Mac Remote for Android — Support

View and control your Mac from Android 8 or later. This page covers the native Android app; website pairing codes and the browser relay use a different connection setup.

Try the practice desktop

Complete or skip the introduction. On the Computers screen tap “Try the demo desktop”. With saved computers, open More options → Try the demo desktop. This simulated desktop runs on your Android device and needs no computer, account or login.

Move the pointer, tap to increment the click counter, and open Keyboard to type into the practice window. Try Mouse pad, the More menu, rotation, zoom, and Save screenshot to phone. Mac shortcut controls use the normal input path, but this simulation does not run macOS applications.

Connect to your Mac

  1. On the Mac, open System Settings → General → Sharing and enable Screen Sharing. Allow the Mac account you will use. If Remote Management is enabled instead, check that authorized remote viewing and control are available.
  2. Keep the Mac awake. Put the Mac and Android device on the same trusted network, or configure your own VPN to make the Mac address reachable.
  3. In Mac Remote, add a Mac. Enter its reachable IP address or hostname, port 5900 (unless configured differently), and the authorized Mac username/password. You may save the password encrypted or enter it when connecting.
  4. Alternatively, configure “VNC viewers may control screen with password” on the Mac and use that VNC password. Classic VNC uses only the first eight password characters.

Do not expose an unencrypted VNC port to the public internet. Standard Mac Screen Sharing does not encrypt the screen session. Use a trusted network or VPN. VeNCrypt X509 servers support TLS after you verify the server certificate fingerprint.

Controls

Trackpad mode: drag one finger to move the pointer, tap to click, long-press or two-finger tap for right-click, long-press and move to drag, two fingers to scroll, and pinch to zoom. Keyboard opens the Android keyboard with extra keys and modifiers. Mouse pad provides large Left/Right buttons and a Scroll strip. More includes Mac shortcut buttons, clipboard sharing, screenshot saving, connection information, and disconnect.

Multi-monitor desktops offer display selection. Controls adapt to phones, tablets and foldable screens. On Android 16, large screens may follow system orientation instead of app rotation requests.

Troubleshooting and limitations

Check the address and port, Mac allowed users, Screen Sharing, firewall, VPN routing and awake state. A network change may drop the connection; reconnect manually. Notification permission is optional, and some device battery managers may end background sessions. Clipboard direction and Unicode support depend on the server. This is a VNC viewer and does not implement Apple’s High Performance Screen Sharing mode, audio streaming, file transfer, automatic discovery, a built-in VPN or SSH tunnel.

Privacy and support

Read the Android Privacy Policy. Email mail@macremotecontrol.com with your app version, Android version, device model, server type and exact error. Do not send passwords or sensitive screen content.