Use your iPad as an additional screen for your Mac or PC

Updated: Dec 31, 2020

I normally work from home and I'm already set up with multiple screens.

However, I know that there are lots of people working from home right now who don't normally and they also don't want to splash out on an additional screen. So here's how you can use your iPad instead.

Before you start, there are a couple of things you need to check to be able to use Sidecar:

You have the latest macOS (Catalina) installed on your Mac
You have the latest iPadOS installed on your iPad
Make sure you're signed into iCloud on both devices using the same Apple ID.
Turn on Bluetooth AND WiFi

Follow these simple steps:

Click the Airplay icon in the menu bar on your Mac then select the iPad you’d like to use. This lets you connect the two devices wirelessly

To use a wired connection, just connect the two with a compatible cable

Once the two are connected, whether wirelessly or via cable, the Sidecar icon will replace Airplay icon on the menu bar

Click the Sidecar icon, and select “Use As Separate Display” if you want to use it as an extended display or “Mirror Built-in Retina Display” to use it as a mirrored display

And there you have it! You can now use your iPad as an additional screen for your Mac. Just remember, to take advantage of this feature, you must have a Mac computer released in 2016 or later and an Apple pencil compatible iPad model.

For the PC users out there, you can use your iPad as an additional screen using a piece of software called "Duet" - you can check it out HERE

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