A Mac-to-Mac Remio session is the cleanest one we ship: native Apple Silicon on both ends, hardware HEVC encode on the host, hardware HEVC decode on the client, full Apple color management, and the same trackpad gestures you already use. The four steps below take you from a clean install to a live session with about 8 ms of processing on LAN.
Overview
You will install Remio Host on the Mac whose screen you want to reach (the desktop Mac, typically), then install Remio on the Mac you want to control it from (typically a laptop). Pair the two with the Device ID and PIN the host shows — the PIN changes every five minutes — and there is no account, no email, no Apple ID involved. After that, opening Remio and tapping the host name re-establishes the session in under a second.
Before you start
- Source Mac (host): macOS 15 Sequoia or later. Apple Silicon strongly preferred for hardware HEVC at 4K; Intel works for 1080p sessions.
- Target Mac (client): macOS 15 Sequoia or later. Apple Silicon or any Intel Mac with a T2 chip.
- Network: shared 5 GHz Wi-Fi or wired Ethernet between both Macs. Either keeps latency to about 8 ms of processing on LAN.
- Permissions on host: ability to grant Screen Recording and Accessibility in System Settings. Standard accounts can do this; the prompt asks for an admin password.
- Free disk space: ~120 MB for the host installer, ~80 MB for the client. Neither leaves data behind if uninstalled.
01 · Install Remio Host on the source Mac
On the Mac whose screen you want to stream — iMac, Mac Studio, Mac mini, or a MacBook left on a stand — download the host installer from remio.net/download. The file is Remio-Host.pkg, signed and notarized by Apple, so Gatekeeper opens it without warning.
After install, launch Remio Host once from Launchpad. It parks in the menu bar with a small status dot. macOS will immediately prompt you for two permissions:
- Screen Recording — System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen & System Audio Recording → toggle Remio Host on. Without this the host has nothing to send.
- Accessibility — System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility → toggle Remio Host on. Without this your taps and keystrokes from the client do nothing on the host.
After enabling either toggle, quit the host (menu bar icon → Quit) and relaunch from Launchpad. macOS only picks up new permissions on app restart.
If your source Mac is a desktop (iMac, Mac Studio, Mac mini), open System Settings → Energy and set Prevent automatic sleeping when display is off to On, plus enable Wake for network access. That lets the host wake instantly when the client connects.
02 · Install Remio Client on the target Mac
On the Mac you will use to control the session — typically a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro — open the Mac App Store and search for Remio. The client is a universal binary (Apple Silicon and Intel) and runs natively on macOS 15 Sequoia or later. Install is one click; the app appears in your Applications folder.
Prefer not to search? Follow the Mac link on remio.net/download, which opens the same Mac App Store page.
The client requires no permissions to read your screen — it only needs Network access, granted automatically by macOS on first launch when it discovers the host.
03 · Pair both Macs with a Device ID and PIN
On the source Mac, click the Remio Host menu bar icon and choose Show Window. Its Connect page shows a QR code, the Device ID and a PIN.
On the target Mac, open Remio, click the + card (Add new computer), click Enter code, and type the Device ID and PIN. Pairing completes as soon as the last digit of the PIN is in.
You can get a new PIN anytime from the Connect page. The relationship between the two Macs is permanent until you revoke it on the host. No account, email, or password was created at any point.
# Behind the scenes
host → shows the Device ID and PIN, waits for a client
client→ enters them, swaps connection details
both → try every route · the best LAN path wins
session→ end-to-end encrypted, ciphertext only04 · Connect and feel the latency
Click the source Mac's name in the Remio Client device list. The client opens a streaming window at the host's native resolution. Type, click, drag — it all goes straight to the host.
To check latency, hover the cursor near the top right of the streaming window. The session HUD slides in and shows round-trip latency, current resolution, and codec. On a shared 5 GHz Wi-Fi network you should get about 8 ms of processing latency; the rest is your display's own 60 Hz refresh cadence. Wired Ethernet is even tighter.
- Resolution — matches the host display by default (e.g., 5K on an iMac 24", 6K on a Pro Display XDR).
- Frame rate — 120 fps on Apple Silicon hosts. The client decodes in hardware using VideoToolbox — zero CPU overhead.
- Codec — HEVC by default. Falls back to H.264 only if the host CPU shows sustained pressure.
If the HUD shows RTT above 30 ms on the same network, see Troubleshooting below.
Troubleshooting Mac-to-Mac sessions
Most Mac-to-Mac issues come from network or permission state, not the apps themselves. Run through these in order.
- Client cannot find host — confirm both Macs are on the same Wi-Fi SSID (not one on 5 GHz and the other on a guest 2.4 GHz network). Also confirm macOS Firewall on the host allows incoming connections for Remio Host (System Settings → Network → Firewall → Options).
- Session shows a black screen — Screen Recording permission was not granted, or was granted to the wrong copy of Remio Host. Re-toggle Screen Recording off and back on for Remio Host, then relaunch the host.
- Keyboard works, mouse does not — Accessibility permission missing. Re-toggle in System Settings, then relaunch the host.
- Latency above 30 ms on Wi-Fi — confirm 5 GHz band on both ends; 2.4 GHz tops out around 25-50 ms even on a fast router. Move closer to the access point or switch to Ethernet for the source Mac.
- Cursor visible on host but not in client window — turn on Show host cursor in Remio → Settings → Advanced → Screen capture. It applies instantly, with no reconnect.
Mac-to-Mac questions
Does Remio stream audio between two Macs?
Yes. Remio Host captures system audio on the source Mac and streams it alongside video, in sync with the screen. The client Mac plays it through whatever output device is selected in macOS Sound preferences — built-in speakers, AirPods, or an external DAC.
Does clipboard sync work between Macs?
Yes. Text clipboards sync automatically over the same encrypted channel. Copy on the host, paste on the client, or the other way around — no setup needed.
Can I stream a two-display Mac to my MacBook?
You can switch between any of the host's connected displays from the session toolbar — one screen at a time, or each in a window of its own with the Mac app and Remio Host 3.3. Each display streams at its native resolution. See the multi-monitor configuration guide for the full options.
Can Remio wake my Mac from sleep before connecting?
Yes, if Wake on LAN is enabled in the host Mac's Energy settings and both Macs are on the same network. Otherwise the host Mac needs to be awake or on a power adapter with Wake for network access turned on. The full Wake on LAN guide covers the details.
Is a Mac-to-Mac session encrypted?
Yes. Every session is end-to-end encrypted — your screen never touches our servers, and even the relay only ever sees ciphertext. Remio's connection server only handles the initial pairing; it never sees screen pixels or keystrokes. See the security architecture overview for the threat model.
Do I need an Apple ID to pair two Macs with Remio?
No. Remio does not use Apple ID, iCloud, or any identity service. One Mac shows a Device ID and PIN, the other Mac enters them. No account is created at any point — even the Mac App Store install does not link a user identity to the device.
Related guides
- Set up Mac to iPad — the same desktop on a 13" iPad Pro.
- Multi-monitor configuration — switch between the host's connected displays.
- Wake on LAN with Remio — boot the host Mac remotely.
- Firewall and NAT — what to open when corporate firewalls block UDP.
- How Remio works — the streaming pipeline end to end.
