Shop E Store The release and reception of the new M4 Mac mini seems to have been positive. The combination of pure power, small size, and most importantly, price is unlike anything we’ve seen before. At less than $550 on Amazon, it’s one you don’t want to miss. But this new form factor has people salivating at the idea of using the Mac mini as a portable computing solution. The next question is, can I use my iPad as a mobile display for my Mac mini mobile setup? The answer is yes. There are two ways to do it.
The videos below demonstrate these two methods in detail. We recommend checking out the videos to get a step-by-step guide for each.
Method 1: Use your iPad as a dummy display
You may have read a post from a few months ago about how to use your iPad as a dummy display for your gaming console. We took that idea and put it into Mac mini, and it works perfectly.
What you need:
How to set up
Once you have everything you need, the rest is easy.
- Open the Orion app
- Plug the HDMI cable into the HDMI capture card
- Connect the USB-C end of your capture card to your iPad.
- Turn on your Mac mini
- Your Mac mini can now use your iPad display as a portable HDMI display.
The Orion app and HDMI capture card are the heart of this experience. The app looks great and has a cool retro vibe. The free version is sufficient for normal use. It supports 1080p, lets you enjoy great sound from your iPad speakers, and even has a fun CRT filter. Capture cards provide an inexpensive and reliable solution to accomplish this easily.
Method 2: Continuity
This method is the easiest, but one drawback is that you need to have a Mac mini set up for it to work. But it’s a great way to see how MacOS works on the iPad. So I wanted to include this.
What you need:
- Mac running the latest MacOS
- iPad running the latest iPadOS
- Both devices are signed into the same iCloud account
- Both devices on the same Wi-Fi network
- Both devices are within 30 feet of each other (ideally)
In my example, I’m using an M4 Mac mini and an M4 iPad Pro, each running the latest operating system. This is very easy to do once you have all your items lined up.
- Make sure both devices are turned on
- Open system settings
- tap display
- Tap the “+” icon
- Under Mirror or extend to, tap your iPad
- You can now use your iPad as your main, extended, or mirror display.
It works wonders for anyone who wants to make their iPad the central hub of their MacOS desk setup. It runs smoothly with little to no lag and gives you a great idea of what MacOS feels like on the iPad Pro. In case you’re wondering, a touchscreen works, but it works just like a mouse. When connected to an iPad Magic Keyboard, the keyboard portion works, but the trackpad does not.
However, as mentioned above, you’ll need an actual display to set this all up first. The real way to use your iPad as a mobile-only display is method 1.
final thoughts
Spending $20 on a capture card to use my iPad as a display for my Mac mini is a no-brainer for me. The first thing that comes to mind is travel, especially road trips and vacations. There are so many incredible possibilities, including being able to take this to a coffee shop or a co-worker’s space. This is another reason why the iPad is the most versatile computer available.
What do you think? Would you like to consider this? Discuss this in the comments below!
