(Credit: PeopleImages.com / Yuri A / Shutterstock)
Let's say you want a second screen for your Mac to extend or mirror your current display. If you're running macOS Catalina or higher and own an iPad, you can do it through a feature called Sidecar.
Sidecar extends the display from your Mac to your iPad to give you more space to work or play. You can also mirror what's on your Mac's display to the tablet so you don't have to sit in front of the computer to continue using it.
When your Mac and iPad are connected, you're able to use touch gestures on your tablet, edit text using editing features in iPadOS, and use an Apple Pencil on your iPad to work with Mac apps. A sidebar puts modifier keys such as Command, Control, Shift, and Option on your tablet so you can better control your Mac. And a Touch Bar offers app-specific controls at the bottom of your iPad screen (even if your Mac doesn't have a Touch Bar).
Which Mac and iPad Models Support Sidecar?
To use Sidecar, you'll need Apple devices that support the feature. Sidecar-compatible Macs include the following models:
MacBook from 2016 or later
MacBook Pro from 2016 or later
MacBook Air from 2018 or later
iMac from 2016 or later (or the Retina 5K 27-inch from late 2015)
Mac mini from 2018 or later
Mac Pro from 2019 or later
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 Sidecar actions are easier with the pencil than with your finger). Supported models include the following:
iPad Pro (all models)
6th generation iPad or later
5th generation iPad mini or later
3rd generation iPad Air or later
Turn on Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Handoff
To use Sidecar over a wireless connection, your Mac and iPad must both be connected to the same Wi-Fi network and signed into iCloud with the same Apple ID. Both devices must have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi enabled, and be within 30 feet of each other. Wi-Fi + Cellular iPad can't be sharing a cellular connection, and your Mac can't be sharing its internet connection.
You also need to turn on the Handoff feature, which allows different Apple devices to communicate with one another. On your Mac, open System Settings > General > AirDrop & Handoff (or System Preferences > General for older devices), then enable Allow Handoff between this Mac and your iCloud devices. On your iPad, go to Settings > General > AirPlay & Handoff and turn on Handoff.
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.
Update Your Mac and iPad
We're several generations past macOS Catalina, but if you haven't updated to that OS or one of the more current versions, you'll need it for Sidecar. Your Mac should automatically present the necessary update for you to install, but you can also check via About This Mac > Software Update > Upgrade Now.
It's the same deal with iPadOS; we're up to iPadOS 17 by now, but if you're behind, make sure your tablet is running at least iPadOS 13.1 by going to 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 Extend Your Screen
To start up Sidecar, click the Screen Mirroring icon on the Menu Bar at the top of the screen on your Mac. Choose the entry for your iPad from the menu.
Your Mac's screen will display on your iPad. By default, the Sidecar connection acts as an extension of your Mac screen.
How to Mirror Your Screen
You can more easily mirror the screen from your Mac to your iPad instead of extending it. If your iPad is disconnected from your Mac, click the Screen Sharing icon on your Mac's Menu Bar to connect to it. From the Screen Mirroring menu, click Mirror Display. Your iPad will then mirror your Mac's screen.
How to Use Sidecar
When your screen is extended, 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 an app or window and select the Move to iPad option to make it pop 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. Here's what they do:
Show/Hide Menu Bar: This shows or hides the Menu Bar when you view a window in full screen on the iPad.
Show/Hide Dock: This shows or hides your Mac's Dock on the iPad.
Command: This acts as a Command key.
Option: This acts as an Option key.
Control: This acts as a Control key.
Shift: This acts as a Shift key.
Undo: Undo the last action.
Show Hide Keyboard: This shows or hides the onscreen keyboard.
Disconnect: This icon disconnects your iPad from your Mac to end the Sidecar session.
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.
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 separately from your Mac (without disconnecting from it), swipe up from the bottom of the screen. To return to your Mac, tap the Continuity icon in the recently used section of the Dock or swipe up from the bottom again and tap the thumbnail that says Continuity.
Customize Sidecar Menus
Back at your Mac, you can tweak certain settings for Sidecar. Open System Settings > Displays, then click the down arrow next to the plus (+) sign at the top and select your iPad.
A thumbnail icon then appears for your iPad. Select that icon, click the Use as drop-down menu, and change the setting to Extended or mirrored display.
Your Mac's screen again appears on your iPad. But now you can change the view. Click the Use as drop-down menu again. From the menu, select Extended display to extend your Mac's screen to your iPad or Mirror to duplicate your Mac's screen on your iPad.
Further, 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.
If you can't use Sidecar because you don't have a Mac or iPad, or one of your devices is too old, alternatives like Splashtop Wired XDisplay and Duet Display will let you extend or mirror the screen of one device onto another.
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