How to control your iPhone from your Mac
This is the Mac driving the phone: your iPhone screen in a window on your desktop, tapped with your trackpad and typed into with your Mac keyboard. Apple builds it in, and it is called iPhone Mirroring.
Short answer: Yes. Open the iPhone Mirroring app on a Mac running macOS Sequoia 15 or later, with an iPhone on iOS 18 or later nearby and locked. Your iPhone screen appears in a window, and you click to tap, scroll to swipe and type with your Mac keyboard.
What you need
Apple lists these requirements for iPhone Mirroring. If one is missing, the app will not find your phone.
- A Mac with Apple silicon or the Apple T2 Security Chip, on macOS Sequoia 15 or later.
- An iPhone on iOS 18 or later, set up with a passcode.
- Both signed in to the same Apple Account, with two-factor authentication on.
- Bluetooth and Wi-Fi turned on, on both devices.
- The iPhone locked and near the Mac. It can be charging or in StandBy.
- The Mac not sharing its internet connection, and not using AirPlay or Sidecar.
It works with one Mac and one iPhone at a time, and Apple says it is currently unavailable in the European Union.
How to turn it on
- On your Mac, open iPhone Mirroring from the Dock, the Applications folder or Spotlight.
- If it asks, unlock your iPhone with its passcode.
- Choose whether to allow iPhone notifications on your Mac.
- Choose whether to ask for your Mac login every time or to authenticate automatically.
- When your iPhone screen appears, you are connected. To stop, quit the app or unlock your iPhone.
Once it is running, click wherever you would tap, click and hold to touch and hold, and scroll with the trackpad to swipe. A few shortcuts save trips to the toolbar: Command-1 goes to the Home Screen, Command-2 opens the App Switcher and Command-3 opens Spotlight. You can also drag photos and files between the iPhone window and your Mac.
What you cannot do
- No camera or mic. Apple blocks the iPhone camera and microphone in iPhone Mirroring, so Face ID and phone calls do not work through the window. You can take calls on the Mac itself instead.
- No using the phone at the same time. The iPhone has to stay locked. Unlocking it ends the session.
- It has to be nearby. This is not remote access from across town. The phone needs to be close to the Mac with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi on.
- Some video will not play. Streaming apps can block their premium video from being mirrored.
- It pauses on its own. The connection pauses after a period of inactivity, and the iPhone shows which Mac used it and for how long.
If it will not connect, Apple's own fixes are to update and restart both devices, stop any heavy Bluetooth or Wi-Fi streaming, check that a VPN or security app is not in the way, and make sure the Mac firewall is not blocking all incoming connections.
Going the other way: control your Mac from your iPhone
Many people searching this actually want the opposite: the phone in your hand driving the Mac on the desk. iPhone Mirroring does not do that. For that direction, see how to control your Mac from your iPhone, or the side-by-side of the best apps to control a Mac from an iPhone.
MightyMouse is one of those options. It puts your Mac's live screen, a trackpad, a keyboard and a microphone on your iPhone in Safari, paired with one QR scan, and it works away from home too.
Want it the other way round? Your Mac's screen, trackpad, keyboard and mic on your iPhone.
Free on your own network. No card to try it.
Common questions
Can I control my iPhone from my Mac?
Yes, with iPhone Mirroring, which is built into macOS Sequoia 15 and later. Your iPhone needs iOS 18 or later, the same Apple Account, and to be locked and near the Mac.
Why can't my Mac find my iPhone for iPhone Mirroring?
Check the requirements first: same Apple Account with two-factor authentication, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi on, iPhone locked and nearby, and the Mac not using AirPlay, Sidecar or internet sharing. A VPN or a firewall that blocks all incoming connections can also stop it.
Can I use my iPhone camera or take calls through iPhone Mirroring?
No. The iPhone camera and microphone are not available in iPhone Mirroring, including for Face ID and phone calls. You can make and receive calls on the Mac directly instead.
Need the reverse, your phone driving the Mac? MightyMouse turns your iPhone into a screen, trackpad, keyboard and mic for your Mac, paired with one QR scan.