Before you start
The computer you share
- Windows 10 or 11, with administrator rights
- Any graphics card, NVIDIA, AMD or Intel, eGPUs included. Without a graphics card, the processor compresses the image
- Microsoft Edge WebView2, present on Windows 11 and most Windows 10 installs (the installer guides you if it is missing)
- Steam, if you want the sound on your devices rather than on the computer's speakers
Your devices
- A Mac with Apple silicon on macOS 14 or later, for the app
- Or any recent browser, on a computer, tablet or phone
- On the same network as the computer, or linked to it by a VPN
An Ethernet cable on the computer avoids Wi-Fi micro-dropouts. On the device side, 5 GHz or 6 GHz Wi-Fi close to the router is usually enough.
Step 1
Install KyberNow Server
Download KyberNow-Setup.exe on the computer you want to share and open it. Windows asks for administrator permission: the installer adds drivers and services. Nothing changes on the computer until you click “Install”.
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Welcome
The installer checks the computer while you read: graphics card and driver, network, ports, main display, power mode, remote sound. An orange dot explains what it recommends, without blocking you.
Two ports are picked at random, one for the stream, the other for the console, avoiding those used by Windows and Sunshine. “Change” lets you choose them. A network set to “Public” will switch to “Private”, otherwise your devices would not see the computer.
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Your account
A username and a password of at least 10 characters. It is KyberNow's only account: it opens the console and connects your devices. It is stored only as a hash.
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Options
Everything is already set for you: a virtual display matched to each device, gamepads, remote sound, starting with the computer, maximum performance. The virtual display driver (SudoVDA, open source) is not signed by Microsoft: its certificate is added to the computer's trusted authorities, and removed when you uninstall.
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Installation, then Done
Less than a minute. The final screen shows the computer's address, a QR code for its console and the web client's address. If the gamepads require it, a restart is offered.
The first time you open the console, the browser reports an unknown certificate: this is expected, the computer created its own certificate. The KyberNow apps, for their part, verify its fingerprint.
A KyberNow icon appears in the notification area. It shows the state of KyberNow Server (green when running, purple during a session) and opens the console, where you will find four pages: Overview, Picture and sound, Access and System.
Step 2
Connect a device
With the Mac app
Download KyberNow-macOS.zip, open it and drag KyberNow into Applications. The app is signed and notarised by Apple.
Open it, then choose “Add a computer”:
- On this network: the computer shows up on its own (Bonjour).
- By address: its IP address or name, for example over a VPN.
- QR code or link: in the console, on the Access page, “Add a device”. The link contains the address and the certificate fingerprint, never a password.
“Is this your computer?”: when it comes from a link or from Bonjour, the fingerprint is verified automatically. With a plain address, compare the first four groups with those shown in the console.
Enter the account created during installation. It is kept in the Mac's Keychain. Click the computer: the session opens.
In a browser
On any device on the same network (or linked by VPN), open the console's address followed by /ecran, for example https://192.168.1.20:31415/ecran. The exact address is shown at the end of the installation and on the console's Overview page. Accept the certificate warning, then sign in with your account.
The web client is good for troubleshooting, or for working from a tablet or a borrowed computer. For gaming, the native app decodes the image faster.
Step 3
In a session
When you connect, the computer creates a virtual display at your device's resolution and refresh rate, turns off its own displays and sends the sound to your speakers. At the end, everything goes back to how it was: displays, audio output. Windows is not locked.
The profiles
Changing a setting switches the profile to “Custom”. The mouse follows Auto mode: desktop mode normally, game mode (raw movement) when a game goes full screen on the computer.
Mac app shortcuts
⌃⌥⌘ shortcuts stay on the Mac and are never sent to the computer. ⌘ + key is sent as Ctrl + key.
Away from home
KyberNow goes through no third-party server: to reach the computer from afar, link your devices to it with a VPN. Tailscale is the simplest, WireGuard the lightest.
Install the same VPN on the computer and on the device, signed in to the same account or joined to the same network.
In the app, add the computer “By address”, using its VPN address (for example
100.x.y.zwith Tailscale), or scan the QR code from the console.Choose the Game or Desktop profile depending on your connection: the Max profile's bitrate is designed for a local network.
Do not open KyberNow's ports to the Internet on your router: the VPN keeps the computer invisible to the rest of the world.
Updating
The computer: the console checks for new versions every 6 hours. In System › Updates, “Install now” downloads the package, verifies its fingerprint and applies it in about a minute (a session in progress is ended). The icon in the notification area offers it too.
The Mac app: it updates itself, or through KyberNow › Check for Updates…
Without the console, from PowerShell as administrator:
irm https://github.com/MonsieurNours/kybernow/releases/latest/download/update.ps1 | iexUninstalling
The computer: Windows Settings › Apps › Installed apps › KyberNow › Uninstall. Services, console, the virtual display and its certificate, firewall rules and settings are removed. The ViGEmBus gamepad driver stays installed, because other software uses it.
The Mac: drag KyberNow from Applications to the Trash.
Frequently asked questions
Is KyberNow really free?
Yes. It is a community, non-commercial project under the AGPL-3.0 free software licence: no online account, no subscription, no ads. The code is on GitHub.
Do I need a specific graphics card?
No. Kyber encodes the image with any graphics card, NVIDIA, AMD or Intel, including an external one (eGPU). Without a graphics card, the processor does the job. The encoder is chosen in the console, on the System › Advanced page.
Which resolutions and refresh rates?
Those of your screen: the computer creates a virtual display to match it, 4K, 5K or 6K, 60, 120 or 160 Hz. We have used it at 3840 × 2160 and 160 Hz, and at 5K and 60 Hz. The “4K at most” option lightens encoding if your network or your graphics card struggles.
What latency should I expect?
On a local network, we measure a median of 9.4 ms from capture to display, in 4K at 160 Hz. It depends mostly on the graphics card, the network and the device. The app shows it live in its session bar.
What about HDR?
Not yet: Kyber 0.29 captures the screen in 8 bits. Keep Windows HDR turned off during sessions.
My displays turn off during the session. Is that normal?
Yes: the computer only shows the virtual display, at the size of your device. They turn back on at the end. If in doubt, the console offers “Turn my displays back on”, and the driver removes the virtual display on its own if it stops receiving a signal.
The sound still comes out of the computer's speakers.
Remote sound uses Steam's virtual speakers. Install Steam on the computer, then run the KyberNow installer again: the “Remote sound” option becomes available.
My gamepad does not respond.
Xbox and PlayStation gamepads go through the ViGEmBus driver, added during installation. Restarting the computer is sometimes needed after the first installation.
Can two devices connect at the same time?
No: the second one takes over, the first one is disconnected and the virtual display is recreated at the size of the new device.
The image stays black or freezes.
Update the computer and the app: the app asks for a full image again after a loss, and lightens the stream if the image does not arrive. Prefer an Ethernet cable on the computer, and check that no other streaming app is using the encoder.
I forgot the password.
On the computer, right-click the KyberNow icon › “Reset the console password…”, then follow the console to choose a new one.
Does the app work on an Intel Mac?
No, it requires Apple silicon (M1 or later). On an Intel Mac, use the web client in the browser.
How is KyberNow related to Kyber?
KyberNow uses Kyber, the open-source streaming engine built by VLC developers, and adds an installer, a console, virtual displays and speakers, and apps. KyberNow is neither published nor endorsed by the Kyber team, and is not affiliated with it. Our fixes to the engine are published.
What data does KyberNow collect?
None. Nothing goes through a server of ours: the image goes directly from the computer to your devices. The console only asks GitHub whether a new version exists.