Frame rate or sharpness: Beam chooses for you

A beamed window can change jobs without being reopened. It can show dense code, an animation preview, and a running build trace during the same period of use. These views ask different things from the picture: readable fine detail while the contents rest, and steady movement while the contents change.

Start with two Macs running Beam. Use the picker on the Mac in front of you to find and pair the other Mac. Pairing approves the connection between those Macs. Choose an app window on the other Mac, then beam it to the Mac in front of you.

The selected app appears as a window on your desktop, at its own size, with its own Dock icon and a place in Command-Tab. This is a beamed window: the app window you picked from the other Mac, presented among the windows on the Mac in front of you. You stay focused on that app rather than beginning with a whole display.

The contents can move from reading to playback without requiring a new setup. Beam makes the picture-quality choice by default, based on what the window is doing. That automatic behavior is useful when a code editor starts scrolling, a terminal begins updating, or a paused video starts moving.

Let the contents guide the picture

Frame rate means how frequently movement is refreshed on the Mac in front of you. Smooth scrolling, playback, and animation depend on that cadence because much of the window changes from moment to moment. Sharpness is the visible clarity of small type, thin lines, and crisp edges. Code editors, terminals, diagrams, and design canvases make that clarity easy to judge.

These priorities can alternate inside the same app. A paused video presents stable details, then asks for smooth motion when playback resumes. A code editor may remain still while you read, then move rapidly during a search or scroll. The work changes inside the window, and the picture follows the work.

By default, Beam chooses for you. It keeps text sharp for code and terminals when a window is still, then keeps motion smooth for video and animation when it moves. Beam treats this as an automatic choice for the current view, so a mixed workday does not become a picture-settings exercise.

You can judge the result in familiar work. Read the smallest type you normally use in a terminal. Scroll through a long source file and watch whether the movement remains comfortable to follow. Play moving content, pause it, and inspect the fine edges that appear once the view settles.

If you want to direct the choice yourself, you can override these choices in Beam's settings. For most viewing, leave the defaults in place and check the content itself: small text while still, scrolling during navigation, and motion during playback.

Verify the window after setup

Both Macs require macOS Sonoma or later and run Beam. On the same local network, they talk directly. When they are apart, connect them through the same Tailscale tailnet, Tailscale’s private network for reaching your Macs from separate locations. Beam itself requires no account, server, or cloud service.

Complete the first pairing before moving the other Mac to its usual location. Keep that Mac awake while you handle its normal macOS permissions, login, and FileVault authentication. This gives you a chance to confirm the connection, close the beamed window, and find the paired Mac again while both computers remain within reach.

Use content that represents your work during this check. A terminal or code editor gives you small type and sharp edges to inspect. A scrolling document, animation, or video gives you movement to follow. Testing both in the same beamed window confirms that Automatic responds as the contents change.

1. Launch Beam on the other Mac and on the Mac in front of you, then complete any macOS permission requests shown during setup.

1. Connect both Macs to the same local network. If they will be used from separate locations, connect both through the same tailnet as well.

1. Open the picker on the Mac in front of you, find the other Mac, and pair the two computers when prompted.

1. Choose an app window from the other Mac and beam it. Confirm that you can see and use the selected app from the Mac in front of you.

1. View small, still text, then scroll or play moving content. Confirm that the text remains sharp and the movement remains smooth.

1. Close the beamed window, return to the picker, and choose the app again. Confirm that the paired Mac remains available there.

Closing and reopening the selection checks more than a single successful launch. It confirms that the picker still recognizes the paired computer and that you can return to the app through the same workflow. Perform this check before placing the other Mac somewhere less convenient to reach.

Finish with the reboot test. Restart the other Mac, complete its normal login and FileVault authentication, then launch Beam there. Return to the picker on the computer in front of you and confirm that the restarted machine appears again before you relocate the hardware.