deskbeam

Your Mac, on your iPhone and iPad.

Deskbeam shows and controls your Mac from iPhone and iPad using the Screen Sharing that's already built into macOS. You sign in with your Mac account; there's nothing to install on the Mac.

Getting started

• Turn on Screen Sharing on the Mac: System Settings › General › Sharing › Screen Sharing. Under the ⓘ button, allow your user (or “All users”).
• Find your Mac: on the same Wi-Fi, Deskbeam lists it automatically. Otherwise tap + and enter its name or IP address.
• Sign in with the name and password of an account on that Mac, the same ones you use to log in to it.

Using your Mac

• Trackpad mode moves the pointer like a MacBook trackpad: tap to click, two-finger tap to right-click, two fingers to scroll, pinch to zoom. Touch mode clicks wherever you tap.
• Keyboard: tap the keyboard button, or click into a text field and it appears on its own. Command, Option, Control, arrows, F-keys and shortcuts sit in the bar above it. Hardware keyboards and mice work too.
• The session menu (top of the screen) has the keyboard, input mode, shortcuts, quality, displays and Disconnect.

Common questions

It can't find my Mac. Make sure Screen Sharing is on, both devices are on the same network, and Deskbeam is allowed to use the local network (iOS Settings › Privacy & Security › Local Network). You can always add a Mac by its IP address, shown in System Settings › Wi-Fi › Details.

Away from home? Use Tailscale (Deskbeam can list the Macs in your tailnet) or an SSH tunnel: edit the Mac and turn on Connect Through SSH (the Mac needs Remote Login on, in the same Sharing settings).

Sign-in fails. Use the Mac account's short name and password, and check that your user is allowed under Screen Sharing's ⓘ settings.

Other VNC servers that use a VNC password or VeNCrypt also work: enter the password when asked.

Where are my passwords kept? In the iOS Keychain on your device (and in iCloud Keychain if you turn on iCloud Sync). They're never sent anywhere but to your Mac.