If you’re having connection problems, make sure both devices are connected to the Wifi network.

Now you can use the MacBook as a second monitor for Windows.The MacBook should show the Window’s desktop.Type in the IP address of the host machine and click connect.Run the server, take note of the IP Address.Install Space Desk on a Windows machine.

How to Use a MacBook as Secondary Display with Space Desk: Note: You can use an iPad as a second monitor for your MacBook with a built-in feature called Sidecar. In other words, the Windows machine will be the main monitor and the MacBook will be the second monitor.Ĭurrently, it’s not possible to make the MacBook the host (MacBook as the main monitor, Windows as secondary) because Space Desk can’t be installed on Macs at the moment. It works best when a Windows machine is the host and the MacBook is the secondary display. However, Space Desk requires two devices, one to act as a host, and the other to connect to the server. It works over the local area network, and no cables are required. The most popular software is called Space Desk. It’s still a handy feature you should know about. This method will only let you use a MacBook as a secondary display and not the main display for other devices.

You can use software to turn your MacBook into a virtual monitor. However, you can use a MacBook as a monitor using either software or a video capture card. HDMI ports are backward compatible, but you could damage hardware if you connect two out-only sources to one another. Most laptops, computers, consoles, Blu-ray players, and other media devices, only output video signals. You should never plug a device that outputs video signals into another one that also outputs signals. I’ll expand on both those solutions in this article.įirst things first, most MacBooks don’t even have an HDMI port, except for the Mac Mini which has a single HDMI port. To use a MacBook as a monitor you can use software such as Space Desk or a video capture card. You can’t natively use a MacBook as a monitor because MacBook’s do not support HDMI input. Having said that, it’s not an easy project, and there are some important things you need to know. You think you can connect another device to your MacBook, and use it as a monitor, taking advantage of Mac’s clear display. The most recent MacBooks have IPS display panels with Apple’s Retina technology. So you recently bought a new MacBook and you’re wondering if you can use it as a monitor.

Apple macbook pro video input