Skip to main content

Universal Control is finally here, and it’s blown my mind

They say good things come to those who wait, and we’ve had a hell of a wait for Apple’s Universal Control to roll out.

In case you missed it, Apple touted Universal Control at its WWDC 2021 conference as a feature that lets you control several connected Apple devices — an iPad, a MacBook Air, and an iMac, for example — with just one mouse and keyboard. You just place your devices next to each other, then move your pointer to the edge of one screen and it “bursts through” onto the next one, enabling you to copy files between them or type on one Mac with a different Mac’s keyboard.

And now, it’s finally come out in beta on MacOS Monterey, so of course I decided to take it for a spin. And, despite some teething problems, it was even better than I’d hoped.

The wait was worth it

Moving a mouse from a Mac onto an iPad Air using Universal Control.
When you first move your mouse pointer onto an iPad, you’ll see this “wall” (left) appear, with the pointer trying to “burst through.” Keep pushing and you’ll be able to control both devices with a single mouse or trackpad.

Getting started was as easy as pie — mostly. Once my Mac Mini and iPad Air were updated to the MacOS Monterey 12.3 and iPadOS 15.4 betas, that was it. No further installation required, no tweaking of settings, nothing. Universal Control was just there, ready to go. As Apple is prone to say, it just works.

Sometimes, it took about a minute for my Mac and iPad to recognize each other and for Universal Control to kick in. That was especially true after my Mac had just woken from sleep. But the actual connection was automatic, so there was no need to pair my devices or click through a tedious wizard to get started.

And that’s a key point. Sure, KVM switches have existed for years, and they perform a similar task, allowing you to control several computers with one set of inputs. But they’re complicated to set up and look daunting. They’re not a mainstream solution. Universal Control is the complete opposite. It’s baked in from the start and requires no configuration. It’s so simple that anyone can use it.

Holy wow Universal Control is incredible.

This is me moving between a MacBook Pro, an iPad mini, and an iPad Pro using just the MacBook trackpad and keyboard. It's aware of position, lets you drag files, and supports iPadOS gestures.

The hype was real and it all just works 🤯 pic.twitter.com/PWUTLYZtkW

— Federico Viticci (@viticci) January 27, 2022

But its benefits extend beyond simplicity — it’s actually exciting to use. The first time I dragged a photo from my Mac directly into a Notes document on my iPad, I felt genuinely giddy with delight. The process is so smooth and natural, it feels like it was always meant to be this way. It makes anything else seem backward and passé. Of course, I’ve now ruined my own expectations forever, but it was so worth it. From the outside, my enthusiasm might look like a classic case of Apple’s reality distortion field, but seriously, give it a try yourself. You’ll fall in love like I did.

Previously, I would transfer files between my devices using Dropbox or Apple’s own AirDrop, but they feel positively ridiculous compared to Universal Control. Why rummage around in Dropbox folders or albums in the Photos app when you can just move your files directly from one device into the app or location you need? Universal Control cuts out the friction entirely.

Plus, all this means you don’t need multiple keyboards, mice ,and trackpads for your multiple devices. Once you’ve moved the mouse pointer from one device to another, your keyboard automatically switches focus so you can use your iPad’s third-party keyboard case to type on an iMac, for example. It’s a great time-saver and perfect for productivity.

Something magical — when it works

A System Preferences window for configuring the Universal Control beta in MacOS Monterey.
You can change the orientation of your devices in System Preferences. It works most of the time, but there are some bugs.

Since Universal Control is still a beta, I ran into some problems. In fact, it didn’t work at all at first, but a quick restart of my Mac fixed that issue. Some people have reported Universal Control worked for them the first time, whereas others had to restart their iPad as well as their Mac. Your experience may vary.

Changing the device orientation — such as moving the iPad from the left of my Mac to the right — was buggy. Sometimes Universal Control noticed the new placement and flipped which side of the screen the “portal” to the other device was on, but it would take several minutes to do so. Sometimes it didn’t change at all. Luckily, there’s a new menu in System Preferences > Displays that lets you manually change the orientation. You can also change the vertical position of the devices relative to each other, so the mouse never appears in a weird place.

A System Preferences window for configuring the Universal Control beta in MacOS Monterey.
Universal Control has a few bugs, like this one where the two devices are on top of each other in System Preferences and cannot be realigned.

I also had issues with the connection seemingly dropping, which halted Universal Control in its tracks. Sometimes my iPad refused to appear in my Mac’s display settings, whereas other times the two devices were overlaid on top of each other. Both meant Universal Control didn’t work, at least temporarily.

Regardless of these minor hiccups, it’s clear Universal Control is the real deal. Apple’s ecosystem has always been strong, but this new feature is one of the best reasons yet to team your Mac or iPad up with another compatible Apple device. It’s also a great example of how when Apple gets something really right, it feels almost unbelievably good. I can’t wait until it’s out of beta — let’s just hope it doesn’t take another seven months.

Editors' Recommendations

Alex Blake
In ancient times, people like Alex would have been shunned for their nerdy ways and strange opinions on cheese. Today, he…
This devious scam app proves that Macs aren’t bulletproof
A close-up of a MacBook illuminated under neon lights.

Pirated software can cause all kinds of headaches, but Mac users might have thought themselves largely immune thanks to Apple’s reputation for solid security. Yet, that complacency could prove quite problematic, as a new strain of nearly undetectable malware has shown.

According to research from security firm Jamf Threat Labs, pirated versions of Apple’s Final Cut Pro moviemaking app have been modified to contain cryptojacking payloads. When installed, the app starts using your Mac to mine the Monero cryptocurrency behind your back, potentially slowing down your machine as system resources are illegitimately gobbled up.

Read more
This major Apple bug could let hackers steal your photos and wipe your device
A physical lock placed on a keyboard to represent a locked keyboard.

Apple’s macOS and iOS are often considered to be more secure than their rivals, but that doesn’t make them invulnerable. One security team recently proved that by showing how hackers could exploit Apple’s systems to access your messages, location data, and photos -- and even wipe your device entirely.

The discoveries were published on the blog of security research firm Trellix, and will be of major concern to iOS and macOS users alike, since the vulnerabilities can be exploited on both operating systems. Trellix explains that Apple patched the exploits in macOS 13.2 and iOS 16.3, which were released in January 2023, so you should update your devices as soon as you can.

Read more
Ranking the best (and worst) versions of macOS from the last 20 years
An Apple iMac from 2019 placed on a desk. The macOS Mojave operating system is on its display.

Apple’s macOS operating system is known for its stability and features, but it wasn’t always this way. Throughout the history of macOS (and OS X before it), there have been some real stinkers that Apple would probably rather we all forgot about. Yet there have also been some classic versions that still live fondly in the memories of Mac users new and old.

In this article, we’ve picked five of the best versions of Apple’s Mac operating system, as well as five of its worst, presented in chronological order. We’ve started with the launch of OS X 10.0 in 2001 and continued right up to the present, past the operating system’s rebranding as macOS in 2016. If Windows is your speed, we've also ranked the best Windows versions of all time. Let’s explore Apple’s greatest hits -- and some of its worst howlers.
Worst: OS X 10.0 Cheetah (2001)

Read more