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How to control your Mac from an iPhone

Updated

Apple doesn't include a way to control a Mac from an iPhone or iPad over a network, so you use a remote-access app: install its helper on the Mac, allow it to see and control the screen, then connect from your iPhone. This guide covers iPad too; the steps are the same.

What's possible

With the right app you can see your Mac's screen on your iPhone, move the pointer, click, type and open files and apps, from the next room or the other side of the country. It's good for quick jobs: checking an export finished, finding a file, restarting an app. Long sessions are hard work on a small screen; an iPad with a keyboard is easier.

What Apple's own features do

We couldn't find an Apple app for controlling a Mac over a network from an iPhone or iPad. Three Apple features sound close but do something else:

  • iPhone Mirroring works the other way round: your Mac shows and controls your iPhone. It needs macOS 15 or later and iOS 18 or later, and isn't available in the EU (Apple: iPhone Mirroring).
  • FaceTime remote control covers iPhone and iPad screens only.
  • Sidecar and Universal Control let an iPad work with a Mac, but only when the devices are close together (within 10 meters) and signed in to the same Apple Account.

Remote-access apps that work

Each of these pairs an app on your iPhone or iPad with a helper on the Mac. Details are as we found them on October 8, 2026; check each listing for current prices and requirements.

Apps for controlling a Mac from an iPhone or iPad
Criterion On the iPhone or iPadOn the MacCost
Chrome Remote Desktop The website, remotedesktop.google.com/accessChrome Remote Desktop hostNot stated on Google's help page
RealVNC Viewer RealVNC Viewer app (free)RealVNC ConnectSee RealVNC's pricing page for Connect
Screens 5 Screens 5 app (iOS 17.6 or later)Screens Connect7-day trial, then a subscription
Jump Desktop Jump Desktop appJump Desktop Connect$14.99 on the App Store

Sources: Google, Edovia (Screens), Jump Desktop.

Set up the Mac

Do this while you're sitting at the Mac.

  1. Install the helper

    Install the Mac side of the app you chose (from the list above) and sign in to your account with that tool.

  2. Allow screen access

    In System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen & System Audio Recording, turn the helper on (Apple: screen recording access).

  3. Allow control

    In System Settings > Privacy & Security > Accessibility, turn the helper on (Apple: accessibility access).

  4. Keep it awake

    See When nobody's at the Mac.

If you only need the Mac at home on the same Wi-Fi, a VNC app on your iPhone can connect to the Mac's built-in Screen Sharing instead: turn it on in Apple menu > System Settings > General > Sharing, click the Info button next to Screen Sharing, and turn on "VNC viewers may control screen with password" (Apple: turn Screen Sharing on or off).

Set up your iPhone

  1. Get the iPhone side

    Install the app from the App Store. For Chrome Remote Desktop, open remotedesktop.google.com/access in your browser instead and add it to your Home Screen, so it opens full screen.

  2. Sign in with the same account

    Use the account you signed in with on the Mac. Your Mac should appear in the list.

  3. Connect

    Tap the Mac and enter its PIN or password when asked.

  4. Try it away from home

    Turn off Wi-Fi and connect over mobile data once, so you know it works before you need it.

On an iPad

The same apps and the same steps work on an iPad, and the larger screen makes real work possible. Physical keyboards and mice are supported in the apps we looked at, so an iPad with a keyboard case gets close to sitting at the Mac. Don't confuse this with Sidecar, which turns an iPad into a second display for a Mac that's right next to it.

Same Wi-Fi vs anywhere

At home or in the office, a VNC app on your iPhone can connect straight to the Mac's Screen Sharing. Away from that network, it can't, and the fix is not to open port 5900 on your router.

For use from anywhere, choose a tool whose helper on the Mac connects out over the internet, and test it over mobile data. Remote access without a VPN

When nobody's at the Mac

You can only connect if the Mac is switched on, awake and its helper is running. Apple's sleep settings (Apple: sleep and wake settings):

  • Desktop Mac: System Settings > Energy, then turn on "Prevent automatic sleeping when the display is off" and "Wake for network access".
  • Mac laptop: the same settings under System Settings > Battery > Options.

What's harder on a phone

  • No mouse. In the apps we looked at, the screen acts as a trackpad: you move a pointer rather than tapping where you want to click.
  • Mac shortcuts. Command, Option and Control live on a bar above the on-screen keyboard.
  • Chrome Remote Desktop's touch mode only works with Windows computers, so on a Mac you use the trackpad-style pointer.
  • Small text. A large Mac display shrinks a lot on a phone; expect to zoom in and out.

Security

  • Lock your iPhone with a passcode or Face ID. Anyone holding an unlocked phone with a saved connection can reach your Mac.
  • Use a strong PIN or password for the remote-access tool.
  • Only grant Screen Recording and Accessibility to the helper you chose.
  • Keep macOS and the apps updated.

Aile Insight and phones

Aile Insight runs in desktop browsers today and has no mobile app, so if your iPhone or iPad is the main way you'll reach your Mac, one of the tools above is the better choice. Aile Insight fits when you reach Macs, Windows PCs and servers from a laptop or desktop: it opens the Mac's own Screen Sharing in your browser, and we set it up with you on a call. How Aile Insight works

Questions

Can I control my Mac from my iPhone without installing an app?

Chrome Remote Desktop comes closest: Google's help pages point iPhone and iPad users to its website, which you can add to your Home Screen. You still install Chrome Remote Desktop's host on the Mac.

Does iPhone Mirroring let me control my Mac?

No. It works the other way round: your Mac shows and controls your iPhone. It needs macOS 15 or later and iOS 18 or later, and Apple doesn't offer it in the EU.

Can I use Sidecar or Universal Control from somewhere else?

No. Both need the devices close together (Apple says within 10 meters) and signed in to the same Apple Account, so they don't work over the internet.

Will it work over mobile data?

It can, with a tool built to work over the internet. Connecting straight to the Mac's Screen Sharing from a VNC app is a same-network approach; don't open port 5900 on your router to make it work remotely.

Does Aile Insight have an iPhone or iPad app?

No. Aile Insight runs in desktop browsers today and has no mobile app. If your phone or tablet is the main way you'll reach your Mac, one of the tools on this page is a better fit.