Set up on a Mac

Requirements

• macOS 13 Ventura or later.
• No drivers and no administrator prompt: PixelBridge uses the virtual display support built into macOS.

Install

1. Download the disk image from bytehavenstudios.com/get/pixelbridge. It is signed and notarized by Apple.
2. Open it and drag PixelBridge to Applications, then open PixelBridge from Applications.
3. The Setup assistant opens and walks you through four short steps.

The Setup assistant

1. Welcome

“Your phone or tablet becomes a second display for this Mac.” Click Continue.

2. Two permissions

macOS asks you to allow these yourself in System Settings. PixelBridge uses them only while a device is connected.

Permission	Needed?	What it is for
Screen & System Audio Recording	Required	Sends this Mac’s picture to your device
Accessibility	Optional	Lets touch and the pen on your device move the pointer, click and draw

Click Allow… beside each one. System Settings opens at the right page; switch PixelBridge on there. If you allowed it but the assistant hasn’t noticed, click Already allowed it? Relaunch PixelBridge.

macOS asks again about once a month

macOS regularly re-confirms that an app may keep recording your screen, sometimes right after setup. That’s normal for screen-sharing apps: allow it and you’re set. The first time PixelBridge looks for your device over Wi-Fi, macOS may also ask about your local network; allow that too.

3. Get the app

Scan the QR code with your phone or tablet’s camera. It opens the PixelBridge app on Google Play. Open PixelBridge when I log in is ticked; leave it on so the Mac is always ready.

4. Start

Click Start PixelBridge. It starts serving and lives in the menu bar, top right. Click its icon to start, stop or connect a device.

You can reopen the assistant any time: menu bar icon › Setup Assistant….

The menu bar menu

Item	What it does
Start serving / Stop serving	Turns PixelBridge on or off
Show connection QR…	Shows the code a device scans to connect over Wi-Fi
Paired devices	Per device: Set as main display, Disconnect, Rename…, Forget this device
Display mode	Extended (virtual display) or Mirror main display
Pen › High-rate pen mode	Smoother pen input; see Pen and pressure
Settings… (⌘,)	The full Settings window
Quit PixelBridge host (⌘Q)	Stops PixelBridge

First connection

Over USB: open the app on the device, plug it into the Mac with a data cable, and tap Connect over USB if it doesn’t start by itself. No pairing is needed: the cable is the trust.

Over Wi-Fi: put the Mac and the device on the same network. In the menu bar choose Show connection QR… and scan it from the app, or pick the Mac from the app’s On your network list. The first time, both screens show the same six-digit code; click Allow on the Mac. See Pairing.

Smoother Wi-Fi on a Mac

AirDrop and Handoff share the Wi-Fi radio and can make the picture stutter. If the menu shows “Wi-Fi may stutter: AirDrop/Handoff is on”, turn them off while you work, or use the cable.