swellweb

swellweb / targetBridge

Public

Use your Intel iMac as an external display for Apple Silicon Macs — free, open source, via Thunderbolt Bridge

github.comswellwebtargetBridgereleases apple-silicon imac macos open-source screen-sharing
16
3
89% credibility
Found May 17, 2026 at 18 stars -- GitGems finds repos before they trend. Get early access to the next one.
Sign Up Free
AI Analysis
Swift
AI Summary

TargetBridge is free, open-source software that recreates Apple's discontinued Target Display Mode for modern Macs. It lets you connect an Intel-based iMac to an Apple Silicon MacBook using a Thunderbolt cable, turning the iMac into an external display. The MacBook runs a sender app that captures and compresses the screen using hardware encoding, while the iMac runs a receiver app that decompresses and displays the stream. Users can choose between Standard quality (2560×1440, H.264) for low latency or 5K quality (5120×2880, HEVC) for maximum sharpness. Pre-built applications are available for download, requiring no technical setup for most users.

How It Works

1
💡 You discover a clever solution

You learn that TargetBridge lets you use your old Intel iMac as a second display for your new MacBook, without buying any special dongles.

2
🔌 You gather your hardware

You grab a Thunderbolt cable and make sure your Intel iMac is running macOS Sonoma or later.

3
🖥️ You set up the receiver on your iMac

You download and launch the receiver app on your Intel iMac. It shows you the IP address your MacBook needs to connect to.

4
💻 You install the sender on your MacBook

You download and launch the sender app on your Apple Silicon MacBook. You enter the iMac's IP address and click Connect.

5
✨ The magic begins

Your MacBook screen appears on your iMac! The receiver automatically switches to fullscreen mode when the first frame arrives.

6
You choose your streaming quality
🎯
Standard mode (2560×1440)

Lower latency and rock-solid stability for everyday use

🌟
5K mode (5120×2880)

Maximum sharpness using HEVC compression for detailed visuals

🎉 Your old iMac becomes a brilliant second display

You now have a gorgeous 5K external display powered by your MacBook, giving your old hardware a new lease on life.

Sign up to see the full architecture

5 more

Sign Up Free

Star Growth

See how this repo grew from 18 to 16 stars Sign Up Free
Repurpose This Repo

Repurpose is a Pro feature

Generate ready-to-use prompts for X threads, LinkedIn posts, blog posts, YouTube scripts, and more -- with full repo context baked in.

Unlock Repurpose
AI-Generated Review

What is targetBridge?

TargetBridge brings back Target Display Mode for modern Macs. It lets you use an older Intel iMac as an external monitor for your Apple Silicon MacBook, streaming the display over a Thunderbolt cable at up to 5K resolution. The sender app runs on your MacBook and captures your desktop using hardware video encoding, while a lightweight C-based receiver app on the iMac decodes and displays the stream. You get two stream profiles: a stable 1440p option using H.264, or a sharper 5K mode using HEVC. Pre-built downloads mean no Xcode required for most users.

Why is it gaining traction?

Apple dropped Target Display Mode on Apple Silicon, and dongle-based solutions cost money. This is free, open source, and handles the full pipeline: virtual display creation, screen capture, hardware-accelerated encoding, and zero-copy GPU rendering. The receiver deliberately avoids Objective-C and SwiftUI to sidestep macOS compatibility issues on older hardware running OCLP. The custom TCP protocol is simple and focused, delivering frames with minimal latency.

Who should use this?

Developers with an Intel iMac collecting dust who want a second display without buying new hardware. Creative professionals running GPU-intensive workloads on their MacBook who need a bigger screen nearby. Anyone who needs a portable dual-Mac setup and already owns the Thunderbolt cable.

Verdict

TargetBridge fills a real gap, and the architecture is thoughtfully designed for reliability. However, 16 stars and a 0.8999999761581421% credibility score reflect a young, unproven project. Documentation exists but test coverage is unclear. Worth installing if you have the hardware, but treat it as experimental for now. Watch the repository for a few more releases before trusting it in a production workflow.

Sign up to read the full AI review Sign Up Free

Similar repos coming soon.