Share your Mac's keyboard and mouse with an iPad or another Mac
Quick answer
Open Displays in System Settings, click Advanced… and turn on Allow your pointer and keyboard to move between any nearby Mac or iPad. Turn on Handoff on every device as well.
Why it happens
Universal Control lets you push your pointer off the edge of your Mac's screen and onto a nearby iPad or Mac, and type there with the same keyboard. It's off until you allow it, and it only works when the devices use the same Apple Account, sit close together and have Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Handoff turned on.
How to fix it
Choose Apple menu > System Settings and click Displays. Scroll to the bottom and click Advanced…
Turn on Allow your pointer and keyboard to move between any nearby Mac or iPad. While you're there, turn on Push through the edge of a display to connect a nearby Mac or iPad, and Automatically reconnect to any nearby Mac or iPad. They make connecting easier.
Displays›Advanced…
Click General, then AirDrop & Continuity, and turn on Allow Handoff between this Mac and your iCloud devices.
General›AirDrop & Continuity
On an iPad, open Settings, tap General, then AirPlay & Continuity, and turn on Handoff and Cursor and Keyboard. On older iPadOS versions the menu is called AirPlay & Handoff. For a second Mac, repeat the two Mac steps above on it.
Put the devices next to each other, awake and signed in. Move your pointer to the edge of your Mac's screen nearest the other device and keep pushing. A bar appears on the edge of the other screen, then the pointer slides across.
Still not fixed?
Check that all devices are signed in to the same Apple Account, with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on, and within about 10 metres of each other.
Neither device can be sharing its internet. Turn off Internet Sharing on the Mac, and Personal Hotspot on the iPad.
General›Sharing›Internet Sharing
Install the latest updates on every device. Universal Control needs recent versions of macOS and iPadOS, and older Macs and iPads don't support it at all.
Turn Allow your pointer and keyboard to move between any nearby Mac or iPad off and on again, then restart both devices.
If it still won't connect after updates and restarts on both devices, contact Apple Support.
Questions people ask
How do I use my Mac keyboard on my iPad?
Turn on Universal Control in Displays > Advanced… on the Mac and Cursor and Keyboard on the iPad. Then push your pointer off the screen edge towards the iPad.
Do my Mac and iPad need the same Apple Account for Universal Control?
Yes. Both must use the same Apple Account, with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Handoff on.
Can I drag files between my Mac and iPad with Universal Control?
Yes, in many apps. Drag the file with your pointer from one screen to the other once they're connected.
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