How to Mirror Your Mac Screen to iPhone
Updated July 2026 · 3 min read
Short answer
Use Beam: Beacon on your Mac and Beam on your iPhone. Works over local WiFi, takes about 60 seconds to set up, streams your full Mac screen with audio. No cables, no cloud, no account. With Beam Unlimited it also works when you are away from home, over the internet or mobile data.
Why AirPlay doesn't do this
AirPlay only works in one direction. You can mirror your iPhone or iPad to a Mac, Apple TV, or AirPlay-compatible display. Going the other way is not possible: Apple provides no native way to send your Mac's screen to an iPhone.
Beam is two apps: Beacon runs in your Mac's menu bar and captures the screen; Beam runs on your iPhone and displays it. On your own WiFi everything goes directly between the two devices and nothing touches the internet. Away from home, Beam Unlimited connects the same two apps over your own Tailscale network instead, still directly and still with no Beam server in the middle. See the away-from-home guide.
What you need
- A Mac running macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later
- An iPhone running iOS 16 or later
- Both on the same WiFi network, or both on your own Tailscale network to stream from anywhere with Beam Unlimited
- The Beacon app on your Mac (free download)
- The Beam app on your iPhone (free on the App Store)
Step-by-step setup
Install Beacon on your Mac
Download Beacon, a small menu bar app. Open the DMG, drag Beacon to Applications, and launch it. The Beacon icon will appear in your menu bar.
On first launch, Beacon will ask for Screen Recording permission and Local Network access. Grant both. These permissions are used locally and nothing is ever sent anywhere.
Install Beam on your iPhone
Get Beam from the App Store. It's free. Open it and you'll see a home screen waiting for a paired Mac.
Pair your Mac and iPhone
In Beam on your iPhone, tap Pair Your Mac. The app shows a QR code or pairing code.
On your Mac, click the Beacon icon in the menu bar and select Pair with Beam. Scan the QR code or enter the pairing code. Pairing only happens once and is remembered.
Start streaming
Back in Beam on your iPhone, tap Start. Your Mac screen appears on your iPhone within a couple of seconds, full screen with audio.
Use Picture-in-Picture to keep the stream visible while using other apps. The media controls overlay lets you send pause and skip commands back to your Mac.
Common uses
- Watching from another room: Follow a video or presentation on your Mac while away from your desk
- Monitoring a long task: Keep an eye on a render, download, or build without staying at your desk
- Quick reference: Glance at something on your Mac without walking back to it
- Bedside viewing: Watch what's on your Mac from bed, on your phone
Frequently asked questions
Does this work on different WiFi networks?
Yes, with Beam Unlimited. On the same WiFi, Beam finds your Mac by itself using Bonjour, the same protocol Apple uses for AirDrop, and that is free. On different networks Bonjour cannot reach your Mac, so Beam uses your own Tailscale network instead, which is part of the one-time Unlimited unlock. Beacon hands your iPhone its Tailscale address the first time you stream at home, so there is usually nothing to set up. See the away-from-home guide.
Can I play Mac games with a controller?
Yes. Pair a controller with your iPhone or iPad and Beacon 1.5.0 or later presents it to the Mac as an Xbox Wireless Controller, so games see a real gamepad. Details in the controller guide.
Does it work over cellular?
Yes, with Beam Unlimited and Tailscale on both devices. Expect to use a lower quality preset than at home: mobile data has far less bandwidth than local WiFi, and Beam remembers your away-from-home quality separately from your home setting.
Is there a quality setting?
Yes. Beacon has a quality setting in Preferences. Lower quality means lower latency; higher quality means a sharper image. The default works well for most situations.
Does it stream audio?
Yes. Beam streams both video and audio. Whatever is playing through your Mac comes through your iPhone's speaker or headphones.
Is it really free?
Your first stream starts a 3-day free trial with no limits. After that, the free tier includes up to 30 minutes of total streaming in each 24-hour window. A one-time in-app purchase unlocks unlimited streaming.
Ready to try it?
Free on both platforms. Takes 60 seconds to set up.