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Setapp
setapp.com › how-to › how-to-use-apple-sidecar
Everything you need to know about Apple Sidecar in 2026
January 6, 2026 - Sidecar is a feature baked into macOS and iPadOS that allows users with both devices to link the two wirelessly or wired. When linked, the iPad becomes a second screen for the Mac; you can shift apps to your iPad, and orient it to your main ...
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Apple App Store
apps.apple.com › us › story › id1480305933
Expand Your View With Sidecar - App Store - Apple
January 22, 2025 - Or use your iPad to draw, sketch, write, and edit directly in a Mac app. Sidecar puts a virtual Touch Bar at the bottom of your iPad screen.
Discussions

Everything you wanted to know about using Sidecar on iPad | MacRumors Forums
Follow along with the video below ... as a web app on your home screen. Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers. ... You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly. You should upgrade or use an alternative browser. ... Good evening everyone!, I hope you are staying safe and well. I have created a YouTube video and transcript about how you can use your iPad as a second monitor for your Mac using Sidecar... More on forums.macrumors.com
🌐 forums.macrumors.com
May 9, 2022
Sidecar: Do you use it? How? Are you satisfied with what it does and with how it works? Are you missing something?
I think it's incredible as added value. I've been using two dual monitors for almost two decades and I got an iMac at work last year. So I can use my iPad as a second monitor with no hassle is just incredible. Flinging windows from the iMac to the iPad and back is great. Only issue is battery drain but it's not a big deal. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/iPadOS
50
21
November 28, 2025
PSA: Enable Sidecar on Older Devices (Works for Final Release)
Wireless mode did work (fine in my experience) on the iPad Air 2 in the early dev betas with a 2017 15” MBP. The decision to lock out iPads that didn’t have pencil support came later, but the code that allowed it was there at one point. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/MacOS
62
108
October 27, 2019
Sidecar
Sidecar is awesome, very useful and responsive. However, if you only need a second screen there are less expensive options. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/macbook
13
2
March 7, 2026
People also ask

Why is there no Sidecar on my Mac?
Most likely, your Mac or iPad is not on the list of supported models, or the requirements are not met: different Apple IDs, Handoff is disabled, outdated system.
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techtoro.io
techtoro.io › home › blog › how to use sidecar on mac
How to Use Sidecar on Mac — Techtoro.io
What are the requirements to use Sidecar on Mac?
To use Sidecar on Mac, you need macOS Catalina or later, active Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Handoff.
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setapp.com
setapp.com › how-to › how-to-use-apple-sidecar
Everything you need to know about Apple Sidecar in 2026
What functions does Sidecar on Mac have?
Sidecar functions include extending your desktop, using Apple Pencil, putting different apps on each screen, mirroring your display, and controlling your Mac from the iPad.
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setapp.com
setapp.com › how-to › how-to-use-apple-sidecar
Everything you need to know about Apple Sidecar in 2026
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TechToro
techtoro.io › home › blog › how to use sidecar on mac
How to Use Sidecar on Mac — Techtoro.io
December 19, 2025 - Sidecar does not work as a separate application — it is a system function that is "embedded" in the display settings section. If your iPad does not appear in the list, it is likely that the connection requirements have not been met (you can find more information about it below). macOS and iPadOS alone are not sufficient for Sidecar to work.
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AppleInsider
appleinsider.com › articles › 22 › 06 › 15 › the-best-apps-to-use-with-sidecar-for-ipad-and-mac-users
The best apps to use with Sidecar for iPad and Mac users | AppleInsider
June 15, 2022 - Sidecar lets an iPad be used as a display that extends or mirrors a Mac. Here are the best apps for Sidecar to enhance productive and creative workflows.
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Apple Support
support.apple.com › en-us › 102597
Use an iPad as a second display for a Mac - Apple Support
To point, click, select, and perform tasks such as drawing, editing photos, and manipulating objects on your iPad while it's extending or mirroring your Mac display, you can use your Apple Pencil instead of the mouse or trackpad connected to your Mac. You can also use it to write, sketch, and mark up documents while seeing the updates live on your Mac. Sidecar also supports double-tap, which you can turn on in settings.
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Apple App Store
apps.apple.com › mu › story › id1480305933
‎Expand your view with Sidecar - App Store
January 22, 2025 - Your Mac and iPad already make an incredibly powerful pair. With the Sidecar feature in macOS and iPadOS, they do even more – together. Sidecar-optimised apps bring out the best in both devices: annotate a PDF or screenshot on your iPad with your Apple Pencil, then insert that into a document on your Mac.
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MacRumors
forums.macrumors.com › iphone, ipad, and ipod touch › ipad › ipad
Everything you wanted to know about using Sidecar on iPad | MacRumors Forums
May 9, 2022 - Everything you need to know about using iPad as a second monitor for your Mac Sidecar is a free, native feature from Apple designed to let you use your iPad as a secondary display for your Mac.
Find elsewhere
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GitHub
github.com › ben-z › free-sidecar
GitHub - ben-z/free-sidecar: Enable Sidecar on Unsupported iPads and Macs running iPadOS 13 and macOS Catalina · GitHub
This app is a UI for editing SidecarCore. This app is sandboxed and does NOT need root access. I've left everything that needs root access for you to execute in the Terminal. This app works on all versions of iPadOS and macOS Catalina, including ...
Starred by 1.6K users
Forked by 96 users
Languages   Swift
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XDA Developers
xda-developers.com › home › mac › how to use sidecar on macos and ipados
How to use Sidecar on macOS and iPadOS
March 11, 2023 - Sidecar, which helps you transform your iPad into a wireless, portable monitor for your Mac computer. Not only do you get to view macOS content on it, but you get to utilize touch controls through your fingers and Apple ...
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AppleInsider
appleinsider.com › apple a-z › apple software › sidecar
Sidecar | Features, Tutorial, Rumors
July 29, 2024 - It also supports the Apple Pencil and provides essential Mac controls in a touch-friendly sidebar. If you prefer to charge your iPad while using Sidecar, you can connect a cable between the Mac and iPad
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MacRumors
macrumors.com › guide › sidecar
Sidecar: Turn an iPad Into a Secondary Mac Display - MacRumors
December 11, 2021 - Sidecar is quick, simple to use, and can either mirror content on your Mac or turn it into a secondary display for extra screen real estate no matter where you are. This guide covers everything you need to know about Sidecar, from how to use it to compatibility to Apple Pencil integration.
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App Store
apps.apple.com › us › app › sidecar › id6476240552
SideCar - App Store - Apple
Download SideCar by Epilog Imaging Systems, Inc. on the App Store. See screenshots, ratings and reviews, user tips, and more apps like SideCar.
Rating: 2.8 ​ - ​ 4 votes
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Arzopa
arzopa.com › blogs › how-to › how-to-use-sidecar
How to Use Sidecar - Guide on Turning Your iPad into a Mac Display – Arzopa
If using a wired connection, connect your iPad to your Mac using a USB-C or Lightning cable. If using a wireless connection, ensure your iPad and Mac are within 10 meters (30 feet) of each other. Go to System Preferences > Sidecar, or click ...
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iMore
imore.com › macs › apple macos › apple macos catalina
How to turn your iPad into a second screen using Sidecar on Mac | iMore
October 17, 2019 - 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 ...
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CPR Cell Phone Repair
cellphonerepair.com › blog › apple-sidecar
Apple Sidecar: Make Your iPad a Second Display | CPR Cell Phone Repair
4 days ago - Plus, the functionality of the Apple Pencil as a mouse makes the feature incredibly useful for visual artists, designers, and photographers alike. Here’s everything we know about getting started with Apple Sidecar. ... To use Sidecar, you’ll need to be using a compatible Mac that’s running macOS Catalina, along with a compatible iPad running iPadOS 13.
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Apple Support
support.apple.com › guide › mac-help › use-your-ipad-as-a-second-display-mchlf3c6f7ae › mac
Use your iPad as a second display for your Mac - Apple Support
You can extend the workspace of your Mac by using your iPad as a second display with the Sidecar feature. The extended workspace allows you to use different apps on the different screens, or to use the same app across both screens, but control different aspects of it.
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Macworld
macworld.com › home › ipad › feature
How to use Universal Control and Sidecar to augment your workflow
March 17, 2022 - For example, you can have a browser open on the iPad’s screen and a Pages document that you’re writing on the main Mac screen. The extended desktop is very handy for pro apps like Photoshop, Final Cut Pro, or Logic. Sidecar requires a compatible Mac using macOS Catalina or later and a compatible iPad using iPadOS 13 or later.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/ipados › sidecar: do you use it? how? are you satisfied with what it does and with how it works? are you missing something?
r/iPadOS on Reddit: Sidecar: Do you use it? How? Are you satisfied with what it does and with how it works? Are you missing something?
November 28, 2025 -

I have played around a little bit with sidecar but I have to admit that, as with many iPad features, I am not sure I fully understand the purpose, the added value and, in fact, which functionalities it brings to the table.

Do you use Sidecar routinely? For what do you find it particularly useful? Are you missing something?

Edit: This is a note mainly for me. In Mac OS, Spaces do not work as one would expect. In fact, there seems to be no support for virtual desktops under Mac OS and Spaces appears to be a half backed attempt at implementing virtual desktops through Mission Control. Mission Control lacks three crucial capabilities: 1) the capability of having two or more full screen windows in a space or virtual desktop; 2) the capability of cycling between the (possibly full screen) windows of a space and, finally, the capability of moving a full screen window to a specific space. Because of these deficiencies, one cannot work with spaces as one can do in Linux with virtual desktops. While the need of using multiple screens for many tasks is genuine and unrelated to the usage of virtual desktops, it seems clear that, in a system in which virtual desktops do not work as they should, there is likely to be more need for more and more screen real estate. Thanks to all who contributed to this thread, I was under the impression that Spaces would work like Linux virtual desktops and I have learned that sadly this is not the case.

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TORRO USA
torrousa.com › blogs › news › macbook-and-sidecar
Sidecar Mac: Use your iPad as a second screen – TORRO USA
October 15, 2020 - Paired with a TORRO iPad case, simply set the case in the stand position in order to replicate the monitor experience, go to your Mac system preferences " > System Preferences" and look for the sidecar app and connect to your iPad.