AnotherDisplay

iPad · iPhone · macOS · iOS 12 and later

Your iPad, as a real second display.

Extend your Mac desktop onto a spare iPad, or mirror it — over the charging cable or your local Wi-Fi. No dongle, no cloud service, no account.

Download for Mac See it in use

iOS app coming soon The Mac app is available now and works with the current client.

  • Free · no account
  • iPad + Mac
  • Screen stays on your devices
The AnotherDisplay Mac desktop extended onto an iPad, with a window spanning both screens.

Three steps

From spare tablet to second monitor.

The Mac does the rendering. The iPad is the screen and the touch surface. Nothing is uploaded.

  1. 01

    Install the Mac app

    Download the notarized DMG, drag it to Applications and open it. Grant Screen Recording and Accessibility when macOS asks — they are what let it capture the display and move the pointer.

  2. 02

    Open AnotherDisplay on the iPad

    Keep the iPad on the same Wi-Fi as the Mac, or connect the charging cable. The Mac finds it automatically; there is no pairing code and no sign-in.

  3. 03

    Drag a window across

    The iPad appears as a display in System Settings. Choose Extend for a larger desktop or Mirror to duplicate the main screen, then position it left or right.

What it does

A display, not a remote desktop.

Native macOS display behaviour over a direct link: windows, menus, cursors and touch.

Extend

A real extra desktop

The iPad is sized to its own panel and positioned left or right of the main screen. Drag windows across and use both displays normally.

Mirror

Or the same screen

Mirror the main display and choose Fit or Fill for the iPad's shape. Useful for presentations, or for watching something away from the desk.

Touch

Tap, drag, scroll

Touch input goes back to the Mac: tap to click, drag to move a window, two fingers to scroll. No extra stylus or hardware.

iOS 12

Older iPads still work

The client runs on iOS 12 and later, including a 2013 iPad Air that cannot update any further. H.264 hardware decoding keeps the tablet cool.

USB / Wi-Fi

Cable or local network

USB is the lower-latency path; Wi-Fi removes the cable. The same client and the same Mac app handle both, and reconnect when the link returns.

Private

Nothing leaves your desk

Screen content travels directly between the Mac and the iPad. There is no account, no analytics, no advertising and no server in between.

Screenshots

What it looks like in use.

Captured from the current client on an iPad Air and an iPhone. The Mac menu-bar card is shown at the end.

An extended Mac desktop on the iPad, with a text window and a clock window.
Extend. A full extra desktop, with the iPad positioned to the right of the Mac screen.
The Mac's main display mirrored on the iPad.
Mirror. The same screen on the iPad, fitted or filled to the panel.
The AnotherDisplay diagnostics screen on the iPad, waiting for a Mac.
Waiting. The client explains the link state and shows what the device can decode.
The AnotherDisplay welcome screen with the three setup steps.
First run. The three steps, in plain language, on the device.
AnotherDisplay streaming a cropped Mac desktop to an iPhone with the connection overlay.
iPhone too. The same client runs on a modern iPhone, over the cable or Wi-Fi.
The AnotherDisplay menu-bar popover showing Extend, resolution, quality, scaling and permissions.
The Mac side. Extend or mirror, resolution, quality and permissions, from the menu bar.
ClientiOS 12 or later

iPad and iPhone. Tested on an iPad Air 1 (2013) and an iPhone 13 Pro Max.

HostmacOS 14 or later

Apple silicon or Intel. The Mac app is Developer ID signed and notarized.

LinkUSB or Wi-Fi

Same local network for Wi-Fi. No port forwarding, no router setup.

Questions

The honest answers.

Is it free?

Yes. The Mac app is a free download and the iOS client is free. There is no account, subscription or in-app purchase. The app is not a trial and does not nag.

Do I need a Mac as well as the iPad?

Yes. The Mac renders and encodes the desktop; the iPad is the display and touch surface. The iOS app opens and explains itself without a Mac, but the second-display feature needs the free Mac companion.

Which iPads and iPhones are supported?

Anything that runs iOS 12 or later. The reference device is a 2013 iPad Air on iOS 12.5.8; the same build also runs on current iOS, verified on an iPhone 13 Pro Max. The Mac app requires macOS 14 or later.

USB or Wi-Fi — which is better?

USB is the lower-latency option and also charges the iPad. Wi-Fi is convenient and needs both devices on the same network. Measured on the reference setup, USB is around 31 ms and Wi-Fi around 38 ms at 1600×1200; frame rate depends on what is moving on screen.

Is my screen sent to a server?

No. Screen content is captured on the Mac, encoded, and sent directly to the iPad over the cable or the local network. There is no cloud service, no account and no telemetry. The Mac app keeps a local log for troubleshooting; it contains connection events, not screen content.

Why is the Mac app not on the Mac App Store?

It creates a virtual display using an API Apple does not expose publicly, and it needs Accessibility to forward touch input. Those two things are incompatible with Mac App Store sandbox rules, so it is distributed directly as a notarized download. The iOS client has no such restriction.

Does it carry audio?

No. AnotherDisplay sends video and touch input only. Audio continues to play on the Mac. This is a display link, not a remote-desktop session.

Can I use more than one iPad at a time?

One device at a time. The Mac menu lets you choose which connected device to use; switching is a menu selection, not a second simultaneous stream.

Give the spare iPad a job.

Download the Mac app, open the client, and drag a window across. It takes about a minute.

Download for Mac iOS app coming soon