Seamlessly Share Your Mac Keyboard & Trackpad With Your iPad (and Vice Versa)

Updated  Jun 23, 2024, 12:00 PM EDT

Mahnoor Faisal is a tech journalist covering AI and productivity tools with bylines at XDA, SlashGear, MakeUseOf, Laptop Mag, and Android Police.

She's been writing professionally since she was sixteen, and has since penned hundreds of articles. This includes in-depth coverage of AI tools like NotebookLM to breaking news across the AI space. Her passion for technology started when she received her first iPod Touch (4th generation) on her 8th birthday, and she's been deep in the tech world ever since.

Currently pursuing a degree in computer science, Mahnoor brings both a journalist's eye and a technical foundation to her coverage of how AI is reshaping the way we work and learn.

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Summary

• Universal Control allows you to seamlessly share the same keyboard and mouse between multiple Macs and iPads.
• For Universal Control to work, your devices must be next to each other, connected to the same Wi-Fi network, and have Bluetooth enabled.

One of the biggest features of the Apple ecosystem is the ability to use your Mac's keyboard and trackpad with your iPad and vice versa. Apple makes this possible with a feature called Universal Control. We'll show you how to set it up.

Use Your Mac's Keyboard and Trackpad on iPad With Universal Control

Universal Control, a feature announced alongside macOS Monterey, lets you share the same keyboard and mouse between multiple Macs and iPads. With this feature, you can move your cursor from your Mac's screen to your iPad or another Mac and vice versa.

This means you can drag a file from your Mac to your iPad using your mouse, and it'll move over instantly. Or, if you need to dismiss a notification, you can do so with the same click. Similarly, if you'd like to type something on your iPad, you can use your Mac's keyboard to do so.

It might sound like magic, but it isn't. The feature itself is very similar to the Sidecar feature, where you can use an iPad as an external display. But, with Universal Control, the devices can act independently instead.

How to Use Universal Control on Your iPad and Mac

You only need to set up Universal Control on each device once; after that, it just works.

Setting Up Universal Control on Mac

As long as you have a Mac with macOS Monterey 15.3 or later installed, you can follow these steps to set up Universal Control:

1. Click the Apple logo in the menu bar and choose System Settings from the dropdown.
2. Select Displays from the sidebar and scroll to the bottom.
3. Click Advanced... and toggle on all the options in the Lind to Mac or iPad window. Then, click Done.

After this stage, your Mac is ready to use Universal Control with other devices. But you'll need to set those devices up first!

Setting Up Universal Control on iPad

Assuming you have an iPad with iPadOS 15.4 or later installed, you can follow these steps to set up Universal Control:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPad and tap General.
2. Select AirPlay & Handoff on the right.
3. Toggle on the Cursor and Keyboard option.

Now, your iPad is ready to use Universal Control. Just place it next to your Mac to start using it. They can be further away, but you won't be able to follow your cursor or keyboard! You can use Universal Control with up to two other Macs or iPads at a time.

All devices need to be connected to the same Wi-Fi network and have Bluetooth enabled. This is exactly how Apple's Handoff feature works, so there's nothing new there.

Now that you've set up Universal Control, it's time to start using it. The feature is perfect for multitasking and can help improve your productivity.