NightdeskDownload
Nightdesk for Mac
The small menu bar app that lets your phone see and control your Mac. It’s free; you only need it once per Mac.
Nightdesk for Mac
01Install
Six steps, about five minutes.
- Open the download
Open Nightdesk.dmg from your Downloads folder.
- Drag Nightdesk to Applications
Drag the Nightdesk icon onto the Applications folder in the window that opens, then eject the disk image.
- Open it once from Privacy & Security
Double-click Nightdesk in Applications. Because it comes straight from this site rather than the App Store, macOS asks first: click Done, then open System Settings › Privacy & Security, scroll down to the message about Nightdesk and click Open Anyway, then Open (enter your Mac’s password if asked). On macOS 14 you can instead Control-click Nightdesk and choose Open. You only do this once: updates install themselves after that.
- Nightdesk opens
Its window opens and it settles into your menu bar. It opens at login from now on, so your phone can always find it.
- Allow Screen Recording and Accessibility
Nightdesk’s window lists what macOS needs, one click each. Screen Recording lets it send your screen to your phone: click Allow, switch Nightdesk on in System Settings, then quit and reopen it. Accessibility lets your phone move the pointer and type. And when macOS asks to find devices on your local network, click Allow.
- Scan the code from your phone
Open Nightdesk on your phone and scan the code in the Mac’s window (or tap your Mac under Nearby and type the 8-character code). You’re linked. Don’t have the phone app yet? Get it on Google Play.
02Good to know
Lid closed, away from home, and more.
Lid-closed mode
Want to use your MacBook with the lid closed? Click Set up next to lid-closed mode in Nightdesk’s window and enter your password once. Your Mac then stays awake with the lid closed while it’s plugged in, and on battery while your phone is linked. Turn it off before you put your MacBook in a bag.
Anywhere access
It’s on by default, so your phone can reach your Mac from any network through Nightdesk’s end-to-end encrypted relay. Your Mac has to be awake and online: keep it plugged in. You can turn it off in Nightdesk’s window; your phone then links only on the same network.
Why macOS asks before the first launch
Nightdesk for Mac is free and comes directly from this site, not the App Store, so macOS asks you to confirm it the first time you open it. After that it opens normally, updates itself, and keeps its Screen Recording and Accessibility permissions across updates.
What Nightdesk can see
Your screen goes only to phones you’ve paired, end-to-end encrypted. Nothing is recorded or kept. Read the privacy policy.
Uninstall
If you set up lid-closed mode, turn it off in Nightdesk’s window first. Then quit Nightdesk from the menu bar and drag it from Applications to the Trash.
Stuck? See support.