iPad Air M1 Using External Monitor Only Allows Mirroring.

My iPad Air M1, when I am using an external monitor, only allows me to mirror the display. iPad is updated, Stage Manager turned on, the second display connected either through a hub or directly via HDMI to USB-C cable. It mirrors just fine, but doesn't allow an option to adjust position or extend the display.

Posted on Jun 9, 2023 7:09 AM

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6 replies

Feb 2, 2024 6:53 AM in response to gido12

gido12 wrote:

I have a 10th gen ipad and am connected to a screen with 16;9 aspect and above that resolution but It is still not extending my display.


The iPad10 does not support Stage Manager - but does support Display Mirroring.


Due to limitations of internal hardware, the Stage Manager feature (providing the extended desktop display) is only available for these models of iPad:


  • iPad Air (5th generation)
  • iPad Pro 11-inch (all generations)
  • iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation and later)


Feature availability is usually limited by system hardware - CPU and available RAM being critical to some advanced functionality.


iPad models supporting Stage Manager have an M2, M1 or A12X CPU (upon which the M-series CPUs are reportedly based) - with at least 8GB RAM.

Jun 9, 2023 7:38 AM in response to cbergen

Your monitor’s screen resolution will impact the available settings and external screen capabilities. 


While undocumented, testing has demonstrated that 4:3 monitors with a display resolution of 1280x1024 and below are currently only usable with iPad screen mirroring; as such, associated settings to disable screen mirroring in favour of Stage Manager are not available in iPad Display settings.


When used with a 16:9 widescreen monitor, with a native display resolution of 1920x1080 or greater, the full set of Display settings - and access to Stage Manager - become available.


The iPad User Guide lists the upper resolution limit as 6K - but the Guide offers no lower limit, or suggestion of aspect-ratio, being a factor for compatibility:


Connect iPad to a display with a cable - Apple Support


This discussion thread may be of additional interest:

iPad Extended Desktop not working - Apple Community


In conclusion, your monitor must be capable of 16:9 widescreen 1920x1080 (FHD) or greater to support iPadOS16 Stage Manager extended desktop. Unless the monitor meets the minimum required specifications, you will not see the full range of controls in iPad settings.  


When mirroring your iPad display to an external monitor, expect to see black bars to infill where the iPad screen doesn’t match the aspect ratio of monitor screen.


Whether or not this is an intentional limitation, or a bug introduced with release of iPadOS 16.4.1/16.5, is unknown.

This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

iPad Air M1 Using External Monitor Only Allows Mirroring.

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