How to Enable Sidecar on Unsupported Macs

Last Updated: May 27, 2023

Starting with macOS Catalina, Sidecar is no longer available to turn your iPad into a second monitor since it was removed in this update. This wikiHow teaches you how to enable Sidecar on macOS Catalina. To use Sidecar normally (like with Big Sur), choose the option from the AirPlay menu in the menu bar at the top of your screen. ^{[1]
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Things You Should Know

Although Sidecar is no longer available beginning with macOS Catalina, you can still enable it by typing commands into a Terminal window.
Once you enter the commands to enable Sidecar on your newer Mac, you'll have the Sidecar option in your System Preferences panel, in which you can configure your iPad as a second monitor.

Steps

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Your iPad should have come with a lightning to USB cable that you'll want to use. The lightning port is at the bottom of your iPad and the USB port on your computer is either on the back or sides of the monitor.
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You can find it in the Utilities folder in Finder, or by pressing Cmd + Spacebar to open Spotlight.

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3
Enter the following code.
```
defaults write com.apple.sidecar.display AllowAllDevices -bool true; defaults write com.apple.sidecar.display hasShownPref -bool true; open /System/Library/PreferencePanes/Sidecar.prefPane
```
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4
Press Return . This will run the command you typed into Terminal. Typos will return an error, so if you don't get the result you want, you'll need to type it in again.
- If prompted enter your password.
- You'll know if this code was successful if your System Preferences opens with an option for "Sidecar." ^{[2]
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Tips

If you're using Big Sur and having trouble connecting to your iPhone or iPad via Sidecar, reset the Bluetooth connection between your devices, then connect your iPad or iPhone to your Mac with a cable and change the visibility setting to "Show while connected WiFi" from your Mac (Finder > your iPad/iPhone > General > Options). Then go to Preferences > Sidecar > "Connect to…" > Your iPhone/iPad . ^{[3]
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If the method using Terminal does not work for you, you can always pay for the third-party app called Duet Display that has a high rating and is very popular.

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