Does your iPad appear in your sidecar?How to fix it

Is your iPad displayed in the sidecar? According to the report, the problem occurs with both wireless and wired connections.

I haven’t faced such a problem on Mac, but I can find the hidden cause behind this problem, mainly based on my previous experience. So if you’re on the lookout for a broken sidecar, you’re in the right troubleshooting guide.

Let’s get rid of that obstacle right away!

8 Ways to Fix iPad Not Appearing in Sidecar Issues

1. Make sure your device is compatible
2. Keep two-factor authentication enabled
3. Turn off / on Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and handoff
4. Make sure your iPad and Mac don’t share the internet
5. Make sure your iPad is set to trust Mac
6. Disable blocking all incoming connections
7. Sign out of your Apple ID and sign in again
8. Update iPad and Mac

1.1. Make sure your device is compatible

It’s not a solution in itself, but it’s worth repeating that not all Macs and iPads work with Sidecar, even if they support macOS Catalina and iPadOS respectively. Therefore, make sure your device is completely onboard before trying this feature.

IPad with Sidecar support

• 12.9 inch iPad Pro
• 11 inch iPad Pro
• 10.5-inch iPad Pro
• 9.7-inch iPad Pro
• iPad Air (3rd generation)
• iPad (6th generation or later)
• 5th generation iPad mini

Macs that support Sidecar

• MacBook Pro 2016 or later
• MacBook Air 2018 or later
• MacBook 2016 or later
• Mac Pro 2019 or later
• iMac Pro 2017 or later
• iMac 2015 or later
• Mac mini 2018 or later

Note: There are complex workarounds for using Sidecar on unsupported Macs, but they won’t work in most cases and aren’t recommended for regular users. So there is no point in bringing it into the discussion.

2.2. Keep two-factor authentication enabled

Apple has made two-factor authentication mandatory for most new features such as iCloud messages and approved. Sidecars are no exception to this rule. Therefore, if you have 2FA turned off, be sure to enable it so that you can use Sidecar.

On the iPad: Open Settings → Profile photo (avatar) → Password and security → 2-factor authentication.. Then make sure it is enabled.

For Mac: Release System Preferences-> Apple ID-> Password and Security-> Two-Factor Authentication.. Now make sure that the 2FA option is turned on.

3.3. Turn off / on Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and handoff

Both devices must be on the same Wi-Fi connection for Sidecar to work. You also need to enable Bluetooth and Handoff on your iPad and Mac.

If clearing these important check boxes still causes problems, try turning Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and handoffs off / on. Rebooting the device may also help.

Disable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

On Mac, click the Wi-Fi icon in the status bar, Turn off Wi-Fi..

Also, click the Bluetooth icon, Turn off bluetooth..

On the iPad Configuration → Wi-Fi / Bluetooth.. Then turn them off.

Disable handoff

For Mac: Click the Apple icon on the toolbar (or use Spotlight search) → System Preferences → General..Clear the check box Allow handoff between this Mac and iCloud device..

On the iPad: Settings → General → Handoff, Then turn on hand over..

Then reboot both devices. After rebooting, turn on Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Handoff on your Mac and iPad.

Then try using the sidecar as usual. Simply click the AirPlay icon in your Mac’s menu bar and select the option to connect to your iPad. If it works, you can go.

Note: To use Sidecar wirelessly, keep the devices within 10 meters (30 feet) of each other.

4.4. Make sure your iPad and Mac don’t share the internet

Sidecars will not work if the iPad and Mac are set to share internet connections. You may have enabled Internet sharing on your device and forgot to turn it off. Check it out as it may be the reason behind this issue.

On the iPad Settings → Personal Hotspot Then switch it off.

On Mac, open System Preferences → Sharing..Then clear the check box for Internet sharing..

5.5. Make sure your iPad is set to trust Mac

Make sure your iPad is set to trust Mac, especially if you use Sidecar over USB. When you connect your iPad to a macOS device with a cable, a pop-up appears on your tablet asking you to trust your computer.Tap trust..

Reset your location and privacy in case you don’t see the computer trust pop-up.Release Configuration On the iPad → General → Reset..Now tap Reset location and privacy confirm.

Connect your tablet to your computer. A trust pop-up is displayed.

6. Disable blocking all incoming connections

Did you enable the firewall on your Mac? Embedded in the firewall settings is an option to block all incoming connections except those required for basic Internet services such as IPSec, DHCP, and Bonjour.

It may be useful to turn it off as it is known to cause connectivity issues.

One thing worth mentioning is that you don’t have to turn off your firewall to disable this feature.

Open System Preferences → Security & Privacy → Firewall tab. Then click Lock and enter your username and password.

Then click on Firewall Options and clear the check box on the left Block all incoming connections..Finally, click all right It’s over.

7. Sign out of your Apple ID and sign in again

Another sidecar requirement is that your device must be signed in to iCloud with the same Apple ID. Therefore, make sure you also check this requirement.

If you still have problems after meeting this requirement, sign out of your Apple ID on your iPad and Mac. Then sign in again.

For iPad: Open Configuration → Profile photo → Sign out..

For Mac: Open System Preferences → Apple ID → Sign Out..

Then sign in with the same Apple ID on both devices.

8.8. Update iPad and Mac

If you don’t have a trick to fix the iPad not showing up in Sidecar, it could be due to a software bug. If your device isn’t up to date, now is the time. In most cases, a software update will eventually resolve the issue.

For iPad: Open Configuration → General → Software update..

For Mac: Click the Apple icon → System Preferences → Software Update..

Hopefully you’ve also found a way to improve the problem and deal with common obstacles that tend to pop up from time to time.

From what I’ve experienced, Sidecar is a step in the right direction from a productivity standpoint. Make the most of seamless integration between macOS and iPad OS. It’s not perfect, but it works very well to turn your iPad into a handy secondary screen on Mac.

So which of the above solutions fixed the sidecar on your device? Share your feedback in the comments section.

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