Turn the Mac you own into the monitor you don't need to buy.

MacDisplay extends your Mac's display to any other Mac running macOS 11 or later. Over Thunderbolt, Ethernet, or Wi-Fi. No hardware, no account, no cloud. 10 megabytes. €29,99 + VAT. Try it free now.

Download for Mac See how it works

macOS 11+
10 MB · notarized
Free to try · €29,99 + VAT

Act 01

Plug in the cable.

Thunderbolt, Ethernet, or your local Wi-Fi. MacDisplay prefers the most stable connection — Thunderbolt first, then Ethernet, Wi-Fi last.

Act 02

Two keyboard shortcuts.

⇧ ⌘ E on the source Mac to broadcast, ⇧ ⌘ M on the receiver to accept. The two Macs connect — no menus, no setup wizard, no waiting.

Act 03

Your desktop extends.

More space to work, wherever you are. Drag windows between Macs as if they shared a single graphics card. Independent workspace, native cursor, native resolution.

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The problem

Got an iMac you barely use? A MacBook that needs more screen?

The Mac that sleeps.

The MacBook that suffocates.

Most people already own a Mac sitting on a desk at home, half-asleep, doing almost nothing.

And the same people, on the move, work all day on a single 13-inch display that's too small for serious work.

The second screen is already in the room. You just need the software that connects the two.

How it works

Three steps. No setup.

Download MacDisplay.

A single 10 MB app. Drag it to /Applications or run it from a USB stick. No installer.

Open it on both Macs.

Same app, two roles. The source Mac sends its display. The receiver Mac becomes a monitor.

Plug in and work.

Thunderbolt cable, Ethernet, or shared Wi-Fi. MacDisplay finds the link. Your desktop extends.

Plug in. Open. Extended.

Why MacDisplay

Built like macOS apps used to be built.

Six things that, taken together, no other display-sharing app on the Mac actually delivers.

Zero hardware.

No dongle, no receiver box, no Lightning adapter. Two Macs. One cable. That's it.

Zero account, zero cloud.

No sign-up. No tracking. No telemetry. The app does not talk to any server we run.

10 megabytes. Runs also from USB.

Smaller than a single photo. Notarized by Apple. Runs from /Applications, the Desktop, or a USB stick.

Thunderbolt, Ethernet, Wi-Fi.

MacDisplay prefers the most stable link: Thunderbolt first, Ethernet next, Wi-Fi last. No setup required.

LAN-only by design.

Your pixels never leave your network. No cloud relay. GDPR-friendly by design, not by promise.

€29,99. Once. Forever.

Buy it once, own it forever. Updates included. No subscription, no in-app purchases, ever.

QuickMonitor Bonus feature

A USB stick is all you need.

For day-to-day use, MacDisplay just installs on your two Macs. QuickMonitor is the bonus feature for when the receiver Mac isn't yours.

Export a tiny receiver binary onto any USB stick. Plug the stick into any Mac — a friend's, a colleague's, even one at a hotel front desk — double-click, and that Mac becomes your second monitor for the session.

When you unplug, nothing remains. No installer. No background service. No trace.

Export from MacDisplay in two clicks.
Runs on any Mac with macOS 11 or later.
Auto-removes from the host on quit.

Compare

How MacDisplay compares.

Feature	Luna Display	Duet Display	Sidecar / AirPlay (Apple)	MacDisplay
Type of solution	Hardware dongle + app	App, subscription	Built into macOS	App, one-time purchase
Price¹	$89.99 one-time (dongle)	from ~$4/month, or lifetime ~$199	Included in macOS	€29,99 + VAT, one-time
Free trial	No — requires dongle purchase	7 days	—	Free version, never expires
Mac-to-Mac extension	Yes, with dongle	Yes (macOS 12.3+)	Sidecar: iPad only · AirPlay: Mac 2019+, compressed	Yes, pure software
Extra hardware	Dongle required	None	None	None
Subscription	No	Yes (or lifetime)	No	No
Account required	Yes	Yes	Same Apple ID on both devices	None
Older receiver Macs	Yes, supports older Macs¹	Recent macOS required¹	AirPlay: Mac 2019+ only	From 2014 (macOS 11)
iPad / Windows support	Yes (iPad)	Yes (iPad & Windows)	Yes (iPad)	No — Mac ↔ Mac only
Runs from USB stick, no install	No	No	No — same Apple ID by default	Yes, on any Mac (QuickMonitor)

¹ Vendor-published data from their official websites, July 2026 — may change; check the vendors' sites. MacDisplay latency: 9–11 ms measured with an on-screen clock test (MacBook Pro M4 Pro ↔ 2017 iMac, Thunderbolt, June 2026). All trademarks belong to their respective owners and are used for identification purposes only. Spotted an inaccuracy? Write to support@macdisplay.it.

Made for

Every Mac, in any situation.

Any Mac from 2014 onwards. New, recent, or vintage. Your daily driver or a backup. Yours, a family member's, a colleague's. If it's a Mac, it can become your screen.

More screen, without buying a monitor.

You're at your desk with the MacBook. You want more space. The iMac next to you becomes your second display in seconds. Then you go back to the MacBook alone whenever you want.

Off-site meeting. One extra screen.

You're at a client's office with your MacBook. Open MacDisplay on the meeting-room Mac: your desktop extends. You present, work, and take notes across two screens. When you leave, nothing remains.

Work anywhere, even away from home.

On a trip, on vacation, at your parents'. You bring the MacBook. You find the second screen on-site: a relative's Mac, or a friend's. A USB stick is enough to turn it into a monitor. Up and running in a minute.

When you need a screen now.

At a coworking space, at university, on a group project. The Mac of the colleague next to you can become your second screen for an afternoon. Same app, same network, double the space. Disconnects when you're done.

Privacy & security

Built LAN-first. Always has been.

MacDisplay is private by nature. It connects two of your Macs and gets out of the way.

Cable or LAN only.
Pixels travel through the cable or your local network. They never reach a server we operate.
Nothing leaves your network.
No relay. No proxy. No cloud. If your router is off, MacDisplay still works between Macs on the same cable.
No account, no tracking.
We don't ask for your email. We don't run analytics inside the app. GDPR-friendly by design.

Compatibility

Works with what you already own.

If you bought a Mac in the last decade, MacDisplay will run on it.

Source MacmacOS 12.3 or later

Receiver MacmacOS 11 or later

ConnectionsThunderbolt 3/4/5 · Gigabit Ethernet · Wi-Fi 5 GHz

App size10 MB · universal binary · notarized by Apple

LanguagesEnglish · Italian (more coming)

Current versionMacDisplay 2.0.4 · last updated 9 July 2026

Free version

Try it free, with no time limits.

MacDisplay is free to download and try. Use it right away on any Mac, with no account, no credit card. The free version has time-limited sessions, perfect for occasional use. The full license unlocks unlimited sessions.

Per session

10-minute sessions

Each extension session lasts up to 10 minutes. A warning notifies you 1 minute before automatic disconnect.

Between sessions

60-second cooldown

A short 60-second pause between sessions. Then you can reconnect.

Every 24 hours

60 free minutes per day

Use up to 60 minutes of free extension every 24 hours. More than enough for occasional use.

With the full license

Every limit, gone.

One €29,99 license removes the timers and unlocks the full multi-device setup.

Unlimited sessions

No 10-minute timer. No 60-second pause. No 60-minute daily cap. Just use the screen.
Up to 3 sender Macs

Install your license on up to three personal Macs you use to send the display — desktop, laptop, work machine.
Unlimited receiver Macs

Connect to any Mac as a receiver — iMac in the studio, a borrowed Mac, QuickMonitor on a USB stick. No cap, no count.

Get MacDisplay — €29,99 + VAT · one license, forever

Reviews

What early users say.

5.0 — average of the first 2 reviews on Trustpilot Read all reviews on Trustpilot →

★★★★★

A great way to use an iMac as a second monitor

"I tried MacDisplay with a 2020 MacBook and a 2017 iMac 5K connected over Thunderbolt. Latency is very low and image quality is excellent. For productivity and everyday use, even for long stretches, I had no problems. I wouldn't recommend the Wi-Fi connection unless your network is really good. A great way to turn an iMac into a second monitor."

Giorgia · 14 July 2026 · Review on Trustpilot, translated from Italian

★★★★★

A great way to use two MacBooks as a dual screen

"I tried the app connecting my 2021 MacBook to my boyfriend's, and it worked really well for me. It's very handy when we are travelling or away from home, because I can use the second MacBook as an extra screen to work and study more comfortably. Simple, practical and genuinely useful. I recommend it to anyone who wants to work with two screens without carrying an external monitor."

Ludovica · 5 July 2026 · Review on Trustpilot, translated from Italian

Reviews are collected and moderated on Trustpilot, an independent platform. Quotes are reproduced faithfully.

Pricing

One price. Once. Forever.

^€29,99 + VAT

Price excludes VAT. Local VAT applied automatically at checkout.

All current and future updates
QuickMonitor USB export
Use on up to 3 personal Macs
Email support from a real person

Buy now Try it free

Free to download and try. Secure payment through Stripe.

FAQ

Questions, answered.

If something isn't covered here, email support@macdisplay.it.

Can I use my old iMac as a second display for my MacBook?

Yes — that's exactly what MacDisplay is for. Install the app on both Macs, connect them with a Thunderbolt or Ethernet cable (or use Wi-Fi), press the keyboard shortcut, and your MacBook's desktop extends onto the iMac. It works on iMacs from 2014 onwards and MacBooks from late 2013, with macOS 11 or later on the receiving Mac — including iMacs that never had, or lost, Target Display Mode.

Is there an alternative to Target Display Mode?

Yes. Apple removed Target Display Mode after the 2014 iMacs and never brought it back — modern macOS versions don't support it at all. AirPlay to Mac only works on recent Macs (iMacs from 2019 onwards) and streams with compression, not at native display quality. MacDisplay is a pure-software alternative: it turns iMacs and other Macs (macOS 11+) into a real extended display over Thunderbolt, Ethernet, or Wi-Fi — no dongle, no subscription.

Do I need a dongle or a subscription?

Neither. MacDisplay is 100% software — no hardware dongle to buy and carry. And it's a one-time €29,99 license, not a subscription: pay once, use it forever, updates included.

My Mac only has Thunderbolt 2 — will it work?

Yes — use Gigabit Ethernet or Wi-Fi instead of the Thunderbolt cable: with MacDisplay, Ethernet delivers virtually the same performance as Thunderbolt. We haven't certified Apple's Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter yet, so for 2013–2015 Macs Ethernet is the recommended wired connection.

Does MacDisplay need an internet connection?

No. MacDisplay only needs the two Macs to be able to see each other — directly via a Thunderbolt or Ethernet cable, or on the same local Wi-Fi. Your internet connection can be off entirely and it still works.

How is this different from AirPlay or Sidecar?

AirPlay streams your screen, with compression, to a TV or a recent Mac (2019 or newer). Sidecar turns an iPad into a second display. MacDisplay turns another Mac — typically an iMac or older MacBook you already own — into a true extended second display, with independent workspace, full resolution, and a real cursor.

Which Macs are supported?

Source Mac: macOS 12.3 or later. Receiver Mac: macOS 11 or later. MacDisplay is a universal binary that runs natively on Apple Silicon and Intel.

Do I need any special hardware?

No. The app uses the cables and ports you already have. A Thunderbolt cable gives the best latency; Ethernet is a solid middle ground; Wi-Fi 5 GHz works for most desk-bound work.

What is QuickMonitor exactly?

QuickMonitor is a feature inside MacDisplay that exports a small standalone receiver onto a USB stick. You can plug that stick into any compatible Mac, double-click the binary, and that Mac instantly becomes a second monitor — without installing anything, without an account, and with no trace left behind when you unplug.

Is there a subscription?

No. MacDisplay is sold once for €29,99. That price includes all future updates. No subscription, no in-app purchases.

What does the full license unlock?

Three things. First, all timers disappear: no 10-minute session limit, no 60-second cooldown, no 60-minute daily cap. Second, you can install the license on up to 3 personal Macs you use as the sender (the Mac that broadcasts its display). Third, you can connect to an unlimited number of receiver Macs (the Macs that become your second monitor) — your iMac at home, a colleague's Mac, a Mac running QuickMonitor from a USB stick. No cap, no count.

Can I try MacDisplay before paying?

Yes, MacDisplay is free to download and use. The free version allows extension sessions up to 10 minutes, with a total of 60 free minutes every 24 hours. No account or credit card required. The full license removes all limits.

Does the price include VAT?

No, the displayed price excludes VAT. Local VAT is applied automatically at checkout based on your country. For example, an Italian customer will see €29.99 + 22% VAT = €36.59 at checkout.

What about refunds?

30-day refund, handled directly by us. Email support@macdisplay.it with your order ID and we'll process it through Stripe.

Where is my data going?

Nowhere we control. The video stream travels directly between your two Macs — either through the cable or over your LAN. We do not operate any relay server. We do not collect analytics inside the app. We never see your screen.