MASTER YOUR MAC

Make a Great Handoff

Work seamlessly across devices.

With apps that support Handoff, you can start working on one device—your Mac, iPhone, iPad, and even Apple Watch—and effortlessly pick up on another that’s nearby.

Start composing an email on your iPad, then finish on your iPhone on the way out the door. Create a presentation on your iMac, then instantly switch to your MacBook Air to polish it up and present. Or move a page from Safari on your iPhone to your Mac’s bigger screen.

Finish that email on your iPhone to grab a photo you just took.

Set It Up

To use Handoff, your devices should be signed in to iCloud using the same Apple ID and have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi turned on.

Then enable Handoff on each:

‣ On Mac: Go to System Preferences > General, then check “Allow Handoff between this Mac and your iCloud devices”.

‣ On iPhone and iPad: Enable in Settings > General > AirPlay & Handoff.

‣ On Apple Watch: Open the Watch app on your iPhone, tap General, then tap Enable Handoff.

Hand It Off

When you’re using an app that supports Handoff and switch to your Mac, the app will automatically appear in your Dock with the name of the sending device. Click the icon to open the app right where you left off.

Handing off to an iPhone or iPad? Open the iOS or iPadOS app switcher to make the transition.

For security, devices must be near each other for Handoff to work.

Built-in Mac apps such as Safari, Mail, Reminders, and Notes support Handoff, as do many apps in the Mac App Store. Here are some standouts:

iA Writer

Start writing in this distraction-free text editor on one device, then polish your text on another—without having to hunt down the document.

Bear

Add photos, clippings, tasks, or URLs to a note on your iPhone, then switch to your Mac to add details or move the contents to other apps.

Deliveries

Get a notification for a tracked package on your Apple Watch, then view all the details on your Mac.

Drafts

Dash off an idea in plain text on your iPhone, then open it on your Mac to flesh it out.

PCalc

Enter a calculation on one device, then transfer it to another.

Keynote, Numbers, and Pages

Don’t worry where you save your documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. It’s a snap to work on them—no matter how complex—across your devices.