Using an iPad as a Mac display: Sidecar, remote desktop or PadTailor?

Getting your Mac desktop onto an iPad sounds like one task – it’s really two very different ones: using the iPad as an extra display next to the Mac, or controlling the Mac from the iPad. Which solution fits mostly depends on where you are.

The three options at a glance

	Sidecar	Remote desktop app	Remote desktop app + PadTailor
Purpose	iPad as a second display at the Mac	Control the Mac remotely	Control the Mac remotely, at iPad size
Distance	Cable or up to ~10 m	Any (Wi-Fi or internet)	Any (Wi-Fi or internet)
Picture on the iPad	Fits the iPad	Mac monitor, scaled down with bars	Fits the iPad
Cost	Included in macOS	Free to paid, depending on the app	App + PadTailor
Requirements	Compatible devices, same Apple Account	App on iPad and Mac	Mac with Apple silicon, macOS 14+

Sidecar: when you’re at your Mac

Sidecar is Apple’s own solution. The iPad extends or mirrors the Mac desktop and works with Apple Pencil. According to Apple you need a compatible Mac with macOS Catalina or later and a compatible iPad with iPadOS 13 or later. Both must be signed in with the same Apple Account (with two-factor authentication). Wirelessly, Sidecar only works with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Handoff turned on and the devices no more than about 10 meters apart – or you use a USB cable.

Sidecar is ideal at the desk, on the sofa in the same room, or for drawing. It is not remote control, though: from the office, on a train, or with an iPad signed in to a different Apple Account, it won’t work.

Remote desktop: when the Mac is somewhere else

A remote desktop app streams the Mac’s screen to the iPad over the network and sends taps, keyboard and mouse back. That works on your home Wi-Fi and – through the vendor’s relay service or a VPN – while you’re away, too.

On the Mac you need either the built-in Screen Sharing (VNC) or your remote app’s helper. On the iPad you install the matching app, for example a VNC client, Jump Desktop, Screens, RealVNC Viewer or Chrome Remote Desktop. The details are in Set up your Mac for remote access and Set up a remote desktop app on your iPad.

The catch: your Mac’s monitor doesn’t fit the iPad

The remote app shows the iPad whatever the Mac is currently displaying on its monitor. A MacBook is about 16:10, many external monitors are 16:9. Most iPads are much squarer – the 13-inch iPad Pro is about 4:3. The result:

• Black bars at the top and bottom, because the wider picture is fitted into the iPad.
• Tiny text and controls, because the whole monitor area is shrunk onto the smaller iPad screen.
• Constant zooming and scrolling whenever you need to hit something precisely.

More on this, with concrete numbers for every iPad model, in Mac desktop too small on the iPad.

PadTailor: remote desktop at your iPad’s size

PadTailor is a small menu bar app for Macs with Apple silicon. You pick your iPad model and one of four interface sizes once. When you turn on “iPad display” in the menu bar, PadTailor creates a virtual display with your iPad’s shape and Retina resolution and mirrors the Mac desktop onto it. Your remote app streams the prepared desktop to the iPad. Its scaling and display selection depend on the client and its settings. When you switch off, PadTailor restores your displays to how they were.

Good to know:

• PadTailor doesn’t replace your remote app. Your remote client still handles the connection.
• During a session, all Mac displays show the same desktop in the iPad’s shape. It does not add a separate extended screen.
• Version 1 uses landscape, SDR, Retina 2× and 60 Hz.
• You can try PadTailor free for 14 days – enough to test your combination of Mac, iPad and remote app.

Which option suits you?

• You’re at your Mac and want more room or to work with Pencil: Sidecar.
• You occasionally need to reach your Mac remotely, say to grab a file: a remote desktop app is enough.
• You regularly work longer sessions on your Mac from the iPad: a remote desktop app plus PadTailor, so text and controls are comfortably sized.