Use a keyboard and mouse or trackpad across your Mac and iPad with Universal Control

With Universal Control, you can use the keyboard and mouse or trackpad connected to your Mac to work across your Mac and iPad when they’re near each other. For example, you can open and use apps, enter text, and drag items across devices. If an external keyboard and mouse or trackpad are connected to your iPad, you can use them to work across both devices too.

To use Universal Control, make sure of the following:

You’re using supported models of Mac and iPad.
Your Mac has macOS 12.3 or later installed.
You’re signed in with the same Apple ID using two-factor authentication on both devices.
On your Mac, you’ve turned on Wi-Fi, Bluetooth®, and Handoff.
On your iPad, you’ve turned on Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Handoff.

Connect your Mac and iPad to use Universal Control

Do one of the following:

On your Mac, use your mouse or trackpad to move the pointer to right or left edge of the screen closest to your iPad, pause, then move the pointer slightly past the edge of the screen. When a border appears at the edge of the iPad screen, continue moving the pointer to the iPad screen.
On your Mac, click Control Center in the menu bar, click Display, then choose your iPad (below “Link keyboard and mouse to”). Use your mouse or trackpad to move the pointer past the edge of the Mac screen until it appears on your iPad.

After you establish a connection, you can move the pointer across screens until one of your devices goes to sleep or you disconnect them.

Many actions and gestures supported by iPad for external mouse devices and trackpads work with your Mac mouse or trackpad. See Mouse actions and gestures for iPad and Trackpad gestures for iPad. With your Mac keyboard, you can also use many features supported by iPad for external keyboards. See the keyboard topics in the Accessories chapter, beginning with Switch between keyboards with iPad.

Change the screen arrangement

The direction in which you move the pointer when establishing the Universal Control connection determines which side of the display you use to move the pointer across devices. You can adjust this by changing the arrangement of the devices in System Settings (macOS 13) or System Preferences (macOS 12.3 to 12.5).

On your Mac, do one of the following:
- macOS 13: Choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Displays in the sidebar. On the right, scroll down, then click Arrange.
- macOS 12.3-12.5: Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Displays .
Drag the iPad image to the desired position.

Disconnect Universal Control between your Mac and iPad

Do one of the following:

Press the top button on your iPad to put it to sleep.
On your Mac, click Control Center in the menu bar, click Display, then deselect your iPad (below “Link keyboard and mouse to”).

When they’re nearby and their screens are unlocked, your Mac and iPad automatically reconnect. To prevent this, do one of the following:

macOS 13: Choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Displays in the sidebar. On the right, click Advanced, then turn off “Automatically reconnect to any nearby Mac or iPad.”
macOS 12.3-12.5: Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Displays , click Universal Control, then deselect the “Automatically reconnect to any nearby Mac or iPad” checkbox.

Turn off Universal Control

On your Mac, you can turn off Universal Control to prevent the use of your Mac keyboard and mouse or trackpad across devices.

Do one of the following:
- macOS 13: Choose Apple menu > System Settings, click Displays in the sidebar, then click.
- macOS 12.3 to 12.5: Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Displays , then click Universal Control.
Do one of the following:
- Turn off all Universal Control connections: Deselect the “Allow your pointer and keyboard to move between any nearby Mac or iPad” checkbox.
- Prevent a connection when moving the pointer to the edge of the screen: Deselect the “Push through the edge of a display to connect to a nearby Mac or iPad” checkbox.

To prevent connecting your iPad keyboard and mouse or trackpad to your Mac, on iPad go to Settings > General > AirPlay & Handoff, then turn off Cursor and Keyboard.

With Universal Control, you can work across up to three devices.

See Use one keyboard and mouse to control Mac and iPad in the macOS User Guide.

Helpful?

iPad User Guide

Use a keyboard and mouse or trackpad across your Mac and iPad with Universal Control

Connect your Mac and iPad to use Universal Control

Change the screen arrangement

Disconnect Universal Control between your Mac and iPad

Turn off Universal Control