Using Universal Control Across Macs and iPads
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- Опубліковано 23 сер 2024
- macmost.com/e-... Universal Control is a new feature of macOS 12.3 and iPadOS 15.4 that lets you control all of the Macs and iPads on your desk with one keyboard and mouse or trackpad. You can even drag-and-drop and copy and paste between devices.
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Gary, all of your videos are great. The best part is not only are they informative & concise but you get right to the point & never add time-wasting unnecessary fluff which is all too common with most
others!
Thanks, and nice to get a glimpse behind the scenes! 💜
One thing to look out for that I just discovered, if your iPad is positioned on the diagonal from your Mac screen, i.e. below AND to the left/right you cannot traverse back to your Mac screen from the iPad. If you go up, it brings up Notifications, if you go to the right and up it brings up Control Center. I wasn't able to get back to my Mac until I put my iPad to sleep. Once I moved the iPad up in Display Preferences it worked just fine.
Hi Gary. I have just bought a new iPad and the Universal Control now works across all screens. As you said - the old iPad was not compatible. The new one is - Brilliant thanks.
Gary, you are the greatest teacher and I am so glad I found and subscribed to your channel. Many Blessings.
Once again you helped me where Apple could not. Now I can use my track pad and keyboard for my IPad Pro seamlessly without having to use bluetooth to connect it. Gary, you are the best.
This is one of the coolest and most useful features for me. Thanks for the video.
@@MrZog-yv3be You don't use an iPad and Mac at the same time, or transfer photos/files between them? Anything that makes life easier and more convenient is the best feature for me.
Thank you! I watched two other videos and couldn't make it work. Your explanation was so clear!
I discovered Universal Control by accident when I put my iPad next to my MacBook Air. Came here to see how to make best use of the new feature. Thanks for the video.
Thanks Gary. I have an iPad Pro, iMac and an edition Al monitor and the universal control works seamlessly. Amazing! Thanks for your channel-You’ve taught me a lot.
Do you have an iPad Air? Would you think it's worth getting iPad Pro thinking that it can become an extra monitor to the iMac?
another great video Gary. Thanks for this. I'm updating my iMac now and looking forward to giving this a try!
Thanks for this demonstration. I will set this up on my desk
Thank you for this video much better than the Apple Support as you actually show how to move between screens. Have a nice day
A very useful video tutorial today! Thank you, Gary! 👏❤️
thanks much! I use 3 monitors for my work and this is helpful!!
Thanks so much! Best explanation I’ve seen. Love your set up btw!
Always learning! Thank You
2 years from now, everyones going to look back and wonder how they got by without this functionality
I’m trying to think why a person would need to do this. Maybe I just need to search more examples. Thanks Gary. It is a very cool thing to be able to do.
It's just convenient if you have multiple macs (perhaps personal and work) and want to just use one keyboard and mouse for both
SO AMAZING!! Thanks always G Money!
excellent explanation , thanks!
Hi Gary,
Correction of my question below and found by accident, Command + Tab does the trick.
Brilliant explanation. Thanks a lot!
I live in The Netherlands and sometimes I have the feeling (sorry I am not a whizzkid, hence the subscription to your channel) that the Dutch version are slightly different from the US version.
So maybe my question is unknown to you. It works flawless expect I cannot close an app on the iPad only by the "old fashion" way by using my finger. Of course that is not a problem but maybe you have a fix for that. Thanks in advance for your help.
Hi Gary- You rock!! -Ian
Thanks and already using. Great feature. No more 3rd party apps.
Gary It worked….realised it was a simple case of Bluetooth paring issue. now its fixed.
very well explained
UC works great! Incredible addition. And great job by Apple. There are some things to be aware of and some flaws or difficulties to be aware of: 1) When Universal Control is on, hot corners may cease to function if the hot corner is at a place where another screen is ‘joined’. This can be surprising until you understand what is happening. 2) if you VPN from one of the devices and not the other, it does still work. However, occasionally one of the devices may drop connection to your WiFi router. That is easy to reconnect. But if you are in the middle of doing something it is not immediately obvious. Check the WiFi indicator on the device if things seem to lose connection. 3) Very rarely in the latest betas there seem to be other minor quirks. In earlier betas the third check box under the Display menu (automatically reconnect) for enabling UC sometimes was unavailable. Given a bit of time the OS resolved that. Be patient if that happens. The latest beta seems to have fixed that.
One other note. When the displays aren’t the same size, and when using UC the mouse can seem to get trapped on the second display. It can become a bit of a maize to follow where the mouse is to travel across the join and not get trapped by the non-joined areas. Think carefully about how you place the displays in display settings. Also, note the size differences. The iPad for example is slight;y larger than the MacBook Pro. The precise placement can then impact both hot corners and thus ‘trapped’ behavior. The mouse can also disappear suddenly when you reach the edge of a connected display. This becomes a minor issue when you want to grab the edge of an application to resize it off the edge, or if you go to close an app using the red dot and overshoot. It isn’t hard to get used to this. It does take a little time to get used to and to expect it, and to overcome habits of intentionally pushing the mouse hard to an edge. Now if you do that the mouse goes through the edge to the next display.
Hi Gari. Thanks for this interesting post again.
I know this is still considered by Apple as a Beta release of this piece of software. So many fixes will be added in the future, I reckon.
Just one thing I realized, is that, with Universal Control, my Wacom Intuos Pro Tablet doesn't work. It seams it isn't recognized. A bit of a problem for people like me who use their tablet more than their trackpad or their mouse.
Funny, though, that problem doesn't occur with Sidecar ...
Again, thank you for all your posts that taught me so much
Can you tell the difference between Sidecar and Universal control? What I'd like to do is use the ipad's touch feature to launch shortcuts. Bring up my shortcuts window with all the big buttons and just press one and my mac carries out the shortcut.
Thanks brother 🙏❤️
Edit: Looks like Command + W does the trick
I can't believe I didn't use this sooner. One small issue. Most of the iPad apps have the three dots on the top to close them down. However some do not. Is there a keyboard shortcut to quit those apps? I've tried command + tab to switch to another app. I have also used command + tab to show the open apps, then while still holding command down, move to the app and type Q. It does close the app but doesn't quit the app. If you double tap home you can see it's still running. So anyway to quit the app and bonus question anyway way to simulate pressing the home button. First world problem, heaven for bid I have to reach for it. What can I say, I'm a mouse person.
I wish we could drag & drop photos from iPad directly into Final Cut Pro timeline.... THAT would be a time saver.
Perhaps that will be available in the next minor update to Final Cut Pro.
Gary you answer so many questions. Got time for 1 more. I have an M2 Macbook air and a M1 14 MBP. connected to an external samsung M70B. I'd like to use my magic keyboard and trackpad and universal control. is there anyway I can do this with ONE or BOTH in clamshell mode? the magic devices don't work with KVM's.
Brydge Dock and Ascrono is what I'm considering if I can acheive this with 2 machines.
Getting the systems to wake up when in clamshell or when I switch would be nice.
I don't think so. I think the devices would need to stay connected to the keyboard and pointing device. But experiment and see. I don't use a MacBook in clamshell mode so my experience is limited there.
Thanks for making this clear! 🇺🇦
Gary thank you for your information that you share in your videos. I did all the steps, but then when I'm trying to copy and paste from my macbook pro to my iPad air 4th generation but it won't let me. when command+c is pressed, the text is completely erased and only the letter c appears. could you please help me?
Sounds like your Command key isn't working correctly? Are you continuing to hold down Command when you press C?
Interesting, for some reason I cannot this to work with my M1 MB Air and iPad Pro 11"! Both are on the latests respective OS's, and the MB Air has the Universal Control widget, but when I enable this and click on Add Display, all I see in the dropdown is the ability to Extend/Mirror my iPad Pro. Hmm...
Any solution? I have same issue.
@@nemadam7 It appears as if the devices must all have Two Factor Authentication enabled. Finally read that, but have not tried it. Lemme know if you do!
Are you using iPad Pro or iPad Air? I have an iMac, I am delighted to learn about this universal control feature so I can share my keyboard and mouse with the iPad. Now considering whether I should pay for the extra bucks for the iPad Pro thinking that it'd be an extra monitor.
I am thinking about going for iPad Air before because I don't really need super high resolution, I don't game, I don't do graphic design) I was thinking of using the iPad as a elevated Kindle + notetaker (I take a lot of notes 24/7) - any advice?
It doesn't sound like you need the iPad Pro. But take a look at both at a store and see them firsthand before deciding.
Man that is cool! But I only have the Mac mini. So I guess I need to buy a few other things lol
Hi Gary, I really do love your channel. No BS. Straight to the point. Love it. Ok I have a wonderful $500 Wacom tablet I’ve used for years editing pictures in Lightroom. Last year they informed they will no longer allow software updates to it to recognize Apple software. Total Bummer. Well I just bought a M1 FULLY LOADED 14”. I also have a large iPad Pro. I would love to use my iPad and pencil like I did with the Wacom. I can seem to figure it out, am I missing something or is it not allowed?
Thanks again for all the hard work you put into the channel. Keith in Alaska
To do that, the feature is called Sidecar. See support.apple.com/en-us/HT210380
@@macmost thanks Buddy. I appreciate you answering me. Very excited to use it!!!!
Ok. I did a hard restart no it see’s the pencil. It was driving me crazy. Showing I hard 100% battery but no response. Old rule, “If it doesn’t work, restart!” Thanks again
Hey Gary...Can you please tell me the best app to use to remote and take control of my friends new mac computer? I would like to take control over her screen using my mouse. Is there a way to do that? thanks. Norm
Just do it through the Messages app. While using Messages, look in the Conversation menu for Ask/Invite to share screen.
As always, clearly explained. Are you able to use the touchscreen functionality of the iPad at all with MacOS apps? It doesn’t seem to work with your fingers but I thought I heard somewhere that it does work with the Apple Pencil?
The whole point of Universal Control is to use the iPad's apps with your Mac's mouse and keyboard. So you wouldn't be seeing Mac app windows on your iPad's screen, so you wouldn't be in a situation where you see Mac apps on your iPad to be able to "touch" them. I think you are thinking of a different feature: Sidecar. That does allow you to put Mac apps on your iPad's screen (not using the iPad apps at all) and you can use Apple Pencil.
@@macmost thanks for the reply. I have used Universal Control to use the iPad as an extension of the Mac. I’ve not used Sidecar yet. I will try it out though to see if it works like I would hope. I basically wanted to be able to use touch screen functions on the iPad screen for Mac apps like iMovie (Mac OS version). Seems I can maybe do this but only using the Apple Pencil
@@TheKayakCrew Right, you can't do that with Universal Control because iMovie for Mac can't be shown on your iPad's screen with UC. That's not what it does.
the scroll doesn't work on my iPad with the Logitech mx master 3
I love the feature but can’t use it because my school is on Catalina and upgrades from unsupported to the last supported macOS, so I will have to wait 3 years before I can try it out
Gary, love your videos. Question: since all my devices are synced through iCloud and any changes to one appear almost instantly in the others, what feature does Universal Control offer that the iCloud sync does not?
Universal Control allows you to use one Keyboard and Mouse/Trackpad with multiple devices. That's very different than just data updating.
Super cool video. Didn’t even know this ability existed. Thanks. 🇨🇦👍🏼
It was nice to see universal control in action. I've been in a "what's the big deal? How different is it from Sidecar?" position until I saw this. Tried it out with my iPad mini while watching this. Now I'm impressed and will be using it more often!
Thanks Gary. That’s awesome 👍🇦🇺
I found that you cannot drag and drop from desktop on your macbook pro or mac...onto the ipad mini or ipad pro desktop....you have to drag and drop into an open app on the ipads.....As you have shown in your example, you CAN drag and drop between macs and macbook pro/laptops freely with Universal Control........Good tutorial overall.....thanks.
That's because there is no iPad "desktop" to drag into. You've got Home screens, which show widgets and app icons, but that's not a desktop. If you want to drag files to your iPad, drag them into the Files app.
@@macmost thanks..
What if all I have is a Mac Mini connected to two monitors, and I want to run a different window/app on each monitor. Can that be done? Will the mouse drag back and forth across monitors?
Yes. That's just how it works. Nothing to do with "Universal Control" and iPads though.
This is so cool. But, I noticed that not every app on my iPad is available with this feature. I wanted to type notes in Note Shelf, an app that I frequently use to write down thoughts, take notes in meetings, etc. But I couldn't get to it with this universal control.
It shouldn't depend which app you are using. Have you contacted the developer about it?
I am updated to the latest macOS versions on my iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2015), MacBook Air and iPadOS on my iPad Pro. Universal Control works perfectly between them, BUT I can't make the iMac be an Extended Desktop for the MacBook. I can make the MacBook be an Extended Desktop for the iMac. Is this a limitation of UC? My plan was to use the iMac as a second display for Mac Studio.
Universal Control isn't about extending the desktop. it is just about keyboard and mouse/trackpad control. To extend the desktop, use AirPlay Receiver. But I don't think that is available for a 2015 iMac.
Both my MacBook and iPad are updated to the correct OS but the Universal Control feature doesn't come up under Displays. I'm in the UK, so wonder if this is available here yet. Any thoughts Gary?
The country shouldn't matter. Make sure you have WI-Fi on for both, Bluetooth on for both, same Apple ID for both. Try restarting them. And make sure they are both compatible devices. support.apple.com/en-us/HT212757
I don't get the "Link keyboard and mouse" option under "add display". I'm only getting the "mirror or extend to" option... :( I don't understand. I have a MacBook Pro and a Mac studio and I can't get them to connect
Do both meet the system requirements? support.apple.com/en-us/HT212757
Can you drag and drop say video files and various documents from an iMac to a iPad.
I can find a directory system on the iPad to drop video and docs into the right place
The Files app.
Question please,
Using Mac and two projectors, one projector is use as a confidence monitor on back wall.
I am in a loft and can’t see that screen.
The confidence monitor has the main screen and task bar, system pref.
How to get it back ?
If I unplug or turn the confidence monitor off it goes back correctly, but I can’t reconfigure the projector display due to it being off.
Thanks for comments on options
Not sure what you are asking. I don't know what you mean by a "confidence monitor." Have you tried going to System Preferences, Displays? Maybe what you want is there?
@@macmost confidence monitor is for the stage to see the pres so the do not have to turn around.
I can’t get to system pref, the controls have switch to a rear facing projector screen. I am in a loft with the Mac and can’t see the rear screen projection to drag it back or change the preferences
How can I issue a control/command to get it back to the Mac.
@@neilfrank8479 System Preferences, Displays.
@@macmost System Pref / Display is greyed out on the Mac , not selectable with all monitors on.
When the rest facing projector is on
1 Mac with greyed out Sys Pref,
2 projector big screen same
3 projector (conf monitor) has control, I can’t see it to change the system pref/ display. It’s down stairs.
If I turn that rear facing projector off, the Mac then has the desktop control again , but in system pref display no longer has the display icons for the problem projector.
I know this seems weird, it’s a presentation stage situation. with a monitor the presenter can see looking forward,
But I can’t see it to access with the mouse to select the system pref displays
Thanks
@@neilfrank8479 System Preferences, Displays, is gray? I don't know why that would be. I'll have to refer you to Apple Support as I can't really help without seeing what you are dealing with.
I noticed that you did not have automatically reconnect any Mac or iPad toggled on. To your knowledge is there any advantage or disadvantage to have this on or not? Thanks!
Whether you use that, or any other option, is up to you and your situation. If I just want to look at something on my iPad while working on my Mac, I don't necessarily want this feature to turn on.
You've got to turn both devices' bluetooth on first, had me scratching my head for an hour
Hi Gary, keep getting error message, “unable to connect to iPad” the device timed out. I tried everything. I’m using the MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020) on Monterey with iPad mini 6 on iOS version 15.7.
Hard to advise without knowing what "everything" is. Have you restarted both devices? Have you called Apple Support?
@@macmost it was a bluetooth pairing problem between mac and iPad. now they are able to communicate, it works as you your video. thank you for a great video.
How about iPad and iPhone?
I dont know is it only me but when turning on universal control, the iPad act as an extended screen rather than independent so I wasn't able to use it as a standalone like drawing on it etc. in the video, once you connected UC, it automatically recognizes they are separate devices between the mac and the ipad
Perhaps you accidentally selected Sidebar instead of Universal Control.
Has anyone tried using universal control on a mac mini + ipad pro using the iPad's keyboard.
Is UC for M1 machines only? I do not have it on my MacBook Air 2017 Intel
No, it works on Intel machines too. Try it. Requirement are here: support.apple.com/en-us/HT212757
Hi Gary, sorry to bother you after 4 weeks BUT I have a question? I just updated to latest version of Monterey and have Universal control and have checked the boxes. I do not have a drop down list under displays. Do you have any advice please. I use a Mac mini and have a 6year old IPad. Many thanks.
Perhaps it doesn't detect any other displays at all?
@@macmost I do have 2 monitors and it detects those. They show up but not in drop down list. It is not urgent, I am just curious. As I work perfectly well with my 2 monitors. I hope to get a new iPad soon so maybe that will make a difference. 🤞🤞
@@christinebryant9143 Your two attached screens wouldn't show up under Add Display. That would be left for AIrPlay devices (Apple TVs, other Macs) and sidecar iPads. If you are getting a new iPad, is your current one old? Maybe it isn't compatible with Sidecar then.
@@macmost thank you Gary. As it is an interesting question I will let you know when I get a new iPad, birthday in May so after that. Look forward to viewing next tutorials. Thanks again for all your hard work.
Was looking to setup universal control between my iMac Pro and a new M1 Mac Studio. Isn't solved yet, but I'm one step closer. I can use my Mac Studio monitor as an extension of my iMac Pro (and I assume vice versa, I haven't tried), but no matter what I do, I can't get the two "linked" so that the input devices are recognized. I tried both through WiFi and hard ethernet, and Bluetooth is on for both computers.
What am I missing? The computers are about 8" apart, but I don's see a way to check if everything is setup for linking.
The iMac is Monterey, the Studio is Ventura. Any help you can provide is appreciated, while I keep looking for my answer!
Why is the iMac on Monterey? Is it because it is too old to update? Then it may also be too old to use Universal Control, maybe? Check that.
@@macmost First, thanks for a quick reply!
My iMacPro is definitely compatible, I checked. Monterey should allow for Universal Control
I haven't updated because A) I prefer the interface to the newer ones and B) I have other software that I would have to update, which will create hours of debugging which I don't want to have to do. I don't mind the Mac Studio being on Ventura, because it's not currently crucial to my workflow. I don't want to bring incompatibilities into my current main work system.
Is there a reason this should be a problem? Do both computers need to be on the same OS version?
@@EliotHochberg Just an idea. Trying to help you with a solution. Sounds like a call to Apple Support is needed.
Neat!
Thanks bunches
I never knew that you use ipad, you never had videos on it. Im really annoyed that my MacBook Pro 2015 is not supported ! The best feature I need between my macbook and ipad was released but cant use it. I wish there is a way to make it work
I've done 158 videos tagged iPad (macmost.com/tag/ipad), and in years past I have written books on it and even produced a course on using the iPad (old, for iPadOS 13).
After new MacOS and iPadOs software updates. This feacture does work 😭 Plz help
Double-check your settings, try a restart, and if it still isn't working, call Apple Support.
where do I get this app ,can not find it at apple
It is not an app. It is part off macOS/iPadOS. I show how to use it in the video. Make sure you have the latest versions of the OSes.
@@macmost yes I did finally figured that out as soon as I updated to Monterey and it works perfect thanks for your time sir .
How are you screen recording on universal control
Each device is recording itself. Then I bring them together in editing.
Everyone in videos is neglecting to mention that you have to enable Bluetooth. It really screwed me up at first
Will this work with windows
No.
Can we use airpods pro to get good sleep.i mean only activating anc and no music . main aim is to avaid sound coming from other room .
Plz explain why two times means 4 hr back up on anc and 20 hr on misic with case .if we use case then how can we use airpod .
You can use AirPods with sounds, yes. Lots of apps too, with good white noise and other background sounds. Lots of "music" on streaming services too, plus some podcasts even. Not sure what you are asking about hours though.
@@macmost battery back with anc is i think 4 hr and without anc 20 hrs of case
@@rakesh834 Oh, you are talking about battery life. Yes, that sounds about right. You get a few hours before you need to put them back in the case to charge them. If you want something that is on all night, you'll need another solution.
I'm on 12.2.1 and it says there are no updates... Therefore no universal control option !
Check again. Should be there.
@@macmost Nope ! mind you in the UK we are behind you Americans, obviously...
@@macmost Ahhh found it, Thnx
Apparently it's not 100% stable yet. I just tried it with my MacBook Pro and 11-inch iPad Pro and it crashed with a "mixed error" (that's what the error message said). It also still says "BETA" in the settings. If it works, this looks like a very useful feature that will make it super easy to move things between the Mac and the iPad.
Great but you need newer devices to use it. My mid-2015 MBP does not have the option.
Probably needs the newer Wi-Fi chips that can connect directly from device-to-device.
@@macmost Didn’t know that was a thing 👌! Thanks.
In case you are wondering why anyone would VPN on one device and not others …. there are a lot of situations needing this. Consider for example the need to VPN to a corporate or Government account and to not route any personal use over that connection; while at the same time wanting to use the second device connected to the world and doing personal work. In earlier betas, UC would disallow UC while the VPN was active. Once the VPN was disabled UC access returned after a delay. The latest beta resolves that, though the occasional loss of WiFi connection now is a minor issue.
That makes sense. But when you do things like that there are going to be compromises.
Very true. They could have chosen instead to simplify the problem by preventing UC from crossing the boundary to the VPN’d device. That they didn’t, and did make it work across that difference is pretty amazing. The minor issue of occasionally dropping WiFi in that circumstance is a minor annoyance. And it is easy to resolve when you know to look for it. I rather suspect that they will resolve this in a future beta.
Isn't this limited by what hardware you have?.. I just looked. I can't do this. My MBA is 2015. Stupid really as I've seen this done with Multiplicity on hardware WAY older than 2015 MBA..
Macbook of 2015 does not support i think
Requirements here: support.apple.com/en-us/HT212757
How to do in Ventura? P T
It works the same.
@@macmost Air play and handoff. I don't have the cursor setting under where you click the button green for Handoff
@@macmost I don't get the add display option bottom left of your displays screen
@@rhettshipley4593 Click Advanced to see the cursor setting. Add Display would be there only if a compatible device was nearby.
@@macmost clicking on Advance does not bring up the cursor setting. I have my iMac and secondary display showing only
cool video but I still do not see a real life use of typing on an iPad using a MacBook Air keyboard when I actually have the screen of the Mac right in front of me... what is the point of universal control? haven't seen one convincing example of a real use of this feature
What if the app you want to type into is iOS/iPadOS-only, so not available on a Mac? What if you are writing on your Mac, and using your iPad for web browsing (research) while writing, then you want to fill out a search field on the iPad? What if you are doing things on your Mac and using your iPad for Messages and you want to respond to a message? There are three examples off the top of my head.
@@macmost these _sound_ legit use cases… I just have never encountered a living being that has actually been doing such things on a regular basis. But thanks for the response!
Gary....do you have fur friends?
Yes, and that's how my shirt looks AFTER I use a lint roller, LOL.
This is in Beta. Mileage may vary.
Unfortunately for me, this only works via WiFi connected devices only. My iMac is connected to my home network via Ethernet and it can’t control the other Apple devices in my home that are connected to the home network via WiFi.
Maybe because you have Wi-Fi turned off? Try turning it on, even if you use Ethernet at your default connection. You can have both on at the same time.
@@macmost Yes, I have WiFi turned off on purpose. I’m not sure why Apple would need WiFi iso Ethernet though? Both provide a connection to the same network that my other Apple devices are on. Also, I find I can screen mirror when my iPad is connected to my iMac via USB, but I can’t use the Universal Control (the message tells me I need BOTH WiFi and BT enabled). So, basically this feature requires WiFi connectivity for all devices.
@@AlexanderRobinsonAMR Wi-Fi is used for more than connecting to your network. Macs and other Apple devices also use Wi-Fi to talk to each other directly. For instance, AirDrop. Not sure if that is the case here, but at least try it.