Samsung DeX alternatives for Mac: getting a desktop feel from an Android phone

DeX for Mac was reported discontinued in 2022, and nothing we found replaces its desktop mode on a Mac one for one. What you can get is pieces of it. scrcpy, which is free, puts the phone's screen in a Mac window and controls it with your keyboard and mouse, and its README lists a virtual display. AirDroid and Vysor offer mirroring and control with an app. For the everyday jobs, such as copying, files, codes and notifications, The Relay does those without showing the phone's screen. If you have a Galaxy and a monitor, DeX itself may still work without the Mac.

Publisher note: The Relay publishes this guide and is one of the products discussed. Details about other products come from each maker's own pages, checked on 2 October 2026. Prices and features change, so confirm before you buy.

What do we know about DeX and the Mac?

samsung.com and news.samsung.com refuse automated reading, so we could not open Samsung's current DeX support pages, and we cannot say what DeX does today. These are the pages that did open.

• Samsung's developer page for DeX describes it as "a new user experience that extends the functionality of your Android device to a PC-like environment". The page refers to Android N, so it is old, and it says nothing about Mac support.
• A SamMobile report of 12 November 2021 says Samsung announced it would stop supporting DeX on computers running macOS and Windows 7 from January 2022. It quotes Samsung's own DeX web page as saying "The DeX for PC service for Mac/Windows 7 OS will be terminated as of January 2022." It adds that users with a monitor can use a DeX dock or a USB-C to HDMI cable instead. That is a news report quoting Samsung, not Samsung's page itself, and we could not check it against the original.

We found no Samsung page that opens normally and says anything newer about DeX on a Mac. If it matters for your phone, check Samsung's support site. For the guide on that question, see Samsung DeX on a Mac.

So the useful question is: what do you want from DeX, and which Mac tool gives it?

Which options are there?

What is the nearest thing to a desktop mode?

scrcpy, with caveats. Its README says it mirrors an Android device over USB or TCP/IP and allows control with the computer's keyboard and mouse, works on macOS, needs no account, and requires USB debugging. It lists "virtual display" among its features, with an example that starts an app "in a new virtual display (separate from the device display)" at a size you choose. That separates an app from the phone's own screen, which is the nearest idea to a desktop window, but the README does not describe a DeX-style launcher, taskbar or window management, so test it with the apps you use. It also lists OTG mode, which simulates a physical keyboard and mouse and does not need USB debugging. Install steps are in scrcpy on a Mac, and the main how-to is controlling an Android phone from a Mac.

AirDroid Personal lists remote control with "No root needed", screen mirroring and recording, and a macOS desktop client. Its user guide says controlling the phone uses an add-on and an accessibility permission, and that you use the mouse and keyboard on the Mac. Its setup asks you to sign in to the same account on both devices. See AirDroid for Mac.

Vysor says it "puts your iOS or Android on your desktop" and lets you use your keyboard and mouse. Its pricing section lists $2.50 a month, $10 a year or $40 lifetime, bought in the app. We could not confirm from that page which macOS versions it supports. More choices are in scrcpy alternatives for Mac.

What about a keyboard and mouse?

Google's help page on Bluetooth devices describes pairing a Bluetooth accessory from Settings: tap Pair new device, then the accessory's name. It does not list keyboards or mice by name, so follow your keyboard's own instructions. A paired keyboard types into the phone directly, with no Mac involved. If you prefer to use the Mac's own keyboard, scrcpy and the other apps above pass your typing to the phone. See using a Mac keyboard with an Android phone.

What about the camera and the other everyday jobs?

If part of what you wanted from a desktop-like setup was a better camera on calls, the phone can be the Mac's webcam. Android's webcam documentation names macOS as a supported USB host on Android 14 QPR1 or higher, subject to the phone's maker enabling it. See using an Android phone as a webcam for a Mac.

Where does The Relay fit?

It is not a DeX replacement, and it does not show the phone's screen. It handles the jobs around it. You install it on the phone and the Mac, and pair by scanning a QR code shown on the Mac. It then syncs the clipboard both ways, shows notifications as Mac notifications, browses the phone's storage and moves files, shows incoming texts and copies login codes to the Mac's clipboard, shows incoming calls, hands links across, and makes the phone a webcam and microphone.

It is one subscription through Google Play that covers your phone and your Mac, with a 7-day free trial, and it needs Android 8.0 or later and macOS 13 Ventura or later. Your clipboard, files, texts, and notifications travel directly between your phone and your Mac over your local network and are not uploaded to The Relay's servers. There is no account or sign-up with The Relay; the subscription is bought through Google Play. See the privacy policy.

It will not give you apps in windows on the Mac, remote control, or anything while you are away from the same network. For that, use scrcpy or AirDroid. Many people pair scrcpy for the screen with The Relay for the rest. See The Relay vs scrcpy.

How do I choose in two minutes?

1. Want to see and use the phone on the Mac, free? scrcpy.
2. Want an app and a free plan, or reach from elsewhere? AirDroid.
3. Have a Galaxy and a monitor? Check Samsung's support page for DeX without a computer.
4. Want clipboard, codes and notifications without the screen? The Relay.

We have not tested any of these against DeX, and we do not claim equivalence.

Questions people ask

Does Samsung DeX work on a Mac?

We could not open a current Samsung page that says. A 2021 SamMobile report quoting Samsung says DeX for Mac was to be terminated in January 2022. Check Samsung's support site for your phone.

Is there a free alternative to DeX on a Mac?

scrcpy is free and open source and gives you the phone's screen in a Mac window with keyboard and mouse control. It is not a DeX-style desktop.

Can I use a Mac keyboard and trackpad with an Android phone?

Through scrcpy, AirDroid or Vysor you control the phone with the Mac's keyboard and mouse. Or pair a Bluetooth keyboard straight to the phone.

Can The Relay show my phone's screen?

No. It has no screen mirroring or remote control.