additional display . The iPads and Macs listed here will expend Sidecar to acts as an additional display to your Mac . Select which machine you require .
6 . close down the Displays organization preference .
Foundry
You should be all set to go . you may return to the Displays system preferences to vary the Sidecar and Universal Control assignments or rearrange how the displays are laid out by clicking and puff their iconic representation at the top of the options . If you have the iPad set up with Sidecar , you could switch it to Universal Control by going to the abode screen and tapping the Sidecar app in the iPad ’s Dock .
We explainhow to use your iPad as a second screen with Sidecarin a freestanding article .
