How to Test Universal Control on MacOS Monterey Beta
One of the most exciting features that Apple announced at WWDC 2021 was Universal Control. This feature makes it easy to switch cursor and keyboard between multiple Macs and iPads. In fact, it is so convenient that it does not require any configuration. You can move the cursor from one device to another by simply sliding it away from the edge of one screen and onto the screen next to it.
This feature will be available in macOS Monterey and iPadOS 15, but will not be available at launch. But thanks to developer Zhuowei Zhang, this feature can be tested. If two of your Macs are running macOS Monterey Beta 5, you can use a Plist file to enable hidden code. Unfortunately, there is currently no option to enable this on iPad, so you have to wait until the final release to use it between your Mac and iPad.
How to enable Universal Control in macOS Monterey Beta
If you are already using macOS Monterey beta 5, all you need to do is download the file and place it in the library folder. Take a look at the steps below.
Go to Zhuowei Zhang’s GitHub page to find the “Ensemble.plist” file. Here, right-click on the ” Raw ” button and download the linked file to your desktop (it will have a “.plist” extension).
Now open Terminal and paste the following command.
sudo mkdir -p / Library / Preferences / FeatureFlags / Domain /
This will create a folder. If you are unable to create the folder, you may need to disable System Integrity Protection . Now let’s open the folder using a terminal command. Enter the following command and press Enter.
Open / Library / Preferences / FeatureFlags / Domain /
Now that the domain folder is open, simply drag and drop the “Ensemble.plist” file into the folder. Enter the administrator password for confirmation. After moving the file, restart your Mac to enable this feature. Repeat this process on all Macs where you want to use Universal Control.
This feature only works on Macs 2016 and newer and with iCloud and Handoff enabled.
You can confirm that the feature is active by going to System Preferences . Here go to the ” Displays ” section. In the Add Display drop-down list, you will see the Associate Keyboard and Mouse section. This means that the function is active.
To use universal control between two Macs, simply place them side by side, make sure iCloud and Handoff are turned on, and simply move your cursor from one edge of the screen to the other.
[ 9to5Mac ]