Universal Control beta deep dive–tips and tricks, best practices, more

Universal Control beta deep dive – tips and tricks, best practices, and more

9to5Mac By Jeff Benjamin

[{"selector":"#anim-51f6c572-a30d-463b-af9f-7df733cec9fa","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":500,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] If you’re a Mac user who owns multiple Macs and/or iPads, then Universal Control, a handy utility that makes it easy to control multiple Apple devices from a single keyboard and mouse/trackpad, can greatly benefit your workspace .

It’s one of the rare utilities that can both simplify and supercharge your desktop.

[{"selector":"#anim-563f1409-9801-4791-874d-c0fb3207c8f1","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":500,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

[{"selector":"#anim-2664b18d-8629-4228-a9a2-6462d056acb4","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":500,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] What is Universal Control? Universal Control, a feature previewed back at WWDC 2021, allows users to control multiple Macs or iPads from a single input source.

[{"selector":"#anim-9cd9ec19-57df-436c-b04c-b10a32e2dee2","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":500,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] For example, you can initiate a Universal Control session from your MacBook Pro in order to control a nearby iPad using the same keyboard and trackpad on your laptop.

[{"selector":"#anim-7b7c2be3-b8ce-4298-9110-93dc5482adac","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":500,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] To use Universal Control, you’ll need at least one compatible Mac running the macOS 12.3 beta, along with another device — either a second Mac running the same beta, or an iPad running the iPadOS 15.4 beta.

[{"selector":"#anim-ff483dc6-5fbc-4cf4-a130-501f55b2c0ba","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":500,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Outside of a possible glitch or bug, you cannot use Universal Control without a primary Mac serving as host.

[{"selector":"#anim-fcb51592-f510-488d-bd33-415b3dd493e9","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":500,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] What Universal Control is not… Universal Control does not turn your iPad or extra Macs into external displays for your primary Mac.

[{"selector":"#anim-0fcd9b0a-b081-4b9c-a9e1-2c6cdfaf90a9","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":500,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Instead, Universal Control allows you to control each separate device with the same mouse/trackpad and keyboard that you use on your main Mac.

[{"selector":"#anim-25df67cc-399c-4221-91a5-805aa13708fa","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":500,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Watch our hands-on video as we go in depth and discuss Universal Control tips and tricks, requirements, best practices, glitches, and more at 9to5Mac.com. Watch the video