Workbench gives you full control of your Mac from your iPad using touch, Apple Pencil, a connected mouse or trackpad, an on-screen keyboard, or a physical keyboard. This guide will take you through how each method works.
🖱️ Mouse and Cursor
You can control your Mac's cursor from your iPad using any of the following:
Connected Mouse
Connect a Bluetooth or wired mouse to your iPad/iPhone and it will control your Mac's cursor
Magic Trackpad
Connect your Apple Magic keyboard to your iPad or iPhone to control your Mac's cursor
Touch
Tap and drag directly on your iPad/iPhone screen
Apple Pencil
Use your Pencil to navigate and interact with your Mac
Tip: Finger Zoom and Pan will work as normal on your iPad in creative apps, such as Photoshop.
⌨️ Keyboard
Physical Keyboard
A physical keyboard, such as a Magic Keyboard Folio, will work directly with your Mac through your iPad/iPhone. Most key combinations work as expected, including Cmd+C, Cmd+V, Cmd+X, Cmd+Z, and similar shortcuts.
Note: Some iOS system-level shortcuts (like Cmd+Tab, Cmd+H, and Cmd+Shift+3) are currently intercepted by iOS before Workbench can pass them to your Mac. A fix is in progress from our team.
If a physical keyboard is connected to your iPad, the on screen keyboard button will not appear. This is standard iOS behavior and is expected.
On Screen Keyboard
If you do not have a physical keyboard connected, Workbench will have a keyboard button in the tool bar. This will open or hide the on-screen keyboard. Tap it to bring up the keyboard and type wherever there is an option for text.
See it in action:
The on-screen keyboard supports key combinations using modifier keys (Cmd, Ctrl, Option, Shift) with the following keys: letters (a–z), numbers (0–9), punctuation (, . -), arrow keys, Tab, Enter/Return, Backspace, and Space.
Note:
When using modifier key combinations like Cmd+V, commands are performed on your Mac's clipboard, not your iPhone or iPad's clipboard. There is currently no clipboard sync between iOS and macOS in Workbench.
For example, if you copy something on your iPad and try to paste it onto your Mac using Cmd+V, it will paste whatever is on your Mac's clipboard instead.
Workaround:
To paste content onto your Mac, make sure it's already on your Mac's clipboard first.
If you're seeing a prompt on your iPhone or iPad asking for permission to paste, you can stop that by allowing Workbench permanent access in your device settings:
Open the Settings app
Tap Apps
Tap Workbench
Tap Paste from Other Apps
Select Allow
Your resolution will adjust as Workbench makes room for the onscreen keyboard. Since Workbench utilizes a split screen keyboard, you'll be able to see everything on your Mac at the same time.
📱 iPhone Gestures
Workbench on iPhone uses touch gestures to navigate and control your Mac
Gesture | Action |
Pinch and pan | Move around your screen |
Two fingers | Scroll on your Mac |
Touch and hold while dragging | Select and Move |
🖥️ Accessing the Mac Dock on iPhone
If your Mac's dock is set to auto-hide, bringing it up while using Workbench on iPhone requires a few extra steps. Here are your options:
Disable Auto-Hide (Easiest Fix)
The simplest solution is to turn off auto-hide on your Mac's dock before your next Workbench session. This keeps the dock visible at all times while connected.
On your Mac:
System Settings → Desktop & Dock → turn off "Automatically hide and show the Dock"
Tap Near the Bottom Edge
Tapping your finger near the very bottom edge of the screen may trigger the dock to appear.
Keyboard Shortcut
If you have a physical keyboard connected, you may be able to use Cmd + Option + D to toggle the dock.
Note: This shortcut will not work on a Magic Keyboard Folio or Magic Portfolio keyboard, as those shortcuts are routed directly to iOS instead of your Mac.