Using an iPad as monitor for a MacAssuming you aren't using some kind of corporate or educational device provisioning program, you're going to need a monitor to set up your for the first time —but you'll only need it for perhaps 20 minutes. After that, there are ways to use your iPad, your iPhone or even another Mac as the monitor instead.When the Mac mini first came out, Apple expected you to have or to get a monitor and plug it in. Then as the little Mac that could became more and more useful in closets and server farms, it was more common to use them as what's called headless, with no monitor.
Just a remote connection for the odd occasion that you needed to install an app. Apple's 2018 Mac miniNow with the new Mac mini being so powerful and our iOS devices being so ubiquitous, you have more options. You can still use an iPad Pro to change a setting on the Mac mini once a year but you can now also permanently connect these machines.You can prop that iPad up against the Mac mini and use it as your regular display forever. Or at least, you can if you get the right software tools and if you can borrow a monitor while you install them.Headless for low costWe've had good results with Screens 4 from Edovia which now costs $19.99 and is also.It's a remote control app and service that lets you see your Mac screen on your iPad, iPhone or another Mac over the internet. It's similar to Google's and it's similar to several corporate options such as.You have to install the Screens software on your Mac mini before you can remotely access it but this is a cheap and in our experience excellent solution. All of these remote control apps are meant for occasional use rather than permanently saving you the need for a monitor, though.Temporary and permanentWhen you're doing this only occasionally, you put up with the odd hiccup or a delay between you tapping on the iPad screen and the Mac mini reacting. When it's your regular display, though, you can't.
When this is your working machine, you need it to be as fast and responsive as possible.Get. For $80 you get software for your Mac and iOS device plus a dongle. You've been hoping Santa would bring you yet another dongle. Plugging Luna Display's dongle into a Mac (picture by Luna Display)Luna Display comes in two versions so that it can work with all modern Macs. If you've got a new 2018 Mac mini, you need the USB-C model.
However, this doesn’t disable local peripherals, so you can instead use a keyboard and mouse attached to the device that’s sharing the screen. That way, you could use the iPad as the “monitor,”.
The alternative is a Mini DisplayPort version of Luna Display and that works for older Mac minis.You can just plug that dongle into your Mac mini and, in future, as long as that dongle is in place, you can use Luna Display wirelessly. So if instead of a Mac mini you go for a MacBook, for instance, you can plug that dongle in and out as you travel around and Luna Display will work when you want it to.There's still the matter of the first time you run it —you have to download and install the Luna Display software to both your Mac mini and to your iPad or iPhone. There's also the issue that Luna Display comes from the makers of art drawing app. While that's meant specifically for artists so that they can, say, use the Apple Pencil on their iPad to draw in Adobe Illustrator on their Macs, it does display that Mac's screen on the iOS device.Astropad does not require a dongle.
It's either a one-time Standard edition for $30 or an Astropad Studio for pro users that unlocks more Apple Pencil functionality for an $80 per year subscription. That actually makes Luna Display cheaper than the full-featured Astropad Studio —once you've used it for a year and a day.Once it's runningWhen you've installed the software and gone through those apps' setup instructions, your iPad is now a monitor for your Mac mini.Luna Display is often used as a second monitor on devices like MacBooks or iMacs so that you have greater screen real estate. For our purposes, it's the first and only monitor, though.Leave your Mac mini running, launch Luna Display on your iPad whenever you need to, and then just work as normal.Been there, done thatLuna Display costs $80 and if you've already got an iPad, that's a cheap price for a high-quality monitor. However, it's not as cheap as $9.99 plus optional annual subscriptions which is what you pay for.Previously we've reported on how with its entirely dongle-free existence.
When you'd run the iOS and Mac versions of the Duet app then you could use your iPad as a second screen just fine.Then more recently we've reported how Duet was with with High Sierra. Now we have to tell you that it's not really working at all with macOS Mojave across a wide variety of hardware combinations.
Duet Display has problems with macOS MojaveWe've reached out to the developers and in the meantime have managed to get it working but not in a usable state. The lag between what you tap on your iPad using Duet and what your Mac is at best a very long time. At worse, nothing registers at all.And moreover, the Mac's screen as displayed on your iOS device is currently unworkable. If you drag a window then half of it stays where it was, for instance.We understand that Duet Display has a fix in the works for Mojave, but for the moment you shouldn't buy it —unless you're not using Mojave and have no intention of doing so.Strange worldIt is somehow disconcerting to see your Mac's screen displayed on an iOS device.
It gets odder when you realise that you no longer need to bring your own monitor, keyboard and mouse to the Mac mini: the iPad will do it all.You can type on the iPad's on-screen keyboard and you can tap anywhere to click and drag on the screen. If you do this for the occasional remote-controlling of your Mac, you not only can do this but you should. It's all you need.That said, if you're using this iPad as a permanent monitor for your Mac mini and you're planning to regularly do a lot of work, get a separate keyboard plus mouse or trackpad too.Keep up with AppleInsider by downloading the for iOS, and, Twitter and for live, late-breaking coverage.
You can also check out our official account for exclusive photos.
One of the most impressive new features with macOS Catalina and iPadOS 13 is Sidecar. The new feature allows you to extend your Mac display to your iPad. In doing so, you can use Apple Pencil with your Mac for the first time and perform everyday tasks like drawing and sketching or marking up screenshots and PDFs.
With Sidecar, you can use native and third-party macOS apps on your iPad, including Adobe Illustrator, Affinity Photo, ZBrush, and many more.
Macs that support Sidecar
To use Sidecar, you must have one of the following Macs:
- iMac 27-inch (Late 2015 or newer)
- MacPro (2016 or newer)
- Mac mini (2018)
- Mac Pro (2019)
- MacBook Air (2018)
- MacBook (Early 2016 or newer)
Apple never officially announced an official list; instead this comes from Steve Troughton-Smith who did some sleuthing.
iPads that support Sidecar
To use Sidecar with your iPad, your tablet must support either the first- or second-generation Apple Pencil. These include:
Apple Pencil:
- iPad Air (3rd generation)
- iPad mini (5th generation)
- iPad (7th generation)
- iPad (6th generation)
- iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2nd generation)
- iPad Pro 12.9-inch (1st generation)
- iPad Pro 10.5-inch
- iPad Pro 9.7-inch
Apple Pencil (2nd generation):
- iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation)
- iPad Pro 11-inch
Requirements to using Sidecar
In addition to having a Mac and iPad that support Sidecar, you must also be signed into the same iCloud account on each machine.
For Wi-Fi use, the following additional requirements apply:
- Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Handoff turned on.
- Both devices are within 10 meters (30 feet) of each other.
- The iPad isn't sharing its cellular connection.
- The Mac isn't sharing its internet connection.
How to set up Sidecar on Mac
You must first activate Sidecar on Mac and iPad to use the new tool:
- On Mac, click on System Preferences in the Dock.
- Click on Sidecar.
- Click on Devices under Connect to.
- Select your iPad from the dropdown menu.
If you don't see your iPad in the list of devices to connect to, try plugging your iPad into your Mac.
How to set up Sidecar on iPad
At this time, it appears the only requirements for using Sidecar on iPad are that both devices must be using the same iCloud account, and connected directly or through Bluetooth. There are no additional Sidecar settings on your iPad.
Customize Sidecar on Mac
There are different ways you can use Sidecar on Mac. These include deciding whether to use the Sidebar on the left or right and whether to show your Mac Touch Bar on the top or bottom of your Mac, when applicable.
To customize:
- On Mac, click on System Preferences in the Dock.
- Click on Sidecar.
- Use the checkbox to turn Show Sidebar on or off.
- If Show Sidebar is on, use the toggle to select Left or Right.
- Use the check box to turn Show Touch Bar on or off, where applicable.
- If Show Touch Bar is on, use the toggle to select Top or Bottom.
How to customize Apple Pencil options
There are two settings you can customize for Apple Pencil on Mac:
- On Mac, click on System Preferences in the Dock.
- Click on Sidecar.
- Use the checkbox to turn Enable double tap on Apple Pencil on or off.
- Use the checkbox to turn Show pointer when using Apple Pencil on or off.
Any questions?
Let us know if you have any questions about the new Sidecar feature below.
Updated October 2019: Includes newly released requirements for Sidecar.
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