How to Control Your Mac from Your iPhone

You stepped out and your Mac is back home with something you need on it. Maybe it's a file. Maybe you left something open you shouldn't have. Maybe you just want to check on something without going back.

That's exactly what remote controlling your Mac from your iPhone is for. See your Mac's screen on your phone, move the cursor, click around, type if you need to, and get whatever you came for. Then lock it up and move on.

This guide covers how it works and the easiest way to get it set up.

What remote controlling your Mac actually looks like

When people search for things like "control Mac from iPhone" or "remote control MacBook from iPhone," they usually want one thing: see their Mac's screen on their phone and interact with it. Move the mouse, open files, click on things, type something. Full control, from wherever they are.

This is different from "mirroring from iPhone to Mac" or "control your iPhone from Mac," which is the reverse direction. If that's what you're looking for, macOS Sequoia has a built-in feature called iPhone Mirroring that puts your iPhone's screen on your Mac. But if you want to go the other way and control your Mac from your iPhone, keep reading.

The easiest way to remotely control your Mac

Macky is a Mac and iPhone app that connects your two devices directly. You see your Mac's screen on your iPhone and get full control over it. No port forwarding, no VPN, no digging into router settings. You install both apps, sign in with the same account, and you're connected. The whole thing takes about two minutes.

How Macky connects your Mac and iPhone

Macky uses WebRTC to connect your devices. WebRTC is the same technology behind video calls in apps like FaceTime and Google Meet. The reason it matters here is that it punches through your home router automatically without you having to open any ports or touch any settings. It just finds a path and connects.

Once you're connected, your Mac's screen shows up on your iPhone. You can move the cursor around and click on things, open files and apps, type using your iPhone keyboard, scroll through pages, and use pinch and zoom to navigate your Mac's display on the smaller screen.

The connection is encrypted end-to-end, so whatever's on your Mac's screen stays between you and your Mac. Macky's servers help the two devices find each other, then step out of the way.

How to set it up

Setup takes about two minutes, no technical knowledge required.

Step 1: Download Macky for Mac

Go to macky.dev and download the Mac host app. It installs as a small menu bar app that runs quietly in the background. You'll need macOS 15 (Sequoia) or later.

Step 2: Get the iPhone app

Search for Macky on the App Store and install it. Requires iOS 18 or later.

Step 3: Create an account and sign in on both

Create a Macky account and sign in using the same account on your Mac and your iPhone.

Step 4: Set a Master Password

This is a separate password that protects your screen sessions. Even if someone got access to your account, they still can't see your screen without this password. Worth taking seriously.

Step 5: Connect

Open Macky on your iPhone, tap your Mac from the list, enter your Master Password, and your Mac's screen shows up. You're in.

Things you can actually do with this

Grab a file you left at home

Your Mac is at home and you need a document that's sitting on your desktop or in a folder. Connect with Macky, find the file, email it to yourself or upload it somewhere. Done.

Close something you left open

Left a window open before heading out? Connect from your phone and close it. Takes about ten seconds.

Check on a download or something running

Left a big download going or something processing in the background? See where it's at without going back to your Mac.

Control music or video playback

If your Mac is hooked up to speakers, you can switch tracks, pause, adjust volume, all from your phone without getting up.

Access an app that's only on your Mac

Some apps just don't have an iPhone version. Through Macky you can open them on your Mac and use them remotely from wherever you are.

Help someone else remotely

If a family member uses your Mac and something goes wrong while you're out, you can connect and fix it without them having to describe the problem to you.

One thing to keep in mind

Your Mac needs to stay awake for any of this to work. If it goes to sleep, the connection drops. Go to System Settings, search for "Energy Saver" or "Battery," and either extend the sleep timer or turn sleep off while you need the remote access. An app called Amphetamine is also popular for keeping your Mac awake on demand without permanently changing your settings.

What about controlling your iPhone from your Mac?

If you searched for "control your iPhone from Mac" or "mirroring from iPhone to Mac" and actually meant that direction, Apple built something for exactly that. It's called iPhone Mirroring and it comes with macOS Sequoia. You can see and control your iPhone's screen right on your Mac. Look for Continuity in System Settings to find it.

Pricing

Macky has a free plan that gives you 5-minute sessions with 1 Mac and 1 iPhone. That's plenty to try it out and see if it fits what you need. The Pro plan is a one-time payment of $29 and unlocks unlimited session length, unlimited devices, and background connect, which means you can connect even when Macky isn't the active app on your Mac.

No subscription. Pay once, use it as long as you want.