How to Use a Tablet as a Second Monitor

Which tablets and computers work together

On the computer side, Any Display runs on macOS 12.3 or later (Apple Silicon and Intel), 64-bit Windows 10 and 11 (including Windows on ARM), and Linux on a GNOME Wayland session. On the receiving side you can use an iPad on iPadOS 16 or later, an Android tablet or phone on Android 9 or later, and an iPhone.

Built-in tools come in fixed pairs. Apple's Sidecar links a Mac with an iPad. Samsung's Second Screen links a Galaxy Tab with Windows. Anything else, like a Galaxy Tab on a Mac or an iPad on a Windows laptop, needs an app that bridges the gap. That mixed-pair case is what Any Display is built for.

Extend or mirror?

Extend turns the tablet into a separate, independent screen. You keep your main work on the big monitor and park chat, reference material or a timeline on the tablet. When people say they want a second monitor, this is nearly always what they mean.

Mirror shows the same picture as the computer. It suits presenting while you hold the tablet, or letting someone next to you follow along. You can also send a single app window to the tablet if you do not want to show the whole desktop. The connection steps are in the extend and mirror guide.

Wireless or cable depends on where you sit

On the same Wi-Fi, the app finds your computer automatically and connects without a cable. That is great for casual use, and you can carry the tablet to the couch. A USB cable is usually steadier no matter what your router is doing, and it charges the tablet too, so it is the better choice for a fixed desk setup.

Some office and hotel networks stop devices from seeing each other, which can break automatic discovery. USB solves that. Android may need USB debugging turned on, and connecting an iPad to Windows over USB needs the Apple Devices app from the Microsoft Store. For tuning a wireless setup, see the wireless second monitor article.

What changes once it is on your desk

The first thing you will notice is the mouse jumping the wrong way, because the tablet's position in your display settings does not match where it sits. Drag it into place in the Windows or macOS display settings. Resolution and scaling live there too, and a small tablet usually reads better with scaling nudged up.

Stand the tablet upright with Auto Rotate on and it works nicely for long documents, code or chat lists. Video is sent as H.265 when both ends support it, otherwise H.264, at up to 120 fps (depending on the screen’s refresh rate and your computer). How responsive it feels depends on your network and devices, so the honest test is to try it on your own setup.

What a tablet monitor suits, and what it does not

If all you want is more screen room, a tablet does the job well. In practice it breaks down like this.

• Good fits: documents beside reference material, chat, mail and calendar parked on the side, code and logs, extra space on a business trip
• Things you gain: direct touch, a trackpad mode, drawing with a pen that sends pressure and tilt
• Weaker spots: work that needs exact color, and DRM-protected video such as Netflix, which can show a black screen

You can also send the computer's audio to the connected tablet. It goes to one place or the other, not both at once. To look at each feature separately, open second display or touch control.