Duet Display is an app that lets you use an iPad as a second screen for your computer. Originally “computer” meant Mac. But now the developers have launched an update with support for Windows.

That means you can connect an iPad to a Windows computer with a Lightning cable, fire up the app and Windows will treat your tablet as a second display.

duet display windows

The app supports Windows 7 or later and allows you to extend your Windows desktop to the second screen. For example you could watch a video on your tablet while composing a document on your notebook screen or have Twitter or a chat window up on one screen while playing a game in the other.

Not only does Duet Display let you treat the iPad as a second screen, but it also acts as a touchscreen: you can interact with Windows apps by tapping the touchscreen… but as Windows Central notes, Microsoft’s operating system will treat your finger presses as if they were mouse input, not touch. That means you won’t be able to Windows swipe gestures on the touchscreen.

The Verge also notes that Windows will treat the iPad as a 1024 x 768 pixel display, even if you have an iPad with a higher-resolution “Retina” display.

Duet Display normally sells for $16, but right now it’s available from the App Store for $10. You’ll also need to visit the Duet display website to download and install a free app on your Mac or PC.

 

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8 replies on “Turn an iPad into a second screen for a Windows PC (or Mac) with Duet Display”

  1. Epic Fail on the windows installer on windows 7 , windows 8 and 8.1 come on guys fix it!

  2. I had an app that did this years ago but it was blue tooth and a bit slow. I wonder if the physical connection would make it faster and more usable.

    1. I’ve been using Duet Display since it launched on iOS and it works incredibly. I’ve also used other dual screen apps and experienced disappointing lag time over Bluetooth. The direct connection required for Duet Display definitely makes a huge difference. It works flawlessly.

  3. I hope that with USB 3.1 and Type C in the future we have the ability to use most devices that have the connector as a display. It would help promote freedom and such. I mean really. I use an HTC One Max as a WiFi tablet at home since I don’t have the cash to get it activated on Sprint or an MVNO right now. And my monitor for my gaming rig is only 1440×900 (sorry boys, my 1680×1050 panel greened out on me years ago, this is an HP monitor we had lying around). I mean. My phone is 1080p, and now we have phones and tablets that have 2560×1440 and up. Give me the ability to mount my phone up and have native HDMI/DisplayPort/Type C pumping into it straight and powering it at the same time. With the right distance from the face and positioning, it wouldn’t be that different from using a regular sized monitor. I just want freedom and such ya know?

  4. Unrelated but damn that picture makes the XPS 13’s bezels look good…

      1. Mmm, shiny. Crazy good value too, seen refurbs on dell’s outlet for £570, the nearest competitors for the specs are closer to £1k.

    1. Also if you have an iPad then Why would you ever want to use Windows again?

      The iPad should be his main screen.

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