Padmote

Draw on Your Mac Screen with Apple Pencil During a Presentation

Padmote turns your iPad into a wireless remote that draws on your Mac screen. What you draw with Apple Pencil or your finger shows on the Mac as a transparent overlay above your slides. Presentation mode adds large arrows to advance slides and clears your marks between slides.

What You Need

  • Padmote on an iPad running iPadOS 17 or later.
  • Padmote Host on the Mac that runs the presentation, macOS 14 or later. Padmote Host is free.
  • Both devices on the same Wi-Fi network or a USB-C cable between them.
  • Apple Pencil is optional. You can draw and advance slides with your finger.

Set Up Before You Present

  1. Open Padmote Host on the Mac. It shows a six-digit pairing code.
  2. Open Padmote on the iPad. The Mac appears in the list.
  3. Enter the six-digit code to connect.
  4. Start your slideshow in Keynote, PowerPoint, Google Slides or another presentation app.
  5. Turn on presentation mode in Padmote and use the arrows to move between slides.

What You Can Do During the Talk

  • Draw with a pencil or highlighter to circle, underline or connect parts of a slide.
  • Add a rectangle, circle, line or arrow to call out a number or a chart.
  • Use the laser pointer to show where to look without leaving a mark.
  • Undo the last stroke or clear every mark.

How Slides and Marks Work Together

Presentation mode clears your annotations when you move to the next slide, so each slide starts clean. The overlay is transparent and does not change the slide file or the app underneath.

What Apple Pencil Adds

Apple Pencil hover shows a live cursor on the Mac before you touch the screen, so you can aim a mark. Double-tap gestures are customizable. Both need a compatible Apple Pencil and iPad.

Questions

Which Presentation Apps Does It Work With?

Presentation mode works with Keynote, PowerPoint, Google Slides and any presentation app on your Mac.

Do My Drawings Change the Slide File?

No. Padmote draws on a transparent overlay above the screen. It does not interfere with the app underneath.

Do I Need an Apple Pencil?

No. You can draw, point and advance slides with your finger. Apple Pencil adds hover and double-tap gestures on a compatible iPad.

Can I Move Around the Room While I Present?

Yes, when the iPad and Mac are on the same Wi-Fi network. You can also connect them with a USB-C cable.

Can I Click on the Mac From the iPad?

Yes. Cursor control moves, clicks and selects on the Mac from the iPad. It needs Accessibility permission on the Mac.

What Does Padmote Cost?

Padmote is a subscription that includes every feature: $2 a month or $10 a year in the United States. The app shows your local price. Padmote Host for Mac is free.

Get Padmote

Download on theApp StoreFree for MacPadmote Host

Related

Checked 2026-10-09