What is Beam?
Beam is a Mac app for people who use more than one Mac and want to work with an app running on another machine without opening its entire desktop. Install Beam on both Macs, choose a window, and it appears on the Mac in front of you with its own Dock icon and place in Command Tab. It requires Apple silicon and macOS Sonoma or later, works over the same WiFi network, and can reach Macs elsewhere through Tailscale.
Why Beam works
Traditional screen sharing puts an entire remote desktop inside one scaled view, even when you only need a single app. Beam streams the individual window at the receiving display's resolution and lets it behave like a local Mac window, so you work with the remote app on your desktop instead of steering a whole computer through one screen sharing canvas.
Beam features
- Native remote windows. A window from another Mac appears with its own Dock icon and place in Command Tab. Resizing it on the receiving Mac resizes the real window on the remote Mac.
- Retina sharp streaming. Remote windows stream at the receiving display's exact resolution so text, borders, and interface details stay sharp instead of being scaled to fit.
- Files, clipboard, and app audio. Drag a file onto a remote window or use copy and paste to move content between Macs. Audio can also travel from the individual remote app.
- Direct encrypted connections. Windows, keystrokes, clipboard data, and sound travel directly between Macs with encryption. Beam says this content does not pass through its servers.
- Browser share links. A single window can open through a share link in a browser on another device. Guests join free, and control stays off unless the sender allows it.
- Headless Mac access. A Mac mini or Mac Studio without its own display still exposes its available windows, making builds, agents, and other running apps accessible from another Mac.
Who Beam is for
- Developers running builds or agents on a Mac mini or Studio who want those windows beside their local editor without taking over the remote desktop.
- Mac users with computers in different rooms who want to bring one active app to the machine they are currently using.
- People running headless Mac minis who need access to individual apps without attaching a permanent display and keyboard.
- Mac owners working away from home who use Tailscale to reach an app running on another Mac in a different location.
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