Can I Control My Windows PC From My iPhone? Yes, Free

Can I control my Windows PC from my iPhone?

Yes. To use the iPhone as a remote (big buttons for apps, media, volume and shortcuts, a trackpad and voice commands), install SofaDeck on the PC and scan its QR code with the iPhone camera: the remote opens in Safari, free, with no iPhone app. To see and use the whole desktop on the iPhone's screen instead, use a remote desktop app such as Chrome Remote Desktop or Microsoft's Windows App.

Install SofaDeck on your PC (free)
Scan the QR code with your phone
Tap

Download SofaDeck freeWindows 10 & 11 and Mac · no account · Pro $9.99 once, optional

Works on iPhone & Android — no app needed. Scan the QR code on your PC with the phone's camera and the remote opens in its browser. On Android you can also add the optional Google Play app.

An iPhone can drive a Windows PC in two quite different ways. You can see and use the whole desktop on the phone's screen (remote desktop), or you can use the iPhone as a remote control: big buttons and voice commands that launch apps, pause music, change the volume and press shortcuts while you look at the PC's own screen. This guide covers both, what each needs, and the iPhone-specific steps that trip people up. For Android and tablets too, see the general guide to controlling a PC from any phone.

Which kind of control do you need?

You're away from the PC, or need to click something specific (a file, a dialog, a settings page): use remote desktop.
You're in the same room and just want things to happen (play, pause, volume, open Spotify, start a game, switch OBS scenes): a button deck is faster than pinching and zooming a tiny copy of your desktop.
You want a mouse on the sofa (scrolling a web page on the TV, clicking a video player): a phone trackpad, which moves the real pointer on the PC's screen.

The options side by side

	Chrome Remote Desktop	Windows App (Microsoft)	SofaDeck
On the iPhone	App from the App Store	App from the App Store	Safari page, no app (Add to Home Screen)
Windows edition	Home or Pro	Pro, Enterprise or Education to host	Windows 10 or 11, any edition
Away from home	Yes, over the internet	Needs a VPN or gateway	No: same Wi-Fi only, by design
What you control	The whole desktop, shrunk to the phone	The whole desktop, shrunk to the phone	Big buttons, trackpad, voice; live screen view with Pro
Voice commands	No	No	Yes, tap the mic
Account needed	Google account	Microsoft account or PC login	None: QR code + PIN
Cost	Free	Free	Free; Pro $9.99 once

Many people end up with two: a remote desktop app for the rare time they're away from home, and a deck for everyday control from the couch or the desk.

Option 1: remote desktop on the iPhone

Chrome Remote Desktop is free from Google. Install the host on the PC from remotedesktop.google.com, install the iPhone app, sign in with the same Google account and set a PIN. It works across the internet, and on Windows Home as well as Pro.

Microsoft's Windows App (formerly the Remote Desktop app on iOS) connects to a PC that has Remote Desktop turned on. That setting exists only in Windows Pro, Enterprise and Education, not Windows Home, and reaching the PC from outside your network needs extra setup such as a VPN.

Both show the full desktop, which is powerful but fiddly on a 6-inch screen. They're the right tool when you need to see the screen. Step-by-step setup and error fixes: Remote Desktop from iPhone to Windows 11.

Option 2: turn the iPhone into a button deck and voice remote

SofaDeck is a small tray app for Windows 10 or Windows 11 (64-bit) (and for Macs). It serves a page of large, labeled buttons to your iPhone over your home Wi-Fi. Each button launches an app, file, folder or website, controls media and volume, presses keys or types text. Tap the mic and say "open Spotify", "volume 30" or the name of any button.

Install SofaDeck from the download page. It shows a QR code the first time it runs; allow it through the Windows firewall on private networks when asked.
Open the iPhone's Camera, point it at the QR code and tap the link.
Type the 6-digit PIN shown on the PC. The deck opens in Safari.
Tap Share → Add to Home Screen. The deck now opens full-screen from its own icon, like an app, with no App Store download.
Edit the buttons on the PC. Free gives you one page of 12; Pro adds unlimited pages, hotkey combos and macros.

Direct installer .exe · 3.7 MB Store version signed by Microsoft No account Local network only Signed updates SofaDeck installs on your Windows PC. Your phone is the remote — it works in the phone’s browser. Or email me the link to open on my PCOne email from support@dixonappstudio.com. No list unless you tick the box. PrivacyOr on your PC, go to sofadeck.com/get

Use the iPhone as a trackpad and keyboard

Buttons cover the things you do every day, but sometimes you need to point at something: a "Skip intro" button in a browser, a file in a folder, a menu in a game launcher. SofaDeck has a trackpad screen for Windows PCs. Open it from the deck (or say "open the trackpad"), then:

drag one finger to move the pointer on the PC's own screen,
tap to click,
scroll with two fingers,
and tap the keyboard key to type on the PC with the iPhone's keyboard, including dictation.

Because the pointer moves on the real monitor or TV, you never have to read a shrunken desktop on the phone. The free plan includes 20 minutes of trackpad a day; Pro removes the limit. More on this, and the alternatives, in using your phone as a mouse and keyboard.

See the PC's screen without a remote desktop app

If you do need to see the screen while you're at home, SofaDeck Pro has Screen view: the PC's screen live on the iPhone, tap to click, hold for right-click, two fingers to scroll and pinch to zoom. It stays off until you allow it for a particular phone, the PC shows a clear "is viewing — Stop" bar while it runs, it never runs on public Wi-Fi, and nothing is recorded. It does not work from outside your home network; for that, use Chrome Remote Desktop.

iPhone details worth knowing

Voice needs the secure link. Safari only allows the microphone on https pages, and speech recognition needs iOS 14.5 or later. SofaDeck makes its own local certificate; trust it once under Settings → General → VPN & Device Management → SofaDeck Local CA → Install, then Settings → General → About → Certificate Trust Settings. Or tap Show Details → visit this website on the warning page. The full list of phrases is on the voice commands page.
Screen Time restrictions can switch off speech recognition. If the mic never starts, check Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions.
Same Wi-Fi only. SofaDeck refuses requests from outside your local network. That's a deliberate security choice, explained on the security page, and it means it won't work over mobile data.
iPad works the same way, and its bigger screen fits a full grid comfortably. An old iPad on a stand next to the monitor makes a good permanent deck.

If the iPhone won't connect

Same network, not a guest one. Guest Wi-Fi and some mesh systems keep devices from seeing each other ("client isolation"). Put the PC and the iPhone on the main home network.
Windows must treat the network as Private. Settings → Network & internet → Wi-Fi (or Ethernet) → your network → Network profile type → Private. On a Public profile the firewall blocks incoming connections, including the deck.
Pause VPNs. A VPN app on the iPhone or on the PC can send the connection away from your home network.
Check the PC is awake. Use SofaDeck's screen off, stay ready button (or say "screen off and stay ready") instead of sleep when you walk away: the display goes dark but the phone still connects instantly. With Pro, Wake-on-LAN buttons can wake a sleeping PC from the phone.

Good first buttons for an iPhone remote

Play/pause, next track and volume: see controlling Spotify from your phone.
Your most-used apps and folders, one tap each.
Lock the PC, or turn the screen off when you leave the room.
F11 for full-screen video, Esc to back out of it.
Stream controls, if you broadcast: see the OBS phone remote guide.
Sleep or shut down from bed: see shut down your PC from your phone.

Comparing iPhone remotes? PC remote apps compared covers Unified Remote, KDE Connect, Remote Mouse and Chrome Remote Desktop, and an iPad works as a bigger deck: iPad as a Stream Deck.

Sleep, restart and shut down always ask first. SofaDeck shows a confirmation on the phone before any of them runs, so a stray tap in your pocket can't power off the PC.

Frequently asked questions

Can I control my PC from my iPhone for free?

Yes. Chrome Remote Desktop is free and shows your whole PC screen on the iPhone. SofaDeck's free version turns the iPhone into a button deck and voice remote for a Windows PC on the same Wi-Fi, with one page of 12 buttons; Pro is $9.99 once.

Do I need to install an app on my iPhone?

Not for SofaDeck. You scan a QR code with the iPhone camera, type the 6-digit PIN the PC shows, and the deck opens in Safari. Add it to your Home Screen so it opens full-screen like an app. Remote desktop tools such as Chrome Remote Desktop or Microsoft's Windows App do need an iPhone app.

Can I control my PC from my iPhone when I'm away from home?

Not with SofaDeck: it only answers devices on your home network, by design. To reach a PC over the internet, use a remote desktop tool such as Chrome Remote Desktop, or Microsoft's Windows App with a PC running Windows Pro.

Does voice control work on iPhone?

Yes, in Safari on iOS 14.5 or later. Safari only allows the microphone on secure pages, so trust SofaDeck's local certificate once (Settings → General → VPN & Device Management, then Certificate Trust Settings) or accept the warning page. The keyboard's dictation key in the text box works either way.

Can I use my iPhone as a mouse and keyboard for my PC?

Yes. SofaDeck's trackpad screen turns the iPhone into a touchpad for Windows: drag to move the pointer, tap to click, two fingers to scroll, and type on the PC with the iPhone keyboard. It's free for 20 minutes a day and unlimited with Pro. Chrome Remote Desktop and the Windows App also let you move the pointer, but on a shrunken copy of the screen.

Why can my iPhone not connect to my PC on the same Wi-Fi?

The usual causes are a guest or mesh 'isolation' network that keeps devices apart, Windows treating the home Wi-Fi as a Public network (so the firewall blocks the connection), a VPN running on the iPhone or PC, or the PC having gone to sleep. Fix the network profile under Settings → Network & internet → Wi-Fi → your network → Network profile type → Private.

How to control your Windows PC from your iPhone