Extending display from Mac to iPad via USB-C does not work in VPN

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Level 1

8 points

Extending display from Mac to iPad via USB-C does not work in VPN

Dear friends, after lots of browsing the support pages and fiddling with macbook and iPad setting I finally decided to ask all you here ...

My usecase: during a homeoffice my macbook is connected to company's VPN, many times I need a second display and according to Apple's pages it should work. But it doesn't.

I used to connect my macbook to iPad via USB-C, iPad is trusted and can be successfully opened in finder from mac. Both devices are on latest OS version and of course are compatible and supported, both are on the same account with 2FA.

Important fact is, that when my mac is disconnected from company's VPN, extended display on iPad work fine without issue. This is the reason why I'm connecting iPad via wire (USB-C) and I expected that it will work no matter if I am or I am not connected to VPN.

Thanks for any help.

btw: Is it a way how to report a bug to apple even I'm not a developer ?

MacBook Pro (M1, 2020)

Posted on Mar 10, 2024 1:59 AM

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Answer 1

LotusPilot

Level 10

305,163 points

Mar 10, 2024 4:33 AM in response to Bikeridercz

Presumably you are attempting to connect your iPad to your Mac wirelessly, using WiFi. Unless your Mac's VPN connection is configured to support split tunnelling, you will not be able to correct to your iPad while the VPN is active. This is not a bug - but is simply the manner in which VPN network connections are designed to operate.

By design, when the VPN connection is active, all network traffic is directed via the VPN connection to the VPN Gateway - in your example this being your employer - and as such your Mac will not reach the iPad connected to your local WiFi network.

If you are able to reconfigure your VPN client to allow split tunnelling, your Mac will be able to simultaneously access both the secure network connection to your employer - and access local network resources such as your iPad and Printer.

In summary, when using VPN and Sidecar, you may need to connect the Mac and iPad using a cable. If you need assistance with configuring split tunnelling, you would be best advised to seek assistance from your employer. Be aware that your employer's network security policy may not permit you to use split tunnelling when connecting via VPN.

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Answer 2

Bikeridercz Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 10, 2024 9:03 AM in response to LotusPilot

Ok, thank you for a long reply, I’m aware of that VPN bahavior. This is the reason why I’m connecting macbook and iPad via usb-c cable. This does not work and I need to resolve it somehow. In other words I need to force macbook to connect with iPad via wire. Switching iPad to airplain mode does not work, switching iPad’s wifi off does not work too. Any other idea? Thanks.

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Answer 3

Bikeridercz Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 11, 2024 11:50 AM in response to Bikeridercz

Some people are advising to switch iPad to airplain mode, in that case my macBook says this ...

... even that there is a usb-c cable between both devices, and mac's Finder opens iPad without any problem. So that the cable is OK and both devices are aware of each other.

The question then is how to force mac to connect via cable. According to a message mac still tries to connect via Wi-Fi. Any idea ?

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Extending display from Mac to iPad via USB-C does not work in VPN

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