Most people who end up here have the same setup: a MacBook they work on all day, and an iMac that's become too slow to be the main computer but still has a better screen than anything in the house. Here's how to put the two together. (Curious about the other ways, like AirPlay or opening the iMac? See every option.)

What you need

An Intel iMac from Late 2012 or newer (see every model).
A MacBook on macOS 13 Ventura or later.
One cable: USB-C to USB-A for iMacs from 2012 to 2015, USB-C or Thunderbolt for iMacs from 2017 on.

Check your iMac and MacBook

Choose your old iMac and the Mac you work on.

1Your old iMac

Size

Year

On the iMac: Apple menu › About This Mac shows both.

2Your new Mac

Mac

Not sure? Apple menu › About This Mac shows the chip: Apple M1 or newer, or Intel.

Set it up in four steps

Install Encore on both Macs. Download Encore on your MacBook and on your iMac, and drag it into the Applications folder on each.
Open Encore on the iMac. Open Encore on the iMac. It waits quietly for your MacBook.
Open Encore on your MacBook. Open Encore on your MacBook and allow screen recording when asked.
Connect the cable. Plug one cable from your MacBook into the iMac. Your desktop appears on the iMac about two seconds later.

That's it. Drag a window from your MacBook onto the iMac, and arrange the screens in System Settings › Displays like any monitor.

Working with the lid closed

A closed MacBook Pro standing in a vertical stand next to a silver 27-inch iMac, with a keyboard and mouse in front. — Lid closed and charging: the iMac becomes your only screen.

Close your MacBook while it's charging, and the iMac becomes your only screen, the way a regular monitor works. Use a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, or the iMac's own.

Sound, brightness and Night Shift

Sound: turn it on in the Encore menu, and your MacBook plays through the iMac's speakers. Your volume keys control the iMac's volume.
Brightness: the iMac can follow your MacBook's brightness, keys included.
Night Shift: when your MacBook turns warmer in the evening, so does the iMac.

Why can't I see my iMac in Screen Mirroring?

Screen Mirroring and AirPlay only list Macs that can receive AirPlay, and most iMacs from before 2019 can't. Even when one shows up, AirPlay sends a compressed picture over Wi-Fi, so text looks soft and the pointer lags. Encore uses a cable and turns the iMac into a real display: sharp text, smooth windows, and it shows up in System Settings like a monitor.

Encore

Your old iMac. Now a monitor.

Every pixelYour iMac's full resolution, up to 5K. Text as sharp as on your Mac.

Up to 60 fpsWindows, scrolling and video move like on any monitor.

One cableUSB, Thunderbolt or Ethernet. Often one you already have.

Still a MacNothing is opened. Unplug it and it's your iMac again.

Download for Mac Check your iMac

Free for 72 hours · then $49 once · no subscription · for Macs on macOS 13 or later

What about Target Display Mode?

Apple's Target Display Mode only worked with iMacs up to mid 2014 and Macs up to 2019. Modern MacBooks can't use it. See which iMacs had Target Display Mode.