DispMini troubleshooting

Here, Mac mini means the Mac running DispMiniSender, and iMac means the Mac running DispMiniReceiver. If you use a MacBook or Mac Studio as the Sender, the same steps apply.

macOS says it can't verify the developer

Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway. You only need to do this once for each app.

The Mac mini can't find the iMac

1. Check that the cable is plugged in at both ends and is a Thunderbolt or USB4 data cable, not a charging cable.
2. Open DispMiniReceiver on the iMac and check that it's listening.
3. On any Mac running macOS 15 or later, go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Local Network and check that the DispMini app is allowed. Earlier versions of macOS don't have this setting.
4. Click the iMac in the Sender's menu bar panel to connect by hand.

It doesn't connect automatically without a cable

This is the default. DispMini connects automatically only when a cable is plugged in. Connect by hand, or set Auto-connect to Thunderbolt or Wi-Fi in the Sender's settings and check that receiver.

It's connected, but there's no picture

1. Check that Screen Recording (Screen & System Audio Recording on newer versions of macOS) is allowed on the Mac mini, then quit and reopen DispMiniSender.
2. Disconnect and reconnect from the Sender's menu bar panel.

The picture stutters or shows artifacts

• Red dot: you're on Wi-Fi. Plug in a Thunderbolt or USB4 cable.
• Still red with a cable: try another port or another cable. It may be a charging cable.
• Yellow dot: this is normally fine. If you still see problems, set the MTU to 9000.
• Stuck on Wi-Fi: use the 5 GHz band, move closer to the router, and pause large downloads.

There's no sound

Check that Transmit audio is on in the Sender's settings and that the iMac isn't muted. If sound still doesn't play, quit and reopen DispMiniSender, or check that Screen & System Audio Recording permission is enabled on the Mac mini.

The keyboard and mouse don't control the Mac mini

1. Check that Allow controlling the sender with this Mac's mouse and keyboard is on in DispMiniReceiver's settings.
2. Check that DispMiniSender is allowed under System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility on the Mac mini.
3. Make sure the DispMini picture is fullscreen and on screen.

I can't exit fullscreen

• Press Ctrl+Option+Esc. Esc on its own doesn't exit fullscreen.
• If that doesn't work, switch to the iMac's own desktop and quit DispMiniReceiver from there.

It doesn't start or reconnect after a restart

Check that both apps are set to start automatically. Apps only start after you log in, so a Mac mini with no screen also needs automatic login. If FileVault is on, the Mac must be unlocked first.

The iMac screen is black

The display has probably gone to sleep, so move the mouse or press a key. If that doesn't help, quit DispMiniReceiver and open it again.

The picture freezes when the Mac mini sleeps

This is expected, because a sleeping Mac stops producing a picture. It comes back when the Mac mini wakes. To avoid seeing a frozen picture, turn on Automatically exit fullscreen when the sender's Mac sleeps in DispMiniReceiver's settings.

There's no Install and Relaunch button

The button doesn't appear if DispMiniSender isn't directly in the Applications folder, or if you don't have write access to it. Click Go to Download and install the update by hand instead. Versions before 0.9.0 RC3 and DispMiniReceiver don't have this button.

Still stuck?

Open an issue and include:

• The step where you got stuck
• Any on-screen message, or a screenshot
• The model and macOS version of both Macs

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