Sidecar Adds Touch Support With macOS 27 and iPadOS 27

Until now, Sidecar was deliberately restricted as a touch surface.

Multi touch gestures such as two finger scrolling, pinch to zoom, and three finger gestures for copy, cut, paste, and undo have been supported for years.

Tapping with a finger to click a link, open an app, or otherwise interact with the macOS interface was not.

Those actions required the Mac's connected mouse or trackpad, or an Apple Pencil. The new Direct Touch capability removes that limitation.

In macOS 27, users can tap, swipe, and interact with macOS apps directly on the iPad screen using a finger. Apple Pencil support still continues alongside the new touch input.

The change brings Sidecar closer in function to third party tools such as Luna Display, which have offered finger control of a mirrored Mac for some time.

What You Need to Use It

The expanded Sidecar functionality requires an Apple Silicon Mac running macOS 27 Golden Gate and a compatible iPad running iPadOS 27.

As with earlier versions of the feature, both devices must be signed in to the same Apple ID, connected to the same wireless network, and have Bluetooth enabled. The two devices also need to be within 10 meters of each other.

A Step Toward Touch on the Mac

Direct Touch is the latest sign that Apple is preparing macOS for touch input more broadly. It arrives alongside other touch oriented additions in macOS 27, including pull to refresh support.

Apple is reportedly developing a "MacBook Ultra" positioned above the MacBook Pro as a new top tier laptop.

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the device is expected to feature a touchscreen OLED display, an M6 series chip, a Dynamic Island, and a thinner design. Gurman has said the MacBook Ultra is now more likely to launch in early 2027 than late 2026, a delay he attributes to the global memory chip shortage.