What is KDE Connect, and does it work on a Mac?

KDE Connect is a free, open-source app from the KDE community that links your phone and your computer over your own network, so you can see phone notifications on the desktop, share files and links, sync clipboard text, send texts, and use the phone as a remote or touchpad. It was built for Linux, and that is still where it is most complete. KDE now offers a stable macOS release for Apple silicon Macs, but its own README says platforms other than Linux "are not officially supported" and that it "hasn't yet been completely tested on MacOS." On a Mac, then, it is free and worth trying, with the expectation that some features may not behave as KDE's Linux-focused documentation describes.

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 25 October 2026. Prices and features change, so confirm before you buy.

What does KDE Connect do?

KDE's UserBase wiki describes it as "a project that enables all your devices to communicate with each other," made of two parts: a desktop program and a phone app. Its feature list, in KDE's terms:

The home page sums up the licence as "Open Source. Free to use. For any purpose. Forever." The project's README names the licences as GNU GPL v2 and v3, and says everything happens wirelessly using TLS encryption.

Two Android limits from the wiki are worth knowing on any computer:

• Clipboard from the phone. Android 10 and later stop apps reading the clipboard in the background, so KDE Connect puts a Send Clipboard button in its notification, and on Android 14 and later a Quick Settings tile, for you to tap.
• Hidden notification content on Android 15. The wiki says Android 15 and later hide "sensitive" notification content from apps, so KDE Connect may show "Sensitive notification content hidden." Its suggested fix grants a permission through ADB, a developer tool, and it may not work on every phone.

Which devices does KDE Connect run on?

KDE's download page lists Linux, Android (Google Play, Huawei AppGallery, or F-Droid), Windows (Microsoft Store or an installer), macOS, iOS, Plasma Mobile, and SailfishOS. On Linux with the GNOME desktop, the wiki points to GSConnect, a separate project that works with the same phone app.

Does KDE Connect work on a Mac?

Yes, with caveats that come from KDE itself. As of 25 October 2026:

• There is a stable Mac build. The download page says "A stable release of KDE Connect for macOS is available to download," and that it can also be installed with Homebrew using brew install --cask kde-connect. The stable link pointed to version 26.08.2.
• It is for Apple silicon. The stable file is an arm64 build. Intel Macs are offered only "nightly versions (untested)", alongside an ARM nightly.
• It is not officially supported. The project README, in its section on Mac and Windows, says "Platforms other than Linux are not officially supported" and that KDE Connect "hasn't yet been completely tested on MacOS." The download page and the README were written at different times, and both are KDE's words, so we give you both.
• The documentation is about Linux. The wiki's features are described with Linux tools: browsing the phone in Dolphin, controlling Linux media players, and Plasma Browser Integration. Its list of "missing or limited features on some platforms" covers iOS and Android and says nothing about macOS.

That means we cannot tell you which of the features above work on a Mac today, and KDE does not list them either. The sensible approach is a short test of the ones you care about.

How do I try KDE Connect on a Mac?

1. On the Mac, download the macOS build from the download page and move it to Applications, or run brew install --cask kde-connect if you use Homebrew. On an Intel Mac you would need the untested nightly build.
2. On the phone, install KDE Connect from Google Play or F-Droid.
3. Put both on the same Wi-Fi network. The wiki says to make sure "the two devices are connected to the same network" and that no firewall blocks them.
4. Open the app on both. The other device should appear. Request pairing on one and accept on the other.
5. Turn on, one at a time, the features you want, and grant the phone permissions each one asks for.
6. Test what you need: a notification, a file each way, a copied line of text, a text message.

If the devices do not see each other, the wiki says KDE Connect uses ports 1714 to 1764 for UDP and TCP, and that some networks block the broadcast packets it uses for discovery. Our guide to KDE Connect not working on a Mac goes through the fixes, including adding the Mac by IP address. The wiki also says recent versions can connect over Bluetooth once the computer and phone are paired in Bluetooth settings; it does not say whether that applies to the Mac build.

When is KDE Connect the right choice?

It is a strong choice if you want something free and open source, you are comfortable testing, and you use Linux as well as a Mac, since one phone app covers both. Among the free tools in our guides, it is the one that tries to cover notifications, files, clipboard, and texts in a single app.

It is a weaker choice if you need a Mac app that is documented and supported for macOS, or an Intel Mac build that is not a nightly. For texts alone, Google Messages for web is free and documented by Google. For files alone, NearDrop or LocalSend are simpler.

The Relay covers similar ground and is built only for an Android phone and a Mac. It syncs the clipboard both ways, shows notifications, texts, login codes, and incoming calls on the Mac, browses and moves files, hands links across, and makes the phone a webcam and microphone, over your own Wi-Fi with Bluetooth as a fallback. Unlike KDE Connect, it is not free, it is not open source, and it cannot send texts from the Mac. The Relay is one subscription through Google Play that covers your phone and your Mac, with a 7-day free trial. If free and open source matters most to you, start with KDE Connect. The detailed comparison is The Relay vs KDE Connect.

Questions people ask

What is KDE Connect used for?

Linking a phone and a computer over the same network. KDE lists notifications on the desktop, file and link sharing, shared clipboard text, sending texts from the computer, browsing the phone's storage, media control, and using the phone as a touchpad or presentation remote.

Is KDE Connect free?

Yes. KDE's home page says it is open source and "Free to use. For any purpose. Forever." The README lists the GPL v2 and v3 licences.

Is KDE Connect available for Mac?

Yes. KDE's download page offers a stable macOS release for Apple silicon and nightly builds for Intel, which it labels untested. The project README also says platforms other than Linux are not officially supported and that macOS has not been completely tested.

Does KDE Connect work with an iPhone?

There is an iOS app, but KDE's wiki lists features missing on iOS, including notification sync and SMS, and says the clipboard needs a tap to push from the phone.

Is KDE Connect safe?

We do not give a verdict. The README says it uses TLS encryption, the code is public, and it works over your own network. The wiki also notes that features such as SMS use sensitive phone permissions, so turn on only the ones you need.