One of the interesting options of the ecosystem of Apple gadgets allows you to turn almost any apple tablet into an additional screen for Mac. The chip appeared a long time ago and many managed to forget about it.
Now let’s talk about all the features of the Sidecar mode and useful scenarios for its use.
What is required for Sidecar to work
One of the tablets will be needed for the option to work:
- iPad 6th generation and newer;
- iPad mini 5th generation and newer;
- iPad Air 3rd generation and newer;
- iPad Pro of any version.
iPadOS 13 or later must be installed on the tablet.
You can use the following computers:
- Mac mini 2018 and newer;
- Mac Studio;
- Mac Pro 2019 and newer;
- iMac 2017 or newer;
- MacBook Pro/Air 2017 and newer.
The computer must be running macOS Catalina or a newer operating system.
You must use the same Apple ID account with two-factor authentication enabled on your computer and tablet.
Both gadgets must be nearby in the range of the Bluetooth signal , that is, within a radius of 3-5 meters. The chip works without wires, there is no need to connect iPad to Mac cables.
How to set up Sidecar on iPad and Mac
1. On the iPad, go to Settings – General – AirPlay and Handoff and turn on the Handoff option .
2. On a Mac, go to System Preferences – General – AirPlay & Handoff and enable the Handoff option .
3. On a Mac, go to System Preferences — Display and click “+” .
4. In the list, specify your iPad. After that, the macOS workspace will be expanded to the tablet screen.
By default, the iPad becomes the second screen, but you can turn on the repetition of the image from the main computer display.
You can select iPad and in the Use section specify how to repeat the image or expand the screen.
You can click the Position button and specify the position of the screens relative to each other.
The common border in this case will be the place through which you can move the cursor from screen to screen.
You can also turn off the Touch Bar and Side Menu on the iPad screen to increase the working area.
Please note that you can use the touch screen of the tablet with a stylus, only swipe scrolling gestures will be available when controlling with a finger.
In which scenarios you can use Sidecar
Applying this opportunity to the Apple ecosystem is more than meets the eye. Here are some examples of how to link your Mac and iPad:
- extend the Mac screen or configure its duplication on the iPad, in this case, get macOS with touch input;
- give a second life to an old Apple tablet, and if it does not meet the system requirements, you can use third-party software;
- work at the computer from the couch or bed;
- replace the screen of a stationary Mac mini, Mac Studio or Mac Pro with a tablet.
That’s how easy to use the option of the Apple ecosystem allows you to expand the capabilities of each of the gadgets.
