Unable to Connect MacBook Pro M3 to iPad Pro (11-inch 4th generation)

"Unable to Connect to iPad Pro

Sidecar can't connect wirelessly because your iPad's Wi-Fi is not available. To use Sidecar wirelessly, turn on Wi-Fi and make sure it is not in use for Personal Hotspot."


Both devices use same WI-FI (not Personal hotspot).



I reseted MacBook to factory settings and updated iPad to latest version.


It can be connected via a wire. But wireless connection doesn't work.

iPad Pro, iPadOS 17

Posted on Jul 9, 2024 12:55 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jul 9, 2024 3:44 AM

If set-up correctly, should you continue to experience difficulties, your WiFi Router may be unexpectedly failing to pass Apple Bonjour traffic on you local network - or your WiFi Router or Network Switch may be blocking this (or other) device discovery protocol(s).


This issue can occur for a number of reasons. Ensure that your wired and wireless network segments are part of the same IP-subnet, are not defined as separate VLANs - or that one or other are defined as “guest” networks, or placed in a DMZ. You may find that your router has a setting that limits/restricts broadcast and network discovery traffic; by example, if your Router has an IGMP Snooping setting, try toggling this or similar settings. Your Router WiFi settings may also have privacy settings that isolate WiFi clients from each other; if present, ensure these settings are disabled.


The Apple Bonjour protocol uses mDNS (Multicast DNS) UDP port 5353.



You may find that restart of your network components will resolve the problem. You’ll need to restart your network devices in the correct order. Assuming that you WiFi Router provides DNS services for your network, restart devices in this order - allowing time for devices to fully boot/restart prior to restarting other devices:


  • WiFi Router
  • Upstream wired Network Switch(es)
  • WiFi Access Points / Network Extenders
  • Other fixed infrastructure devices - such as Printers
  • Client devices



If you continue to have difficulties, check to see if your iPad or Mac are using the new WiFi Private Address feature. This feature is intended to provide additional privacy and security when using “public” (untrusted) WiFi networks. For iPad:

Settings > WiFi > [Your WiFi Network / SSID] - tap the “i” icon - Private Address


The Private Address feature is largely unnecessary for your home WiFi network; if enabled, Private Addressing can interfere with anticipated operation of other devices. In such circumstances, you may need to disable this feature - and can be enabled or disabled for each individual network.


Use private Wi-Fi addresses in iOS 14, iPadOS 14, and watchOS 7 - Apple Support

1 reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jul 9, 2024 3:44 AM in response to Dory_D5

If set-up correctly, should you continue to experience difficulties, your WiFi Router may be unexpectedly failing to pass Apple Bonjour traffic on you local network - or your WiFi Router or Network Switch may be blocking this (or other) device discovery protocol(s).


This issue can occur for a number of reasons. Ensure that your wired and wireless network segments are part of the same IP-subnet, are not defined as separate VLANs - or that one or other are defined as “guest” networks, or placed in a DMZ. You may find that your router has a setting that limits/restricts broadcast and network discovery traffic; by example, if your Router has an IGMP Snooping setting, try toggling this or similar settings. Your Router WiFi settings may also have privacy settings that isolate WiFi clients from each other; if present, ensure these settings are disabled.


The Apple Bonjour protocol uses mDNS (Multicast DNS) UDP port 5353.



You may find that restart of your network components will resolve the problem. You’ll need to restart your network devices in the correct order. Assuming that you WiFi Router provides DNS services for your network, restart devices in this order - allowing time for devices to fully boot/restart prior to restarting other devices:


  • WiFi Router
  • Upstream wired Network Switch(es)
  • WiFi Access Points / Network Extenders
  • Other fixed infrastructure devices - such as Printers
  • Client devices



If you continue to have difficulties, check to see if your iPad or Mac are using the new WiFi Private Address feature. This feature is intended to provide additional privacy and security when using “public” (untrusted) WiFi networks. For iPad:

Settings > WiFi > [Your WiFi Network / SSID] - tap the “i” icon - Private Address


The Private Address feature is largely unnecessary for your home WiFi network; if enabled, Private Addressing can interfere with anticipated operation of other devices. In such circumstances, you may need to disable this feature - and can be enabled or disabled for each individual network.


Use private Wi-Fi addresses in iOS 14, iPadOS 14, and watchOS 7 - Apple Support

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Unable to Connect MacBook Pro M3 to iPad Pro (11-inch 4th generation)

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