Video: How to Use an iPad as a Screen for Your Nintendo Switch - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Video: How to Use an iPad as a Screen for Your Nintendo Switch

If you're on the go and want to play your Nintendo Switch on a larger display than the tiny 6-inch to 7-inch screen that is built into the console, you're in luck if you have a USB-C iPad. With an app and a couple of accessories, you can use your ‌iPad‌ as your Switch display, as MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera demonstrates in his latest video.


Using an ‌iPad‌ for a Nintendo Switch was shown off on TikTok recently, and we thought it was a neat idea going under the radar. Though people have mostly demoed a Switch, it works with any console.

You'll need a USB-C ‌iPad‌ running iPadOS 17 for this to work. The Lightning models can't support the feature because of a specific dongle required. iPadOS 17 is expected to launch to the public next month, but there is a public beta available if you want to test it out right now.

Along with a USB-C ‌iPad‌, you're also going to need a USB-C video capture card, which is around $20. It's basically an HDMI to USB-C adapter for the ‌iPad‌ that allows it to hook up to the Switch. After that, you need to install an app. Since this is new iPadOS 17 functionality, few apps are available, but Capture Pro is available via TestFlight and it's what we used for the video. From there, you just need the Switch and an HDMI cable, and Dan demos the whole setup process in the video.

Have you tried using an ‌iPad‌ as a display for a console? Let us know in the comments below.

Popular Stories

Apple Event Logo

Apple to Release These 15 New Products Later This Year

Friday June 12, 2026 7:45 am PDT by
Apple's annual WWDC developers conference is drawing to a close, but there is still a lot to look forward to in the second half of the year. Apple is expected to release at least 15 more products later this year. Now that the more intelligent and personal version of Siri has finally arrived in beta, a full two years after Apple first previewed it at WWDC 2024, we should begin to see some new ...
Apple Lists 250 Changes Across iOS 27 and More Feature

Apple Shares List of 250 Changes Across iOS 27, macOS Golden Gate, and More

Wednesday June 10, 2026 1:34 pm PDT by
During its WWDC 2026 keynote on Monday, Apple briefly showed a slide with hundreds of new features and enhancements coming across iOS 27, macOS 27 Golden Gate, watchOS 27, tvOS 27, and visionOS 27. All of the software updates are currently available as developer betas, and they are expected to be released to all users in September. We already highlighted some of the key new features from the ...
liquid glass app icon

Apple Maps to Get These 10 New Features in iOS 27

Thursday June 11, 2026 5:45 am PDT by
Apple Maps is getting a range of new features in iOS 27, headlined by an upgraded Flyover experience that uses AI to improve the realism and detail of its aerial imagery. Flyover is a longstanding feature of Apple Maps and lets users explore more than 350 cities in 3D with detailed landmarks, roads, parks, and buildings. Apple described the enhanced Flyover in iOS 27 as combining aerial...

Top Rated Comments

tweaknmod Avatar
37 months ago

who would be this desperate? anyone going through this effort probably has video game addiction...
Fiddling with tech, and trying to use it all in strange and fun combinations is something like a hobby of mine.

And I’m willing to bet it’s the same for a lot of people on this forum.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
37 months ago
Neat trick, but you're definitely adding many frames of input lag.

Probably fine for casual play though.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
37 months ago
Input lag central. Terrible idea.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
37 months ago
I’ve used this trick recently for both setting up a Raspberry Pi and as an external focusing monitor for my DSLR.

(However, I was using FaceTime as the only app to display camera input, so the apps mentioned will be quite useful)

I think one of these dongles will quickly become a standard part of most people’s IT kit - basically having a portable HDMI monitor with you everywhere you go is awesome!
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cateye Avatar
37 months ago

Fiddling with tech, and trying to use it all in strange and fun combinations is something like a hobby of mine.

And I’m willing to bet it’s the same for a lot of people on this forum.
Agreed. Half the joy of technology is bending it in ways it wasn't intended. That's how you arrive at new and interesting use-cases beyond what some self-absorbed company like Apple (or Nintendo, for that matter) dictates its products should be used for.

As others have suggested, the real killer app of a setup like this is being able to spin up using an iPad as a monitor in situations where having a dedicated monitor is impractical or an unnecessary extra expense (I.T. crash cart, server rooms, headless device configuration, etc.) Hopefully over time the software/hardware mix becomes more stable and performant.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
37 months ago
Nintendo should sell a solution to connect the Switch directly to iPad with USB-C without having to convert to HDMI.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)