Connect power first
Closed-display access is built into the current Mac app. Keep the MacBook connected to external power; Remote Rat releases its closed-display sleep protection on battery.
Remote Rat · Closed-display access
Reach your Mac while
its display is closed.
Close your MacBook lid and carry on from your iPad. Remote Rat keeps an activated, running Mac available on external power, without needing an external monitor.
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Signed-in session required
The Mac must already be signed into a user session with Remote Rat installed, running and configured.
Not Login Window control
Remote Rat does not bypass the macOS Login Window or turn an unconfigured, powered-off Mac into a remotely accessible host.
— Step by step
Set it up
without guessing.
- 01
Complete normal setup first
Install and activate the Mac host, install the iPad companion and confirm a normal local session works while the Mac is open.
- 02
Connect the Mac to power
Plug your MacBook into its charger and leave Remote Rat running. Closing the app window is fine; quitting the app stops the host. You do not need to look for a separate closed-display switch.
- 03
Close the lid and open Remote Rat on iPad
The authenticated iPad can start the remote display automatically. If you have several Macs on your iCloud account, choose the one you want to use.
- 04
Test before relying on it
Close the display, allow the Mac to reach its expected idle state, then reconnect from iPad on the same network.
— Good to know
Clear limits.
Useful answers.
Can’t reach your Mac?
Check that its charger is connected, Remote Rat has not been quit and the Mac is signed in. After restarting or logging out, sign in physically before reconnecting. Remote Rat cannot control the secure Login Window or unlock a manually locked Mac.
Keep a recovery path
Do not make a remote session your only route to important data. Test updates and setting changes while you can physically reach the Mac.
Away from home
Remote Rat first tries your local network, then its built-in direct peer-to-peer connection. Rat Systems provides discovery, not a screen or audio relay. Some networks block direct traversal; a user-managed Tailscale connection is an optional fallback, not a normal setup requirement.