One perfect screen, your way.

A typical Remio host has at least two displays attached — a primary for video output, a secondary for chat windows, a Slack channel, a code reference. Remio lets you pick which one to view, one at a time, from the display switcher in every client. On a Mac host, the default session goes further: instead of streaming a copy of one of your physical monitors, Remio creates a dedicated virtual display sized exactly to your device — so what you see fits your screen perfectly, not a squeezed or letterboxed version of the host's screen.

Overview

Each Remio window shows one display at a time, which keeps bandwidth predictable and latency low. Switching between displays during a session is one click from the client toolbar; the host restarts capture at the target display's resolution, which shows up as a brief blip of about 200 milliseconds while it re-syncs. To see several monitors at once, open each screen in a window of its own (Windows and Mac) — otherwise you view one screen at a time and switch whenever you like.

Before you start

• Host: Remio Host installed and paired with at least one client. macOS 15 Sequoia or later, Windows 10 22H2 / Windows 11, or Linux (Ubuntu 22.04+, Debian 12+, Fedora 36+, Arch, and other glibc 2.35+ distros).
• Displays: the display switcher is most useful with two or more physical monitors attached to the host. A single-display host works fine too — there's just nothing to switch between.
• Client: any Remio Client (Mac, iPad, iPhone, Android, Windows). The display switcher is on every platform except Linux hosts running Wayland (see below).
• Bandwidth headroom: ~25 Mbps for 4K60, ~15 Mbps for 1440p60. Each window streams one display, so a window's bandwidth doesn't grow with how many monitors the host has.

01 · Open the display switcher

In any active session, hover near the top of the client window (or top of the screen on iPad) to reveal the toolbar. Click the Display switcher icon — a small icon of two stacked rectangles. A pop-up shows every monitor the host reports, with a live thumbnail of each.

This is available on every Remio client — Mac, iPad, iPhone, Android, Windows — for Mac and Windows hosts. On Linux hosts running Wayland, see the note at the end of this page.

02 · Pick the display you want to view

Tap the monitor you want in the switcher. The host stops the current capture and restarts it at the target display's resolution — you'll see a brief blip of about 200 milliseconds while the stream re-syncs, then it continues normally. The session HUD updates with the new resolution.

Display switching is per-session — your choice doesn't change anything for the next time you connect.

03 · The Mac host's default virtual display

On a Mac host, Remio's default session doesn't stream one of your physical monitors at all. Instead, it creates a dedicated virtual display sized exactly to match the window on your connecting device. That means what you see fits your screen perfectly — no letterboxing, no squeezed-down copy of a monitor built for a different aspect ratio.

This happens automatically as part of connecting — there's no manual setup, resolution picker, or configuration panel for it today. If you'd rather view one of the Mac's actual physical monitors, use the display switcher from step 1 to pick it.

# What each session actually streams
Mac host, default:  one virtual display, sized to your client window
Mac host, switched:  one physical monitor, at its native resolution
Windows host:        one physical monitor, at its native resolution
Linux (Wayland) host: whatever the OS portal shares — no picker

Bandwidth implications

Streaming a single display at a time keeps Remio's bandwidth predictable. Approximate bandwidth for the one display you're viewing:

• 1080p60 — ~8 Mbps. Comfortable on any home Wi-Fi.
• 1440p60 — ~15 Mbps. Needs 5 GHz Wi-Fi or wired.
• 4K60 — ~25-35 Mbps. Wired or strong 5 GHz Wi-Fi.

Because each window streams one display, this cost stays the same for a window no matter how many monitors the host has attached.

Troubleshooting display switching

• Display switcher shows fewer monitors than expected — the host might be in a sleep-related state where a display is enumerated but not active. Close and reopen the host menu, or wake all monitors on the host.
• Switching feels like a freeze for a moment — that's the ~200ms capture restart at the new display's resolution. It's expected and normal on every switch.
• Display switcher does nothing on my Linux host — on Wayland, the desktop portal decides what gets shared, not Remio. There's no in-client picker for these hosts today.
• Cursor jumps to the wrong location after switching — move the cursor on the client; the host resyncs within one input event.

Multi-monitor questions

Can I view all my monitors at once?

Yes, on Windows and Mac. Controlling a Windows PC from Remio for Windows, or a Mac from the Mac app, with Remio Host 3.3 on the computer, a computer with two or more screens opens each one in a window of its own — free. On iPhone, iPad and Android a window shows one display at a time: pick which monitor to view from the display switcher in the client toolbar, and switch to another whenever you like.

How long does switching monitors take?

About 200 milliseconds. Remio restarts the capture at the new display's resolution, so there's a brief blip while it re-syncs, then the stream continues normally.

What is the bandwidth cost of streaming a monitor?

Around 8 Mbps for 1080p60, 15 Mbps for 1440p60, and 25-35 Mbps for 4K60 with hardware H.265. Remio only encodes the one display you're viewing, so the cost never multiplies with how many monitors the host has attached.

What is Remio's default virtual display on a Mac host?

Instead of mirroring one of your Mac's physical monitors, Remio's default session creates a dedicated virtual display sized exactly to your connecting device's window. What you see fits your screen perfectly — not a squeezed or letterboxed copy of the host's monitor. This happens automatically; there's no manual virtual-display configuration today.

Can I pick which screen to share on a Linux host?

Not directly on Wayland. Screen sharing on Linux goes through the desktop portal your compositor provides, and the portal — not Remio — decides which screen or window gets shared. The in-client display switcher is a no-op on these hosts.

Related guides

• Set up Mac to Mac — base setup before trying the display switcher.
• Stream Windows PC to Mac — pick which Windows display to view.
• Dual GPU and eGPU setup — which GPU encodes which display.
• All features — display switching is one of many.
• How Remio works — capture pipeline end to end.