To use direct touch with Sidecar, connect your iPad as a Mac display, then tap and interact with the Mac content shown on the iPad. Apple describes expanded touch support for interacting with Mac windows and menus in macOS 27 and iPadOS 27. Its English guide does not list every gesture or guarantee that all apps respond in the same way.
What you need for Sidecar touch
The expanded touch behavior described by Apple is for macOS 27 paired with iPadOS 27. Sidecar also requires compatible devices and the same Apple Account on both devices, with two-factor authentication enabled. Apple’s current compatibility guide lists macOS Catalina 10.15 or later for supported Macs, and iPadOS 13 or later for supported iPads; check its device list for your exact model: Apple’s Sidecar requirements.
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For wireless Sidecar, enable Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Handoff on both devices. Apple states that the devices should be within 10 metres (30 feet) of each other for wireless use. You can also connect the iPad to the Mac with USB; the iPad must trust the Mac, and a cable can keep it charged while Sidecar is in use. See Apple’s connection requirements.
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Connect the iPad and choose how to use its screen
- On the Mac, open System Settings > Displays, then add or select the iPad. You can also start Sidecar from Screen Mirroring in Control Centre or the menu bar.
- Choose whether the iPad extends the Mac desktop or mirrors it. An extended display gives you additional desktop space; mirroring shows the same Mac content on both screens.
- To put a Mac window on the iPad, drag it across to that display, or use the window’s full-screen control and choose the option to move it to the iPad.
Apple’s setup and window-moving instructions are in Use iPad as a second display for your Mac.
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Touch Mac windows and menus from the iPad
Once Mac content is displayed on the iPad, use your finger to touch the windows and menus there. In macOS 27 and iPadOS 27, Apple also says you can touch and hold a window’s full-screen control on the iPad to move that window back to the Mac.
Apple’s English guide describes expanded touch support but does not provide a complete gesture inventory. Earlier Sidecar versions supported a limited set of iPad gestures, including two-finger scrolling and cut, copy, paste, and undo. Those examples are not a promise that every gesture works in every app, or that every app handles direct touch identically.
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- PERFORMANCE AND STORAGE — The superfast A16 chip delivers a boost in performance for your favorite activities. And with all-day battery life, iPad is perfect for playing immersive games and editing photos and videos.* Storage starts at 128GB and goes up to 512GB.*
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Finger touch, Apple Pencil, and a pointer
Direct finger touch does not require an Apple Pencil. Pencil is an optional alternative for tasks such as pointing, clicking, selecting, drawing, photo editing, manipulating objects, and marking up documents. Apple documents a double-tap feature for Apple Pencil (2nd generation) or later in apps that support it, when the feature is enabled in settings. Details are in Apple’s Sidecar guide.
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Notes for Mac app developers
Apple’s Technical Note TN3212: Adopting gesture recognizers for Sidecar touch support says that, in macOS 27, gesture recognizers are the way for apps to receive direct Sidecar touch input. Touch is not delivered through the responder chain or local and global event monitors.
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- PERFORMANCE AND STORAGE — The superfast A16 chip delivers a boost in performance for your favorite activities. And with all-day battery life, iPad is perfect for playing immersive games and editing photos and videos.* Storage starts at 128GB and goes up to 512GB.*
- 11-INCH LIQUID RETINA DISPLAY — The gorgeous Liquid Retina display is an amazing way to watch movies or draw your next masterpiece.* True Tone adjusts the display to the color temperature of the room to make viewing comfortable in any light.
- IPADOS + APPS — iPadOS makes iPad more productive, intuitive, and versatile. With iPadOS, run multiple apps at once, use Apple Pencil to write in any text field with Scribble, and edit and share photos.* iPad comes with essential apps like Safari, Messages, and Keynote, with over a million more apps designed specifically for iPad available on the App Store.
- FAST WI-FI CONNECTIVITY — Wi-Fi 6 gives you fast access to your files, uploads, and downloads, and lets you seamlessly stream your favorite shows.
That change particularly affects code built around event-tracking loops, nextEvent(matching:), and mouse handlers such as mouseDown(with:), mouseDragged(with:), and mouseUp(with:). Apps using those approaches should use gesture recognizers for Sidecar touch rather than trying to intercept the touches through event monitors or NSApp/sendEvent:.
TN3212 also discusses yielding to scrolling with cancellableByScrollGesture, touch-capability reporting with NSScreenTouchCapabilitiesMultiTouch, and meaningful location(in:) behavior in subclasses. Consult the current technical note and API references before implementing these details.
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