Explicitly opt in
Closed-display access and Start from iPad are settings you choose on the Mac host; Remote Rat does not silently enable them.
Remote Rat · Closed-display access
Reach your Mac while
its display is closed.
Remote Rat can keep an already configured, signed-in Mac available for iPad access through its opt-in closed-display and Start from iPad settings.
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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
Enable closed-display access
Open the relevant Remote Rat host setting on the Mac and opt into maintaining access when the built-in display is closed.
- 03
Enable Start from iPad if wanted
Choose the separate option that lets the configured iPad initiate an available host session.
- 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.
Power and sleep still matter
The Mac must be powered, signed in and in a state where the configured host can run. macOS power behaviour and hardware setup still apply.
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
Use your own private networking layer such as Tailscale if you need a route beyond the local network; Rat Systems does not relay the session.