As of iPadOS 15.4 and macOS Monterey 12.3, Apple has introduced support for Universal Control, the long-awaited feature that's designed to allow multiple Macs and iPads to be controlled with a single mouse and keyboard.

universal control wwdc
Thanks to ‌Universal Control‌, you can use the same cursor and keyboard on any nearby Mac or ‌iPad‌ that's signed into your iCloud account. So, for example, if you have a MacBook Pro and an ‌‌iPad‌‌ next to it, your Mac's trackpad and keyboard can be used to navigate the ‌‌iPad‌‌. The same is true of the ‌‌iPad‌‌ if you have a keyboard attached.

The advent of ‌Universal Control‌ means you can now drag files from Mac to ‌‌iPad‌‌ and vice versa, although on ‌‌iPad‌‌, you will need to have the appropriate app open. If you're dragging a photo from Mac to ‌‌iPad‌‌, for example, you need to open Photos to transfer it –– it can't be placed on the Home screen. It's also worth noting that trackpad gestures for Mac do not work on ‌‌iPad‌‌.

‌Universal Control‌ should work automatically once you've installed macOS Monterey 12.3 and iPadOS 15.4 because the features are enabled by default, but there are settings that you might want to adjust or if you're not a fan, you might want to turn it off. These steps will also help if, for some reason, it's not turned on.

How to Set Up Universal Control on Mac

  1. Launch System Preferences from your Mac's Dock, from the Applications folder, or from the Apple menu bar ( -> System Preferences...).

  2. Select Displays in the preferences panel.
    sys prefs

  3. Click Universal Control....
    sys-prefs

  4. Click the checkboxes to enable the following ‌Universal Control‌ features (the first is enabled by default): Allow your cursor and keyboard to move between any nearby Mac or iPad, Push through the edge of a display to connect a nearby Mac or iPad, and Automatically reconnect to any nearby Mac or iPad.
    sys-prefs

  5. Click Done.
  6. Next, click Add Display.
    displays

  7. In the dropdown that appears, you'll see any nearby devices signed into the same Apple ID as your Mac. Click a device listed under "Link Keyboard and Mouse" to use it in ‌Universal Control‌ mode.
    sys-prefs

With ‌Universal Control‌ enabled, you'll now be able to adjust the arrangement of the displays in the Displays preference panel so that it matches the physical arrangement of your devices.

How to Set Up Universal Control on iPad

  1. Launch the Settings app on your ‌iPad‌.
  2. Tap General in the sidebar.
  3. Tap AirPlay & Handoff in the menu window.
    settings

  4. Toggle on the switch next to Cursor and Keyboard (Beta).
    settings

How to Adjust or Disable Universal Control on Mac

  1. Launch System Preferences from your Mac's Dock, from the Applications folder, or from the Apple menu bar ( -> System Preferences...).
  2. Select Displays in the preferences panel.
    sys prefs

  3. Click Universal Control....
    displays

  4. Uncheck the boxes next to the following settings you want to disable: Allow your cursor and keyboard to move between any nearby Mac or iPad, Push through the edge of a display to connect a nearby Mac or iPad, and Automatically reconnect to any nearby Mac or iPad.
    displays

Note that ‌Universal Control‌ is still in beta as of writing, so there may be some hiccups when using it. In our testing it proved very stable, although we did run into an issue where we needed to restart the Mac to get it to work. If you have an issue getting ‌Universal Control‌ up and running after updating, restarting the Mac and the ‌iPad‌ might help.

Related Forums: iOS 15, macOS Monterey

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Monday June 30, 2025 1:08 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are less than three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max in September this year. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an...
Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Magsafe

iPhone 17 Pro's New MagSafe Design Revealed in Leaked Photo

Wednesday July 2, 2025 8:37 am PDT by
The upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to have a slightly different MagSafe magnet layout compared to existing iPhone models, and a leaked photo has offered a closer look at the supposed new design. The leaker Majin Bu today shared a photo of alleged MagSafe magnet arrays for third-party iPhone 17 Pro cases. On existing iPhone models with MagSafe, the magnets form a...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adds a Useful New Wi-Fi Feature to Your iPhone

Wednesday July 2, 2025 6:36 am PDT by
iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 add a smaller yet useful Wi-Fi feature to iPhones and iPads. As spotted by Creative Strategies analyst Max Weinbach, sign-in details for captive Wi-Fi networks are now synced across iPhones and iPads running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. For example, while Weinbach was staying at a Hilton hotel, his iPhone prompted him to fill in Wi-Fi details from his iPad that was already...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Max Battery Capacity Leaked

Thursday July 3, 2025 5:40 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the biggest ever battery in an iPhone, according to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post, the leaker listed the battery capacities of the iPhone 11 Pro Max through to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and added that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a battery capacity of 5,000mAh: iPhone 11 Pro Max: 3,969mAh iPhone 12 Pro Max: 3,687mAh...
iOS 18

Apple Releases Second iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Tuesday July 1, 2025 10:19 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a day after Apple provided the betas to developers. Apple has also released a second beta of macOS Sequoia 15.6. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible...
maxresdefault

New MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Spotted in Apple Code

Monday June 30, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
Apple is developing a MacBook with the A18 Pro chip, according to findings in backend code uncovered by MacRumors. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Earlier today, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip. The machine is expected to feature a 13-inch display, the A18 Pro chip, and color options...