How it works
Your main PC sends the game
It captures the screen with Windows' own screen capture and hands it to your graphics card's encoder. It also sends the sound you pick, like the game and Discord. That's all it does.
Your second PC does the rest
Your overlay, scenes, webcam, recording, streaming and clips with Clip That all run there.
Same router, or one cable
Both PCs have to be on the same router, or joined by one Ethernet cable. A USB to Ethernet adapter works if a PC has no spare port.
OBS is optional
MewCapture records and streams by itself. If you like OBS, it can feed OBS on the second PC through its projector window.
What it does
No capture card
The game goes to your second PC over your own network or one cable, up to 4K or 144 fps.
Light on your main PC
The game goes straight into your graphics card's encoder at low priority, and the main PC screen shows how much it uses.
Your overlay stays on the second PC
Pick your overlay window and MewCapture removes its background for you, with a live preview and a slider.
Scenes
The game, your overlay, a webcam with background blur, images, text, countdowns, browser sources and a keys and mouse display, with studio mode and transitions.
Clip That
A hotkey on either PC saves the last 30 seconds to 2 minutes, with or without the overlay. Trim it and send a clean one to your main PC.
Record and stream
Presets for YouTube, Twitch, Low impact and Clips only. Stream to Twitch, YouTube and Kick at once, with chat in the app.
Mixer
Meters, mute and push to talk. Game, mic and Discord go on their own tracks in your recordings, and you pick which PC plays each sound.
Pair once
Both PCs show the same 4-digit code the first time. After that they find each other by themselves.
Works with OBS too
OBS is optional. Set up OBS for me builds an OBS scene from MewCapture's projector window and its sound.
Something's wrong
One button checks both PCs and the connection, tells you what to fix, and makes a summary you can paste in a ticket.
How it compares
Every option here can get your overlay into a recording. The difference is cost, setup and what runs on your main PC. Prices and numbers are the makers' own, checked October 2026.
MewCapture
- Cost
- Free
- Extra hardware
- None. A cable or a USB to Ethernet adapter if you want a direct link
- Setup effort
- Install on both PCs, match a 4-digit code, pick your overlay window
- Delay
- A small network delay. No measured number published yet
- Quality
- Up to 4K or 144 fps, encoded on your graphics card. Lowers quality by itself when packets drop
- Overlay safety on the main PC
- The overlay never runs on the main PC. Windows screen capture only, no injection. A red warning if the second PC's picture comes back to the main PC
- Built-in recording and streaming
- Yes. Record, stream to Twitch, YouTube and Kick at once, and Clip That
OBS + NDI
- Cost
- Free. OBS, the DistroAV plugin and NDI Tools cost nothing
- Extra hardware
- None. Wired gigabit is best for full NDI
- Setup effort
- OBS and DistroAV on both PCs, then key out the overlay's black and line up the delay by hand
- Delay
- Low on a wired network
- Quality
- Full NDI is close to lossless but needs about 125 Mbps at 1080p60. NDI HX uses far less and is compressed
- Overlay safety on the main PC
- Fine if your overlay stays on the second PC. OBS's Game Capture hooks into the game, Display Capture doesn't. No warning if it's set up wrong
- Built-in recording and streaming
- Yes, OBS records and streams
Sunshine + Moonlight
- Cost
- Free and open source
- Extra hardware
- None
- Setup effort
- Sunshine on the main PC, Moonlight on the second, pair with a PIN, then OBS on the second PC for the overlay
- Delay
- Low on a wired network. It's made for playing games over it
- Quality
- Up to 4K with HDR and up to 120 fps, encoded on your graphics card
- Overlay safety on the main PC
- Fine if your overlay stays on the second PC. Sunshine captures the desktop, no game hook. No warning if it's set up wrong
- Built-in recording and streaming
- No, you add OBS on the second PC
Parsec
- Cost
- Free for personal use. Warp, which adds 4:4:4 color, is $9.99 a month
- Extra hardware
- None
- Setup effort
- A Parsec account and the app on both PCs, then OBS on the second PC for the overlay
- Delay
- Low on a wired network. It's made for playing games over it
- Quality
- Up to 4K at 60 fps, or up to 240 fps at lower resolutions. 4:4:4 color needs Warp
- Overlay safety on the main PC
- Fine if your overlay stays on the second PC. Parsec captures the desktop, no game hook. No warning if it's set up wrong
- Built-in recording and streaming
- No, you add OBS on the second PC
Capture card
- Cost
- About $140 to $180 for a card with passthrough, like the Elgato HD60 X
- Extra hardware
- The capture card and another HDMI cable, after your fuser
- Setup effort
- Wire the card after your fuser, passthrough to your monitor, USB to the second PC, then OBS
- Delay
- None on the passthrough. The capture runs under 100 ms behind (Elgato's figure)
- Quality
- Depends on the card. The HD60 X captures up to 1080p60 or 4K30
- Overlay safety on the main PC
- Nothing extra runs on the main PC at all. Your fuser mixes in the overlay after it
- Built-in recording and streaming
- No, you add OBS or the card maker's app
Safety
- On your main PC, MewCapture only captures the screen, with Windows' own screen capture, the same way Discord screen sharing does. It doesn't inject into the game, load anything into it, hook it or read its memory.
- Your overlay never runs on the main PC. Anti-cheats take screenshots of the main PC and scan them, also with AI, for things like ESP. So the overlay, the projector and OBS's view of them stay on the second PC.
- If the second PC's picture ever comes back to the main PC, like the projector or an OBS scene with it in, MewCapture shows a red warning.
- Updates only come from our GitHub releases, and each one is signed, so a changed or fake update won't install.
- Everything can be detected eventually, no matter what anyone says. MewCapture keeps the main PC side as small as it can be: it captures the screen and sends it, nothing more.
Set it up
Every step says which PC it happens on.
Install it on both PCs
Download MewCapture-Setup from the latest release and run it on both PCs. If Windows warns you, press More info, then Run anyway. Say yes to admin rights, so it can open the firewall for the other PC, then pick which PC this is.
Screenshot coming with the next app version: The first screen, where you pick Main PC or Second PCConnect the two PCs
Both PCs on the same router, or one Ethernet cable straight between them. A cable is best for the main PC, because Wi-Fi drops show up as stutter. Direct cable between two PCs shows how.
Start receiving on the second PC
Press Start receiving, then Pick your overlay window. MewCapture finds the overlay's background and removes it, and the preview has a slider if you need more or less removed.
Screenshot coming with the next app version: Pick your overlay window, with the preview and the sliderPair the PCs
On the main PC, find your second PC. Check both show the same 4-digit code, then press Connect on the second PC. After this they reconnect by themselves.
Screenshot coming with the next app version: Both PCs showing the same 4-digit codeSend the game from the main PC
Pick Screen or your game window, tick the apps whose sound you want sent, like the game and Discord, and press Start sending. You can close the window after, it keeps running in the tray.
Screenshot coming with the next app version: The main PC screen with Start sendingSet it up and go
On the second PC, add your webcam and anything else in Scenes, set your levels in Audio, pick a preset in Output, and press Record or Go live. Using OBS? Press Set up OBS for me.
Screenshot coming with the next app version: Output, with the presets, Record and Go live
Questions
Do I need a capture card?
No. Your main PC sends the game to your second PC over your own network or one cable, and the second PC does the rest.
Is it free?
Yes. Download it from the latest release on GitHub.
Does it cost FPS on the main PC?
Very little. The game goes straight into your graphics card's encoder at low priority, and the main PC screen shows how much it uses. There's no preview on the main PC, to keep it light.
Can I run my overlay on the main PC?
No. Anti-cheats take screenshots of the main PC and scan them, also with AI, for things like ESP. Your overlay only ever runs on the second PC.
Is MewCapture undetectable?
Nobody can promise that about anything. Everything can be detected eventually, no matter what anyone says. What MewCapture does on the main PC is small: it captures the screen with Windows' own screen capture, the way Discord screen sharing does, and never injects into, hooks or reads the game.
What's the best connection?
One Ethernet cable straight between the two PCs. If a PC has no spare port, a USB 3 to Ethernet adapter of 1 Gbps or more works. Next best is both PCs on the same router with cables. Wi-Fi on the same router works too, but drops show up as stutter. Direct cable between two PCs shows how.
Do I need OBS?
No. MewCapture records and streams by itself. If you like OBS, it can feed OBS on the second PC through its projector window, and Set up OBS for me does it for you.
The game is black or nothing shows.
Pick Screen instead of the game window. Capturing a game window needs the game in borderless or windowed mode.
Parts of my overlay disappear, or there's a dark border.
Move the How much gets removed slider. If your overlay lets you pick its background color, set it to pure green and press Detect again.
It stutters or looks blocky.
That's nearly always the network. Use a cable, or pick Smooth as the quality on the main PC. MewCapture also lowers the quality by itself when packets drop.
The PCs can't find each other.
Press Start receiving on the second PC first, and check both are on the same router. Turn off guest networks, AP or client isolation and VPNs, or let your VPN allow your local network. Network on the second PC shows what's blocking it, sometimes with a Fix it button. A direct cable always works as a fallback.
Found a bug, or have an idea?
In the app
Press Report a bug or idea. It sends us your message and the PC info shown in the form. Your stream keys, PC name and Windows user name are never in it.
In a Discord ticket
Open a ticket in our Discord and paste the summary from Something's wrong, so we can see both PCs and the connection.
Open a ticket →