How to use your iPhone or iPad to sketch in Mac documents

You can easily draw or sketch with your finger and Apple Pencil on your iPhone or iPad. But since your MacBook or Mac desktop lacks a touchscreen, it isn’t possible to sketch directly on them.

Thankfully, the Continuity feature lets you use your iPhone or iPad as a wireless drawing board for your Mac. After that, anything you sketch there will appear on your Mac. This tutorial will walk you through all the steps to do that.

sketch Mac documents

Continuity Sketch system requirements

Continuity is Apple’s umbrella term for a set of technologies that allow different devices that are in close proximity to one another to work better together. Continuity is what makes it possible for you to pick up on one device right where you left off from another. Here’s what you need:

  • iPhone 6S or newer running iOS 13 or later.
  • iPad Air 2 or newer, iPad mini 4 or newer, iPad 5th gen or newer, or any iPad Pro running iPadOS 13 or later.
  • Mac introduced in 2012 or newer, running macOS Catalina or later.
  • Your Mac and iOS device must have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on and be signed in to iCloud with the same Apple ID using two-factor authentication.

How to sketch on Mac using your iPhone or iPad

1) Open Notes, Mail, or any other such app on your Mac.

2) Right-click and choose Insert from iPhone or iPad.

3) Next, choose Add Sketch for either your iPhone or iPad. For comfortable drawing and precision using Apple Pencil, you should select select your iPad instead of your iPhone.

Insert sketch on Mac using iPhone or iPad

4) A drawing board will open on your iPad or iPhone. Use your Apple Pencil or finger to draw. Take full advantage of pressure drawing to create a more natural sketch with line width and style reacting to stroke pressure.

5) Once you finish, tap Done.

Sketching on iPad that will appear on Mac
Change pens, select color, add text or vector objects, and more while sketching.

The sketch will immediately appear inserted into the notes or the document on your Mac.

Sketch made on iPad appeared on Mac
The sketch appears in your Mac document.

And just like that, you’ve created a vector drawing on your iPad using your pressure-sensing Apple Pencil stylus! As mentioned, it gets automatically inserted where you want it without you having to do anything, no apps needed, no setup required, no nothing — it just works.

Continue Sketch works with any Apple or third-party app designed to support the feature, including Pages, Numbers, Keynote, Mail, Messages, Notes, and TextEdit.

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