How to share your internet connection from your iPad (Wi-Fi + Cellular) with Personal Hotspot

You can share the internet connection from your iPad (Wi-Fi + Cellular) with other devices using a feature called Instant Hotspot. It uses the Personal Hotspot on your iPad, and it’s useful when your other device doesn’t have internet access from a Wi-Fi network.

Before you begin, make sure both devices have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth® turned on, and that they’re within 30 feet (10 meters) of each other. Both devices also need to meet minimum system requirements for Instant Hotspot.

You can connect other devices to your Personal Hotspot in several ways:

• Connect your Mac to your iPad through Wi-Fi settings.
• Pair your two devices with Bluetooth®.
• Connect your Mac to your iPad with a cable.

Your iPad’s Personal Hotspot works with a Mac, a Windows device, an iPhone, another iPad, and more.

Note: Personal Hotspot isn’t available with all carriers. Additional fees may apply. The number of devices that can join your Personal Hotspot at one time depends on your carrier and iPad model. Contact your carrier for more information.

Before you begin

Before you start, check that all of the following are true:

• Both devices have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth® turned on.
• The devices are within 30 feet (10 meters) of each other.
• Both devices meet minimum system requirements for Instant Hotspot.

A VPN configuration that prevents local networking may interfere with some Continuity features, so check yours if you’re using one.

If you’re sharing your Personal Hotspot with your Apple devices, signing in to the same Apple Account on both devices makes it faster to connect.

Note: Personal Hotspot won’t work unless you share the cellular internet connection on your iPad. Connecting your iPad to a Wi-Fi network and then sharing that network with another device isn’t possible.

Set up Personal Hotspot on your iPad

1. On your iPad, open the Settings app.
2. Tap Cellular and then tap Set Up Personal Hotspot.
3. Follow the onscreen instructions.

   Tip: The name of your Personal Hotspot is the same name as your device, so if you want to change the name of your Personal Hotspot, you need to change the device name. To change your device name, go to Settings > General > About, then tap Name.

When you set up your Personal Hotspot, you set up a password to connect to it. To change the password later, go to Settings > Cellular > Personal Hotspot, then tap Wi-Fi password and enter a new password.

Note: When Cellular Data is on in Settings > Cellular and you still don’t see Set Up Personal Hotspot as an option, ask your carrier to add Personal Hotspot to your plan.

Turn Personal Hotspot on and off on your iPad

1. On your iPad, open the Settings app.
2. Tap Personal Hotspot.
3. Follow the onscreen instructions.

You pick who’s allowed to use your Personal Hotspot and set a password for it. In a Family Sharing group, you can also have your Personal Hotspot shared automatically with specific family members.

Connect to a Personal Hotspot with Wi-Fi

Through Wi-Fi settings, another device can connect to the Personal Hotspot on your iPad, including an iPhone, a Mac, another iPad, a Windows device, and many other devices that can connect to a Wi-Fi network.

1. On the device that you want to connect to the Personal Hotspot on your iPad, do any of the following:
   • On an iPhone with Touch ID: Swipe down from the top-right edge to open Control Center. Tap the Wi-Fi Status menu to turn Wi-Fi on. Choose your iPad.
   • On an iPhone with Face ID: Swipe up from the bottom to open Control Center. Tap the Wi-Fi Status menu to turn Wi-Fi on and then choose your iPad.
   • On an iPad: Swipe down from the top-right edge to open Control Center. Tap the Wi-Fi Status menu to turn Wi-Fi on. Choose your iPad.
   • On a Mac: Click the Wi-Fi Status menu in the menu bar. Then choose your iPad.
   • On a Windows device or other device: Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to connect to a Personal Hotspot.
2. Enter the password you set up for your Personal Hotspot to connect. If you’re connecting another Apple device and you’re signed in to the same Apple Account on both devices, you don’t need to enter a password.

   Note: When a Mac is connected to your Personal Hotspot, the Personal Hotspot icon appears in the status bar of the connected Mac.

When you’re not using the hotspot, your devices automatically disconnect, which saves battery life.

Connect to a Personal Hotspot with Bluetooth

A Mac or Windows device can also use Bluetooth instead of Wi-Fi to connect to the Personal Hotspot on your iPad, as long as both devices have Bluetooth turned on.

1. On your Mac, open the System Settings app.

   Note: If your Mac has macOS 12.5 or earlier, choose Apple menu > System Preferences.

2. Click Bluetooth in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.)
3. On your iPad, open the Settings app. Then tap Bluetooth.

   Keep Bluetooth Settings open to make sure that your device is discoverable.

4. On your Mac, select your iPad when it appears. (It may take a moment.)

When it’s connected by Bluetooth, your Mac can use the cellular connection on your iPad right away.

Connecting your Windows device to your iPad over Bluetooth means setting up a Bluetooth network connection, following the manufacturer’s directions.

Connect to a Personal Hotspot with a USB cable

The USB cable that came with your iPad can also link a Mac or Windows device to your iPad’s Personal Hotspot, and so can another cable that matches the ports on your iPad and the other device.

If you see an alert on your iPad that says Trust This Computer? tap Trust. You may be asked to enter your device passcode to proceed. If you see an alert on your Mac that says “Allow accessory to connect?” click Allow.

Note: On a Windows device, connecting to your Personal Hotspot with a USB cable requires having Apple Devices or iTunes installed.

A cable connection lets your Mac or Windows device use the cellular connection on your iPad as soon as it’s in place.

If your Personal Hotspot isn’t working

• Make sure that your devices have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on.
• Your devices must be within 30 feet (10 meters) of one another.
• Maximize compatibility in Settings > Personal Hotspot, then enable Maximize Compatibility. Maximize Compatibility may reduce performance for devices connected to your Personal Hotspot when turned on.

When you share a Personal Hotspot from your iPad, it uses cellular data for the internet connection. To monitor your cellular data network usage, go to Settings > Cellular. See Set up cellular service on iPad (Wi-Fi + Cellular models).

If you use Family Sharing, any member of your family can use your Personal Hotspot. To set it up, read our article, Set up Family Sharing on iPad.

See also

• Use Continuity to work across Apple devices