EasySwitchSecond monitor
Turn the computer you already own into a second monitor.
That old laptop on the shelf has a perfectly good screen. EasySwitch creates an extra display on the machine you're working on and puts it on that laptop's screen, over your own network — no dongle, no capture card, no subscription. And because the display is created rather than captured, your real desktop never goes anywhere.
The short version
Install EasySwitch on both computers, pair them once, and press Extend. Your operating system gains a monitor it treats like any other — drag windows onto it, arrange it left or right, take it back with Ctrl+Alt+M. It runs at 60 fps at the other screen's native resolution, works between macOS, Windows and Linux in any combination, and the same app already shares your keyboard, mouse, clipboard and files across those machines.
It is a new display, not a copy of yours
Every other tool in this category starts by capturing a screen — yours, or a window on it. EasySwitch starts by making a display that did not exist, empty, and sending only that. Nothing on your desktop is recorded, streamed or mirrored, and with Extend switched off no pixels leave the machine at all. The stream is end-to-end encrypted and never leaves your local network.
Which machine does what
Can create a display
- macOS13 and later
- Windows11 — one consented driver install, first use only
- LinuxGNOME 44+ / KDE Plasma 6 on Wayland
- Linux (X11)can receive a display, not create one
Can show one
- macOSincluding Retina at native scale
- Windowshardware decode, software fallback
- LinuxWayland and X11
An old Linux laptop can be a monitor for your Mac; a Mac can be a monitor for your Windows PC. Each system asks once, on first use: Windows for a signed display driver, macOS for Screen Recording and Local Network. macOS gates all screen reading behind one permission and can't tell a display we created from your desktop — so it asks, even though only the new display is ever read. Setup details.
Second-screen software compared
| Capability | EasySwitch | spacedesk | Duet Display | Deskreen | BetterDisplay Pro | Luna Display |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windows, macOS & Linux | Yes all three | Partial Windows host only | Yes plus tablets | Yes all three | No macOS only | Partial Apple-centric |
| Use another computer as a second monitor | Yes Pro | Yes | Yes | Partial mirrors, no new display | Partial same Mac only | Yes |
| Same-OS pairs (two PCs, two Macs) | Yes | Partial Windows host | Yes | Yes | No single machine | Yes Mac to Mac |
| Works with any keyboard & mouse | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No dongle required |
| End-to-end encrypted — free tier too | Yes Noise, every tier | No not published | No not published | Partial WebRTC, LAN | No nothing networked | No not published |
| Clipboard: text, images & files | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
| File transfer & drag-and-drop | Yes up to 10 MB free, unlimited on Pro | No | No | No | No | No |
| Control from a phone or browser | Yes web bridge | No | No | Partial viewer only | No | No |
| Free tier | Yes 2 computers | Yes non-commercial | No trial only | Yes open source | Partial free tier, paid Pro | No hardware purchase |
| One-time price (no subscription) | Yes | Partial commercial by quote | No subscription | Yes free | Yes | Yes hardware |
Details as published 2026-08-04 — check each site for current terms. Every one of these is a good tool for the job it was built for; the difference is that they all stop at the screen.
What it costs against the alternatives
Duet Display
$24.99 / year
subscription
a screen for a tablet — no keyboard or clipboard sharing
Luna Display
$119.99
hardware dongle
a dongle per machine, Apple-centric
BetterDisplay Pro
$21.99
one-time
virtual displays on ONE Mac — nothing crosses to another computer
ShareMouse Standard
$99.95
one-time + yearly maintenance
two computers, no display sharing
EasySwitch Pro
$49
one-time · 5 computers
the display and the keyboard, mouse, clipboard and files
Questions
Can I use another computer as a second monitor?
Yes. EasySwitch creates an extra display on the computer you are working on and shows it on another computer's screen over your local network. Your operating system treats it as a real monitor: you can drag windows onto it, set its arrangement, and take everything back with a keystroke. It works between macOS, Windows and Linux in any combination.
Is this the same as screen mirroring or remote desktop?
No, and the difference matters for privacy. Mirroring and remote desktop capture the screen you already have. EasySwitch creates a brand-new, empty display and streams only that — your existing desktop is never captured, and nothing is sent at all unless you switch Extend on.
Do I need a dongle or a capture card?
No. Everything runs in software over the network you already have. There is no hardware to buy, unlike dongle-based products, and no HDMI cable between the machines.
Which computer can create the display, and which can show it?
macOS 13 and later, Windows 11 and Linux on Wayland (GNOME 44+ or KDE Plasma 6) can create a display. macOS, Windows and Linux — including X11 — can show one. So an old Linux laptop can be a monitor for your Mac, and a Mac can be a monitor for your Windows PC.
Does it cost a subscription?
No. It is part of a one-time Pro purchase, alongside the keyboard, mouse, clipboard and file sharing. Comparable second-screen apps are billed yearly or need a hardware dongle.
How good does it look and feel?
60 frames a second at the receiving screen's native resolution, hardware-encoded on every operating system. The keyboard and mouse sharing runs on a separate connection so typing stays sharp while a display is streaming, and the session comes back on its own after sleep or a network blip.
Try it on the computer you were about to sell
EasySwitch is free for two computers — mouse, keyboard, clipboard and files up to 10 MB, fully encrypted. The extra display is part of Pro: one payment, no renewal.
Sharing a keyboard rather than a screen? See software KVM compared.