Use your iPad as a Mac Mini monitor - unleash ultimate portability 

This is a great solution for me since I’m a professional musician who uses iPad in Portrait to read sheet music and my home computer is a Mac Mini for Logic and MuseScore. This would let me use my iPad as my Mac Mini monitor when I’m teaching lessons outside of my home and need to use programs that aren’t on iOS.

This is fantastic! I honestly never thought of my Mac mini as portable!

This is literally amazing, i’ve been searching all over the internet and youtube how to connect my mac mini to my ipad without paying for apps ! Thank you so much sir very helpful, as a mobile dj with a mac mini i’ll be able to use a powerful device without bringing a huge tv monitor with me

That is the coolest thing I learned this month. Thanks.

TY! Your solution is great for when a monitor fails (or gets fiddly) and you need backup. But it’s even better for headless Mac Mini (or Studio) setup and maintenance. Furthermore, this is great to make Mac Mini/Studio travel-worthy… without some (huge or fiddly mini) monitor. I already have an iPad so using it makes all the sense in the world, and reduces extra gear (like buying/carrying a monitor just to get a headless computer running). Thank you!

Great video! Thank you!

Thank you this is really cool. Looking at buying an ipad soon & never thought of doing this.

Oh yes, this was interesting. Have to think of some scenarios still but the idea is GREAT. Thank you for sharing.

Trying to do this with my iPad and m2. External video source is selected l, but it’s not detecting Mac mini.

Excellent presentation… thank you ❤❤❤❤❤❤

Soo neat! it works and works well thank you :)

I got a 2018 ipad pro to use as a laptop while im saving for an m1 macbook. I got an ipad because I can still use it after I get my macbook. I cant wait to use use it as a second screen!

Thanks for letting me know about camo Studio

thanks frank!

What will work wireless on a 2011 Intel Mac Mini to M2 IPad Pro? Thanks.

Hi! Its posible the combination with mac mini late 2014 with iPad mini 6?

i use the chrome remote desktop ipad app to remote into my 2009 imac with my ipad. how can i do the same to remote into a 2012 mac mini?

Thx! Already had an ipad and was planning to buy a macbook, but thx to this i think i can replace the macbook with mac mini instead!

I am trying to use an old Mac mini i5 and see if I can use my iPad with air play?

Is there something that is a higher resolution than the 1080 P? Is there anyway I can use apple Magic Keyboard (with trackpad embedded) with mini?

Great video! wow i am now the 1000 like... incredible!

This was fantastic and worked perfectly. Thank you for making this. I changed the resolution on the Mac mini to make it larger, but haven’t found a perfect solution to getting rid of black border in cameo.

Can you KVM the iPad without keyboard and mouse to Mac Mini? I’d like to do that.

Lots of wisdom in this channel 👌🙌

Fantastic

i'm using a nextech keyboard with trackpad and tv, and hope to use ipad when i dont want to use the tv and keyboard. not for taking it outside of home, just want to use the mac mini not on a desk. i'll be using the mac mini mostly as our iphones backup/transfer for photos. dont want icloud plans and accidental transfers of videos/photos over mobile network. i dont work cables though..the mac mini will sit on some furniture, and i use it from my bed etc.

Nice !

Sir the portable keyboard is not linked ; could you please reply with a link ; if you have suggestion how to use MacBook as a screen for the Mac mini please let me know the cable and software to use

Would it be possible to plug my iPhone 15 on my older iPad?

Is iMac (late 2014) with Big Sur MacOS can be connected to an iPad Pro M1?

Very neat hack. 😊 Wish I had this a while ago. Really needed it on a trip back then.

I have an old gen1 iPad Air running iOS 12.5.7… cam studio won’t work on it… any suggestions for an alternative app?

Love this idea. Is it possible to use an iPad keyboard such as a Logitech slim combo that works with my iPad?

Thanks

Hi, superb! I don’t know this can be done. But why can’t you use the iPod keyboard and trackpad with Continuity feature as the mac keyboard? They are on the same wifi and Apple id right?

Does it require an adapter? I have a hdmi to usb-c cable (HDMI out from MacMini directly into the USB-C port on IPad) and Camo doesn’t recognize the “capture card” it just says “none” in the drop down. OK just tried it with an adapter and it still doesn’t work…. Is there a minimum hardware version for the Mac mini? Mine is from 2012… Does it need a silicon M series?

Do we need to do a first time configuration with the mac mini connected to a monitor first before we can use camo studio to connect the mac mini to the ipad ?

hi how are doing learning technology i need some thing from ottawa

Could you also do something similar with a windows laptop that you would plug a mac mini into and could easily switch operating systems? I have a gaming pc I don't want to part with but I need the mac for other things I'm doing and I already have an iPod pro 2022 model for my portable work. How would you go about doing this?

Is there an app for macOS like Camo Studio?

Great !

AstroPad is a wireless device that plugs into a USB-C port on my mini and it works great. You first load a free app on the mini, open it, open the app on your iPad and it automatically detects it and done! I just got it last week to turn my 2017 iMac into a primary screen for the mini when I’m at home. So with one tiny device I saved my beautiful 27” screen from oblivion and have both an iPad AND a MacOS screen for the mini. Mac Continuity automatically shares the keyboard and mouse across devices also without wires. $79 one time price and no subscriptions. Very cost effective and efficient powerhouse flexible system! 😊🎉

Very cool. I have an iPad with lightning connector. Is there a hdmi-to-lightning adapter that can be used rather than the USB? Thanks so much. 🎵

Great video, Frank! Thanks! I'm just wondering if you can use SIDECAR simultaneously with your set-up.

Is there an option to fill up the black bars on top & bottom and go full screen?

thanks

Can you charge your iPad while doing this? Or only if you have the iPad case that takes a charger? And I’m guessing you can’t use that iPad keyboard/trackpad built into the case to do work on the Mac mini?

Is it possible to use the ipad as a monitor while charging the ipad?

Does it charge the iPad as you use it? or does it rain the battery? what accessories can you use to have the iPad connected as your screen and charge at the same time

Camo is not showing the capture card as an option ? Any help I have iPad Air 4th gen running iOS 17.3

Actually this how I Mac compute and I love it. I use my iPad Pro as the main and only display for my headless M1 Mac mini with wireless sidecar via VNC. I wish Apple made this an easier out of the box connection. For example, a simple solution would be in Mission Control on the iPad Pro, I should be able to tap Screen Mirroring and “PULL” the Mac mini “screen” to my iPad if it’s on the same iCloud account and network. To start using my current setup, first I had to connect my Mac mini to my HDMI TV since I don’t have a monitor and I had to connect a mouse and a keyboard, but once set up to do all the necessary setup, I no longer need the mouse, keyboard or display to operate my Mac. I just launch VNC on my iPad Pro, type in my password and my Mac mini display shows up on my iPad and I can do all my my computing I need to. Luckily i don’t need to do anything pro and require fine touch point editing, the Mac is better at batch processing and batch editing like adding tags in the photo app and file management. Also, some BitTorrent archiving and backing-up to my personal iCloud. I wouldn’t mind if to get MacOS on the iPad Pro, Apple choose this route, wired or wireless as A Main use case instead of only as an alternate use case as it is now. Give us faster 1:1 response time. When connected, the Mac OS and the iPadOS merge into one cohesive experience instead of a mirroring experience, doubling the processing while exchanging data, in a synchronize experience. I’m sure this is hard to do because a risk of data loss for unexpected Disconnection either wire or Wireless. But I’m sure Apple can make it a great user experience and they will get the sale of a Mac computer like the Mac mini or the Mac studio or whatever and the sale of iPad Pro for people who want to compute this way. An individual Mac experience as it is now, an individual iPadOS experience as it is now, and a new unique combine computing experience for those who want macOS on iPad Pro hardware. I’ve suggested this use case in Apple feedback for years, but it seems to be falling in deaf ears, so I guess the more people who request this type of computing experience of a combine macOS and iPad hardware experience would have to file their own feedback suggestion also. My Mac mini is pretty much in one location at home because it connected to multiple external hard drives but I can use my iPad Pro wirelessly to Mac computer. But I like your solutions with the HDMI connection dongle, the wireless mouse and the Bluetooth keyboard. Whenever I get a new Mac mini with more internal hard drive space I’ll be able to eliminate the external hard drives and I will have more flexibility of a portable Mac mini all self-contained that I can physically connect to my iPad Pro and I have even greater best of both worlds of macOS and iPadOS and portability.

Interesting setup! Would it also work using the MacBook Air as screen ? (I was planning buying MBA anyway, though I have no need for a new IPad (Air)

I got a cable that has HDMI on one end and USB C on the other and it didn't work 😪 Is it possible that it doesn't work because I don't have an adapter? I mean: should I have an end to end hdmi cable and this cable connect it to a usb c adapter?

That’s a great use of a Mini! I like laptops but this is a pretty good pen/touch Mac (Macbooks with touch/pen don’t really exist in any official capacity)

Works with wifi direct very good

Thank you!! Does it support HDR brightness of the Mini LED-Display of the 13“ iPad for color grading of HDR Video in Final Cut?

I bought the same one but it still doesn't detect the Mac mini, do you have a more exact description of the cable? thanks for your help

Hey nice. Two questions - First can we run literally any program of mac studio that show up in ipad ? Second Will ipad works as main screen using this app with mac studio as well ?

Hi there, will this work on an iPad with a Lightening connector or must it have USB 2?

It seems like a very good solution to me, I bought a cable on one end that has USB C and the other HDMI to connect to a mini Mac, but it doesn't give me an option, after I chose "external video", no device show up.

Would connecting a hdmi to lighting cable work instead of the adapter

Such a great video! Question.. does it HAVE to be a capture card? Could I simply use a usb c to hdmi cable with camo ? How about latency? Any issues ?

Great Video and great idea (like always). Thanx and greetings from Germany. 👍

And what’s the oldest iPad I can get to get it working as a main display with the Mac Mini? Thanks

Can use android tablet as a first monitor instead of ipad

Hey hey ,, awesome well presented info,, was just wondering if 1. it’s possible to draw directly on the iPad screen , using the Apple Pencil 2. Also if softwares like toonboom can be installed on the Mac mini m2 and worked on ! Drawn etc on the iPad screen ( of course saved on Mac mini) that WOULD BE AWESOME … Been thinking about this ..and walla I see your awesome video here 😊

This is a very good solution, and it has helped me a lot. However, I still want to ask if there is a way to solve the current top and bottom black bars in the Como studio?

Great video and great concept! One question: Do you use Camo Studio rather than using Apple Sidecar because it is better or (perhaps) because your iPad doesn't support Sidecar? Thank you!

How do you KVM the iPad? (Use Mac mini as iPad tablet mode without ext keyboard/mouse?)

i have buy a type c to HDMI cable (not adapter but directly cable) to follow the video but it doesn't work :(

I have an iPad 2 and a Mac Mini can you explain how I use both? Thank you.

i dont know if the question is dumb, but if i connect my ipad via hdmi->usb c to my windows laptop, it should also work with camo studio as a second display, right? Great Video

is there a way to power the iPad while using it? Thanks a lot

Thanks Tim Cooky

This is a great solution for working from bed - I have my ipad mounted on an arm over my head, split keyboard by my sides. My bad back thanks you!

I don't see the link of the HDMI adapter, I have one, but only get Crome to the ipad, with no audio, no desktop of the mac mini also no test pattern

Yam Display app is more than enough My stuff in road: - Mac mini - USB to Lightning cord - iPad - Ecoflow River 2 - Keyboard Prestigio Click&Touch 2

Can you just use the magic keyboard connected to your iPad instead of having to use the extra keyboard and mouse ?

Camo Studio doesn't work with older ipads. Alternative?

This is a great tip! The only real surprise for me is why, in 2024, Apple hasn't realized they need to do this natively.

Can i use iPads camera as a webcam?

Dang. Wish I had seen this a month ago!

Magic Keyboard work with mac mini ?

Great video, can you use iPad’s Magic Keyboard and scroll pad?

Without the apple Magic Keyboard can you use your iPad as a monitor and charge it at the same time ?

How can installed softwares in MacMini interact with iPad's apps, e.g. sharing audio and documents?

Does this setup still work ? I’ve downloaded the software but I don’t see the options you’re taking about; maybe they’ve updated the software

Thanks for the video. Can you get the audio from iPad's speakers and can you be able to use iPad's magic keyboard with this set up?

will it work on ipad 9th gen which has lighting port

It's a bit unfortunate, that you can obviously not use the Magic Keyboard and Trackpad. That would remove the necessity for the external devices. Maybe there is an App which makes this possibles?

Good video, straight to the point and very helpful. I could see myself using this but currently looking for a wireless solution. I’m wondering if it would be difficult to write a program that will automatically mirror when the Mac is turned on.

Nice thus this need an iPad Pro though or would an iPad Air be enough?

Does the IPad touch screen works with the Mac or you have to use the mouse and keyboard? 🤔

Can we use the keyboard that’s connected to ipad to control the mac mini? That would make it a real mac book killer.

If you can set your output to 4:3 ratio, then you can take advantage of a full iPad screen (rather than have black bars top and bottom)

Does it work with basic ipad or just ipad pro? The title just says Ipad but you say youre using an ipad Pro which is a lot more expensive.

Is this going to work with the iPad mini 6?

Genius thanks! I'm thinking of a MacBook Air but maybe I'll do this instead!

Cool

luna display headless mode is, what I went for with a Mac.