DeskJoinDeskJoin Screen · Mac and Windows guide
Turn a Windows laptop into extra screen space for your Mac. DeskJoin Screen extends the Mac desktop over your local network—free, without a product account or subscription.
Available now · Windows 1.5
Keep your main work on the Mac and move reference pages, messages, controls, or another app window onto the Windows laptop. The Mac sends the extended desktop; the laptop becomes the receiving display.
Yes. DeskJoin Screen creates an additional display on a compatible Mac and shows that desktop on a Windows laptop. It is useful when you want more workspace without carrying another computer monitor.
This is an extended desktop, not simply a copy of the Mac screen. Move a window past the edge of the Mac display and it appears on the Windows laptop.
Step-by-step setup
Install DeskJoin Screen on the Mac whose desktop you want to extend. The Mac creates the additional display and sends it to the Windows laptop.
Download DeskJoin Screen 1.5 on a laptop running Windows 10 or later, then run the installer and allow the administrator prompt. It installs the app and its local-network firewall rules.
Connect the Mac and Windows laptop to the same reachable local Wi-Fi or Ethernet network, then open DeskJoin Screen on both devices.
On the Mac, choose Extend and select the Windows laptop. The extended Mac desktop will appear on the laptop's screen.
Open Displays settings on the Mac to place the Windows screen to the left or right of the main display and choose a comfortable resolution.
Windows supports receiving an Extend session started from a Mac—exactly the setup this guide covers—as well as sending and receiving Mirror with a compatible Mac. Starting an active Extend session from Windows itself isn't supported yet.
The installer isn't code-signed yet, so Windows may show an unknown-publisher prompt before you can run it. Both devices should be kept on the latest DeskJoin Screen release for the smoothest connection.
Extend is what this guide covers: the Mac sends extra workspace to the Windows laptop, so a window can be dragged from the Mac onto the laptop's screen like any other monitor.
Mirror works between Windows and Mac too, in either direction, but it shows a copy of the sending device's screen instead of adding workspace—useful for presenting a Mac's screen on a nearby laptop, or the reverse. Neither device can control the other during Mirror; each stays operated by its own keyboard and mouse.
Yes. Install DeskJoin Screen on a compatible Mac and on a Windows laptop running Windows 10 or later. Start Extend from the Mac and select the laptop as the receiving display.
Yes. DeskJoin Screen 1.5 for Windows is available as a direct EXE installer download.
The Mac creates and sends the extended desktop. Windows currently supports receiving an Extend session from a Mac; starting an active Extend session from Windows itself is not supported yet.
Yes. A Windows laptop can send its screen to a Mac or receive a Mac's screen with Mirror mode, in addition to receiving an Extend session. Mirror mode works the same way it does between two Macs: it displays the other device's screen without remote input, so you operate each device with its own keyboard and mouse. Receiver-only devices like phones and tablets can receive Mirror or Extend but can't send either.
Yes. Both devices must be reachable on the same local network. A strong Wi-Fi connection helps keep the display clear and smooth.
No. DeskJoin Screen is free and does not require a product account or subscription. The display session stays on your local network.
The Windows installer is not yet code-signed, so Windows may show an unknown-publisher prompt (SmartScreen) before you can run it. This is expected for the current release.
Free · No account
Install DeskJoin Screen on the Mac and Windows laptop, then start Extend from the Mac.