A separate workspace
Not a copy of the Mac screen. Its own resolution, its own workspace — windows you drag there stay there, exactly like a plugged-in monitor.
✦iPad · second display for Mac
The iPad you already own, a real second screen.
Remio turns any iPad into a true second display for your Mac — not a mirror, not an AirPlay clone. macOS treats it as a real monitor: drag windows across the bezel, keep them there, work in full Retina. Wireless, free, with Apple Pencil and touch. No Sidecar restrictions, no account.
✦Real display
A second display, not a mirror.
When the iPad connects, the Mac host creates a virtual display — a separate workspace, not a copy of the Mac screen. macOS genuinely thinks the iPad is hardware plugged in. The cursor crosses the bezel exactly as it would with a USB-C monitor, Mission Control includes it, and Spaces work on it.
Retina-sharp at 2× HiDPI. Rotate the iPad and the display rotates with it.
The cursor crosses the bezel
The pointer moves onto the iPad and back exactly as it would with a USB-C display. Mission Control, Spaces, and dock arrangements all treat it as normal.
Retina sharp
2× HiDPI at the iPad's native pixel density. An iPad Pro 11″ M4 shows the Mac's second screen at its exact native resolution — text crisp at any zoom.
Dynamic resize
Rotate the iPad from landscape to portrait and the virtual display rotates with it. Change the window size and it resizes live — no reconnect.
✦vs Sidecar
How it stacks up against Apple Sidecar.
Sidecar is good — until its compatibility list or Apple ID requirement leaves you out. Remio has neither restriction, and its host Mac can even be somewhere else on the internet.
| Apple Sidecar | Remio | |
|---|---|---|
| Apple ID | Same Apple ID signed in on both devices | No iCloud, no Apple ID matching |
| Device support | Latest iPads and Macs from a short list | Any iPad on iPadOS 16+, any Mac on macOS 13+ |
| Host location | Same room, direct Wi-Fi only | Same Wi-Fi or elsewhere on the internet |
| Account | Apple account required | None — pair with a one-time PIN |
| Price | Free (Apple) | Free — every feature |
✦vs Duet & Luna
A free Duet Display and Luna Display alternative.
Duet Display runs on a subscription. Luna Display needs a hardware dongle you plug into the Mac. Remio does it with no subscription, no dongle, no account, and no Apple ID — over your own Wi-Fi.
✦Apple Pencil
Apple Pencil works on apps that don't even know about iPadOS.
The Pencil forwards as a Wacom-class tablet with full pressure and tilt to the Mac. Photoshop, Final Cut, DaVinci Resolve, Affinity, Clip Studio, and Krita receive native tablet events — the same events they'd see from a Wacom Cintiq plugged in over USB. Apps don't need to know anything about iPadOS for the Pencil to work.
Touch and Pencil are two separate input streams — scroll with a finger while you draw.
✦Privacy
Wireless first, but never relays your pixels.
A direct Wi-Fi peer-to-peer connection between iPad and Mac. Every connection generates a brand-new AES-256 session key; once the iPad disconnects, the key is destroyed and can never be reused. No iCloud, no Apple ID matching, no account.
Use it for code, drawing, video, or just Slack.
A second display earns its keep the moment you stop alt-tabbing. Park whatever you keep glancing at on the iPad.
Code & docs
Editor on the Mac, terminal or documentation on the iPad. Two panes, no window-shuffling.
Drawing
Canvas on the iPad with the Pencil, tool palettes on the Mac. Native pressure and tilt reach the app.
Video editing
Timeline on the Mac, the preview or scopes on the iPad. Colour-accurate, full Retina.
Just Slack
Banish chat and email to the iPad. Notifications stay in the corner of your eye, off the main screen.
✦Full remote
When to use the full remote experience instead.
Want the iPad to control the whole Mac from another room or another city — not just extend the desktop? That's the full remote-desktop flow. See connecting an iPad to a Mac.
✦Questions
Common questions
Is this really a second monitor or just a screen mirror?
A real second display. macOS sees it as a separate monitor with its own resolution and its own workspace. You can drag windows to it and they stay there. The cursor moves across the bezel exactly as it would with a USB-C monitor plugged in — Mission Control, Spaces, and dock arrangements all treat the iPad as a normal display.
How does this compare to Apple Sidecar?
Sidecar requires the same Apple ID signed in on both devices and only the very latest iPads and Macs from a short compatibility list. Remio works on any iPad with iPadOS 16 or later and any Mac with macOS 13 or later, with no iCloud requirement and no Apple ID matching. Performance is comparable on a clean Wi-Fi network, and Remio's host Mac can be remote on the same Wi-Fi or elsewhere on the internet.
Does Apple Pencil work?
Yes. The Pencil forwards as tablet input with full pressure and tilt to the Mac. Painting and drawing apps such as Photoshop, Procreate's macOS workflow, Affinity, Clip Studio, Krita, and Final Cut Pro receive native tablet events — the same events they would see from a Wacom Cintiq plugged in over USB. Apps don't need to know anything about iPadOS for Pencil to work.
Will this work with my older iPad?
If your iPad runs iPadOS 16 or later, yes. That covers iPad Air 3rd generation, iPad mini 5, iPad 7th generation, and every iPad Pro since 2018. Older iPads stuck on iPadOS 15 or earlier are not supported because the connection layer Remio uses requires iPadOS 16's networking stack.
Can I use Touch ID and the Pencil at the same time?
Yes. Touch input and Pencil input are two separate input streams in Remio. You can scroll a document with a finger in one hand while drawing with the Pencil in the other, or use multi-touch gestures to pan and zoom while sketching. Both streams reach the Mac with sub-frame latency on a local Wi-Fi network.
Two screens from one iPad.
Install Remio on your Mac and iPad, pair with a one-time PIN, and drag a window across the bezel. Free, no account, no Apple ID.