Your computers, from any computer.
Tethera is a VNC remote desktop for Mac, Windows and Linux: see every computer's screen live, connect with one click and copy and paste as if you were there. It works with Mac Screen Sharing and any VNC server. Free, with no account and no tracking.
The Mac in the studio, the Linux box that acts as a server, the Raspberry Pi in the attic: sooner or later you need to get your hands on a screen that is not in front of you. Tethera keeps them all on one home screen with a live preview of each display and gets you in with one click, every session in its own window. Copy and paste works both ways, files are dragged onto the window and, when you are away, Tethera goes through an always-on computer at home by itself, without opening ports on your router. On Mac, Windows and Linux you get the same app, with the same look.
A VNC remote desktop for Mac, Windows and Linux: your computers, at home or away.
The home screen shows a card for every computer with a live preview of its screen, its status (online, offline or active) and, while connected, the bandwidth. You know at once which one is on and what it is doing, before you even connect.
Every computer opens in a window of its own: keep two side by side, put them on different monitors, close one without touching the others. The remote screen is drawn by the GPU (Metal on the Mac, Direct3D 11 on Windows, OpenGL on Linux) and only the part that changes is updated, so even a 4K desktop stays smooth and light.
Copy and paste just works: what you copy on the remote computer lands on your clipboard, and what you copy on yours reaches the remote computer when you switch to its window. Tethera sends Ctrl+C to Windows and Linux and ⌘C to a Mac, without you having to think about it.
Tethera talks to Mac Screen Sharing (with your Mac account), to TigerVNC, x11vnc and wayvnc on Linux, to TightVNC, UltraVNC and RealVNC on Windows and to the Raspberry Pi's VNC. Computers on your network show up by themselves in Nearby: one click and they are on your list.
To reach your computers from outside you do not need to expose VNC to the Internet. All it takes is an always-on computer at home that accepts SSH (a Linux server, a NAS, a Raspberry Pi): in Automatic mode Tethera connects directly when you are home and goes through it when you are out, encrypted all the way home. With Tailscale or another VPN, the computer's VPN address is all you need.
VNC carries only the screen, mouse and keyboard, so Tethera adds a channel for files: SFTP over SSH, encrypted. Drag a file onto the session window and it lands on the remote computer's Desktop, or in the folder you choose. The folder button browses the remote computer, uploads and downloads.
About 100 MB of memory and no CPU use when the remote screen is still. Tethera measures the bandwidth during the session and adapts the picture without reconnecting: more compression and, on very slow links, fewer colours, then back to full quality as soon as the network allows. With wayvnc, H.264 video is decoded in hardware.
No account, no analytics, no tracking: Tethera connects only to the computers you add. Passwords and SSH keys live in the Keychain on the Mac and are encrypted with a key kept by the system on Windows and Linux. English, Italian, French, German and Spanish, with a built-in guide that explains every feature.
Pick your system. On Windows you install it from the Microsoft Store, signed by Microsoft; for Mac and Linux the files come from the official releases on GitHub.
Apple Silicon and Intel
Open the DMG and drag Tethera into Applications. It is signed and notarized by Apple, so it opens with no warnings. It works on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs with macOS 15 Sequoia or later.
x64 and ARM64
Install it from the Microsoft Store: it is signed by Microsoft, installs with no warnings and updates itself. 64-bit Windows 10 (1809) or 11.
For Snapdragon PCs and Windows in Parallels on Macs: the Microsoft Store version is native ARM64, signed by Microsoft and updates itself.
x64 and ARM64
The AppImage runs on any distribution without installing: make it executable (chmod +x) and open it. On Debian, Ubuntu and Mint: sudo apt install ./tethera_1.3.1_amd64.deb; on Fedora, RHEL and openSUSE: sudo dnf install ./tethera-1.3.1-1.x86_64.rpm. For H.264 video install openh264.
For Raspberry Pi 4/5 with 64-bit Raspberry Pi OS and ARM laptops: the same packages in the arm64/aarch64 build (sudo apt install ./tethera_1.3.1_arm64.deb).
Mac: macOS 15 Sequoia or later, Apple Silicon (M1 or later) or Intel; the Liquid Glass look needs macOS 26 Tahoe. Windows: 64-bit Windows 10 or 11, or Windows 11 on ARM. Linux: x86_64 or ARM64, with .deb (Debian, Ubuntu), .rpm (Fedora, RHEL, openSUSE) or AppImage packages; H.264 video needs OpenH264 (openh264 package). Windows and Linux have no iCloud sync, Siri, widgets or Handoff. You need a computer running a VNC server, reachable on your network, from away through the SSH gateway or with a VPN such as Tailscale.
Free, including professional use. The source code is not public.
Yes, Tethera is free on Mac, Windows and Linux, with no account, no ads and no subscriptions, including for professional use and on as many computers as you like. If you find it useful, you can support its development with a donation.
On a Mac, nothing: turn on System Settings › General › Sharing › Screen Sharing and sign in with your Mac account. On Linux a VNC server such as TigerVNC, x11vnc or wayvnc; on Windows TightVNC, UltraVNC or RealVNC Server; on a Raspberry Pi just turn on VNC in its configuration.
Yes, without opening ports on your router. If you have an always-on computer at home that accepts SSH (a Linux server, a NAS, a Raspberry Pi), choose Away from Home › Automatic in the server editor: Tethera goes through it when you are out, encrypted. With Tailscale or another VPN, just use the computer's VPN address. Never expose VNC directly to the Internet.
Plain VNC protects only the password, not the screen and keys: that is fine on your home network. On other networks turn on Tethera's SSH tunnel, which encrypts the whole session and checks the server's fingerprint; a padlock in the window always tells you whether the session is encrypted.
Yes, over SFTP on the same SSH connection: drag files onto the session window or use the folder button to browse, upload and download. The remote computer needs SSH turned on: Remote Login on a Mac, OpenSSH Server on Windows, openssh-server on Linux.
No. On the Mac Tethera is signed with an Apple Developer ID certificate and notarized by Apple, so it opens like any other app. On Windows (x64 and ARM64) you install it from the Microsoft Store, where it is signed by Microsoft: no "Windows protected your PC" warning and automatic updates.
No. No account, analytics or tracking: Tethera connects only to the computers you add and, on the Mac if sync is on, to your own iCloud. Passwords and keys stay on your computer, encrypted.
On the Mac by itself: it finds and installs new versions. On Windows the Microsoft Store updates it. On Linux download the new version from this page and install it over the old one. What is new in each version is in the release notes on GitHub.
Tethera is free, with no account, no ads and no tracking, and built after hours. If it saves you a trip to the office or the attic, a donation pays for the time to build the next versions. Tethera is already signed on macOS, thanks to a supporter, and on Windows through the Microsoft Store.
