Apple Sidecar: Use your iPad as a second screen for your Mac

Apple's new Catalina and iPadOS updates make your iPad more useful than ever.

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Katie Teague

Nov. 12, 2019 11:27 a.m. PT

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Now that MacOS Catalina has released (here's how to install it), you can officially use your iPad as a second screen to your Mac. Before Apple Sidecar was an iPad feature, it was best known as a delicious cocktail. But we'll gladly raise a glass to Apple's new dual-screen tool.

This story is part of WWDC 2022, CNET's complete coverage from and about Apple's annual developers conference.

Sidecar is especially useful when you need to be portable, like at a coffee shop and when you travel, though you can, of course, use it at work and at home. The new feature will work on your Mac if it's running MacOS Catalina. Here's everything we know about how Apple Sidecar works.

Check out our How To Do It All video at the top of this article to watch a step-by-step process for using your iPad and Mac with Sidecar.

apple-ipad-sidecar-1 — Apple Sidecar lets you use your iPad as a second display for your Mac.
Angela Lang/CNET

Which iPads work as a second screen with Sidecar

Not all iPads that run iPadOS 13 software update will work with Sidecar. Here are the compatible iPads.

All iPad Pro models
6th-generation iPad
5th-generation iPad Mini
3rd-generation iPad Air

Macs with Sidecar support

Along a compatible iPad, you'll need a Mac that can work with Sidecar.

2018 Mac Mini
2018 MacBook Air or newer
2017 iMac or newer
2016 MacBook Pro or newer
2016 MacBook or newer
2015 iMac 5K or newer
iMac Pro
Upcoming 2019 Mac Pro

apple-macos-catalina-sidecar-tethered-woman-drawing-06032019-big-jpg-medium-2x — Sidecar lets you connect your Mac and iPad for dual displays.
Apple

Connecting your iPad to your Mac

To make Apple Sidecar work, you'll need to connect your iPad to your Mac using either a charging cable or a wireless Bluetooth connection. This is, of course, your first step. Remember, you'll have to stay within a 10-meter range of your Mac (that's a little over 32 feet) for Bluetooth to work. Also, you'll need to make sure both devices are logged in to the same iCloud account.

How to set up Sidecar once your iPad is connected

Once your iPad is connected, click the AirPlay menu on your Mac. Your iPad should appear in the menu. There are two ways you can set up your dual screens -- you can extend your desktop display so you'll have two different screens, or you can mirror your screens so they both show the exact same thing.

Watch this: Sidecar turns your iPad into a second screen

00:56

Extend your Mac screen to your iPad

Choosing the option to extend your screen means that you can have one set of apps and browser tabs open on your Mac while having a completely different app or set of apps on the iPad. For example, you could watch a video on the iPad while typing on the Mac. You will also be able to drag and drop documents and other items from one screen to the other.

Mirror your two screens

The other option when you set up Sidecar with iPad is to display the same screen on both devices by mirroring your screens. That means you'll see the exact same set of apps on both screens at the same time.

screen-shot-2019-06-03-at-2-49-32-pm-1 — Extend your Mac desktop screen to your iPad or mirror your screens.
Apple

This is especially helpful if you want to draw on your iPad during a presentation while others are viewing on your Mac. Or, if you're on an airplane, you can play a movie on your Mac while your seatmate watches on the iPad, so you don't have to both hunch over the same single screen.

However, since the goal of Sidecar is to give you a second screen to work with, many of your iPad features won't be available while you're connected to your Mac.

Sketch with the Apple Pencil

If you want to write in your own handwriting, draw, design graphics and edit photos, you can use Apple Pencil to get the job done on your iPad. Since MacOS Catalina makes it possible to connect your Mac to your iPad, your sketches are easily transferrable to your Mac by dragging and dropping them from one screen to the other.

ipad-mini-5-apple-pencil — Use your Apple Pencil to sketch on your iPad and transfer it to your Mac.
Apple

Use the touch bar and sidebar controls

With Sidecar, you can also use your iPad as a touch bar (the app tray at the bottom of your screen) for easier access. You can also turn it into a sidebar tool (your most frequented docs are stored here as icons) to create shortcuts to apps (see below).