What is the difference between a virtual screen, mirroring, streaming and Picture in Picture?
A virtual screen provides an additional desktop. Mirroring, streaming and Picture in Picture are different ways to show a desktop’s image somewhere else. You can use them with a physical display or a virtual screen, depending on the setup.
| Feature | What it does | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual screen | Creates a software display with its own desktop and modes. | You need another desktop or a source with different resolution choices. |
| Mirroring | Makes displays share the same desktop through macOS display mirroring. | You want a normal mirrored display arrangement. |
| Streaming | Shows a live image on a selected target display, with crop, transforms and filters. | You need to control how the source image fills or appears on another display. |
| Picture in Picture | Shows captured content in a movable window. | You want to watch another desktop while keeping the receiving desktop visible. |
Stream Display is a local display feature. It does not create an internet broadcast URL or a virtual webcam. Choose where the image should appear in the source display’s Stream Display menu. Self-Stream + Video Filters applies the presentation to the source display itself.
If a stream is enabled but no image appears, check the selected target, whether the output is hidden, and macOS Screen Recording permission. Ordinary capture needs that permission. A self-stream using a compositor filter is an exception. Creating a virtual screen alone does not automatically open a viewing window unless an association or other automatic presentation rule is configured.
Working on a virtual desktop
To work on a virtual desktop you created for recording, first give yourself a way to see it: mirror it to a physical display, stream it there, or open its Picture in Picture view. Move an app window onto the virtual desktop using the macOS display arrangement, then interact with that desktop. To move the pointer from the viewing window to the source desktop, see moving the pointer to the source desktop. Creating the screen makes it available as a desktop and capture source, but does not move your existing windows there.
Choosing the mirror source
To show a virtual desktop on a physical monitor through mirroring, open the virtual screen’s mirroring menu and select the physical display as the target. Choosing the opposite direction makes the virtual screen show the physical desktop instead.
If your aim is to keep an app’s output attached to the virtual screen when a cable drops out, also review Associated Displays: an automatic connection policy may disconnect the virtual screen along with its associated display. The app must use the virtual desktop as its output, and its recovery when the physical target returns still needs testing.
Mirror direction also matters with AirPlay. If changing the MacBook’s resolution has no effect while it is mirrored to an Apple TV, check which display is the source. To use the MacBook’s desktop modes, configure mirroring from the built-in display to the AirPlay display. Different screen proportions can leave black bars on one display. Changing direction does not make both aspect ratios match.
Requirements and limits
You can create a virtual screen from Pre-configured settings (recommended) and connect it without Pro. A separate recording or screen-sharing app can then use that desktop as a capture source, subject to its own capabilities and permissions. Creating a desktop and presenting it in a BetterDisplay viewing window are separate features.
BetterDisplay’s mirroring menu actions, streaming and Picture in Picture require Pro. Matching a connected display during creation also requires Pro. Preset creation is the free starting point. The linked references explain capture permission, target eligibility and presentation controls.
A virtual screen does not consume an additional native external-display slot. The physical monitors still need to fit the Mac’s supported connection arrangement, and rendering or streaming virtual desktops adds processing work. Creating a virtual screen does not increase the number of physical monitors the Mac can drive natively.
BetterDisplay’s Picture in Picture captures a display managed by the Mac. It cannot turn a monitor’s separate HDMI or Thunderbolt input into a movable macOS window. A monitor’s hardware PIP is a different feature: a supported custom DDC command may configure it. That command does not transfer its video into the Mac. The required input-selection command depends on the monitor.