What you need
- A Mac with Apple silicon
- macOS 15 or later
- A Surface or Windows PC
- The same Wi-Fi or wired network
More room
Mail on one screen, work on the other.
Second screen
Draw on your Mac with the pen you already have.
Penwing turns your Surface or Windows PC into a pen display, a second monitor and a touch screen for your Mac.
For Apple silicon Macs with macOS 15 or later, and Windows PCs
Second screen
A real second screen for your Mac
Drag windows across. The Mac makes its extra display in your PC's own shape, so in landscape there are no black bars.
See the second screen
Pen display
A pen display with pressure and tilt
Hover, draw and erase in your Mac apps. Tap Draw on the toolbar and the pen inks the moment it touches.
See the pen
Touch
Touch like a trackpad
Tap to click, scroll with one finger and pinch to zoom. Tap with two fingers to right-click.
See touch
Private by design
Paired once with a 6-digit code
Your Mac and your PC talk over an encrypted connection. There is no Penwing account, and nothing goes through Penwing servers.
See privacy
Up and running in three steps
Install Penwing on your Mac and on your Windows PC, and pair them once with a 6-digit code. After that, your Mac shows up by itself on the same network: open Penwing and tap Connect.
-
Install Penwing on your Mac
It lives in the menu bar. macOS asks once for Screen Recording and Accessibility.
- Lives in the menu bar
- Screen Recording sends the picture
- Accessibility turns touch into clicks
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Install it on your Windows PC
Open it and allow it through Windows Firewall. On the same network, your Mac shows up by itself.
- Allow it through Windows Firewall
- Same Wi-Fi or wired network
- Your Mac shows up by itself
-
Pair with a 6-digit code
Type the code your Mac shows. You do this once.
- The code works for 60 seconds
- You pair once
- The link is encrypted
Features
Your Mac has no pen. Your Surface does.
Without Penwing
- Your Surface or PC sits unused.
- One screen gets crowded.
- Drawing needs another tablet.
With Penwing
- Your Surface becomes a Mac screen.
- Room for every window.
- Draw with the pen you own.
Pen display
A pen display with pressure and tilt
The pointer follows your pen as it hovers. Then draw and erase in your Mac apps.
Pressure and tilt go to apps that read the Mac's standard pen input, such as Krita, Clip Studio and Preview.
Tap Draw on the Penwing toolbar and the pen inks the moment it touches. Tap Draw again to go back to scrolling.
Sketch ideas, mark up PDFs and sign documents on your PC's screen.
Second screen
A real second screen
Move windows from your Mac to your PC's screen, like a second monitor.
The Mac makes its extra display in your PC's own shape, so in full screen the picture fills it edge to edge in landscape.
Text and pictures, both ways, while you are connected.
Hear a video where you watch it. The Mac's speakers stay quiet.
Next time you connect, Penwing offers to bring last time's windows back.
Touch
Touch like a trackpad
Tap to click, drag one finger to scroll and pinch to zoom.
Tap with two fingers to open the right-click menu.
Hold for a moment, then move, to drag windows and select text.
Tap a text field and the keyboard opens. For passwords, tap Keyboard on the toolbar.
Open any Mac app right on the PC from the Screens menu, then tap and scroll it.
Privacy
Private by design
Type the code your Mac shows, once. It works for 60 seconds.
Your Mac and your PC talk over an encrypted connection, locked to your Mac's own certificate.
Nothing to sign up for. Nothing goes through Penwing servers, and nothing is recorded or uploaded.
At home, your Mac and your PC talk directly, over Wi-Fi or Ethernet.
With Tailscale on both devices, once you switch on Allow remote access on the Mac. It is off until you do.
Made for how you work
Sign and mark up
Sketch, mark up and sign PDFs with your pen.
Pen display
Mac apps by touch
Open any Mac app right on the PC from the Screens menu, then tap and scroll it.
Touch
Draw in your Mac apps
Pressure and tilt go to apps that read the Mac's standard pen input.
Pen display
Drag windows across
Move a window to your PC's screen, like a second monitor.
Second screen
Works with your Surface or Windows PC
Tested on Surface Pro 11 with Slim Pen 2. The app for Intel and AMD PCs is in beta.
- Surface Pro
- Windows laptops
- Windows tablets
- Snapdragon and SQ
- Intel and AMD Beta
- Windows 11
- Apple silicon Macs
- macOS 15 or later
- Wi-Fi
- Ethernet
- Tailscale
- Slim Pen 2
Compare
How Penwing compares
 Penwing |
Sidecar | Duet | Portable monitor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uses a screen you already own | Yes: your Surface or Windows PC | Yes, if you own an iPad | Yes | No, you buy one |
| Works with a Surface or Windows PC | Yes | No, iPad only | Yes | Not needed |
| Draw with pen pressure | Yes, with your Surface pen | With Apple Pencil, on iPad | Not mentioned for a PC | Only on pen models |
| Touch control | Yes | On iPad | Not mentioned for a PC | Only on touch models |
| Price | Pay once | Free, built into macOS | Subscription or lifetime price | You buy the hardware |
Checked on each maker's website on 22 October 2026. Features and prices can change. Sidecar is a trademark of Apple Inc. Other names are trademarks of their owners.
Pricing
Pay once. No subscription.
Penwing for Mac and Windows
The price comes at launch.
- Pay once
- No subscription
- No Penwing account
FAQ
Questions
Which Windows PCs work?
There are two versions of the Windows app. One is for PCs with a Snapdragon or Microsoft SQ chip, such as the Surface Pro 11. The other is for PCs with an Intel or AMD chip, such as most older Surfaces and other Windows laptops, tablets and desktops. That version is in beta: it has not yet been tested on a real Intel or AMD PC. To see which chip your PC has, open Settings, then System, then About, and look at Processor. Touch and pen should work on any PC that has them (tested with the Slim Pen 2). A laptop without them is a second screen you use with its own keyboard and trackpad.
Is there a delay?
A small one, as with any screen sent over a network. Penwing shows it live on its toolbar, for example “Wi-Fi · 21 ms”, and lowers the picture quality by itself when the link is slow. The pointer under your pen is drawn on the PC itself, so it sits right under the tip. For the steadiest link at a desk, connect the two with Ethernet.
Do I need a cable?
No. Penwing works over Wi-Fi when your Mac and your PC are on the same network. A USB-C cable can't make a Surface a monitor, because it has no video input. For the steadiest link at a desk, use Ethernet instead: a USB-C Ethernet adapter on each device and one Ethernet cable.
Does the pen feel pressure and tilt?
In apps that read the Mac's standard pen pressure, such as Krita, Clip Studio, Notes, Freeform and Preview, it should. Apps that talk to a Wacom driver directly, such as Adobe's, may ignore pressure and tilt. Tilt also needs a pen that reports it. Tap Draw on the Penwing toolbar and the pen inks the moment it touches. Tap Draw again to go back to scrolling.
Is my screen private?
At home, your Mac and your PC talk directly. Away from home, they go through Tailscale. Either way the connection is encrypted end to end, and nothing goes through Penwing servers. You pair them once with a 6-digit code. There is no Penwing account.
Does it work away from home?
Yes, with Tailscale on both devices. Tailscale has a free personal plan and its own sign-in. Pair and connect once at home first. The Mac must be awake, on power and logged in, and you switch on Allow remote access in the Penwing menu on the Mac. It is off by default. Away from home, the picture quality depends on both internet connections.
Does it work with my Mac?
It needs a Mac with Apple silicon (M1 or later) and macOS 15 or later. Intel Macs are not supported.
Which version of Windows do I need?
Windows 11. Penwing is tested on Windows 11. Windows 10 is not tested.
Will it drain my battery?
A still screen sends no picture at all. While the picture moves, your PC plays it like a video, with its video hardware where it can. For long sessions, keep your PC plugged in.
Can I use two tablets at once?
No. Penwing makes one extra display at a time. If a second PC connects, it takes over from the first.
Can I hold my tablet upright?
Yes, but the picture stays in landscape. The Mac display that Penwing makes is always landscape, so an upright tablet shows it with bars above and below.
What if a macOS update breaks Penwing?
Penwing makes its extra display with a part of macOS that Apple does not document, as some other display apps do. A macOS update can change that part. If it does, Penwing needs an update too.
Get Penwing
Put your Surface or Windows PC to work.
Pay once. No subscription. For Apple silicon Macs with macOS 15 or later, and Windows PCs.
