One of the most notable new features in the upcoming macOS Catalina update is the ability to use an iPad as a second display for a Mac.
This feature is called Sidecar. And while it opens up a range of possibilities for Mac users, it’s also an extremely simple feature. Here’s everything you should know about Sidecar in macOS Catalina.
What Does Sidecar Do?
Basically, Sidecar will let Mac owners use their iPad as a secondary display for a Mac. Users will be able to mirror exactly what’s on their Mac’s display, or use the iPad as an actual secondary display for more screen space. It also offers a few other interesting capabilities.
For one, Sidecar means that touch input will be coming to at least some macOS apps. Users can send an app like Illustrator or Mail to the iPad’s display and then use an Apple Pencil to draw or mark up a file.
How to use your iPad as a second Mac display with Sidecar Using macOS Catalina and iPadOS Sidecar mode, you can turn your tablet into a highly useful Mac accessory.
- Oct 08, 2019 Sidecar is a new feature in macOS Catalina which allows using an iPad as a portable external monitor for Mac. Through this feature, iPad and Apple Pencil can also be used for tablet.
- Oct 15, 2019 So, when Apple decided to eliminate the software in macOS Catalina, the decision didn’t surprise me. But the one question that immediately ran across my mind was how I will be able to sync the iPhone or iPad with Mac in macOS Catalina without iTunes.
Since a touchscreen Mac probably isn’t in the works, this is likely the closest thing to that possibility. Sidecar is also a native and seamless alternative to current third-party options like Luna Display.
Interestingly, using an iPad in Sidecar mode will also add a Touch Bar to the bottom of the tablet’s screen. This is true even if you don’t have a Mac with a Touch Bar — meaning that all Mac users can get Touch Bar functionality as long as they have an iPad.
How Does Sidecar Work?
From early looks at the feature, Sidecar seems extremely easy to use as long as you’re on devices that are compatible with it (which we’ll get to in a second).
- To actually use an iPad as a second display, all a user needs to do is click on the AirPlay button in the top menu bar on their Mac.
- In the drop-down menu, they’ll simply select their iPad. It’s really that simple.
On the iPad itself, you’ll see the aforementioned Touch Bar at the bottom of the display. But there will also be a new Side Bar with its own set of Mac-like options. There’s even the ability to send the Dock over to the iPad.
Also, at this point, there will be a new monitor icon in the top menu bar on your Mac (which replaces the AirPlay icon). This dropdown menu is how you’ll set the iPad for use as a mirrored display or a secondary display.
In this menu, you can also hide the Touch Bar and Side Bar that will appear on the iPad when it’s being used in Sidecar mode. In the Side Bar submenu, you’ll have the option to change the position and other settings for the Touch Bar and Side Bar.
That’s really all there is to it. Once your iPad is connected to your Mac, you can start sending various windows over to it and use the Apple Pencil as a touch input for Mac apps.
What Devices Will Support Sidecar?
Apple hasn’t officially announced any information about which Macs or iPads will support Sidecar. But we do have an idea of what that list might look like, thanks to developer Steve Troughton-Smith.
How To Use Ipad As A Tablet For Mac Catalina Island
Troughton-Smith did a bit of digging in the macOS Catalina code and reportedly discovered some details concerning Sidecar compatibility. Here’s his list of supported devices.
- Late 2015 27-inch iMac or newer
- 2017 iMac Pro
- Mid 2016 MacBook Pro or newer
- 2018 Mac mini or newer
- 2018 MacBook Air or newer
- Early 2016 MacBook or newer
- 2019 Mac Pro
The developer didn’t confirm whether this is a complete list, but he did add there’s a slew of older Mac machines that won’t be able to take advantage of Sidecar.
Currently, there’s no word on which iPads will be compatible with Sidecar. But early beta testers indicate that the feature could be compatible with any iPad that can run iOS 13.
When Will It Be Released?
Sidecar is currently available as a feature in the macOS Catalina developer beta. The iPad you use will need to be running the iOS 13 developer beta as well.
Developers can access the beta now, but public beta testers will need to wait until July for their version.
macOS Catalina, iOS 13 and Sidecar will be officially released to the public as free updates in the fall.
In macOS Catalina, an iPad running iPadOS can be a secondary display for your Mac with a single click using Sidecar. Here is everything you need to know to use Sidecar for yourself, when Catalina and iPadOS ship.
Getting started
To use Sidecar you need two things; an iPad running iPadOS and a Mac running macOS 10.15 Catalina. Apple has yet to publish hardware requirements but initial research has it limited to the 27-inch iMac from Late 2015, the 2016 MacBook Pro, 2018 Mac mini, the new Mac Pro, the 2018 MacBook Air, the Early 216 MacBook and newer models.
How To Use Ipad As A Tablet For Mac Catalina Bay
While it is limited in the initial beta to these models, older Macs may be able to enable the feature in some cases using the terminal command: defaults write com.apple.sidecar.display allowAllDevices -bool YES
Getting started with Sidecar is dead simple. There is no fiddling around, no digging in menus, no opening display preferences. It is as easy as heading to the menubar and opening the AirPlay menu.
As long as your iPad is either on and near your Mac or plugged in with a Lightning or USB-C cable, it should appear in this menu. Just click on it and a second later both displays will refresh and you will see your Mac desktop extended to the iPad's display.
How To Use Ipad As A Tablet For Mac Catalina 2
In our experience with Sidecar the feature is shockingly fast and smooth with great graphics — even when going wireless. One thing you cannot do is unplug your iPad in an attempt to go wireless. Doing so will disconnect the display and will require you to quickly reconnect through the AirPlay menu once more.
On your iPad, the Sidecar UI is quite simple. By default your Mac's screen will be slightly recessed with a bar to the bottom and one side. The sidebar is home to several common controls you may need (especially if using the iPad's keyboard that may not have these buttons) such as Command, Shift, Option, and Control. There are also buttons to open the on-screen keyboard, to disconnect from your Mac, and to move the Dock to the iPad.
The bottom is home to the Touch Bar — just like you'd see on a MacBook Pro's keyboard. You don't need to have a Touch Bar on your Mac for this to be useful, however. It shows regardless and brings several app-specific controls. While playing a video you have fast access to media controls and a scrub bar. In Final Cut Pro X you can easily mute tracks or change tools.
From the Mac, the Side Bar can be moved to the left or the right and the Touch Bar can be moved to the top or the bottom depending on your preference. Both of these bars can be turned off as well which brings your Mac's desktop full-screen on the iPad.
Apple Pencil works great with Sidecar. Whether just controlling the mouse and controlling the UI or in specific artistic applications that can make use of a tablet.
Instead of shelling out for a Wacom or Intuous tablet that can get pricey, you can just rely on your iPad you already have. We pulled up Affinity Photo and easily edited some 47MP RAW photos with ease — even on our MacBook Air.
There is a System Preferences panel to Sidecar that has a few options for you to choose from, but customization is quite limited. For the wider market, limited options is for the best to keep the utility simple.
From System Preferences, you can move the side bar to the left or the right and you can move the Touch Bar from the bottom to the top. You can also enable or disable the double tap functionality of Apple Pencil.
If you go from the top menubar you can hide the side bar and Touch Bar completely and opt to either mirror your display or extend your display.
Sidecar is just one of many new features coming to macOS Catalina. iTunes has been split into music, podcasts, and TV-specific apps, developers are going to be able to port their iOS apps directly to the Mac, Notes and Reminders got revamped significantly, and much more.
Apple will be releasing macOS 10.15 Catalina this fall alongside iOS 13, iPadOS, tvOS 13, and watchOS 6.
Update: Research into the first beta revealed a list of blacklisted hardware, limiting Sidecar to newer Mac releases. As it is still only the first beta of macOS Catalina at the time of writing, Apple may expand the support list to include older models before the operating system's release to the public.
Using Ipad As A Tablet For Mac
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