How can we help?

• Make sure Kite is open on the Mac: the kite should be in the menu bar.
• In Kite's menu on the Mac, check that Show Nearby is on.
• The first time, macOS asks whether Kite may find devices on your local network. If you clicked Don't Allow, turn Kite on in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Local Network.
• Turn Tailscale on on both devices, signed in to the same account.
• Still nothing? On the iPad, tap + and enter the address shown in Kite's menu on the Mac.

• Kite needs Screen Recording permission. Open Setup… from Kite's menu on the Mac and check the list.
• macOS sometimes applies the permission only after the app restarts. Click Reopen Kite in the setup window.
• After updating Kite, macOS can forget the permission even though the switch looks on. In System Settings › Privacy & Security › Screen & System Audio Recording, remove Kite with the − button, add it again, and reopen Kite.

Kite needs Accessibility permission to turn taps into clicks. Turn it on in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Accessibility. If it's already on after an update, remove Kite and add it again, the same as for Screen Recording.

When the Mac's screen sleeps, macOS can't keep the extra display, so Kite waits instead of disconnecting. Tap Wake Mac on the iPad, or touch the Mac's keyboard. The picture comes back on its own.

• Unlock the iPad. If it asks whether to trust this computer, tap Trust.
• Use a cable that carries data. Some charging-only cables don't.
• Keep Kite open on the iPad's connect screen; it connects as soon as the Mac sees the cable.

• Check the number in the sidebar. Cyan means the connection is healthy; amber or red means the network is struggling.
• Use a USB-C cable for the lowest delay.
• On Wi-Fi, use a 5 GHz or 6 GHz network, and connect the Mac to the router with Ethernet if you can.
• Away from home, Tailscale may relay traffic when a direct path isn't possible. Lower the quality in the iPad's settings (the gear on the connect screen).

• Turn on Kite Camera in Kite's menu on the Mac, and allow the extension in System Settings › General › Login Items & Extensions.
• Kite for Mac also needs Camera permission to see its own camera. Check System Settings › Privacy & Security › Camera.
• Quit and reopen the video app after allowing.

The app on the Mac has to support pressure from a drawing tablet; many photo and painting apps do, but simple note apps often don't. Apple Pencil (USB-C) has no pressure sensor and always draws at full pressure.

Open Kite's menu on the Mac and choose which side the iPad sits on, or open Displays Settings… to drag it into place. macOS remembers the arrangement.

Not over a USB-C cable. Over Wi-Fi, yes: Kite only accepts connections from devices on your own Tailscale network, so nobody else on the network can reach your Mac. At home, once you're connected, the video itself goes straight across your local network. Tailscale is free for personal use.

No. Any iPad can pair with any Mac. The first time, you click Allow on the Mac.

Adding a virtual display uses a macOS feature that App Store apps aren't allowed to use. Kite for Mac is signed with Apple's Developer ID and notarized, so macOS opens it normally.

macOS shows it for any app that captures the screen. Kite captures only the display it adds for your iPad. Duet, Luna, Zoom and OBS show the same icon.

Screen Recording, to send the picture. Accessibility, to turn touches into clicks and typing. Local Network, to tell iPads on the same Wi-Fi where the Mac is and to send video directly. Camera, only if you use Kite Camera.

macOS draws virtual displays at up to 60 frames per second, so the picture runs at 60 fps. The pointer is drawn on the iPad itself, so it moves at up to 120 Hz on ProMotion iPads.

Not yet. Sound keeps playing on the Mac. It's the next feature we're working on.

One iPad per Mac at a time. When a second iPad connects, the first one is disconnected.

Pencils with pressure (1st and 2nd generation, Pro) send pressure and tilt. Apple Pencil (USB-C) has no pressure sensor, so it draws at full pressure. Hover works on iPads that support it.

Yes. Open the menu with a three-finger tap and choose the keyboard, or connect a hardware keyboard. Japanese and Chinese input are converted on the iPad and sent as finished text.

No. We don't run any servers. The picture goes straight from your Mac to your iPad, over a cable, your home network or Tailscale. See the privacy policy.

Kite keeps working. There's no account and no license check, so nothing on our side can switch it off.

No subscription. You pay once for the iPad app and updates are included. Apple sells the app, so refunds are handled by Apple at reportaproblem.apple.com.