For ONVIF and RTSP cameras
Watch your network cameras live on your Mac.
PanoPaper plays the live video from your ONVIF and RTSP cameras as your desktop wallpaper, straight from the camera, with no NVR or cloud in between. A glance past your windows is all it takes to check the front door.
For macOS 15 (Sequoia) and later.
Why it exists
Stop opening another app just to take a look.
Most camera apps work the same way. Open the app, wait for the stream to start, look, close it again. Many of them send your video through the maker's cloud first, too.
PanoPaper puts your cameras where you already look all day. The video sits behind your windows, dimmed a little while you work, and comes back in full whenever your desktop is clear. Your real wallpaper stays untouched underneath.
Still watching your cameras in VLC? Here’s how PanoPaper compares with VLC, and how All Cameras turns your Mac into a video wall for every camera.
Works with what you have
Most network cameras already speak its language.
ONVIF is the common standard network cameras use to describe themselves and their video. Most cameras support it, including many from Reolink, Hikvision, Dahua, Amcrest, TP-Link Tapo and Sonoff. A camera without ONVIF still works through its RTSP address.
- Finds your cameras. Cameras that answer ONVIF on your network show up by themselves, in Settings and in the menu bar panel. One on another part of your network? Add it by its address.
- Signs in with the camera's own account. Use the ONVIF or RTSP account you set up in the camera's app. PanoPaper reads every stream the camera offers and keeps your password in the macOS keychain.
- Or takes an RTSP address. Got something like rtsp://192.168.1.90:554/stream1 from the camera's app or manual? Paste it in. If the camera speaks ONVIF, PanoPaper finds it behind the address, with all of its streams. If not, it shows that stream as it is.
- Right next to your UniFi cameras. Have UniFi Protect as well? Both kinds sit side by side in the menu bar panel, on the number keys of your desktop, in Full Screen and in All Cameras.
- Audio and the quality you pick. Hear the camera on your main display. Choose High, Medium or Low from the camera's own streams, decoded by your Mac's hardware.
- The details at a glance. See each camera's model, firmware and streams, including what a stream really sends: its frame rate, bitrate and keyframes, not just what the camera claims.
Detections
Your camera already watches for people. Now you'll hear about it.
Many cameras spot people, animals or motion on their own. PanoPaper listens for those detections over ONVIF, without running anything extra on your video. When your camera sees someone, a small line appears at the top of your screen with a soft chime. Click it and that camera fills the screen.
A camera that only reports motion shows up as Motion, so you always know what it saw. Notifications in Notification Center are there if you want them, and nothing ever leaves your network.
Detections →Private by design
Your video stays on your network.
PanoPaper connects straight to each camera on your local network. There's no camera cloud in between, no port to open on your router, and no account with us. Your password lives in the macOS keychain.
Privacy policy →Questions
What camera owners usually ask.
Which account should I use?
The camera's own ONVIF or RTSP account. You usually set it up in the camera's app, often under a heading like ONVIF, RTSP or third-party access. The login for the app or its cloud usually won't work here.
Where do I find my camera's RTSP address?
In the camera's app or manual, often next to its ONVIF settings. It looks like rtsp://192.168.1.90:554/ followed by a path. For a camera that speaks ONVIF you don't need it, though: its IP address or name is enough.
My camera doesn't show up. What now?
Check that ONVIF is turned on in the camera's app, as some cameras ship with it off. PanoPaper only finds cameras on the same part of your network as your Mac, so add one on another VLAN by its address.
Do I need an NVR?
No. PanoPaper talks to each camera directly. If you have a UniFi Protect NVR as well, its cameras show up right alongside.
Will it change my camera's settings?
No. PanoPaper only watches. Detection settings, recordings and everything else stay exactly as you set them in the camera's app.
Can I steer a PTZ camera?
Not yet. Turning and zooming the camera itself works with UniFi Protect cameras today. You can still zoom into any camera's picture and look around in it.
What does it cost?
PanoPaper is free, with every feature. For the first 7 days your cameras look clean. After that, “UNLICENSED” shows across them until you buy PanoPaper Pro, as a yearly plan or a one-time purchase.
Your cameras, right there. No app to open.
macOS 15 (Sequoia) or later, on Apple silicon or Intel.
Ready for macOS 27 Golden Gate.
