How can I mirror my iphone screen to my Mac?

Your iPhone 13 and MacBook Air M2 should both support iPhone Mirroring, so the “Unable to connect to iPhone” message is likely related to a setting or connection issue.

I suggest trying the following to see if they can help:

• (Critical) Confirm both devices use the same Apple Account: Check under Settings > [your name] on the iPhone and System Settings > [your name] on the Mac. Two-factor authentication should also be enabled.
• Verify that both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are enabled on both devices and keep the iPhone near the Mac.
• Lock the iPhone before opening the iPhone Mirroring app on the Mac.
• Disconnect any VPN temporarily, as this can sometimes interfere with the connection.
• Make sure the Mac isn't currently using AirPlay, Sidecar, Internet Sharing, or another Continuity feature.

If you've previously connected the iPhone to the Mac, open iPhone Mirroring settings on the Mac and try Revoke Access, then set up the connection again.

If iPhone Mirroring simply won't cooperate, the free method that fits your "no AirPlay" preference is QuickTime Player using a USB cable. To mirror iPhone screen to mac, it's built into macOS, requires no third-party apps, and works reliably:

The steps for mirroring iPhone screen to Mac:

Steps 1: Connect your iPhone to your Mac with a Lightning cable.

Steps 2: Open QuickTime Player.

Steps 3: Go to File > New Movie Recording.

Steps 4: Click the dropdown arrow next to the record button and select your iPhone under Camera.

Your iPhone screen will appear in the QuickTime window instantly. This method also lets you record the screen if needed

If iPhone Mirroring refuses to cooperate, AirPlay lets you mirror iPhone screen to Mac without any third-party software. The trade-off is that it is view-only—you cannot control the iPhone from your Mac.

How to mirror iphone screen to Mac:

1. On your Mac: Go to System Settings > General > AirDrop & Handoff and turn on AirPlay Receiver. Set it to "Current User" or "Anyone on the Same Network".
2. On your iPhone: Open Control Center, tap Screen Mirroring, and select your Mac from the list.
3. Your iPhone screen will appear on your Mac. To stop, tap Screen Mirroring again and select Stop Mirroring.

If you want the full interactive control that iPhone Mirroring provides, the revoke-and-repair method usually resolves the "Unable to Connect" error.

Sinzie wrote:

iPhone 13 with iOS 18.5. I tried using the built-in iPhone mirroring app on my Mac but it is not not working. The pop-up message says:

Unable to connect to iPhone

It is a MacBook Air M2 with the latest Tahoe 26. Is there any way to fix this and how can I mirror iphone screen to Mac?

Follow Apples own support articles—

Manage iPhone Mirroring on your iPhone or Mac - Apple Support

On your iPhone Settings>Airplay & Continuity>iPhone Mirroring>> delete your Mac from the list and add it back in if no resolve

iPhone Mirroring: Use your iPhone from your Mac - Apple Support

verify your software is up to date—

The current stable release of Tahoe including bug fixes, security updates is macOS 26.7

Keep your Mac up to date - Apple Support

Keep your Mac up to date - Apple Support

The current stable release of iOS including bug fixes, security updates is iOS 27

Update your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support

To mirror iphone screen to mac, a cleaner ffmpeg-based method uses avfoundation on macOS to capture the iPhone's video feed directly if it's recognized as a capture device:

ffmpeg -f avfoundation -list_devices true -i ""

Then use the device index for your iPhone:

ffmpeg -f avfoundation -i "1" -vcodec libx264 -preset ultrafast -tune zerolatency output.mp4

Keep in mind that DRM-protected content (Netflix, etc.) will show a black screen. Also, if you're trying to mirror iPhone screen to Mac wirelessly via ffmpeg, that's not really supported—you'll need a wired connection or a third-party app feeding into ffmpeg.