Universal Control is a futuristic Apple feature that allows you to use a single Mac keyboard and trackpad to seamlessly control a nearby iPad or a second Mac. If you drag your mouse cursor to the physical edge of your Mac screen, the cursor will magically “jump” over the bezel and appear on the iPad sitting next to it.
While this looks amazing in a commercial, it can be incredibly annoying in reality. If you keep your iPad propped up next to your Mac monitor just to read emails, you might accidentally push your mouse too far to the right. Suddenly, you lose control of your Mac, and you are unintentionally swiping around your iPad. To keep your mouse permanently locked to your Mac screen, you must completely block Universal Control.
How to Completely Block Mac Universal Control
You must dig into the Display settings to disable the automatic cursor jumping feature.
- Click the Apple Logo in the top-left corner of your Mac’s screen.
- Select System Settings from the drop-down menu.
- In the left-hand navigation sidebar, scroll down and click on Displays.
- Look at the bottom of the main Displays window and click the Advanced… button.
- A small pop-up window will appear dedicated entirely to Universal Control behavior.
- You must uncheck the following two boxes to completely disable the feature:
- Uncheck: “Allow your pointer and keyboard to move between any nearby Mac or iPad” (This disables the core feature entirely).
- Uncheck: “Push through the edge of a display to connect a nearby Mac or iPad” (This prevents the physical action of jumping the border).
- Click the blue Done button to save your changes.
Your Mac will instantly terminate the background Bluetooth/Wi-Fi handoff protocol associated with Universal Control. Your mouse cursor is now permanently contained within the physical borders of your Mac monitor, no matter how close your iPad is resting.