Getting Started with Desktop Remote

This guide walks you through viewing and recording a Windows PC or Mac screen from your phone or tablet on the same local network. Mouse and keyboard control are optional when you need to click, scroll, or type.

1. Install Desktop Remote on Your Devices

  1. Install Desktop Remote on the Windows PC or Mac whose screen you want to view or record. This is the sharing computer.
  2. Install Desktop Remote on your controller: an Android phone or tablet, iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Windows computer.
  3. Connect both devices to the same reachable local network, usually the same Wi-Fi router or wired LAN.
  4. Keep Desktop Remote running on the sharing computer. Desktop Settings include autostart and background tray options.

Android and iOS can view and control computer screens and store Records. They cannot share or capture the phone or tablet screen. Screen sharing is supported on Mac and Windows only.

2. Allow Screen and Local Network Access

On the Mac that shares its screen, allow Desktop Remote's Screen Recording access when requested. If you also want mouse or keyboard control, use the app's permission controls to review and grant the required macOS input authorization. Viewing and recording do not require input control to be enabled.

Allow local network access when the operating system asks. On Windows, allow Desktop Remote through the firewall for your trusted local network.

Guest Wi-Fi, client isolation, VPN routing, and firewalls can prevent devices from finding or contacting each other. Desktop Remote does not provide viewing or control over an internet relay.

3. Pair Your Devices

  1. Open the Desktop tab on your phone or tablet.
  2. Find the Mac or Windows sharing computer. It can appear automatically when local discovery is available.
  3. Select the computer and send a pairing request.
  4. On the sharing computer, review and approve the request.
  5. After approval, the devices have a trusted pinned connection for local sessions.

Pair only devices you own and trust. Use the Devices tab to rename, hide, or remove paired devices.

4. Choose Screen Permissions

Permissions are stored only on the Mac or Windows computer that shares its screen. Each paired controller has six separate choices:

On the sharing computer, open Devices, select the paired controller, and edit its permissions. A controller cannot grant itself access. Pointer and keyboard permissions default off; leave them off if you only want to view and record.

5. View the Computer Screen

  1. Open the Desktop tab on the controller.
  2. Select the paired PC or Mac.
  3. Wait for the live screen to connect.
  4. Zoom to inspect details or choose Fullscreen for a larger view.

The session starts in view-only mode. Mobile gestures adjust the local view while mouse control is off. Preview resolution, frame rate, codec, and bitrate settings can help with a slow or choppy connection.

Only one live screen session can be active in each app instance. The sharing computer visibly shows the active session and can end it locally at any time.

6. Take a Screenshot

  1. View the monitor you want to capture.
  2. Choose Standard or High capture quality when available.
  3. Select Take screenshot.
  4. Wait for the sharing computer to create the JPEG and transfer it to your device.
  5. Review the completed screenshot in the live timeline or the Records tab.

The sharing computer captures its selected monitor, including the visible cursor. Saved images come from that computer's display capture, rather than a screenshot of the phone's preview.

7. Record the Screen

  1. Choose Standard or High capture quality when available.
  2. Select Record to begin recording the selected monitor.
  3. Keep the session open while recording. The sharing computer shows an active recording indicator.
  4. Select Stop recording on either device when finished.
  5. Wait for finalization, transfer, and verification before opening or sharing the file.

Desktop Remote creates silent H.264/MP4 screen recordings on the sharing computer. It does not record system sound or microphone audio. A recording is limited to 30 minutes and 4 GiB. Low storage, permission changes, display removal, sleep, or connection loss can stop or fail a recording.

8. Select a Monitor

When the sharing computer offers more than one display and grants permission, use Select monitor to choose the screen you want. Live view, screenshots, and recordings contain only that selected monitor.

Switching monitors releases held remote input. If a monitor is removed, Desktop Remote finalizes an active recording and attempts to fall back to the current primary display.

9. Enable Mouse or Keyboard Control When Needed

You can view, take screenshots, and record with input controls turned off. To interact with the computer, first grant the corresponding permissions on the sharing computer, then enable Mouse control or Keyboard control in the controller's live view.

On a phone or tablet, mouse control supports pointer movement, taps, dragging, and two-finger right-click or scrolling gestures. Keyboard control lets you type with your device's on-screen keyboard and use the toolbar for supported modifier, editing, navigation, and function keys.

Turn off either control when you no longer need it. Held input is released when focus is lost, the app goes into the background, you review a Record or switch monitors, the connection ends, or permission is revoked.

macOS input requires operating-system authorization. Windows may reject input to elevated applications or secure screens. Password fields and other protected content may also reject input. Desktop Remote does not bypass these protections.

10. Work with Records

The Records tab stores screenshots and screen recordings received by that device. Switch between list and grid views, filter by source device, select captures, and inspect status and file details.

Completed, verified files can be opened, saved, shared, or deleted. On desktop, supported files can also be dragged out to another app or folder. Captures that are still being created, finalized, or transferred remain unavailable until verification and commit finish.

If an interrupted transfer offers Retry transfer, keep both apps running on the same network and retry. Canceling a transfer removes its incomplete file data. The source file may remain temporarily on the sharing computer according to its transfer state and settings.

11. Manage Devices and Security

Use the Devices tab to rename or hide a device, edit permissions on the sharing computer, add a computer by local IP address, or remove a pairing. If discovery fails, use Add and enter the computer's local IP address. Both apps must use the same port in Settings.

Use only on trusted networks with authorization to view, record, or control the computer and its content. Remove old pairings when a device is sold or shared.

Quick Troubleshooting

Once the devices are paired and permitted, open Desktop Remote on your phone or tablet, choose the computer, and view or capture its screen. Enable mouse and keyboard control only when you need to interact.

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