Keyboard

Use your iPhone as a Mac keyboard

Type or dictate on the iPhone. The words land on the Mac.

Install GlasspadKeyboard in the guide

In short

To type on your Mac from your iPhone, you need an app on both. Glasspad is a free, open source one: in its Keyboard mode, what you type or dictate on the iPhone lands wherever the cursor is on your Mac, over Wi-Fi. It has Control, Option, Command and Shift, the usual shortcuts, arrows, and F1 to F12, and it works with any Mac keyboard layout.

Glasspad is free and open source (MIT). It works with a Mac on macOS 14 or later or a PC on Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit, and an iPhone on iOS 18 or later or an Android phone on Android 10 or later, on the same Wi-Fi.

Clipboard on an iPhone: Send to Mac with Paste, Get from Mac with its button
Clipboard in the app: Send to Mac and Get from Mac.

What you get

How it works

  1. Open Keyboard

    Tap the mode button at the top of the screen, then Keyboard.

  2. Type or dictate

    Hold a key to repeat it, or tap the microphone and speak.

  3. Keep the trackpad close

    The Type layout puts the keyboard beside the trackpad.

Questions

Can I dictate on my Mac with my iPhone?

Yes. In Keyboard, tap the microphone on the iPhone keyboard and speak. The words are typed on the Mac.

Does it work with my keyboard layout?

Yes. Keys are sent for the Mac's own keyboard layout, whichever it is.

Can I send a long text from my iPhone?

Copy it on the iPhone, tap Clipboard at the end of Keyboard's shortcut row, then tap Paste under Send to Mac. It is then on the Mac's clipboard, ready to paste.

Can I use my iPhone as a mouse and keyboard together?

Yes. The Type layout puts the trackpad beside the keyboard on one screen, with the iPhone held sideways. It is useful with a Mac mini that has no keyboard or mouse nearby.

Is what I type sent over the internet?

No. Glasspad pairs once with a QR code, encrypts everything, and your iPhone and Mac talk only over your Wi-Fi. There is no account.

Keep exploring

Get Glasspad. It is free.

Glasspad is free and open source (MIT). It works with a Mac on macOS 14 or later or a PC on Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit, and an iPhone on iOS 18 or later or an Android phone on Android 10 or later, on the same Wi-Fi. On a Mac, paste this into Terminal:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Soham109/glasspad/main/install.sh | bash

The script builds it with Xcode 26 or later and your free Apple ID, and waits for you where Apple needs a click. Windows and Android install from GitHub Releases. Every install step Help in the guide