How to Customize Universal Control & Add It to Mac Menu Bar

Learn to change the position of your universally controlled devices as needed. We’ll also teach you to add Universal Control to your Mac menu bar!

By Olena Kagui Tue, 03/15/2022

Universal Control is an excellent multitasking tool that lets you control other Macs and iPads from your Mac. With Universal Control, you can use one keyboard, mouse, and trackpad to control up to three devices via your Mac. What makes it even better is that you can customize it and add Universal Control settings to your Mac’s Menu Bar. You may also find our article on how to set up Universal Control helpful.

What's in This Guide:

How to Customize Universal Control

You can pick which side of your Mac display to control the iPad or other Mac from. To do this:

  1. Click on your Mac’s Apple icon.

    Click on your Mac’s Apple icon.
  2. Select System Preferences.

    Select System Preferences.
  3. Click Displays.

    Click Displays.
  4. You will see the displays of your controlled devices in relation to your Mac's display.

    You will see the displays of your controlled devices in relation to your Mac's display.
  5. Drag the other iPad or Mac to the side of the Mac that you wish for it to be on.

    Drag the other iPad or Mac to the side of the Mac that you wish for it to be on.

Pro Tip: If you don't see any options for step 4, you may be running old software. Make sure to update all Macs and iPads involved and try again.

Your settings will save automatically. Click the red X to close the settings window. I recommend adding Display settings to your Menu Bar for quicker access. For more tips like this, don't forget to sign up for our free Tip of the Day newsletter.

Return to top

How to Add Universal Control Settings to Your Menu Bar

  1. Click on your Mac's Apple icon.

    Click on your Mac’s Apple icon.
  2. Select System Preferences.

    Select System Preferences.
  3. Click on Dock & Menu Bar.

    Click on Dock & Menu Bar.
  4. Click on Display.

    Click on Display.
  5. Make sure Show in Menu Bar is checked.

    Make sure Show in Menu Bar is checked.
  6. Click on the drop-down menu and select Always.

    Click on the drop-down menu and select Always.
  7. Your settings will save automatically. Click the red X to close the settings window. 

    Your settings will save automatically. Click the red X to close the settings window. 
  8. The monitor icon should appear next to your battery icon.

    The monitor icon should appear next to your battery icon.

Return to top

With Universal Control customized to your needs and the Universal Control Settings easy to access in your Mac’s Menu Bar, you are ready to start multitasking. To learn more about Universal Control, read our articles on the different ways you can use Universal Control and how to turn off Universal Control if you get sick of it. Finally, check out these Universal Control troubleshooting tricks if you have any problems Don’t forget to listen to our Why We’re Wild for Universal Control podcast episode.

Master your iPhone in one minute a day: Sign up here to get our FREE Tip of the Day delivered right to your inbox.

Topics

How-To
iPad
Mac
Universal Control
Device Management
Productivity & Business

Author Details

Olena Kagui's picture

Author Details

Olena Kagui

Olena Kagui is a Feature Writer at iPhone Life who lives in Hawaii. With a BA in International Relations from Anglo American University, Olena traveled the world. She has lived in Ukraine, the Czech Republic, China, and the USA. Olena won an excellence award for a controversial article, got a grant to blog from a war-zone, and published a short fictional story. She hopes to publish a full-length novel and continue writing up a storm on her blog The Travel Bug Bite! When she’s not typing or flying, she is loving on animals, crafting bizarre creations, and devouring all-you-can-eat sushi.