Quick Start
Start the Receivers
Open AirCapture and click the Start button in the toolbar. Your Mac is now ready to receive AirPlay streams.
Users Connect Their Devices
Users voluntarily stream their device screens by selecting "AirCapture-01" (or any available slot) from their Screen Mirroring menu on iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
Start Recording (Optional)
Click the Record button, enter a session name, and click Start Recording. A red "REC" badge appears on active streams.
Find Your Recordings
Recordings are saved to ~/Documents/AirCapture Recordings/ organized by date and session name.
Main Interface
Toolbar
- Connection Counter: Shows active connections (e.g., "2/4 Connected")
- PIN Display: 4-digit PIN code when receivers are running (if enabled)
- Recording Timer: Shows session duration during recording
- Start/Stop Button: Toggle all AirPlay receivers on/off
- Record Button: Start/stop a recording session
- Settings Button: Open Settings window
Stream Grid
The adaptive layout automatically adjusts columns based on stream count:
| Streams | Columns |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1 |
| 2-4 | 2 |
| 5-9 | 3 |
| 10-16 | 4 |
| 17-25 | 5 |
| 26-30 | 6 |
Zoom View
Double-click any stream tile to enter full-window zoom mode. Press Escape to exit.
Recording Sessions
Starting a Recording
- Click the Record button in the toolbar
- Enter a session name (e.g., "Design Review", "Workshop")
- Click Start Recording
Stopping a Recording
- Click the Stop button in the toolbar
- Wait a few moments for video processing
- Your videos are automatically saved
Each stream has its own folder with a consolidated MP4 video file. Recordings are organized by date and session name.
Storage Reference
| Frame Rate | Storage per Stream | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| 0.2 fps | ~2.4 MB/min | Long sessions (8+ hours) |
| 0.5 fps | ~6 MB/min | Long sessions (4+ hours) |
| 1 fps | ~12 MB/min | Standard monitoring |
| 5 fps | ~60 MB/min | Detailed monitoring |
| 10 fps | ~120 MB/min | Smooth playback |
| 30 fps | ~360 MB/min | High-quality, short sessions |
Example: Recording 4 streams at 0.2 fps for 1 hour = ~0.6 GB
Troubleshooting
Can't find AirCapture in Screen Mirroring menu?
- Ensure both devices are on the same Wi-Fi network
- Check that AirPlay receivers are started in AirCapture
- Try toggling Wi-Fi off and on
Connection keeps dropping?
- Move closer to the router
- Use 5 GHz Wi-Fi instead of 2.4 GHz
- Consider using wired Ethernet
Video files very large?
- Lower the frame rate in Settings
- Use "Low" or "Medium" quality preset
Black screen on connection?
- Update to the latest version of AirCapture
- Ensure macOS is updated to 15.0+
Users must voluntarily connect their devices. AirCapture cannot capture screens without user permission through the standard AirPlay flow.