Setting up Luna Display in Headless Mode

Jay Posted on March 03 2021

Setting up Luna Display in Headless Mode

What is Headless Mode?

Using Luna Display in headless mode allows you to turn your iPad into the primary display for a Mac mini, without the need for a monitor. It allows you to combine the processing power of the Mac mini with the touch display of the iPad.

An external monitor is required for the initial setup to connect the Mac mini and the iPad. To avoid using an external display every time your Mac mini is turned on after the initial setup, you will also need to:

  • Set up Automatic Login
  • Disable FileVault

Setting up Automatic Login and disabling FileVault allows the Luna software to run at startup and connect to your iPad.

 

What you will need to set up headless mode

  • Mac Mini
  • iPad
  • Luna Display and the Luna Display apps
  • Reliable local WiFi network connection or USB cable
  • External monitor - *only required for the initial setup process*
  • We recommend connecting an external keyboard and mouse or trackpad to your Mac mini

 

Setting Up in Headless Mode

An external monitor is required for the initial setup process.

1While your Mac mini is connected to an external monitor, download the free Luna primary Mac app.2Disable FileVault
In System Preferences > Security & Privacy > FileVault, select "Turn Off FileVault". If the option is greyed out, click the padlock in the bottom left corner to make changes.3Automatic Login
After disabling FileVault, go to System Preferences > Users and Groups > Login Options. Select your preferred account for automatic login. If the option is greyed out, click the padlock in the bottom left corner to make changes and make sure FileVault is disabled first.

4Download the free Luna Display iPad app on your iPad.5Connect the iPad to the same Wi-Fi network as the Mac mini. If Wi-Fi is not available or unstable, you can connect your devices using a USB cable.6Launch both the Luna Mac app and the Luna iPad app. Follow the instructions on your iPad screen to connect. You will be prompted to plug Luna into your Mac mini.7Once Luna has connected your devices, you can disconnect the external monitor from your Mac mini.*Luna Display requires a user to be logged in to run the Mac app. If you use FileVault, you may still need an external monitor to unlock your drive whenever you reboot. Having FileVault enabled can conflict with automatic login.

 

Source: ASTROPAD

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