Magic Packet Server icon New in version 2.0

Magic Packet Server

More than just wake.

The free companion to Magic Packet for Mac and Windows. Shut down, sleep, and lock your computer, control its music, and keep it awake — from iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac.

Download for Mac Download for Windows Download for Linux

Version 2.0 · macOS 15 or later · Windows 10 and 11, 64-bitVersion 2.0 · 18.5 MB · macOS 15 or laterVersion 2.0 · 62.3 MB · Windows 10 (1809) and 11, 64-bitVersion 1.1 is available for Linux for now

The server goes on the computer you want to control — a Mac or a Windows PC. On iPhone and iPad, Magic Packet is all you need.

All platforms and versions

What the server adds

Magic Packet can wake your computer on its own with Wake on LAN. Everything you do with a computer that’s already on is the server’s job.

Magic Packet alone

  • Wake

With Magic Packet Server

  • Shut Down
  • Restart
  • Sleep
  • Hibernate
  • Lock
  • Music
  • Keep Awake

How it works

The server is a small app on your computer. It takes commands from Magic Packet on your network and carries them out.

  1. You tapShut Down on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or Mac.
  2. The command stays on your networkStraight to the computer on port 5154 — no cloud, no account.
  3. The server carries it outThe computer shuts down, goes to sleep, or pauses the music.

Set up in a minute

Three steps, and your host in Magic Packet gets new buttons.

  1. 1

    Install the server on your computer

    1. Download the disk image and drag Magic Packet Server to Applications.
    2. Open the app and click Install — macOS will ask for an administrator password.
    3. That’s it: the service is running and its icon appears in the menu bar.

    Requires macOS 15 or later.

  2. 2

    Connect it in Magic Packet

    Open your host → Advanced → MPS Address and tap Autofill. The app finds the server on your network by itself.

    If it doesn’t, type the address yourself: http://192.168.1.5:5154, with your computer’s IP instead of 192.168.1.5. If you turned on a password in the server, enter it in MPS Password.

  3. 3

    Check it

    If everything’s right, the host turns green, and Shut Down, Restart, Sleep, and the other commands appear next to Wake.

Quietly in the background

  • Starts with your computer — as a service, even before anyone signs in.
  • Close the window — the server keeps running.
  • A menu bar or tray icon shows the status and opens the logs if something goes wrong.
  • A native app for each system — one for macOS and one for Windows, not a shared shell.

And the details that matter.

Finds itself

The server announces itself on your network, and Magic Packet picks it up and fills in the computer name and MAC address. Nothing to type.

A password for commands

Turn on a password in the server app, and only someone who knows it can shut down or sleep the computer. The server keeps a hash, never the password itself.

A remote for your music

Pause, skip, change the volume, or mute from your phone. Works while someone is signed in on the computer.

No dozing off

Let a download or render finish: the computer stays awake until you cancel or the timer runs out. A restart resets it.

Laptop battery

The server reports the battery level and whether the charger is connected, right in Magic Packet.

Over the internet, safely

The server is built for your home network. To control your computer from elsewhere, connect to home over a VPN.

VPN to home Recommended

Tailscale, WireGuard, or your router’s VPN server. Your phone ends up inside your home network, and Magic Packet reaches the server at the same address as at home.

Port forwarding At your own risk

The server speaks plain HTTP without encryption, so we don’t recommend exposing it to the internet.

If you do forward port 5154, be sure to turn on a password and use your external address: http://example.com:5154.

Questions and answers

The most common ones from support email.

Do I need the server just to turn my computer on?

No. Waking works over Wake on LAN without the server: at that moment the computer is off, so nothing can run on it. The server is for commands to a running computer — shut down, sleep, lock, control music.

Do I install the server on my iPhone or iPad?

No. The server goes on the computer you control — a Mac or a Windows PC. On your phone, Magic Packet is all you need. If a computer doesn’t have the server, leave the host’s MPS Address empty.

Magic Packet can’t find the server
  • Your phone and computer need to be on the same network — not guest Wi-Fi, and without client isolation on the router.
  • Check in the server app that the service is running.
  • On Windows the installer opens port 5154 for you, but a third-party antivirus or firewall can close it.
  • Enter the address yourself: http://computer-IP:5154.
The host says it hasn’t responded yet

Most likely the MPS Address has the wrong IP. Use your own computer’s address, not the one from the example, with port 5154. You can find the IP in the computer’s network settings.

The music buttons don’t work

Music can only be controlled while someone is signed in on the computer: on the login screen, media commands have nowhere to go.

How is hibernate different from sleep on a Mac?

On a Mac, hibernate works the same as regular sleep — that’s how macOS power management works.

How do I upgrade from version 1.x?

Before installing 2.0, completely remove the old version: the app and its service — the Windows service, the macOS launch agent, or the systemd unit. Don’t install 2.0 over it: the old service can get in the way of the new one.

Is there a version 2.0 for Linux?

Not yet — it’s in the works. Version 1.1 is available for Linux: shutdown, restart, and status as a systemd service.

Is it safe?

The server works only on your network, with no cloud and no account. You can protect commands with a password, and only its hash is stored. The connection isn’t encrypted, so rather than exposing the server to the internet, connect to home over a VPN.

Download Magic Packet Server

Free. Install it on the computer you want to control.

macOS

2.0.0
  • macOS 15 or later
  • Disk image · 18.5 MB
  • Service and menu bar icon
Download .dmg

Windows

2.0.0
  • Windows 10 (1809) and 11, 64-bit
  • Installer · 62.3 MB
  • Service and tray icon
Download .exe

Linux

1.1.0
  • systemd-based systems
  • Source code · 84 KB
  • Shutdown, restart, and status. Version 2.0 is coming
Download source
All versions, SHA-256, and release notes How to install

Upgrading from version 1.x? Remove the old version first — here’s how.