With the release of macOS Sonoma in 2023, Apple introduced a new High performance screen sharing feature for a native Mac screen sharing application. This fashion dramatic increases the usefulness of screen sharing. Responsiveness is improved, native Mac stereo audio output is enabled, and HDR is available, among other things.
Users working with professional applications such as Final Cut Pro or Logic Pro will find that high-performance screen sharing greatly improves the experience of using these applications through the Screen Sharing connection, with few drawbacks. Watch my hands-on video tutorial to learn more and rest assured subscribe to 9to5mac on YouTube for more videos.
High performance screen sharing requirements
To use High Performance Screen Sharing, both computers must be Apple Silicon Macs running macOS Sonoma 14 or later. In my example, I connect my 16-inch M4 Pro MacBook Pro to my headless M4 Mac mini, mounted under my desk, using Sonnet’s MacCuff mini ( review ).
The second most important requirement for using high-performance screen sharing is a high-speed, low-latency network connection. Apple recommends a cable network with at least 75 Mbps for a single 4K display. In my example video, I set up a gigabit ethernet bridge between a Mac mini and my CalDigit TS5 Plus Thunderbolt hub ( review ), which provides more than enough bandwidth to meet Apple’s requirements.
Note: Communication on UDP ports 5900, 5901 and 5902 must be available for both Macs.
Video: High performance screen sharing on macOS
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How to use high-performance screen sharing
Step 1: On the Mac you want to connect to, go to Settings → General → Sharing and enable Remote administration.
Step 2: Click the “i” button next to Remote Administration to add users along with permissions.
Step 3: Make sure you have a stable connection of at least 75 Mbps between the host and the browser.
Step 4: On the Mac you want to connect from, open Screen Sharing via Applications/Tools.
Step 5: On the Connect page, select the Mac you want to connect to, then click to authenticate with your username and password.
Step 6: For Screen Sharing Type, select High Performance.
Step 7: For Display Type, select either 1 virtual display or 2 virtual displays.
Step 8: Click Continue.
Key benefits of high performance screen sharing
Reduced latency
The most obvious benefit, and the one I noticed right away, was the reduced latency. Overall responsiveness, frame rates up to 60fps, and latency are greatly improved, almost to the point where it feels like I’m controlling the Mac natively from a browser. This, in my opinion, is one of the best reasons to use High Performance mode, and it’s especially useful when working with an application like Final Cut Pro. I can edit the Final Cut Pro timeline through the connected machine and it feels almost natural.
Better sound
Another big thing I noticed was the sound quality. High Performance mode not only enables stereo sound, but also routes the audio from the device you’re connecting to the Mac’s native audio output. If I’m playing music in the Music app or scrolling through the Final Cut Pro timeline, I can hear sound coming from my Mac’s speakers. And because latency is reduced, it’s possible to work with music applications like Logic Pro where high latency would be a hindrance.
Better color
High performance mode also allows you to use HDR reference mode and 4:4:4 color subsampling. This allows me to edit and play HDR video content on a connected computer and display it in full HDR on my local computer, provided it has an HDR compatible display.
To use the HDR reference mode, set the display’s color profile to HDR Video (P3-ST 2084) and then click the High Dynamic Range button at the top of the screen sharing interface.
Dual virtual displays
One of the other benefits of high performance mode is that you can enable a second virtual display. This allows you to use full-screen mode in one application, for example, while using other applications on a second virtual display.
By selecting the “View” drop-down menu in the top-right corner of Screen Sharing, you can switch between both screens running side-by-side as individual windows, or quickly switch to just one view of either virtual display.
Dynamic resolution
If the Screen Sharing browser is being used on a display with a different native resolution and aspect ratio, you can force it to adapt to your display settings by clicking the Dynamic Resolution button at the top of the Screen Sharing app. This is a handy feature for when you want a full-screen experience on a MacBook Pro that doesn’t use the 16:9 aspect ratio.
High performance screen sharing restrictions
Users can only run one high-performance session on each Mac at a time. When in use, displays connected to the controlled Mac are dimmed for privacy and cannot be used by anyone else.
The maximum resolution of both virtual displays in High Performance mode is 4K (3840 x 2160) or 1920 x 1080 when using the HiDPI resolution setting.
Conclusion
High Performance Screen Sharing greatly improves the screen sharing experience on the Mac and I’ve seen it used in a variety of use cases. For example, say you have a high-powered headless machine like a Mac Studio that you wanted to connect to from significantly less powerful machines like a MacBook Air. With a high-speed connection, you can use the resources of a higher-spec computer from a remote location.
What do you think about high performance screen sharing? Have you ever used it? Sound off in the comments with your thoughts.
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