There are loads of gamers who also are Mac users (myself included) and we’re always looking for ways to use them together. One of the most common questions is whether or not we can use a MacBook as a monitor for PS4/PS5 (or any other Mac variation).
There’s a lot of unclear information online because you can’t traditionally use a Mac as a monitor for PS4 or PS5 – but you can absolutely use them together and get a similar effect. We’ll show you how. Read on!
Can You Use iMac or MacBook as a Monitor for PS4/PS5?
As we mentioned in the last section, you can’t use an iMac as a monitor for PS5 or PS4 consoles. In fact, you can’t connect a PS4 to Mac with an HDMI (nor a PS5) the traditional way – here’s why:
Your Mac’s ports are only meant for output – in other words, they can only send signals to other devices (like displaying a desktop Mac on an external monitor). They can’t receive signals from your PS4 or PS5, which is an input function.
However, the PS4 and PS5 have a feature called Remote Play. Remote Play allows users to stream the gameplay via Bluetooth from their consoles to another device – such as a MacBook or iMac. While using this feature, the game will be displayed on your laptop screen and you can use a PS4/PS5 controller on your Mac to play.
We’ll show you how to set everything up in the following sections.
PS Remote Play is optimized for the latest Mac M1/M2 devices, but it can support Mac computers with at least 2 GB of RAM, 40 MB or more of storage space, and macOS High Sierra or above.
How to Use iMac or MacBook as a Monitor for PS4/PS5
To (technically) use your iMac or MacBook as a monitor for PS4/PS5, you can use the Remote Play feature to stream the gameplay from your console to your Mac. As we mentioned, you won’t need any cables to connect a PS4 to Mac (or PS5) – just Bluetooth.
In this section, we’ll demonstrate how to connect a PS5 to Mac using Remote Play. For instructions on how to set up your Playstation controllers on your Mac (or iPhone or iPad), see the next section.
To set up Remote Play on your Mac with your PS4/PS5:
- On your Mac, download and install the PS Remote Play app. Follow the instructions in the wizard.
- On your console, enable Remote Play. On PS4, the setting is in Function Screen > Settings > Remote Play Connection Settings. On PS5, it’s in Home Screen > Settings > System > Remote Play.
- On your console, enable the Stay Connected to the Internet and Enabled Turning on PS4/PS5 from Network settings. On PS4, these settings are found in Settings > Power Save Settings > Set Features Available in Rest Mode. On PS5, they are found in Settings > System > Power Saving > Features Available in Rest Mode.
- On your PS4 (PS5 users skip this step), go to Function Screen > Settings > Account Management > Activate as Your Primary PS4 > Activate.
- Turn on your PS4 or PS4 or activate rest mode.
- On your Mac, launch PS Remote Play (Finder > Applications).
- Click Sign In to PSN and use the same account as your use for your console. You can also click the Settings button to configure your gameplay (for ex. video quality settings).
- Select your console and wait for the app to find it. Once connected, you should be able to see your console’s screen on your Mac.
How to Connect a PS4/PS5 Controller to Apple Devices
Once your iMac or MacBook is streaming the game from your console, you can start playing with your keyboard. But the experience isn’t really complete without the controllers, is it?
In the instructions below, we’ll show you how to connect your controller to your Mac for Remote Play. The steps to connect your Playstation controller to Mac are slightly different for DualSense and DUALSHOCK variants, so we chopped up this section into two mini-guides.
To connect PS4/PS5 controller to Mac DualSense or DualSense Edge variants:
- Turn on the Bluetooth function of your Mac.
- On your controller, press and hold the Create button (which replaced the PS4 DualSense controller’s Share button). Keep it held until the light bar on your controller blinks.
- On your Mac, click the Bluetooth button on the Apple menu bar and click on your controller to pair it.
To connect DUALSHOCK to Mac:
- Turn on the Bluetooth function of your Mac.
- On your controller, press and hold the SHARE button until the light bar on your controller flashes.
- On your Mac, click the Bluetooth button on the Apple menu bar and click on your controller to pair it.
FAQ
No, you can’t connect a PS4 to iMac with HDMI. That’s because the iMac’s HDMI ports are meant for output (sending a signal to another device), not input (receiving a signal from another device). However, you can use your iMac to stream games from your PS4 over Bluetooth using a feature called Remote Play. Remote Play should achieve the same effect most users are looking for.
No, you can’t use a MacBook as a monitor for PS5, but you can use the Remote Play feature to do something similar. Remote Play can stream the game from your console to your MacBook using Bluetooth. With this feature, your game will be displayed on your MacBook and you can use your keyboard or PS controller (via Bluetooth) to play.
You can technically connect a PS4 to your Mac without Remote Play if you’re willing to purchase additional equipment and download a third-party app… But we strongly recommend giving Remote Play a try instead. Note that you can also use Remote Play via ethernet instead of Bluetooth.
Conclusion
We hope that we’ve dispelled your confusion about using a Mac with your PS4/PS5. While it’s a bummer that we can’t use an HDMI cable to connect consoles to Macs directly, Remote Play is a brilliant solution that even allows us to use controllers. Happy gaming!
