Support

We're here to help. Most questions are answered below.

Getting started on a Mac

1. Install RPad on your Mac (free from the Mac App Store) and on your iPhone or iPad (App Store) or Android phone or tablet (Google Play).
2. Open RPad on the Mac. It appears as an icon in the menu bar, not in the Dock.
3. Click Open Accessibility Settings and turn on RPad in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Accessibility.
4. Open RPad on the iPhone or iPad and allow Local Network access when asked. On Android, see Android below.
5. Tap your Mac in the list and type the 6-digit code shown on the Mac.

Troubleshooting

My Mac or PC doesn't appear on the iPhone

• Check that RPad is running on the Mac and Allow iPhone connections is on in its menu.
• Make sure both devices are on the same Wi‑Fi network (not a guest network, and not one using cellular on the phone).
• On the iPhone, go to Settings › Privacy & Security › Local Network and make sure RPad is on.
• Some public, hotel and corporate networks block devices from finding each other. Try a home network, or connect your Mac to your iPhone's Personal Hotspot.
• On a Windows PC, also see RPad for Windows below; on a Linux PC, RPad for Linux.

My Mac appears, but the iPhone can't connect

• On the Mac, click the RPad icon in the menu bar. Under Connect by IP address it shows the Mac's address, and the last device that reached it. If no connection is listed after you try, something on the network or the Mac is blocking it.
• Turn off VPNs on both devices, and firewall apps such as Little Snitch or LuLu on the Mac (or allow RPad in them).
• In System Settings › Network › Firewall › Options, make sure Block all incoming connections is off and RPad is allowed.
• On the iPhone, tap Connect by IP Address… and type the address shown on the Mac. This skips automatic discovery.
• Still failing? Quit and reopen RPad on the Mac, and email us with the Details line from the error message.

My iPhone and Mac can't be on the same Wi‑Fi

Use Direct Wi‑Fi. The devices then connect to each other directly, the way AirDrop does, and both stay connected to their own Wi‑Fi networks.

• On the Mac, open the RPad menu and turn on Direct Wi‑Fi connections.
• On the iPhone or iPad, turn on Direct Wi‑Fi in the list of Macs. Your Mac appears with "Direct Wi‑Fi" under its name.
• Wi‑Fi must be turned on on both devices (it doesn't have to be connected to a network), and the devices should be in the same room.
• Turn it off again when you're back on a shared network: sharing the Wi‑Fi radio can add a little delay.

The pointer doesn't move

• On the Mac, open System Settings › Privacy & Security › Accessibility and check that RPad is on. If it's already on, turn it off and on again.
• If RPad shows "Allow RPad in Accessibility settings on your Mac" at the top of the trackpad, the permission is missing.

The code doesn't work

• Enter the code currently shown on your Mac. A new code appears for every attempt.
• After several wrong attempts, pairing pauses for your security. Click Allow Pairing Again in RPad's menu on your Mac.
• If RPad says the iPhone is already paired, remove it under Paired devices in RPad's menu on your Mac, then pair again.

It feels too slow or too fast

Adjust Tracking speed and Scrolling speed in RPad's menu on your Mac. You can also turn natural scrolling on or off there.

It disconnects

RPad reconnects automatically when you return to the app or your Wi‑Fi comes back. iOS pauses network connections while RPad is in the background. Keeping the computer awake (and not on a network that isolates devices) helps.

RPad for Windows

1. Download and install RPad for Windows from rpad.app/windows. It appears as an icon in the system tray.
2. When Windows Defender Firewall asks, allow RPad on Private networks.
3. Open RPad on the iPhone, iPad or Android device, tap your PC and type the 6-digit code shown on the PC.

Windows Defender Firewall

RPad needs to accept connections on your home network. If you closed the firewall prompt, open Windows Security › Firewall & network protection › Allow an app through firewall and tick Private for RPad.

My PC doesn't appear on the iPhone

• If your Wi‑Fi is set to Public in Windows, the PC can't be found. In Settings › Network & internet › Wi‑Fi, open your network and set the network profile to Private.
• Or tap Connect by IP Address… on the iPhone and enter the address shown in the RPad tray menu on the PC.

"Windows protected your PC"

Windows SmartScreen can show this for new apps. Click More info, check that the publisher is Nurhak Altin, then click Run anyway.

Licence key

Right-click the RPad icon in the system tray, choose Enter Licence Key… and paste the key from your e-mail. Lost it? Request it again on rpad.app/windows with the e-mail address you paid with. The same RPad for PC key also works in RPad for Linux.

RPad for Linux (beta)

1. Download the AppImage or .deb from rpad.app/linux. AppImage: make it executable (chmod +x RPad-x86_64.AppImage) and run it. Debian or Ubuntu: sudo apt install ./rpad_amd64.deb, then start RPad from the app menu.
2. Open RPad on the iPhone, iPad or Android device, tap your PC and type the 6-digit code shown in the RPad window.

Wayland: "Allow remote interaction"

On Wayland (GNOME 46 or later, KDE Plasma 6.1 or later) the desktop asks once whether RPad may control the computer. Choose Allow (or Share). RPad remembers the answer, so later logins don't ask again. If you dismissed it, the phone shows that input is paused: click Ask again… in the RPad window. On X11 nothing needs to be allowed.

Firewall

RPad listens on TCP port 52731 and is found through mDNS (UDP 5353). If the phone can't see the PC, allow them. Ubuntu (ufw): sudo ufw allow 52731/tcp and sudo ufw allow 5353/udp. Fedora (firewalld): sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=52731/tcp, sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=mdns, then sudo firewall-cmd --reload. Or tap Connect by IP Address… on the phone and enter the address shown in the RPad window.

The AppImage doesn't start

Make it executable (in a terminal, chmod +x on the file, or the file's Properties › Permissions in your file manager). Keep it in one place, such as ~/Applications: Start at sign-in points to that file. On GNOME without the AppIndicator extension there is no tray icon; launching RPad again opens its window.

Android

1. Install RPad on your Android phone or tablet (Android 8.0 or later) from Google Play.
2. Install RPad on the computer: RPad for Mac (free), RPad for Windows or RPad for Linux. On a Mac, keep Allow iPhone connections on in the RPad menu; it lets Android devices connect too.
3. Put the phone and the computer on the same Wi‑Fi network, open RPad on the phone, tap your computer and type the 6-digit code shown on it.

Local network

RPad for Android finds your computer on your Wi‑Fi without location access. If Android asks whether RPad may find and connect to devices on your local network, tap Allow. If your computer doesn't appear, check that the phone uses Wi‑Fi and not mobile data, turn off VPN apps, and avoid guest networks. You can also tap Connect by IP Address… and type the address shown in the RPad menu on the Mac or in Windows Settings › Network & internet.

Typing

Tap the keyboard button at the top right of the screen to show your Android keyboard. What you type goes to the app in front on the computer, including accents and emoji. The bar above the keyboard adds esc, tab, arrow keys and modifier keys for shortcuts such as copy and paste. Tap the button again to hide the keyboard.

RPad Pro on Android

Everything works free for 7 days. Then unlock RPad Pro once in the app; Google Play shows the price in your currency. On another Android device with the same Google account, tap Restore Purchase. Google Play handles payments and refunds. The Android purchase doesn't include the App Store version or RPad for PC (Windows and Linux).

Gestures

Presentation mode

• Choose Present at the top of the trackpad screen.
• Tap the large right area (or swipe left) for the next slide, the left area (or swipe right) for the previous one.
• Touch and hold, then move your finger to point at something on the slide.
• Start launches the slideshow in Keynote, PowerPoint, Google Slides or a PDF in Preview. Black blanks the screen and End exits. The timer starts with your first slide.

Three-finger gestures

On the trackpad screen, swipe three fingers up for Mission Control, down for the app's windows, and left or right to switch spaces. Tap with four fingers to show the desktop. If nothing happens, update RPad on both the iPhone and the Mac.

Apple Watch

• Install RPad on your Apple Watch from the Watch app on your iPhone (My Watch › Available Apps).
• Connect to your Mac on the iPhone once. After that, Next and Previous on the watch change slides, and the Digital Crown changes the volume. On Apple Watch Series 9, Ultra 2 and later, double tap presses Next.
• The watch sends controls through your iPhone, which can stay in your pocket. If the iPhone has been locked for a while, the first press takes a moment while RPad reconnects.
• If the watch says Connect on iPhone first, open RPad on the iPhone and tap your Mac once. If it says iPhone not reachable, make sure Bluetooth is on and the iPhone is nearby.
• To change what the buttons and the Digital Crown do, see Customize gestures and Apple Watch.

Customize gestures and Apple Watch

1. On your Mac, click the RPad icon in the menu bar and choose Customize Gestures & Watch….
2. Next to a gesture, Present-mode button or Apple Watch control, open the pop-up menu and pick an action: a slide key, a macOS feature (Mission Control, App windows, Show Desktop, Apps, previous or next space), a media key, or a click.
3. For anything else, choose Custom Shortcut… and press the key combination, for example ⌘⇧4 or Page Down.

Changes apply immediately to connected devices. Restore Defaults puts everything back. Show Desktop and switching spaces use the standard macOS shortcuts (F11, ⌃← and ⌃→); if you changed or turned those off in System Settings › Keyboard › Keyboard Shortcuts, pick a custom shortcut instead.

Media and volume keys

Tap the music note button at the top of the trackpad screen to show play/pause, previous and next track, mute and volume keys. They work like the top row of a Mac keyboard.

Drawing with Apple Pencil (iPad)

1. Connect your iPad to your Mac and tap Draw at the top of the screen.
2. The dark area represents the screen your Mac pointer is on. Move the pointer to another display first to draw there.
3. Draw with Apple Pencil. Apps that support Mac tablet input (for example many drawing and design apps) receive pressure and tilt; other apps get a normal click-and-drag.
4. On iPads with Apple Pencil hover, hold the Pencil just above the screen to position the pointer before drawing.

If "Only Draw with Apple Pencil" is off in your iPad's Apple Pencil settings, you can also draw with your finger.

Guides

• Use your iPhone as a trackpad for your Mac
• Control Keynote and PowerPoint slides from your iPhone
• Use your Android phone as a mouse for your Windows PC
• Control your Windows PC with your iPhone

Requirements

• Mac with macOS 14 Sonoma or later, a PC with Windows 10 (version 1809) or Windows 11, or a Linux PC with glibc 2.35 or later (beta; for example Ubuntu 22.04, Debian 12, Fedora 38 or later)
• iPhone or iPad with iOS 17 or later, or an Android phone or tablet with Android 8.0 or later
• Both devices on the same Wi‑Fi network

Privacy and security

RPad collects no data and works only on your local network. See the Privacy Policy for details.