Install
- Download MirrorDockClick Download for Windows. The file is about 52 MB.
- Run the setupOpen the downloaded file. If Windows shows “Windows protected your PC”, click More info, then Run anyway. It installs just for you, so it doesn't ask for an administrator password.
- Open MirrorDockLeave Start MirrorDock now ticked at the end, or open it later from the desktop icon or the Start menu.
- Allow it on your networkIf Windows Security asks whether MirrorDock may communicate on networks, click Allow. The iPhone can't find the laptop without this.
Closing the window doesn't quit MirrorDock: it keeps waiting in the tray (the small icon near the clock, sometimes under the ^ arrow), so your iPhone can connect any time. To quit, right-click that icon → Quit MirrorDock.
Connect your iPhone
- Check the Wi-FiThe laptop and the iPhone must be on the same Wi-Fi network. MirrorDock's window shows Ready and the network's name when it's waiting.
- Open Control Centre on the iPhoneSwipe down from the top-right corner of the screen.
- Tap Screen MirroringIt's the button with two overlapping rectangles.
- Pick MirrorDockYour iPhone appears on the laptop a moment later. (You can change the name the iPhone shows in Settings → General.)
To stop
On the iPhone: Control Centre → Screen Mirroring → Stop Mirroring. MirrorDock goes back to waiting.
A PIN, if you turned it on
If you ticked Ask for a PIN the first time a new iPhone connects in Settings, a 4-digit PIN appears on the laptop. Type it on the iPhone. Each iPhone only needs this once.
Present in a meeting
While mirroring, your iPhone floats on the desktop as a real-looking phone with a slim toolbar beside it. Move it by dragging its metal edge; resize it from any corner, or with Ctrl + mouse wheel.
- Before the meeting: Do Not DisturbOn the iPhone, turn on a Focus (Do Not Disturb) so messages don't pop up during your demo.
- Mirror the iPhoneAs in step 02. Place the phone next to your slides.
- Share your screenIn Teams, Google Meet or Zoom, share your screen as usual. Everyone sees the phone, and you can switch between slides and phone just by clicking.
- Point things outUse the pen (draw on the screen) or drive the app with your mouse (Control).
Always on top (••• menu, or Ctrl T) keeps the phone above your slides. Full screen (F11 or double-click the phone's edge) fills the screen with the iPhone; Esc leaves.
The toolbar beside the phone
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| × and − | Close (MirrorDock keeps running in the tray) and minimise. |
| Red dot | Start or stop recording. |
| Camera | Take a screenshot. |
| Pen | Draw on the screen. |
| Hand | Control the iPhone with your mouse. Bright blue = on. |
| Arrows | Full screen. |
| ••• | Always on top, recordings folder, Settings, quit. |
Control with your mouse
MirrorDock can act as a Bluetooth mouse for the iPhone, so you can drive your app from the laptop without picking up the phone. It needs the laptop's Bluetooth and a one-time setup.
First time (about two minutes)
- Turn on AssistiveTouchiPhone: Settings → Accessibility → Touch → AssistiveTouch: On. This shows the pointer.
- Click the hand buttonMirrorDock shows how to connect the iPhone by Bluetooth.
- Forget the laptop, if it's listediPhone: Settings → Bluetooth. If your laptop is in the list, tap (i) → Forget This Device.
- Pair from the iPhoneOn the laptop, open Bluetooth settings (MirrorDock has a button for it) and leave them open. On the iPhone, tap your laptop's name and accept the pairing on both.
- One-time setupWhen the iPhone connects, the hand button lights up and MirrorDock asks to measure the pointer. Click Start; the grey pointer goes to the top-left corner and moves down. When it stops, click exactly on it.
Using it
| On the laptop | On the iPhone |
|---|---|
| Click | Tap |
| Click and drag | Swipe |
| Right-click | Opens the AssistiveTouch menu (Home, Control Centre and more) |
| Scroll wheel | Scroll |
| Middle-click | Lines the pointer up with your mouse again |
| Hand button | Turns Control on or off |
An iPhone never tells anyone where its pointer is. So each time your mouse comes back onto the picture, MirrorDock sends the pointer to the corner (a known spot) and back to your mouse. If it ever drifts, middle-click, or choose Set up Control again in the ••• menu.
After the laptop sleeps
The iPhone may disconnect from the laptop's Bluetooth. Reconnect from the iPhone: Settings → Bluetooth → tap your laptop's name. The hand button turns blue again.
Control is the newest feature. If the pointer doesn't follow your mouse well, please tell us: it helps us fine-tune it.
Draw on the screen
- Start drawingClick the pen button (or Ctrl B). Draw on the picture with your mouse or pen.
- Pick your toolFive colours (keys 1 to 5), a see-through highlighter, and an eraser.
- Undo or clearCtrl Z undoes the last line; Delete clears everything.
- DoneClick Done or press Esc.
Screenshots include your drawings. Recordings don't include them yet; that's coming.
Record & screenshots
Recording
- StartClick the red dot (or Ctrl R). A timer shows how long you've been recording.
- StopClick it again. The video is saved a few seconds later and a notification appears; click it to see the file.
Videos go to Videos\MirrorDock. To add your voice, tick Also record my voice (laptop microphone) for tutorials in Settings → Recording. Quality and frame rate are there too.
Screenshots
Click the camera button (or Ctrl S). Screenshots go to Pictures\MirrorDock, with your drawings included.
Several phones at once
Show up to four iPhones or iPads side by side, for comparisons or testing.
- Turn it onSettings → General → Phones that can mirror at once: pick 2, 3 or 4.
- Connect each phoneEach iPhone picks its own entry in Screen Mirroring: “MirrorDock”, “MirrorDock 2” and so on. Each gets its own window with its own record, screenshot and draw buttons.
Mouse control works with the first phone (“MirrorDock”).
Settings
Open Settings from the ••• button, or right-click the tray icon.
| Tab | What's there |
|---|---|
| General | Name shown on your iPhone ⁕ picture (sharp and smooth, or standard to use less Wi-Fi) ⁕ phones at once ⁕ PIN for new iPhones ⁕ start with the laptop |
| Recording | Where videos and screenshots go ⁕ quality ⁕ 30 or 60 fps ⁕ record your voice |
| Display | Phone frame ⁕ floating phone ⁕ brightness, contrast, colour (they change live) |
| Shortcuts | Change the keys for record, screenshot, full screen, always on top, whiteboard and phone frame |
Keyboard shortcuts
| Keys | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl R | Start / stop recording |
| Ctrl S | Screenshot |
| F11 or Alt Enter | Full screen (Esc to leave) |
| Ctrl T | Always on top |
| Ctrl B | Whiteboard on / off |
| Ctrl L | Phone frame on / off |
| Ctrl + mouse wheel | Make the phone bigger or smaller |
| 1–5, Ctrl Z, Delete | While drawing: colour, undo, clear |
All except F11, Esc and the drawing keys can be changed in Settings → Shortcuts.
If something's wrong
MirrorDock doesn't appear in Screen Mirroring
- Is MirrorDock running?Look for its icon near the clock. Its window should say Ready. If it shows a red or amber message, follow what it says.
- Same Wi-Fi?Check both devices show the same network name. Turn off any VPN on the laptop.
- Give it 20 secondsClose Control Centre, wait a moment, and open Screen Mirroring again.
- Restart MirrorDockRight-click the tray icon → Quit, then open it again.
- Guest, hotel or conference Wi-Fi?These often stop devices from seeing each other. Connect both to another network, for example the iPhone's Personal Hotspot.
The picture lags or freezes
Move closer to the Wi-Fi router, or choose Standard (uses less Wi-Fi) in Settings → General. If it freezes, stop mirroring on the iPhone and start again, then tell us the time it happened: it helps us find the cause.
The hand button stays grey
The iPhone isn't connected to the laptop's Bluetooth. On the iPhone: Settings → Bluetooth → tap your laptop's name. First time? Follow Control with your mouse.
The iPhone's pointer doesn't line up with my mouse
Middle-click to line it up again. If it keeps drifting, ••• → Set up Control again and click exactly on the grey circle when it stops.
My recording has no voice
Tick Also record my voice in Settings → Recording. MirrorDock uses the microphone set as default in Windows sound settings.
Still stuck?
Right-click the tray icon → Open log folder, and send us the mirrordock.log file with a line about what happened.
Uninstall
Windows Settings → Apps → Installed apps → MirrorDock → Uninstall. Your recordings and screenshots stay in your Videos and Pictures folders.