Universal Control and Sidecar can be used together in macOS 12.3

Before macOS 12.3 and iPadOS 15.4 were released to the public, many beta testers trying out Universal Control couldn't get it to work if they were already using their iPad in Sidecar mode, but it turns out that in the final version, you can actually It is possible to enable both ‌Universal Control‌ and ‌Sidecar‌ on different devices at the same time, provided your settings allow this.

In the final version of macOS 12.3, the Add Display option in the Displays preference pane differentiates between devices that can be connected through Universal Control and those that can be used as extensions Display devices, including iPad via "sidecar".

This means you can now connect your Mac to an ‌‌iPad‌‌ via ‌‌Sidecar‌‌ for extra macOS screen real estate, while on the other side of the Mac you can use your main Mac’s keyboard and touch controls Control a second ‌‌iPad‌‌ or Mac.

The Difference Between Universal Control and Sidecar

For those who are not familiar with these two modes and the differences between them, here is a quick review. With ‌‌Universal Control‌‌, if you have a Mac and an ‌‌iPad‌‌, or even multiple Macs and iPads, you can use your keyboard and cursor on one device. So, for example, if you have a MacBook Pro and an ‌‌iPad‌‌ at your desk, you can simply swipe across the ‌‌‌iPad‌‌ to use the MacBook Pro's trackpad, and the Mac's keyboard will become the input device for the ‌‌iPad‌‌. The same goes for your ‌‌‌iPad‌‌‌ if you have a keyboard connected.

‌‌ Sidecar‌‌ works differently. Announced in 2019 as part of macOS Catalina, ‌‌Sidecar‌‌ is designed to let you use your ‌‌iPad‌‌ as a secondary display for your Mac. You can use up to one ‌‌iPad‌‌ to mirror content on your Mac display or turn it into a secondary display for extra screen space in macOS.

To be clear, ‌‌Universal Control‌‌ allows you to use your Mac’s keyboard and trackpad to navigate your ‌‌iPad‌‌, but it runs on two different operating systems—macOS and iPadOS. Unlike ‌Sidecar‌, it doesn't extend your Mac's display to your ‌‌iPad‌‌, it simply allows you to use one device's keyboard and mouse/trackpad to control one or more other devices. If you want content from your Mac to appear on a nearby ‌‌iPad‌‌, you'll need to use ‌‌Sidecar‌‌, but you can't use ‌‌Universal Control‌‌ to control the same device.

Still, if you have enough iPads and Macs, it turns out you can actually use both ‌‌Sidecar‌‌ and ‌‌Universal Control‌‌, enjoying the best of both worlds. Please note that Universal Control is technically still in beta, so certain settings may cause lingering bugs.

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