Sidecar works with one iPad at a time, but it can be used alongside additional external displays. If you don’t see the AirPlay icon near the right end of your Mac’s menu bar, go to System Preferences, click Displays and turn on Show mirroring options in the menu bar when available. There are also links to display and Sidecar preferences. Click it for instant control of what is displayed on your iPad: whether it mirrors or extends the Mac desktop and shows additional Mac shortcuts alongside the desktop. When Sidecar is in use, the AirPlay menu changes to an iPad icon.

To connect your devices using Sidecar, open the AirPlay menu and choose your iPad.

Sidecar will stay connected within a range of 10 metres (30 feet) both connected devices must be logged into the same iCloud account in order for Sidecar to work. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and Handoff must be switched on for a wireless connection to work. Sidecar can work with a wired connection (Lightning or USB Type-C) or wirelessly. You’ll need a Mac running macOS 10.15 Catalina and an iPad running iPadOS 13. The ‘Move to iPad’ option (available upon clicking any window from your main desktop) lets you interact with the window directly from your iPad, so you can take advantage of pencil pressure and other dynamics even while your iPad is not actively attached as a second display.

Affinity designer mac ipad