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PCMag UK

How to Extend or Mirror a Mac Screen to an iPad With Sidecar

With macOS Catalina's Sidecar feature, your iPad can be a second display for your Mac. You'll need a relatively recent Mac, but here's how to set it up and use Sidecar.

Lance Whitney
by Lance Whitney 

Maybe you have a MacBook with a small screen or a Mac mini connected to a TV or external monitor, and you feel like you could use a second screen or device to extend or mirror your current display. With macOS Catalina and an iPad, you can do just that thanks to a new feature called Sidecar.

Sidecar extends your display from your Mac to your iPad to give you more space to work or play. Alternatively, you can mirror or duplicate your Mac's display on your iPad so you don't have to sit in front of your Mac to continue doing what you're doing.

With your Mac screen extended or mirrored, you can: use the familiar touch gestures on your iPad; edit text using the new text-editing features in iPadOS; and use an Apple Pencil on your iPad to work with Mac apps on the screen. A sidebar puts Mac modifier keys such as Command, Control, Shift, and Option on your iPad so you can better control your Mac. And a Touch Bar offers app-specific controls at the bottom of your iPad's screen even if your Mac doesn't come with a Touch Bar.

Which Macs Support Sidecar?

To use Sidecar, you'll need a Mac that supports the feature. And here's the downside—Sidecar requires a fairly recent model Mac. Even if you can update your Mac to Catalina, that doesn't mean it can run Sidecar.

Sidecar-compatible Macs include the MacBook Pro or MacBook from 2016 or later, a MacBook Air from 2018 or later, an iMac from 2016 or later (or the Retina 5K 27-inch from late 2015), an iMac Pro, a Mac mini from 2018 or later, or a Mac Pro from 2019 or later.

What iPads Are Compatible With Sidecar?

Your iPad will also need to be running iPadOS 13.1 or higher and support the Apple Pencil (you don't need a Pencil per se, but some actions while using Sidecar are easier with one when compared to your finger). The supported lineup includes all models of the iPad Pro, the 6th generation iPad or later, the 5th generation iPad mini or later, and the 3rd generation iPad Air or later.

Turn on Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Handoff

You can use Sidecar over a wireless connection with your Mac and iPad both connected to the same Wi-Fi network and signed into iCloud with the same Apple ID. If you want to keep your iPad charged during the Sidecar connection, you can plug it directly into your Mac, but that limits the freedom and flexibility you might want with your iPad untethered to your computer.

If you do use your iPad wirelessly, your tablet and Mac must have Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Handoff turned on, both devices must be within 30 feet of each other, a Wi-Fi + Cellular iPad can't be sharing a cellular connection, and your Mac can't be sharing its internet connection.

Update to macOS Catalina and iPad OS 13.1

If you haven't already done so, update your Mac to macOS Catalina. Your Mac should automatically present the necessary update for you to install. If not, click on the Apple icon in the upper-left corner and select About This Mac > Software Update > Upgrade Now.

You must also update your iPad to iPadOS 13.1 or higher. To do this, tap Settings > General > Software Update. Your iPad will tell you that your software is up to date or prompt you to download the latest update.

How to Start Sidecar

To start up Sidecar, click the AirPlay icon on the Menu Bar from your Mac and choose the entry for your iPad.

Mac Screen Displays on the iPad

Your Mac's screen displays on your iPad. By default, the Sidecar connection acts as an extension of your Mac screen.

Move Windows

In this mode, you can move any open windows from your Mac to your iPad. To do this, hover over the green full-screen button in the upper-left corner of the window on your Mac, and select the option to Move to iPad.

Understanding the Sidebar Menu

The window then pops up on your iPad. The sidebar on the left offers several commands and modifier keys you can use to control the display and perform specific actions. For each of these keys, you can touch and hold to use it or double-tap to lock it.

  • The first icon at the top of the sidebar shows or hides the Menu Bar when you view a window full screen on the iPad.
  • The second icon shows or hides your Mac's Dock on the iPad.
  • The third icon is the Command key.
  • The fourth icon is the Option key.
  • The fifth icon is the Control key.
  • The sixth icon is the Shift key.
  • The seventh icon is Undo.
  • The eighth icon shows or hides the onscreen keyboard.
  • The last icon disconnects your iPad from your Mac to end the Sidecar session.

Sidecar Keyboard

To use the keyboard, for example, tap the keyboard icon. Type your text. Press Return to enter the text in your app or web page. Tap the edge of the keyboard icon to hide the keyboard.

Sidebar Touch Bar

To work with your iPad as an extension of your Mac, you use the Touch Bar at the bottom of the screen. This works similarly to the Touch Bar on certain model Macs with commands and controls that change depending on what app or screen you're using. For example, if you're working with a web browser through Sidecar, the Touch Bar offers controls to switch to different tabs, open a new tab, go forward or back a page, run a web search, and open specific websites from your favorites list.

App Switching

You can also use the following gestures on your iPad in this mode:

  • Scroll: Swipe with two fingers.
  • Copy: Pinch in with three fingers.
  • Cut: Pinch in with three fingers twice.
  • Paste: Pinch out with three fingers.
  • Undo: Swipe left with three fingers, or double-tap with three fingers.
  • Redo: Swipe right with three fingers.

To use your iPad without disconnecting from your Mac, swipe up from the bottom of the screen. When you want to return to your Mac, tap the Sidecar icon in the recently used section of the Dock or swipe up from the bottom and tap the thumbnail for Sidecar.

Disconnect Sidecar

To disconnect, tap the last icon on the sidebar on your iPad and select Disconnect.

Customize Sidecar Menus

Back at your Mac, you can tweak certain settings for Sidecar. Click on the Apple icon in the upper left and select System Preferences. Click the icon for Sidecar. In the Sidecar settings window, you can opt to show the sidebar on the left or right of the screen or not at all, show the Touch Bar on the top or bottom or not at all, and enable double-tap for an Apple Pencil. You can also connect to and disconnect from your iPad.

Mirror Screen

Finally, you can mirror the screen from your Mac on your iPad instead of extending it. To do this, connect to your iPad again by clicking the AirPlay icon and selecting your iPad. After you've connected, click the blue Sidecar icon on the Menu Bar on your Mac and choose the option to mirror the display. You can now use and control the apps and content on your Mac using either your iPad or your Mac.

Don't Have the Right Devices?

If you can't use Sidecar because you don't have a Mac or iPad, or one of your devices is too old, there are alternatives like Splashtop, Wired XDisplay, and Duet Display, which will let you work across platforms and connect older devices.
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