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MacOS Mode for iPad Pro

Okay, I can’t get a straight answer here… google says one thing, Apple Support says another. I asked the Apple Tech at the Apple Store, and he said it’s possible… but I can’t find anything that supports this…


Is it possible to install apps/programs for Mac M1 chips on the iPad Pro in MacOS mode?


I'm looking to install Visual Studio 2022, and Godot IDE, maybe VS Code, also Logic Pro X (from Mac Store, not the lite app) I know the iPad Pro isn’t a “full laptop replacement” … but aside from the hardware power and screen size, if these installs aren’t supported, then what’s the point of the Pro over a regular iPad with a keyboard case?


thanks in advance!

iPad Pro (6th generation)

Posted on Jul 12, 2023 11:25 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jul 12, 2023 12:41 PM

The are some universal Apps that are designed to run on both iPad and Mac devices that run on M-Series CPU/SoC. As yet, these universal Apps are by no means common.


Other mac Apps cannot run on iPadOS platforms - and more the iOS/Apps are able to run on Mac hardware.



17 replies

Apr 4, 2024 10:34 PM in response to william.jonah.roberts

william.jonah.roberts wrote:

Okay, I can’t get a straight answer here… google says one thing, Apple Support says another. I asked the Apple Tech at the Apple Store, and he said it’s possible… but I can’t find anything that supports this…

Is it possible to install apps/programs for Mac M1 chips on the iPad Pro in MacOS mode?


I don't believe that the iPad Pro runs macOS, or has a macOS mode.


As for running apps built for one platform on another, you can't run Mac apps on the iPhone and iPad. You can run some iPhone and iPad on Apple Silicon Macs, IF the app developer permits it. Some apps may not provide a great UI experience on a Mac unless the developer goes to extra trouble to, e.g., have the app customize its UI based on the type of platform it is running on.


I'm looking to install Visual Studio 2022, and Godot IDE, maybe VS Code, also Logic Pro X (from Mac Store, not the lite app) I know the iPad Pro isn’t a “full laptop replacement” … but aside from the hardware power and screen size, if these installs aren’t supported, then what’s the point of the Pro over a regular iPad with a keyboard case?


Apple sells the iPad Pros as high-end iPads, for people who want iPads. Not as Mac tablets.


When you say "what's the point … aside from the hardware power and screen size" – you're dismissing the reason why some people choose iPad Pros over other iPads.


Whether Apple will ever put macOS on the iPad is something that only time will tell.

Sep 24, 2023 7:47 AM in response to william.jonah.roberts

Not sure who you are talking to, but you certainly can’t run Mac apps on iPad as of the iPad Pro with M2 processor. It would certainly be popular if Apple chose to support this in the future, but there isn’t even a public roadmap for this as it stands now.


The benefit is mainly so Apple doesn’t need to make another variant of the A-series processor that is between an iPhone and Mac, but there are a handful of apps that can use the extra performance and memory.

Apr 4, 2024 10:39 PM in response to SergZak

SergZak wrote:

Maybe the Genius misunderstood your question?

You can for a fact run iOS & iPadOS apps on an M1/M2 Mac, provided that the app developer allows this (some do not). I've not heard of being directly able to go the other way (macOS apps directly on an iPad).


With Apple Arcade, most or all of the games have versions for Intel Macs, Apple Silicon Macs, iPhones, and iPads. But there, I think it's a matter of the developers building games for multiple platforms as part of the conditions of having their games featured on the Apple Arcade service.

MacOS Mode for iPad Pro

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